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  The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) latest findings have reignited concerns over drinking water safety in west Delhi Janakpuri area, revealing that five out of six samples collected from A block households were contaminated with Total Coliform and E. Coli. This comes despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) prior orders to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to resolve the issue. According to the report submitted to the tribunal, the fresh round of sampling conducted on June 30 showed alarming bacterial presence, with E. Coli levels reaching as high as 280,000 units per 100ml well above the Bureau of Indian Standards’ permissible limits, which mandate zero detection in 100ml. One house even declined sampling, prompting CPCB to collect an alternate sample within the block. T...

Reforestation has long been hailed as one of the most hopeful responses to the climate crisis, offering the dual benefits of carbon capture and ecosystem restoration. But as sociologist Thomas Rudel makes clear in a sweeping new study, the regrowth of forests is rarely a passive, automatic event. It is a deeply human process one shaped by politics, economics, migration, and, most crucially, the decisions of the people who live and work closest to the land. In a wide-ranging interview with Mongabay, Rudel reflected on the ideas behind his latest book, Reforesting the Earth: The Human Dimensions of Reforestation. Drawing on decades of research across South America, Africa, and Asia, Rudel challenges the conventional belief that forests simply bounce back on their own. Instead, he argues t...

In a striking example of failed river and infrastructure management long-stalled Maheshwar dam on the Narmada River is now set to be permanently abandoned. After over three decades of controversy, delays, and mismanagement, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has ordered the liquidation of Shree Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation Ltd (SMHPCL), sealing the fate of the dam project that has already consumed ₹5,000 crore in public and institutional funds. The dam located in Madhya Pradesh Mandleshwar region, was once hailed as a flagship public-private partnership meant to modernize India's power sector. But instead of delivering hydropower it became mired in financial collapse, legal battles, incomplete rehabilitation, and stiff grassroots opposition led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (...

Lucknow: Green finance initiative in India, the Uttar Pradesh government has started advance payments to farmers for carbon credits they are expected to earn five years from now through agroforestry. The move aims to incentivize farmers to plant and conserve trees by offering them early income for future climate gains. So far, Rs 48.6 lakh has been disbursed as partial prepayments to 237 farmers who registered under the state Carbon Finance Project in its first phase. On average, farmers have received around Rs 10,000 each. However the remaining amount will only be paid if the trees survive till the credit maturity period. “Farmers are being encouraged to plant saplings today for a greener tomorrow. This is the country’s first-ever initiative where advance carbon credit payments are ...

New Delhi: They may seem harmless fluttering over rooftops, but Delhi pigeons now dubbed ‘rats from the sky’ have become a serious cause for concern. Their growing population and disease-ridden droppings are prompting urgent warnings from health authorities and environmental tribunals. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has raised red flags over the unchecked rise in pigeon numbers warning that their droppings are not just messy but a genuine public health threat. A directive has been issued to the veterinary department to curb the bird boom, citing an increase in respiratory illnesses tied to pigeon-infested areas. This action follows a National Green Tribunal (NGT) notice served to the Delhi government in June after a school student filed a petition flagging the hazards of pi...

RAIPUR: A sweeping new study has sounded alarm bells over the devastating environmental toll of coal mining in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, where forest cover has plunged from 35.56% in 1995 to just 14% in 2024. The findings paint a grim picture of how unchecked mining expansion particularly open-cast operations is stripping the land of its natural resilience and triggering widespread degradation. Home to 13 operational coal mines and four more in the pipeline, Korba stands at the heart of India’s power ambitions. With coal production expected to peak at 180 million tonnes by 2025, researchers warn that this industrial surge is coming at a profound ecological cost. The study, led by Dr. Joystu Dutta from Sant Gahira Guru University, revealed that the scale of land use and land cove...

A staggering 550 million hectares of wetlands must be conserved or restored globally to reverse accelerating environmental degradation, according to the Global Wetland Outlook: Third Edition (GWO3) released today by the Ramsar Convention Scientific and Technical Review Panel. The cost? Roughly 0.5% of current global GDP a price far smaller than the economic and ecological losses at stake. The report paints a stark picture of ongoing wetland depletion, with 411 million hectares lost since 1970, equivalent in size to the Gulf of Aden. Wetlands are disappearing at an annual rate of 0.5%, with inland marshes, swamps, and lakes hit hardest. Once seen as wastelands ripe for reclamation, these ecosystems are now recognised as critical natural infrastructure, providing clean water, food, flood ...

Gurgaon: After intermittent showers over the past few days, Haryana is bracing for a spell of intense rainfall next week as the monsoon gathers momentum. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rainfall alert from July 20 to 22 across northern, eastern and southern parts of the state, including Gurgaon. While Saturday may bring light rain in isolated areas, weather officials warn that the intensity and spread of rain will increase significantly by Monday and Tuesday potentially triggering localized flooding and waterlogging, especially in low-lying zones. According to IMD experts this surge is being driven by a depression over northwest Rajasthan and an active monsoon trough in the region. In addition a fresh western disturbance at mid-tropospheric levels is expe...

In a move that has sparked sharp debate among environmental experts the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has exempted nearly 78% of India coal-based thermal power plants from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems devices critical for curbing sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions a major source of PM2.5 pollution and acid rain. Originally mandated in 2015 to install FGD units by 2017, power plants received multiple deadline extensions over the years. The government now says that Category C plants those situated outside critical pollution zones and representing the bulk of India's thermal capacity are no longer required to comply. Additionally, plants due for retirement before 2030 are allowed exemption upon submitting an undertaking. The Centre defended the re...

A global study published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity has revealed a disturbing trend: alien plant species are rapidly overtaking native ecosystems across the tropical world including large parts of India. Driven by climate change and intensified human activity these invasive plants are reshaping biodiversity hotspots threatening both ecological balance and human livelihoods. The researchers focused on what they call the "Greater Tropics" the tropical and subtropical zones that account for nearly 60% of Earth’s land area and support over a billion people. Alarmingly, these regions now host a rapidly growing number of alien vascular plant species many of which are becoming dominant forces in their new environments. Since the 1950s, the number of plant species introduced outside thei...