Weekly Environmental News Update for Week 25, 2021

Weekly environmental news update from across different media networks for Week 25 (June 21 to 27) 2021.

  1. Study links air pollution to COVID-19 cases and deaths
    A first of its kind pan India study says Mumbai and Pune are among hotspots where high air pollution from the transport and industrial sectors is related to a higher number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
  2. Delhi air pollution: How cooking took over from farm fires as number 1 toxin
    Emissions from household solid fuel usage for cooking and space heating was the primary contributor, followed by road dust and transport.
  3. Toxic foam floats on surface of Yamuna in Delhi
    A layer of toxic foam was seen floating on the surface of the Yamuna river at Kalindi Kunj in Delhi on Wednesday morning.
  4. Delhi: Papers in, wetland authority to revive, conserve 180 waterbodies
    As Delhi currently does not have a single notified waterbody, the state wetland authority and other agencies concerned are working towards conservation of around 180 waterbodies.
  5. Delhi Jal Board discusses ways to streamline water supply
    “The emergency response teams, consisting of chief engineers and superintendent engineers, will draft special plans for critical areas under their jurisdiction in consultation with local MLAs,” DJB  vice-chairperson Raghav Chadha said.
  6. NGT modifies order on Najafgarh lake
    The National Green Tribunal on Monday modified an earlier order pertaining to the Najafgarh lake and raised the need for a field survey to ascertain the status of the water quality.
  7. Not enough water in Delhi, still most private players don’t harvest rain
    In the case of private properties, however, coverage remains dismal, with only 2,116 private buildings in Delhi equipped with functional RWH systems at present.
  8. Experts warn against development in Zone O
    The proposal for delineation of Zone O of the Yamuna floodplain has prompted experts to call for maintaining the sanctity of the area.
  9. ‘Van Mahotsav’ targets 33 lakh plantations in Delhi within 15 days
    Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday launched the ‘Van Mahotsav’ (tree plantation festival) to increase the green cover of the national capital and involve more people. Under this 15 day program ministers.
  10. Green nod suggested for Delhi’s 1st transit-oriented hub; 143 trees to be felled, transplanted
    The Environment Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee has recommended granting environmental clearance to phase one of the ‘Integrated Development of East Delhi Hub’ project under which 123 trees are planned to be felled and 20 transplanted.
  11. DDA to hold online public meetings to discuss Delhi’s Master Plan-2041
    The first meeting will be held on July 1 in which provisions related to the economy, heritage and environment will be discussed, while on July 6, DDA will elaborate on the sections focusing on shelter and social infrastructure, and transport and mobility.
  12. Forest guards to undergo training on climate change
    In a first, over 50 forest and wildlife guards of the forest and wildlife department will undergo five-day training on impact of climate change on wildlife conservation
  13. Cities getting better on climate action, says govt survey
    Indian cities are becoming more climate conscious while planning and implementing projects, shows a comparative assessment done by the urban affairs ministry.
  14. Need key steps to stop Hanguls from extincting
    Several reasons fuel the decline: the animal’s habitat is fragmented, a challenge for a herbivore. This must be restored, on mission mode. Also, very few breeding females exist and deathly attacks by other predators reduce numbers.
  15. Accept NEERI’s advice to rework contentious draft EIA 2020: Activists to Centre
    As many as a hundred environmental organisations and individuals wrote to Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday asking him to accept a CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute report that reviewed at least 200,000 comments received by the ministry on its draft environment impact assessment notification 2020.
  16. Construction of road should not result in destruction of biodiversity: NGT
    Construction of a road may be a necessity but it should should not result in destruction of the biodiversity, the National Green Tribunal said
  17. Gurugram wildlife dept rescues 23 turtles; one held
    The Gurugram wildlife department rescued 23 turtles and arrested a man for allegedly trying to smuggle the protected reptile in to the city, said officials on Friday.
  18. Rajasthan set to get its fourth tiger reserve
    Rajasthan is poised to get its fourth tiger reserve after Ramgarh Vishdhari wildlife sanctuary received a nod from from the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s technical committee.
  19. India’s environment ministry created new offices – but failed to hire staff for them
    On August 19, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a notification for the establishment of 19 Integrated Regional Offices across the country. Until then, the ministry had 10 regional offices.
  20. RIL launches new clean energy business, to invest ₹75,000 crore in 3 years
    Reliance will build solar manufacturing units, a battery factory for energy storage, a fuel cell-making factory and an electrolyzer unit to produce green hydrogen as a part of the business, Ambani said.

With inputs from Kavita.

Digital Kavita

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