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DEHRADUN — The Uttarakhand government has initiated the procedure to issue death certificates for the 67 people still missing following the devastating flash flood and debris slides that struck Uttarkashi’s Dharali village last month. Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar confirmed that a letter was sent to district magistrates and registrars of deaths and births on Thursday, directing them to commence the process of registering deaths after a thorough probe. The sudden calamity on August 5 left several trapped, with two bodies retrieved and 67 people subsequently declared missing. The government has announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. Normally, death registration requires a report from a specified person, but in this extraordinary circumstance, registr...

COIMBATORE — District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar inaugurated a two-day exhibition focused on environmental protection and solid waste management at the Race Course walking track in Coimbatore city on Saturday, September 27, 2025. The event is a collaborative effort by the Coimbatore Corporation and various voluntary organizations, aiming to raise public awareness of environmental conservation and sustainable urban practices. The inauguration was attended by several senior officials, including Member of Parliament Ganapathi P. Rajkumar, Mayor Rangnayaki Ramachandran, and Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabhakaran. The exhibition features two main areas of focus: • Creating Green Urban Spaces: Private companies are displaying a wide array of resources, equipment, f...

EUROPE — Europe is moving forward with a plan to leverage the North Sea as a massive source of clean energy, with the potential to produce nearly 45,000 tons of green hydrogen annually. This initiative, hailed as the largest "treasure" found beneath the ocean, aims to transform the continent’s energy future and significantly reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. The North Sea offers ideal conditions strong, consistent winds and relatively shallow waters for building large-scale offshore wind farms. These farms have the capacity to generate up to 300 gigawatts of electricity, which would then be used in a process called electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. When powered by wind, the resulting hydrogen fuel produces no carbon emissions, offering a clean substitute for fossi...

CHANDIGARH — The Radha Soami Satsang Beas Dera in Bir Ghaggar, Panchkula, has been found to have felled and removed native forest tree species from land diverted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1998, according to a joint committee report submitted to the National Green Tribunal. The committee led by retired District and Sessions Judge BM Bedi, concluded that while 40.34 hectares of forest land were handed over to the dera along with 4,322 trees (including khair, teak, and shisham), these native species are now "largely missing." During a site visit, the panel observed that the land had been pulverized, leveled, and developed into gardens featuring commercial tree species like teak and horticultural trees, which are different from the original forest compo...

GENEVA — The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has issued a global call for organizations and stakeholders to participate in the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 which will be held on October 13, 2025. The theme for this year's observation is "Fund Resilience, Not Disasters," urging a decisive global shift in financial strategy towards preventative investment. Focus on Shifting Financial Priorities The emphasizes that while direct disaster losses are estimated at around US$202 billion per year, the true annual cost is nearly US$2.3 trillion, a growing threat to global economic prosperity and sustainable development. Despite these staggering figures, investment in Disaster Risk Reduction remains chronically under-prioritized in both national budget...

NEW DELHI — In a major relief for lakhs of Delhi residents grappling with inflated water bills, the Delhi government on Friday announced a 100% waiver on the Late Payment Surcharge for domestic consumers and government establishments. The scheme, set to roll out next month likely around the festivals of Diwali or Karwa Chauth will be open until March 31, 2026. Water Minister Parvesh Verma announced the measure after chairing a Delhi Jal Board meeting, urging citizens to clear their principal dues, as this will be the "first and final scheme on late payment surcharges waiver." Addressing Staggering Unpaid Dues Delhi's total unpaid water dues currently stand at a staggering ₹87,589 crore. Of this amount, ₹80,463 crore, or 91%, is the accumulated surcharge (late fee). Under the domes...

LIMA, PERU — The transition of the Amazon rainforest into a drier, savanna-like ecosystem often termed the Amazon’s "tipping point"—is being driven by the disruption of crucial atmospheric moisture pathways, known as "flying rivers," according to a new report from Amazon Conservation’s Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Project. The report aims to clarify the misconception that the tipping point will be a single, sudden event, stressing instead that it is a gradual process happening at varied rates across the region. The fate of these flying rivers, which transport and recycle moisture from the Atlantic Ocean across the Amazon basin, is identified as a critical factor influencing this transition. Deforestation Disrupts Water Recycling Hundreds of Miles Away Flying rivers are the prima...

CHENNAI — Tamil Nadu has launched one of India’s most ambitious mangrove restoration programs, fundamentally shifting its conservation strategy by placing local coastal communities at the forefront of execution and decision-making. This extensive initiative is backed by ₹1,675 crore in World Bank funding under the TN-Strengthening Coastal Resilience and the Economy (TN-SHORE) project. In a significant procedural change, funds earmarked for mangrove plantation, restoration, and bioshields will now flow directly into the accounts of newly constituted Village Mangrove Councils (VMCs). Currently, 34 VMCs have been established across 10 districts, with the state continuing to register more councils to manage local projects. Each VMC oversees procurement, planning, and monitoring through s...

PANCHKULA, HARYANA — A joint committee constituted by the NGT has reported that native forest tree species are largely missing from the 40.34 hectares of forest land diverted to the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) in Bir Ghaggar, Panchkula. The report, dated August 28, 2025, followed an inspection of the land, which was handed over in 1998 along with 4,322 trees and 1,128 saplings of native species. Forest Loss and Replacement The committee confirmed that the original native species have been cleared and replaced with commercial tree species such as teak and horticultural crops like citrus fruits and sapota (chiku). While the report confirms that the original forest species were "felled and removed," the exact number of illegally felled trees could not be quantified because the...

NEW DELHI — The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region recorded the highest exceedances of ground-level ozone concentration compared to other urban regions in India. The CPCB report submitted on September 25, 2025, analyzed ozone levels across 178 monitoring stations, applying the 2 per cent exceedance criteria of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Causes and Committee Formation Tropospheric ozone a harmful pollutant, is formed from complex photochemical reactions involving precursors such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Nitrogen Oxides typically under conditions of high heat and sunlight. The report attributes elevated summer ozo...