Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Are missing palm trees causing more lighting deaths in Bihar appearing in ‘The Times of India’ dated 29.05.2025". The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Are missing palm trees causing …
In 1990, senior government officials gathered at Paro to draft broad parameters for the country’s development agenda. The conclusion was the “Paro Resolution on Environment and Sustainable Development”, a statement that redefined sustainability in the Bhutanese context. It read as, “The capacity and the political will to effectively address today’s …
With modernisation has come the pressure on the forests. Though almost three-fourths of the country is still covered by dense foliage, the demands from a growing population can put unprecedented demands on them. Be it for construction, fuelwood consumption, infrastructure development, it cannot be underestimated. At the same time, 60 …
T he challenges that Bhutan is faced with are indeed daring, but rather than taking corrective measures, one cannot deny the fact that the government is taking proactive steps to mitigate the evils of development. For instance, air pollution. Though not of the proportion Indian metros like New Delhi are …
On the road to destiny The tradition-bound Himalayan kingdom readies itself to brace modernism In 1958, when the then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, went to Bhutan on a state visit, the only way he could reach the capital Thimpu was over land. He demanded to be met at the …
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has drawn up a comprehensive environmental management plan for Panipat. The board, however, has compromised on its standards in the very beginning. It has forgotten some of its clauses for giving the no-objection certificate to a project which entails setting up of new …
Hospitals no longer present a pic ture of neglect with a distasteful lingering aroma of disinfectant. Some of these modern institutions of succor are indistinguishable, in every way, from the glitzy structures that abound in the city. However, time has stood still in the area of waste manage ment and …
" what is the big fuss about 12 tigers dying?" This insensitive statement of A P Singh, Orissa's environment and forest minister reflects and adequately sums up the attitude of the bureaucracy towards wildlife in the country. With the authorities displaying such a total lack of concern for the animals …
A thin strip of land trapped between the Arabian Sea and the Kerala backwaters. This is Challanam in Ernakulam district. Freshwater used to be very scarce. Although it rains in torrents during the monsoon, the water would flow into the sea. Groundwater was useless due to ingress of saline water. …
Leftist politicians have a reputation across the world for being immensely centralised in their thinking. So, what was different in Kerala, where the major steps in the decentralisation drive have been taken by the ldf alliance? For one, the socioeconomic conditions desperately called for a change. For another, a highly …
Four years of decentralised planning have resulted in a functional division between state plans and local plans. Policy analysts say this would lead to subsequent material improvement in local life, for example, better management of agriculture and water resources. "An important change is the right focus of planning and, so, …
The future of the decentralisation process is uncertain, and the real threat comes from the bureaucracy. A wide spectrum of people - from political leaders to policy planners - share such fears. "The bureaucracy is organised, and is a great problem. Earlier there was stiff resistance from the bureaucracy to …
A recent study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that environmental degradation is posing a great threat to human health. The study, An Assessment of Risks and Threats to Human Health Associated with the Degradation of Ecosystems, aims at providing a rational basis for environmental policy making. It …
The state of environment in Pakistan is "alarming' and is costing the country from US $1 billion to US $2.1 billion per year, which comes to 2.5 per cent to five per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). This was stated by Jamil Asghar Bhatti, project manager of the …
Some 20 experts in river-basin management, sustainable development and other environmental fields from North America met Costa Rican leaders who deal with these problems on a local, regional and national level at a recent workshop organised by the Organization of Tropical Studies ( otc ) in Guanacaste. Entitled "Flood Protection …
india and Nepal have decided to work more closely towards taming the numerous rivers originating from Nepal and passing through India to control annual flooding of the Indo-Gangetic plains. Termed as
The fatuous Indian elite must also be the most crooked elite in the world. When it comes to linking trade with environment on issues that affect the marauding rich industrialists of the country, you will hear everyone, from the prime minister downwards to the ministers of commerce and finance, shouting …
Japan is a country with a long history and an intricate culture. It has done its best to maintain its own cultural identity despite immense economic globalisation and material Westernisation. Even today less than one per cent Japanese speak English. Intrigued by the extraordinary complexity that is Japan, I took …
Is there a comprehensive wetland management policy in India? There is neither a policy nor a plan for wetland management in India. Ad-hocism prevails without understanding the science or the system. There have been plans to make a draft policy and submit it to the government for consideration, but I …
after the 1999 super cyclone in Orissa, many organisations took up relief work in the state. Very often the volunteers were frustrated in their task by the very people they were meant to assist. In their desperation to get food and water, medical supplies and clothes the affected people were …
