Environmental News and Media Roundup for Week 14, 2013
Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for Week 14 (starting April 1, 2013) 2013.
1. The shadow cast by toxicity
Metrolife spoke to few environmentalists for their stand on the river’s harmful effects. Govind Singh, Director, Delhi Greens, an NGO studying the Yamuna imbroglio, said, “It is no longer a river now, it is a drain.”
2. Noisy Delhi to get a sound check
An average Delhiite is exposed to noise levels several notches higher than what is safe. Experts say this leads to serious health implications — from deafness to heart conditions to sleep disorders.
3. A shocker: Not a single public toilet in whole of rural Delhi
It may be hard to believe, but it is true. Anyone travelling the length of the rural belt of Delhi that stretches from Badarpur border in South-East Delhi all the way to Narela in the northern periphery of the city, will not find a public toilet along the way. The reason being: all these years no one constructed any.
4. Delhi govt admits to waste crisis, but no road map in place
The annual budget presented by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has acknowledged the fact that disposal of solid waste has become a major issue in the Capital and huge landfills are causing air and groundwater pollution.
5. IIT Roorkee seeks Rs. 2 cr fee for Yamuna restoration plan
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee has sought six months and Rs. 2 crore as consultancy charges to prepare a complete plan for the restoration of Yamuna river. The Supreme Court had in December, last year, asked the directors of IIT, Delhi and Roorkee to prepare a new project for cleaning the Yamuna.
6. Plastic waste time bomb ticking for India, SC says
“We are sitting on a plastic time bomb,” the Supreme Court said on Wednesday after the Central Pollution Control Board informed it that India generates 56 lakh tonnes of plastic waste annually, with Delhi accounting for a staggering 689.5 tonnes a day.
7. ‘Organic farming’ to usher ever-green revolution in country: Professor Swaminathan
Laying stress on educating farmers to make right use of fertilizers and chemicals, Rajya Sabha MP and an acclaimed scientist, Professor MS Swaminathan said the wave of ‘organic farming’ will usher in the ‘ever-green revolution’ in country.
