Month: October 2025

In a remarkable environmental turnaround, land in Delhi Dwarka once among the city most groundwater-stressed zones is rising again. A joint study by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), IIT Kanpur, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and the University of Miami has revealed that after years of gradual sinking, Dwarka’s land is now lifting, indicating groundwater replenishment. The study, published in Water Resources Research and titled InSAR Reveals Recovery of Stressed Aquifer Systems in Parts of Delhi, India, analysed satellite data from October 2014 to October 2023. Researchers found that land subsidence in Dwarka has not only halted but reversed with certain areas lifting by 5 to 10 centimetres since 2016. The upward movement, averaging 2 cm per year across nearly 4 sq km, points to the sl...

As air quality in Haryana deteriorates with the onset of the pollution season, the state’s ability to monitor real-time data has taken a major hit. Nearly 65% of its air quality monitoring stations went offline on Wednesday, severely crippling pollution tracking efforts at a crucial time. Out of 32 stations across the state, 20 were non-functional including three key monitors in Gurugram. The outage left only the Vikas Sadan station operational in the city, which recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 150, categorised as ‘moderate.’ However, with the majority of monitors down, officials lacked an accurate picture of pollution levels or the composition of the haze that blanketed the city. According to Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) officials, the stations at Gwalpahari,...

A devastating wave of child deaths in India due to toxic cough syrups has reignited concerns over the nation’s fragile pharmaceutical oversight. In October 2025, at least 24 children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district died after consuming Coldrif syrup, followed by three more deaths in Rajasthan’s Sikar and Bharatpur districts linked to another dextromethorphan-based syrup from Kaysons Pharma. All victims, aged below five, exhibited signs of acute kidney failure caused by diethylene glycol (DEG) poisoning. The World Health Organization (WHO) later confirmed DEG levels as high as 48.6 percent in Coldrif batches a staggering violation of safety norms. In standard formulations, safe solvents like propylene glycol are used, but unscrupulous manufacturers often substitute them with chea...

UNESCO has launched the world’s first Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects, a digital space unlike any traditional museum. Instead of expanding its collection, this museum aims to one day empty itself by returning every stolen item it showcases to its rightful home. Unveiled in September at UNESCO MONDIACULT 2025 conference, the museum is the first global platform dedicated to stolen and trafficked cultural artifacts. It seeks to raise awareness about the illicit trade of cultural property while providing a free, immersive, and interactive experience accessible worldwide. Currently the museum displays 240 stolen or missing objects from 46 countries rendered in 2D and 3D formats. Visitors can browse artifacts ranging from ancient manuscripts and coins to sculptures and paintings....

Gurugram: Making Model Gurugram (MMG), under the aegis of Rurban Initiatives, has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to reform the city’s sanitation, waste collection, and monitoring mechanisms. The framework, titled “A Submission on Waste Management,” outlines actionable strategies to address four major urban challenges construction debris, road dust, horticulture waste, and garbage burning. Construction Waste Tops the List of Concerns According to the report, Gurugram generates more than 2,000 tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste daily, far exceeding the 1,500-tonne capacity of the Basai processing plant. MMG has proposed setting up 30–35 demarcated dumping points across the city and ensuring direct waste collection un...

A new study has revealed that baleen whales including species such as blue, fin, minke, and humpback whales play a far greater role in ocean health than previously understood. Their waste releases vital nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron into the water, which can increase ocean primary productivity by up to 10%, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For years, scientists knew whales helped recycle nutrients, but this is the first time their precise impact on marine productivity has been measured. Researchers collected and analyzed feces and urine samples from minke and fin whales to determine nutrient concentrations. They then used ecosystem models to estimate how the nutrient release from several baleen species affects phytop...

In a significant milestone for Indian agriculture, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced that the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has facilitated the first-ever air shipment of GI-tagged Indi Lime from Karnataka and Puliyankudi Lime from Tamil Nadu to the United Kingdom. Calling it a “major boost to farmers,” Goyal said the achievement would empower cultivators, open new export avenues, and strengthen India’s agricultural presence in global markets. Earlier this year, APEDA had successfully exported three metric tons of GI-tagged Swadeshi Lime from Vijayapura, Karnataka, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking another step toward global recognition of India’s regional specialties. The Geographical Indication (GI) tag is awarde...

Delhi woke up on Thursday morning under a thick layer of haze and fog, pushing the air quality into the “very poor” category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city average Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 357 at 8 a.m., up sharply from 279 a day earlier. Several monitoring stations recorded alarming figures, with Anand Vihar (408) and Vivek Vihar (415) slipping into the “severe” range. Other parts of Delhi, including ITO, Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, and Dwarka, also reported “very poor” air quality levels, crossing 350. Experts say stagnant winds and dense fog have trapped pollutants close to the surface, leading to reduced visibility. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted visibility of 800 to 1,000 metres at Safdarjung and Palam during early hours. ...

The Union Tribal Affairs Ministry has issued a major policy shift, declaring that the relocation of forest-dwelling communities from tiger reserves must only occur as an “exceptional, voluntary, and evidence-based measure.” The new framework emphasizes that communities should have the right to remain in their traditional forest habitats under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), while ensuring that relocation, if undertaken, adheres to strict standards of consent, equity, and scientific justification. The policy outlines the creation of a National Framework for Community-Centred Conservation and Relocation (NFCCR), to be jointly managed by the Environment and Tribal Affairs Ministries. This framework would establish clear procedures, timelines, and accountability systems for any relocation effo...

India agricultural soils are critically deficient in key nutrients such as nitrogen and organic carbon, according to new findings by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Released at the National Conclave on Sustainable Food Systems in Nimli, Rajasthan, the assessment raises alarms about declining soil fertility and its implications for crop productivity and climate resilience. Based on data from the government’s Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme, the study found that 64 per cent of soil samples were “low” in nitrogen and nearly 49 per cent were “low” in organic carbon. These deficits not only threaten food security but also weaken India capacity to store carbon a key factor in mitigating climate change. The report estimates that Indian soils could sequester about 6–7 teragrams of c...