Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Akhilesh Kumar Vs State of Uttar Pradesh & Others dated 23/05/2025. The matter related to illegal mining activites carried out by Jai Maa Chandrika Enterprises, Rajendra Nagar, village Kabari, district Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh. The applicant also alleged about illegal sale …
This report contains studies in Chennai and Delhi led by Dr. Kalpana Balakrishnan and Dr. Uma Rajarathnam, respectively. These time-series studies of air pollution and mortality in India were funded under HEI's PAPA Program to provide information to inform regulatory and other decisions that would be relevant to local populations, …
Ajay and Pooja Naik lament the day they took their child for a special vaccination programme. Soon after Yathartha’s birth last year, Ajay learned that a government hospital in Indore in Madhya Pradesh was offering vaccines against many diseases, including polio, H1N1 and hepatitis, for free. What he did not …
Endosulfan poisoning in Kasaragod district has made the Kerala government cautious in its approach to use of pesticides. Agriculture minister M Retnakaran recently announced that the ban on extremely and moderately hazardous pesticides in Kasaragod will be extended to Idukki district. The news augurs well for Idukki, known for its …
ANTIOXIDANTS are a part of health food products like Kellogg’s cornflakes, Protinex and Horlicks. But claims of these being healthy and nutritious are likely to fall flat as antioxidants have been found to have adverse health reactions. A research has shown that antioxidants like vitamins C and E could be …
Most readers might find it difficult to credit what follows. This is a story of how bilateral and multilateral investment treaties are being used to satisfy corporate greed, how large corporations, even those in the unsavoury business of selling cigarettes, can sue countries for passing public health laws intended to …
The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Union Carbide Corporation, Dow Chemicals and others on a Centre's plea seeking increase in compensation to the victims of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy from Rs 750 crore to Rs 7,700 crore. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia also …
Pre-budget discussions on misuse of subsidised diesel in cars has hit a crescendo. Public angst has already brought this to a boil. Political ire is also sharper this year, with Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh condemning the use of subsidised diesel in luxury SUVs as “criminal”. Will the Union Budget …
MORE than 5,000 people were lathicharged while protesting the construction of an asbestos plant in a village in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. On January 22, residents of Chainpur were staging a sitin outside the site to protest cancercausing asbestos when police tried to disperse them. When the protestors turned violent, …
This is a critical analysis by CSE of the new six-city study on air pollution sources released by Central Pollution Control Board. Says that auto industry is misusing the study to derail tighter emissions standards and encourage polluting diesel cars. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has pressed the alarm …
Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in December announced that his government would consider banning endosulfan. The highly toxic pesticide is banned in over 70 countries. The assurance has come too late and is too little for the hundreds of people in Dakshina Kannada district, like Santosh Menzes, who are …
“LET the headlines be that mobile towers are safe,” declared Rajan Mathews, director of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). He said this while presenting the findings of a survey commissioned by cell phone service providers to measure radiation from mobile phone towers in Delhi. The survey conducted at …
DIGITAL photographs of the retina have revealed that healthy people exposed to high levels of air pollution have narrower retinal blood vessels. While past studies linked an increase in air pollution to a higher risk of death and hospitalisation from heart disease, the study published in the November issue of …
Based on its review of the air quality criteria and the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for carbon monoxide (CO), EPA is proposing to retain the current standards. EPA is also proposing changes to the ambient air monitoring requirements for CO including those related to network design.
THE Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has fumbled in answering a critical question on carbonyl and methane emissions from vehicle exhausts: which pollutes less—petrol, diesel, CNG or LPG? The pollution watchdog’s study on emissions provides a database that could be used to give a policy message. It declared CNG to …
NARAYANA Vokalliga from Belur village in Kasaragod breathed his last on November 20 just as his son was explaining how his father had suffered from exposure to endosulfan for 30 years. The former employee of the Plantation Corporation of Kerala used to spray the toxic pesticide manually in the corporation’s …
CSE comments on CPCB's recently released Study of Exhaust Gases from Different Fuel-based Vehicles for Carbonyls and Methane Emissions. Urges CPCB to recall and urgently review this study to make it more scientifically tenable. CPCB has made a valuable effort to generate emissions data on unregulated toxic emissions as well …
It is called the mango city. But of late, Muthalamada panchayat in Kerala’s Palakkad district has gained notoriety for excessive use of endosulfan in its mango orchards. Its effect is showing on people living there. When seven-year-old Sharanya was born, her parents Rukmini and Chandran were relieved the baby was …
DO CHEMICALS used to disinfect water harm our health? Evidence suggests drinking water purified with common disinfectants like chlorine and bromine causes urinary bladder cancer. But it was not clear whether the chemicals can affect health when used to keep swimming pools or bathing water clean, until now. Spanish and …
THE Union health ministry is again considering introducing injectable contraceptives in the family planning programme. The ministry has asked its Drug Technical Advisory Body (DTAB) to allow use of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA) in the programme. An earlier attempt to introduce it was withdrawn in 1995 after Supreme Court’s intervention. …
CHIEF minister of Kerala V S Achuthanandan on November 23 announced a relief package for the victims of endosulfan in Kasaragod district. The package includes free ration, pension, a loan waiver, housing and drinking water supply, rehabilitation, training and employment for the 2,210 victims of endosulfan exposure. At a high-level …
