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    Delhi authorities have rolled out some of the strictest anti-pollution measures in recent years as the city continues to choke under dangerously high air pollution levels. The air quality index has remained in the ‘severe’ category, frequently crossing the 450 mark, raising serious health concerns for residents across the national capital. The Commission for Air Quality Management has implemented the highest stage of the Graded Response Action Plan to curb emissions immediately. Under these measures, older and non-compliant diesel trucks have been banned from entering the city, construction and demolition activities have been halted, and strict checks on polluting vehicles have been intensified. Authorities have also introduced hybrid schooling to reduce traffic and ...

    The Kerala government on Wednesday announced a landmark decision to allocate five acres of land for the establishment of a Central Forensic Science Laboratory under the National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and is being seen as a significant step towards strengthening scientific support for criminal investigations in the state. The land identified for the project is located at the Phase IV Technocity campus of Technopark in Melthonnakkal village. According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, the site will be leased to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for a period of 90 years at a highly nominal annual fee of ₹100 per acre, reflecting the state’s c...

    In the outskirts of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, hundreds of informal “craft” recycling villages are grappling with a dangerous paradox. While these villages help recycle a portion of the country’s massive plastic waste and provide income to thousands of families, the absence of regulation has turned them into hotspots of severe environmental pollution and health risks. Vietnam produces nearly 1.8 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, much of which ends up in villages such as Xa Cau and Minh Khai. Here, workers manually sort, shred, and melt plastic using rudimentary methods. Mountains of discarded bottles line roads and rivers, while toxic smoke and untreated wastewater contaminate air and water sources. Health hazards hidden behind economic survival For wor...

    Heatwaves are silently becoming one of India’s most dangerous climate threats, even as they continue to fall outside the country’s formal disaster framework. Unlike floods or cyclones, extreme heat leaves no visible destruction, but it claims lives quietly and steadily, especially among those who are most exposed and least protected. Every summer, temperatures in large parts of India cross 45 degrees Celsius. People collapse at construction sites, in agricultural fields, inside poorly ventilated homes, or while walking long distances for water. These deaths rarely make headlines. Heat-related fatalities are often recorded under causes such as cardiac arrest, dehydration, or respiratory failure, masking the true impact of extreme heat. Public health experts say hea...

    Despite a rapid increase in protected areas across the world, new research warns that nature loss is continuing inside many of these zones, raising serious questions about whether conservation efforts are delivering real ecological results. Scientists say that governments are focusing more on meeting numerical targets for land and ocean coverage than on ensuring actual protection on the ground. Protected areas are widely regarded as one of the most powerful tools to halt biodiversity loss. Under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, countries have pledged to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030. On paper, progress appears encouraging, with about 17.6 per cent of land and inland waters and 8.4 per cent of oceans currently under some form of pro...

As air quality continues to deteriorate across the national capital and surrounding regions, experts have stressed the need for clearly defined and measurable clean air targets for Delhi-NCR. The Delhi government has recently announced emergency measures, including the formation of a high-level committee to finalise an air pollution control plan for 2026, but experts say stronger coordination and long-term planning are essential. Air pollution is not limited by administrative boundaries, making regional cooperation critical. The creation of the Commission for Air Quality Management, which oversees Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas, is seen as a positive step. However, its impact must be strengthened through coordinated action across departments such as transport, urban development, agricult...

    The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s order directing the removal of fruit-bearing orchards from encroached forest land, observing that the high court should not have passed an order with such far-reaching consequences. The apex court said the decision had a severe impact on marginalised communities and landless people whose livelihoods depend on apple cultivation. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that the high court’s direction affected thousands of small and marginal apple growers. Calling the order disproportionate, the Supreme Court said it resulted in social and economic hardship, particularly for those dependent on orchards for survival. The verdict has brought major relief...

    Indian scientists working in Antarctica have discovered traces of ancient black carbon, or soot, dating back nearly 7,000 years, shedding new light on how pollution can accelerate ice melt and contribute to rising global sea levels. The discovery has significant implications for India, even though the frozen continent lies nearly 10,000 kilometres away. Indian Scientists Study Hidden Climate Threat Researchers from the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, uncovered the black carbon in sediment cores taken from Pup Lagoon in the Larsemann Hills of East Antarctica. According to NCPOR scientist Dr Mahesh Badanal, these sediment layers act as a climate record, revealing how pollutants from forest fires thousands of kilometres away travel across c...

    Scientists studying microscopic particles from outer space have uncovered compelling new evidence that the Arctic is losing its sea ice far more rapidly than earlier projections suggested. The research shows that cosmic dust preserved in ocean sediments can reveal how Arctic ice has expanded and retreated over the past thirty thousand years, offering a long-term perspective that modern satellites cannot provide. The findings come at a critical moment, as Arctic sea ice has already declined by more than forty percent since systematic satellite monitoring began in nineteen seventy-nine. Researchers warn that this accelerated melting could reshape Arctic ecosystems, alter global climate systems, and affect communities that depend on polar environments. Cosmic dust, f...

    Shares of Race Eco Chain Limited drew investor attention on Tuesday after the waste management company announced plans to demerge two of its business verticals, a move aimed at sharper strategic focus and long-term value creation. The stock moved up by nearly four percent during intraday trade as markets reacted positively to the proposed restructuring. Race Eco Chain has proposed a scheme of arrangement to separate its Biomass Division and Restore Bag Division into two independent listed entities. The Biomass Division deals in briquettes made from agricultural waste, while the Restore Bag Division focuses on cloth-based products such as reusable bags and home furnishings. The company believes that operating these businesses as standalone entities will allow each seg...