Rivers Shankhini and Dankini in Chhattisgarh run dirty

A trip to Bailadila wasn't on my agenda when I arrived at Chhattisgarh. But a meeting with Pratap Agrawal, a feisty Jagdalpur lawyer who keeps the state government on its toes with his various petitions, convinced me otherwise. "You must see the Shankhini and Dankini, they are the worst polluted rivers in Asia," he told me.

Toxic dump in Karachi talk of the town

as many as 14 children suffered burns on November 3, 2006, when toxic material was allegedly dumped by Berger Pakistan (Pvt) Limited in Rahimshah graveyard in Orangi town in Karachi. The children spotted cement bags in the graveyard and took them to their locality in the hope that they would sell them and earn some money.

IN COURT

Tailings dam controversy: Chile's General Directorate of Waters has decided to challenge a recent ruling of Santiago Appeals Court related to tailings mine. The court had revoked authorisation of the Los Pelambres mine to build a US $530 million tailings dam--the largest of its kind in South America. In its ruling in the first week of November, the court had backed residents and farmers who have been protesting the project since 1997.

Dutch cargo vessel Probo Koala free to sail

Action against polluting units gives Goa villagers some relief

POLLUTING industrial units in Cuncolim Industrial Estate, located about 10 km from Madgaon town in Goa, are beginning to feel the heat. On September 11, 2006, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (gspcb) issued closure notices to three units.

"Waste minimisation, a training manual"

Waste Minimisation -- A Training ManualD B Boralkar and A K Mhaskar Other India Press, Goa 2006

Ivory Coast removes illegally dumped toxic waste

Ivory Coast has begun mopping up the toxic waste that was illegally dumped by a Dutch-based commodities company, Trafigura Beheer BV, in early September. The waste, which left eight dead and at least 44,000 seeking medical treatment, was released by the company's chartered tanker, Probo Koala. Wastes still remain scattered at 18 sites in the city of Abidjan (see 'Cabinet resigns over toxic waste', Down To Earth, October 15, 2006).

Draft EIA notification favours industry over environment

the draft environmental impact assessment (eia) notification has been available for comment on the Union ministry of environment and forests (moef) website for almost a year now.

Tailings dam opposed in Chile

Residents of northern Chile are appealing that a tailings dam project, which is now almost halfway complete, be halted. Once completed, it would be the third largest tailings dam in the world and would eventually hold 1,700 million tonnes of tailings, mainly slurry laden with toxic waste leftover from processed copper generated by the Pelambres mine.

Of electronic revolution and sustainability

While promoting computer literacy and Internet access in developing countries, multinational technology companies are inadvertently contributing to a public health crisis. Several initiatives backed with billions of dollars in new investments, are focused on getting the Internet to one billion new computers in remote villages without access to electricity.