Environmental News and Media Roundup for Week 27, 2013

Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for Week 27 (starting July 1,  2013) 2013.

1. National Green Tribunal asks UP govt to clarify on pollution by waste plant
Adding a new dimension to the case related to pollution caused by the Okhla waste-to-energy plant, the National Green Tribunal on Friday has directed the UP government to verify claims of that emissions from the Delhi plant are adversely affecting environment and wildlife of Okhla Bird Sanctuary in Noida.

2. In Delhi, sparrow is nobody’s bird
Their chirps are getting fainter. Even 11 months after the state government declared the endangered sparrow Delhi’s first state bird, it has failed to spend any money on its conservation.

3. Action plan on air pollution soon
After several delays, Delhi’s action plan to curb air pollution will finally be presented in the cabinet in the coming week. Environment department officials say they will monitor work on the “roadmap” but it is the responsibility of several other agencies like transport, municipal corporations etc to ensure the policy proposals are rolled out.

4. ‘Provide safe drinking water to prevent fluorosis’
Concerned at increasing cases of fluorosis, the Union government has asked the States to provide alternative source of drinking water to the people in areas with high concentration of fluorosis in groundwater.

5. Wildlife trading networks have cross-border links: CBI chief
Illegal wildlife trading networks have cross-border linkages and there is need for greater coordination between the security agencies of different countries to deal with this threat, CBI director Ranjit Sinha said here on Monday.

6. SC notice to Centre on PIL seeking Euro V norms in India
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre on a PIL which claimed that Indian cities were among the world’s worst polluted and sought enforcement of stringent Euro V pollution norms for motor vehicles and creation of an environment police force to enforce emission norms.

7. Ghaziabad, Allahabad most polluted in Uttar Pradesh: Survey
Ghaziabad and Allahabad have emerged as the two most air polluted cities in Uttar Pradesh in a recent survey by a research and advocacy organization.

8. Uttarakhand disaster: National Green Tribunal issues show-cause notice to state govt
The National Green Tribunal  has issued a show-cause notice to the Uttarakhand government, Union environment ministry, National Disaster Management Authority  and Indian Meteorological Department  calling for data and information to justify construction and development activity in the hill state.

9. Uttarakhand launches “green GDP” to monitor resources
Uttarakhand on Friday became the first state in the country to start tabulating a ‘gross environment product’  (a measure of the health of the state’s natural resources) which would be released alongside GDP figures every year.