Subscribe
West Bengal reports forest cover decline.
Rajouri waste dumping persists despite being fined.
UPSIDA seeks time to replace Khichra area's stormwater drains.
The environment department of West Bengal filed its report on forest cover in the state on April 21, 2026, in compliance with the August 7, 2025 direction of the National Green Tribunal to all states and Union territories to file responses and status reports with complete information regarding forest and tree cover.
It stated that the Forest Survey of India adopted geographic information system (GIS) mapping along with remote sensing and publishes the India State Forest Report every two years.
Likewise, the GIS cell in the Directorate of Forests, West Bengal was created in July 1999. Thereafter, the Forest Department participates in ground truthing of remote sensing data of forest cover whenever the Forest Survey of India conducts such a survey.
The department is also preparing digital maps, interpreting satellite imagery, and organizing training for field staff regarding GIS applications. This provides the use of advanced technical methods that allow for better monitoring of forest cover across the state.
Based on such mappings, reports published in the Annual Administrative Report of the Forest Department 2020-2021 indicate that "from 1981-2021, 13.38 per cent of the total geographic area was recorded as forest land". The same report further indicates that in 2021, the amount of forest and tree cover was 21.1 per cent.
According to this report, there are categories of land recognised for forestry and plantation activities. They are 'very dense forest' where the area decreased from 2,994 sq km in 2017 to 2,936 sq km in 2019. 'Open forest' area changed from 9,706 sq km in 2017 to 9,581 sq km in 2019.
The State of Forest Report 2023 published by the Forest Survey of India, also provided data on the forest cover in West Bengal.
Despite being fined Rs 545.28 lakh as environmental compensation, the Municipal Council Rajouri has not tried to improve waste management, stated the report filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee, April 22, 2026.
The compensation was imposed on the municipal council was on February 2, 2026. The Deputy Commissioner Rajouri has been requested to recover the environmental compensation levied upon the Municipal Council Rajouri dated April 21, 2026.
The report stated that indiscriminate dumping and burning of municipal solid waste was observed at multiple locations including Bela bus stand, Salani bridge to Tariq bridge and Jawahar Nagar. Uncollected waste in newly developed colonies like Kahoera, Bela colony was being directly disposed of into the Manwar Tawi and Power House Water Canal, which finally culminates into the Manwar Tawi near Abdullah bridge.
During inspection, biomedical waste mixed with municipal solid waste was found at Bela bus stand. Dumping of waste was also observed in areas like Peerkanju, Talwal, Pathanmora, Phalayana, Manhas Mohalla (Jawahar Nagar), Thudi, Khandli bridge and residential areas on the banks of the Manwar Tawi and Sakhtoh rivers, among others.
The Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) sought time from NGT April 23, 2026 to file a report on the action taken to replace the existing drains with a new stormwater drainage network in Khichra Industrial area, Hapur district. The next hearing of the matter has been scheduled for August 6, 2026.
The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) filed an inspection report on April 22, 2026. It stated that the existing stormwater drain network in the Khichra industrial area is inadequate, therefore a complete replacement is required. This was recommended to prevent waterlogging in the area.
The applicant, Help Asia Foundation, raised a grievance against industries operating in the UPSIDA Khichra Industrial area for violating environmental norms. It alleged that these industries were discharging untreated and hazardous effluents into open drains, green belts, vacant land and parks, with the effluent finally reaching River Ganga.