Thermal power generation in India is set to increase manifold shows an analysis of data from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). The country’s total thermal capacity as of April 2011 is 113,000 MW. This capacity is proposed to be increased to 701,820 MW, which is six times …
On the night of March 7, a thick pall of smoke enveloped Kudikadu village near Cuddalore. It made people ill; over 120 persons had to be hospitalised after they complained of nausea, giddiness and eye irritation. The white smoke was bromine gas and its source: pharma company Shasun Pharmaceuticals, which …
Forty one years ago, a US senator did something unprecedented in his country's history. Helped by environmental activists from across the country, Gaylord Nelson mobilised more than 20 million people on environmental issues. On April 22, 1970, the streets in the US saw a rare political alignment. Republicans and Democrats, …
Sometime in June 2009, the West Bengal chief minister’s office forwarded a complaint to the state pollution control board (SPCB) about three sponge iron factories in West Medinipur district. A team was dispatched to Jhargram subdivision. It found a thick layer of grey dust coating trees and pathways, and noted …
Why a song on mining? I am a trained environmental engineer, so I always wanted to write a song on environmental degradation caused by mining in Australia. I am not sure why I did not write it before, but it is an opportune time as mining is expanding in the …
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei had intended interactive art. But his offering of 100 million sunflower seeds handcrafted from porcelain covering London’s Tate Modern’s lower floor was fenced off two days after the public opening on October 25—for health concerns. The danger of inhaling dust from the Chinese porcelain seeds was …
What is exposome? Exposome is the record of every interaction an individual has with his or her environment since conception. These interactions could be external, such as exposure to air and water pollution and diet, or internal such as the body’s response to infection or psychological stress. Unlike genetic factors …
How does artificial light affect insects? The strong illumination of artificial light attracts insects. We reviewed the epidemiological information on three insect-borne diseases, chagas, kala azar and malaria, and found artificial lighting changed the behaviour of insect vectors and thereby the modes of disease transmission. For example, the chagas parasite …
Students from over 1,200 municipal schools in Mumbai do not litter packets after finishing their favourite flavoured milk, which they receive under the school feeding programme. They neatly fold the cartons and drop them in a bin in the campus. A paper mill in Gujarat sends its truck every day …
Mining in India has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Our environmental track record in mining has not exactly been stellar. More bad news is likely. India is looking to open investment in gold mining in the country—and in a big way. Geologically, India’s terrain, especially …
Concerned over the rise in pollution levels in the city along with soil and water contamination, the Delhi government has awarded a project to the Delhi University for mapping the soil, water and air pollutants district wise. The project, spanning 18 months, will help the government's action plan to control …
The Power and Energy Ministry has taken steps to begin the construction of the second and third coal fired power plants in Sampur and Velvuur in Trincomalee in June, a ministry official said. The proposed power plant in Sampur would add 500 MW to the national grid in 2012, the …
YOU'LL be glad to know that in the concrete jungle of Mumbai, some beautiful creatures are giving children something to smile about. In spite of the ever-increasing air and chemical pollution, the butterfly population has seemingly increased by 3 percent in Mumbai. There are 150 species of butterflies found in …
The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government has decided to slap a spot fine of Rs 50 on users of banned plastic bags. Shopkeepers handing out the bags will have to shell out Rs 500, according to a notification issued earlier this month. Officials feel the pollution cost, to be collected by the …
Speakers at a symposium yesterday said lack of hygienic sanitation facilities is seriously affecting safe water supply, environment and the public health situation in the district as well as in the country. Without ensuring sustainable sanitation facilities it is impossible to prevent water and environment pollution, they said at the …
WITH EastLink due to open in the middle of this year, inner-city Melbourne will need to brace itself for the additional traffic that will hit the end of the Eastern Freeway. Around 140,000 vehicles use the Eastern Freeway every day, and EastLink is expected to add more than 20%. So …
Specialty chemicals firm W.R. Grace & Co. has agreed to pay the federal government a record US$250 million for cleaning up asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday. The agreement settles a federal bankruptcy claim over the Libby clean up, and a department …
Speakers at a discussion yesterday called upon all to work together to offset the impacts of global climate change. Although Bangladesh contributes very little to global warming, it would be one of the worst affected countries and immediate measures need to be taken to this end, they said. Ministry of …
After residents of the Riverbend Farms subdivision noticed that an oily, fetid substance had begun fouling the Black Warrior River, which runs through their backyards, Mark Storey, a retired petroleum plant worker, hopped into his boat to follow it upstream to its source. It turned out to be an old …
Dawn 27/02/08 The City District Government Karachi will set up 40 compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in the metropolis under public-private partnership at various bus terminals and depots of the defunct Karachi Transport Corporation. Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil said this while talking to Chairman CNG Station Owners Association of Pakistan …
