Affidavit by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the matter of Sisir Kumar Panda Vs Union of India & Others dated 20/05/2025. The issue pertained to the removal of illegal construction/obstruction caused by the state authorities as well as the private persons in the ecological sensitive zone …
Around three years ago, I got an opportunity to meet Chandi Prasad Bhat. He was lecturing on how poor villagers in Uttaranchal hugged trees and prevented them from being cut down. The lecture on the Chipko movement got me thinking on environmental activism in my home state, West Bengal. Environmental …
There's a beautiful wetland in Nepal that's being destroyed-yet it's no ones fault. Seb Buckton reports on an innovative WWT (Wildlife & Wetlands Trust) project aimed at bringing the balance back to a pristine land.
Constructed wetlands (CW) are being increasingly used worldwide to treat domestic wastewater by applying various technological designs. The systems are preferentially used due to simple technology in principle, reliable operating conditions and the potential to remove total nitrogen by simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. Oct-Dec 2007
Riddled with ambiguities The ESIA draft report underlines conservationists' concerns that the proposed facility will pose environmental risks to lesser flamingos that breed in the lake, because "a single episode of disturbance can cause the whole breeding colony to abandon the nesting site'. Construction of the plant could result in …
Soda ash threat to habitat The migratory lesser flamingo is a high-value bird species in eastern Africa's tourism industry. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) classifies it as "near threatened'. Of five breeding sites for lesser flamingos worldwide, Lake Natron attracts the largest number
IT IS not often that Whiting, Indiana, makes the national news. But Indiana's plan to let bp, a British energy company, expand an oil refinery there, possibly increasing pollution in Lake Michigan, has raised hackles not just in neighbouring Illinois but all the way to Capitol Hill. Barack Obama, a …
Aquatic vegetation is generally considered as nuisance plant communities which cause hindrance to aquaculture practice, resulting in the loss of aquaculture yields. Despite all these disadvantages, the importance of freshwater vegetation and their resources to human welfare can not be neglected rather invites attention too.
It was a bright sunny morning when I reached the Bakhira lake. Bakhira is reputed to be the biggest natural wetland in Uttar Pradesh and is known for its purple swamphens. The birds are known to be shy. I nurtured hopes of spotting them, nevertheless. They were soon belied. It …
a landfill in the East Kolkata wetland area has emerged as a treasure trove of useful microbes that could be tapped for various biotechnological purposes. Researchers from the Dr B C Guha Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the department of biochemistry at the University of Calcutta, and the …
eu dumping rules: On June 12, European Union (EU) laid down rules to check illegal dumping of hazardous materials in developing countries. An update of 1993 EU regulations, the new rules require EU governments to carry out inspections and make spot checks of ships in their territory. It also gives …
In India, wetlands are distributed in all the biogeographic regions and exhibit significant ecological diversity, primarily because of the variability in climate, geology, habitat and topography. Wetlands provide a multitude of services, including water purification and regulation of flows, fisheries, habitats for plants, animals and micro-organisms, opportunities for recreation and …
Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater Ecosystems in the Himalayas (CCIFEH) Programme is a joint initiative of WWF-India and WWF Nepal, funded by WWF-The Netherlands. The Programme entails a panorama of actions working towards understanding future climate change impacts on Himalayan river ecosystems and vulnerable communities for the development of adaptation …
Lake Oussudu, which is the largest wetland in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, is one of the most important bird sanctuaries in India. Apart from being an important water resource and a heritage site, Oussudu watershed also caters to the other needs of the people living around the lake; notably …
Poor management of irrigation water and inadequate drainage system in plains have made vast tracts of agricultural land unproductive due to waterlogging and high moisture content. Integrated development of such waterlogged ecosystem has been taken up under NWDPRA (National Watershed Develpoment Project for Rainfed Areas) with the twin objectives of …
heavy metals are seeping into Kolkata's groundwater from Dhapa, its waste dumping ground on the eastern fringe of the city. A study has found traces of chromium, zinc, cadmium and copper in areas around Dhapa. Copper and cadmium above permissible limits was also recorded. Under pressure are the East Calcutta …
Hilaro Siquera used to own a 243-hectare farm in Divar, about 6 km from Goa's capital, Panaji. His land isn't cultivable any more: saline water has claimed most of it. Most of Siqueria's fellow cultivators work as daily wagers, their farms having been reduced to mosquito-infested swamps. Divar's 400-odd farms …
The Kabartal wetland situated in the upper Indo-Gangetic flood plains in northern India is significant because of its hydrological and ecological services, and the socio-economic and cultural values that it represents. Despite being designated as a wildlife sanctuary, this wetland is under threat from anthropogenic pressures. As in the case …
Mining firm Acquitted: On April 24, 2007, Newmont Mining Corporation, the world's biggest gold producer, and one of its executives were acquitted of charges related to dumping unsafe levels of toxic waste into a bay off Indonesia's Sulawesi Island. The judge said documents presented during the trial could not prove …
function open_new_popwin() { newwd=window.open('photo/photo_gallery.htm','','height=570,width=550,scrollbars=yes'); newwd.moveTo(250,75); } Clipped Wings In Uttar Pradesh's Etawah and Mainpuri regions, a newly-married couple is shown a pair of sarus cranes (Grus antigone). The elegant birds which mate for life are revered by people here. Sighting a pair of the cranes bodes well for marital bliss, …
Freshwater basins are vulnerable to human-induced change for a number of reasons. The change detection study of Ansupa lake, Orissa was carried out by using multi-temporal satellite data clearly indicates the decrease in wetland area. Due to high anthropogenic pressure, the wetland is shrinking day-by-day. Finally, for restoration efforts to …
