Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item Titled "Neglected Katora Houz in Hyderabad’s Golconda Fort Cries for attention appearing in ‘The Siasat Daily’ dated 25 May 2025". The application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled “Neglected Katora Houz in Hyderabad’s …
STEP I: Just before monsoon, water mangers convene meeting of farmers and allocate labour participation for repair of irrigation channels/tanks STEP II: With onset of monsoon, managers measure water availability and inform the gram sabha STEP III: She decides per capita availability of water; suggests crops to be taken if …
The Tokyo High Court has begun hearing a seven-year-old air pollution case that targets the Japanese authorities for putting at risk the health of the capital city's residents by not introducing regulations and technology to curb vehicular emissions. Among those blamed for the situation coming to such a pass are …
Going against the grain of a September 9 federal appeals court directive, Brazil has allowed farmers to grow genetically modified (gm) soya bean this year. In the process, the country has temporarily legitimised large-scale cultivation of the legume in its southern states. Farmers of this region had, for some years …
When I think of the government's newly cleared Auto Fuel Policy, the image of Nero fiddling while Rome burnt comes to mind. The document apparently sets the roadmap to meet clean air targets in Indian cities - in other words, show how to secure mobility and public health. Instead, all …
What are the real problems the Sudanese peasant faces? The mainstay of the Sudanese economy is agriculture. Our main foreign exchange earnings are derived from cotton. Due to different climatic and geographical conditions existing in Sudan, cotton is grown in rain-fed, irrigated and flooded lands all over the country. This …
the ordinary water that you consume could soon cease to be a cocktail of contaminants. The Union ministry of health and family welfare (mohfw) is planning to bring drinking water under the purview of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (pfa), 1954. Union health minister Sushma Swaraj recently declared that …
The proposed deal in Cancun had to be rejected. What was proposed at the World Trade Organization talks would have been a deadly price for developing countries to pay. Therefore, for once, our leaders did well. They were prepared to negotiate together. They held together in the face of the …
In Kolkata city the road transports are maintained by private and Government organization. A major work force belonged to the State Transport Corporation (KSTC), Government of West-Bengal. The pollution caused by these vehicles affects the workers health and caused different types of respiratory problems. This study was undertaken to assess …
Like most developing countries dabbling with biotech, India does not have a clear policy on GM crops, though there are some guidelines and regulations. It was in 1982 that the National Biotechnology Board was created. In 1986, this became the department of biotechnology (DBT) under the ministry of science and …
USA: Strongly opposed to labelling of GM foods. Has approved more than 50 GM crops. Driven by its biotech industry EUROPEAN UNION: Has introduced a strict labelling system for GM foods after a five-year moratorium on new GM crops. Driven by consumer concerns CHINA: Has the largest GM R&D; facility …
nowadays the us consistently steers clear of global warming mitigation measures. In one such move, the us Environmental Protection Agency (epa) rejected a petition seeking to regulate greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions from motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act (caa). The August 28 decision follows a controversial amendment to the …
the Union government has drawn up ambitious plans for hiv/aids. A decision to merge the aids programmes with those of tuberculosis (tb) and family welfare was taken at the eighth conference of the Central Council Of Health And Family Welfare in Delhi. The council is the highest decision-making body on …
a year after the World Summit on Sustainable Development (wssd) that was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, the commission following up on its outcomes is preparing to meet for its 12th session. The meeting, to be held in April next year in New York, will see the Commission on Sustainable …
Last week, on a visit to the cold desert of Ladakh, I learnt something important. It made me see the ongoing agricultural negotiations at the World Trade Organization's meet in Cancun, Mexico in a different light. I learnt that what the industrialised world is doing to our agriculture, Punjab and …
Research on nanoparticle emissions from vehicles is still in the academic domain. This is largely because the uncertainty over formation of nanoparticles and their measurement methods. As a spillover, regulatory mechanisms are not yet able to take into account this new science. They still use mass of emitted particles
Improved engine technology and fuel quality has thus created a new debate. “Ironically, particle control regulations may have made the situation worse,” points out Wexler, referring to increased nanoparticle emissions. Andreas Mayer, an engineering consultant based in Switzerland, does not quite agree. “Engine development does reduce the number of the …
T he animal in us may just be a rat. A team of researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (nhgri) and other universities in the us has found the human gene code to be more similar to that of rats than cats. The project involved comparison of a …
panchayat polls: A decade after the 73rd amendment to the Constitution, Jharkhand will for the first time hold panchayat elections in December this year. The state government has finally taken the decision in the wake of unrelenting pressure by civil society groups such as the Jharkhand Panchayati Raj Swashasan Samanvay …
Glaciers in the Baspa basin of Himachal Pradesh are receding fast. The trend can soon create scarcity of water in the region, according to researchers from the Ahmedabad-based Marine and Water Resources Group of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Of the 30 glaciers in the basin, the researchers studied 19 …
The Western world has come a long way in its drive to reduce air pollution from vehicles. Just over a decade back, the focus was on total suspended particulate matter (which includes natural dust too) and the black smoke vehicles emitted. Epidemiological evidence made governments shift the focus to respirable …
