Is India’s national clean air plan on track?
After sustained pressure from both civil society and courts over the past few years, the Indian government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019. Now, one year…
Delhi’s air pollution paves the exit route for urban families
“It felt like apocalypse.” The year was 2016 and it was a day after Diwali, one of India’s biggest festivals. Mukuta Das, a young woman who lived in Gurgaon in…
Ludhiana attempts to come clean, again
In August this year, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) filed a criminal case against the mayor, commissioner and four other officials of the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana, a large…
Gangetic dolphins struggle to communicate as their underwater homes get noisy
India’s Ganga is a noisy river. There’s the churning of sediment, the hums, grunts and growls of fishes and turtles. There are the cacophonous stretches of cities and industries breathing…
Use treated effluents for irrigation with caution, advises CPCB
Using treated wastewater for irrigation, while a practical way to conserve water, could negatively impact soil quality and further, human health. Given the risks, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)…
Develop time-bound action plans for critically polluted areas: MoEFCC tells state governments
With about 100 industrial clusters polluting air and water across the country, India’s environment ministry has called for proper environmental management of these clusters. To restore the environment quality of…
Wanted: An urgent political saviour for river Yamuna
“When the rain comes down, it starts looking like a river. Otherwise, it is just like this… a drain full of dirt and filth. If you have to see it…
Natural, man-made air pollutants tinkering with Guwahati’s rainwater
As rapidly-expanding Guwahati, northeast India’s largest metropolis, gears up to clean its air under the National Clean Air Policy (NCAP), a study suggests a cocktail of natural and man-made pollutants…
Political parties claim credit for reduction in Delhi pollution, ahead of assembly elections
Within six weeks of the release of an expert analysis that declared a 25 percent reduction in the pollution levels of Delhi, India’s national capital is once again in the…
India’s millennium city is choking
Gurugram of Haryana is often referred to as the millennium city of India. However, behind the shine and glitter lies an ailing population. Soaring levels of air pollution in the…
