There is an alarming increase of cases of lead poisoning across the country. Across our major cities, doctors are expressing concern at this “silent epidemic”.

Officials from SRL Diagnostics claimed that they receive 600 samples every month for Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy which detects metal content in human body fluids. From these, 350 samples were found to contain lead followed by Copper (125), Zinc (50) and other metals such as Arsenic, Mercury and Chromium.

Gujarat tops the list of being the most polluted state in India, accounting for 29 per cent of the nation’s hazardous waste.

Several women’s NGOs, including Women for Diversity, Guild of Services, Diverse Women for Diversity and Gene Ethics Australia, have launched a combined campaign against genetically-engineered (GMO) bananas.

Dr Vandana Shiva has questioned why India should finance the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia to develop GMO bananas when research in this area has already been done by the a team from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc).

Australians have achieved a major breakthrough in controlling dengue and hope to transfer this not-for-profit technology to India, which is recording some of the highest number of dengue cases in the world.

The Eliminate Dengue Research Programme (EDRP) has found that by transferring the Wolbachia bacteria, found in the common fruit fly, into the dengue mosquito called the aedes aegypti, the latter’s ability to transmit the dengue virus gets substantially reduced.

Is the PPP model going to work in the field of drinking water services?

The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) has asked the ministry of environment to investigate into the Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) plant illegally drawing groundwater for its upcoming power plant in Angul district.

JSP is building a 12-million tonne steel plant with a captive power plant of 135 MW.
Khirod Singh, a lawyer and farmer in Angul district, pointed out that, “Our tube wells and ponds have all begun to go dry and by mid-March we will not even have drinking water. Last year also we suffered the same fate.”

Environment has been given short shrift in the budget with finance minister P. Chidambaram concerning himself only with the thousands of tons of garbage being generated in our cities everyday.

Attero Recycling, India’s sole integrated recycling company for e-waste, has hit upon a novel method of teaching the local kabariwallahs how to handle hazardous waste.

Attero Recycling, founded by brothers Rohan and Nitin Gupta, has developed its own proprietary technology to extract precious metals, including copper, lead and gold, and also recycling hazardous materials emanating from electrical appliances.

Air pollution has jumped to number five spot amongst the top killers in India.

Releasing India-specific data, the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) warned that outdoor air pollution caused 627,000 deaths and 17.7 million healthy years of life lost in 2010. Worldwide, outdoor air pollution caused 3.2 million premature deaths and over 74 million years of healthy life lost in 2010.

With China having given the go-ahead to the construction of three more dams on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, India too has fast-tracked the construction of 200 mega and small dams in the Brahmapu