Protests mar Bengaluru consultation on draft solid waste rules

Programme called off after activists and civil society groups term the consultation illegal and unconstitutional

South Asia

NGT raps civic bodies, Delhi Metro for lying on cleaning debris from Yamuna banks

Wants fresh affidavits by May 7

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (November 3, 2022)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal

CSE honours over 100 greenest schools in India

Over 700 schools participated in Green Schools Programme; Himachal Pradesh bags the Best Green State Award

Can Bio-CNG click: Indore plant reducing air pollution, but odour remains a challenge

Part I: A ground report from Indore to understand roadblocks in way of bio-CNG

NGT judgement on Okhla waste plant: no lessons learned

National Green Tribunal has, once again, made clear that it advocates a centralised system for waste processing which may not serve a long-term …

Kolkata’s hellhole

Excreta as resource: Looking at recovery, reuse of faecal sludge in UP

A critical link in faecal sludge and septage management value chain is reuse of by-products generated, which include treated water as well as …

How e-waste crisis continues to plague informal sector

Over 90% of electronic waste management is done by informal sector workers, most of whom are unaware of their rights  

States fined thousands of crores over waste — but how did NGT calculate the penalty amount?

Fine determined on polluter pays principle, equated to environmental compensation and cost of restoration

Antimicrobial resistance: Prevention key to control pandemics

Important to prevent emergence and spread of infections to reduce need and dependence on antimicrobials

Burn it all

That is NITI Aayog's solution to India's solid waste management woes

As told to Parliament (March 13, 2023): 19% PM2.5 emissions in Indo-Gangetic Plains come from households

Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chandigarh and Delhi emit 437 gigagrams PM2.5 per year through household cooking 

Lessons from two cities

Pune aims to become a zero-landfill city by 2015. With a range of solid waste management options, the target does not seem too ambitious. …

No mention of regional coordination to curb air pollution in 102 city plans, finds study

Sources from outside a city’s boundaries account for at least 30% of pollutants in that city, according to study 

Bareilly civic body to pay for unlawful dumping of city garbage

National Green Tribunal invokes 'polluter pays' principle while imposing penalty to restore dump site

NGT orders continuous inspection of Okhla incinerator

Municipal authorities asked to implement segregation of municipal solid waste at source

Rajasthan pollution board issues directives on waste disposal a second time

Municipal bodies deny receiving them

Municipal solid waste rules amendments: MoEF asked to formulate new draft

Karnataka high court has directed ministry to consider all objections filed against the proposed amendments

Municipalities get thumbs down on solid waste management

Study by a non-profit says guidelines on including informal sector in waste management are being ignored

Okhla waste-to-energy plant safe: Jayanthi Natarajan

Activists, residents contest the statement; say India has no standards on emissions from incinerators

Mavallipura village resists attempts of Bengaluru municipal corporation to restart closed landfill

Garbage piles in city as two other landfills close operations due to public protests

No land for best option: composting

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, does not have a municipal waste-treatment facility. Its only plant to treat solid waste, located …

Living on the edge

Coastal South Asia is fragile and vulnerable to climate change impacts. Yet, governments are setting up industries, ports and promoting tourism …