Weekly Environmental News Roundup for Week 27, 2025
Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for Week 27 (30 June to 6 July) 2025.
1. Artificial rain project postponed till August-end: Environment Minister Sirsa
The national capital’s pilot cloud seeding project to curb air pollution was deferred to the end of August due to persistent monsoon rains.
2. Delhi government says it won’t scrap old vehicles; cites public backlash, systemic challenges
The Delhi government will clean the city’s air but will not allow impounding of ‘end of life’ vehicles, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Thursday (July 3, 2025), citing public backlash and systemic challenges in implementing the anti-pollution measure.
3. Delhi resumes granting industrial consents
In a move to strike a balance between industrial expansion and environmental responsibility, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has resumed processing Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate applications for 25 designated industrial clusters within the national capital.
4. High Court directs Delhi Jal Board to inspect areas getting contaminated water
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi Jal Board to conduct an inspection and rectify the fault after it was alleged that several areas in east Delhi are getting highly contaminated potable water.
5. 100% waiver on water bill late fee in two months: Minister Parvesh Verma
Delhi water minister Parvesh Verma on Thursday announced that the Delhi Jal Board has given in-principle approval to waive 100% of the late payment surcharge on all pending water bills for domestic and government users in the Capital.
The damaged portion of the pipeline is located near the Balwant Rai Mehta School. Despite several complaints, the residents of this upscale South Delhi locality allege, the DJB has not plugged the leak.
7. Delhi govt solves water logging issue of Aya Nagar with drainage project
The Delhi government’s Irrigation and Flood Control department has successfully completed a high-priority drainage project in Aya Nagar village in a step towards transforming civic infrastructure in neglected parts of the city.
The Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up the Delhi Jal Board for supplying contaminated water in colonies and asked how the authorities could expect the citizens to “drink sewage mixed water”.
9. DJB issues instructions to ensure uninterrupted water supply at Kanwar camps
Ahead of the Kanwar Yatra beginning July 11, the Delhi Jal Board has issued instructions to ensure uninterrupted water supply at Kanwar camps across the Capital.
While hearing a petition – in which the Prime Minister’s Office has been made a party – seeking information on remedial action taken against pollution in and around Najafgarh drain, the Delhi High Court on Friday orally inquired how can the PMO be made a party to the plea while stating that the “PMO has other things to do”.
11. Yamuna water level in Delhi closes in on danger mark, sparks flooding concerns
The water level of the Yamuna is on the rise in Delhi, rising to 203.2 metres at 5 pm on Saturday, just a notch above the warning mark of 204.5 metres. This has sparked concerns about flooding in the low-lying areas of the city.
12. AIIMS Delhi to investigate diseases caused by water contamination
The National Green Tribunal has raised grave concerns regarding water contamination and health complications arising from the presence of chromium, mercury, fluoride, and iron in Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, and adjacent Fatehpur.
13. MCD nod to appoint new agency to handle waste management in Central zone
BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi has granted anticipatory approval to appoint a new expert agency for the transportation and collection of solid waste, horticultural waste, desilted waste, and the storage of hazardous waste in the Central Zone—potentially for a period of seven years.
The Delhi Forest department has written to the district authorities seeking a ground verification of over 3,200 hectares of land in the Southern Ridge — a key step before notifying it as a reserve forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
15. Citizens’ report highlights illegal waste dumping and burning in Aravalis
A citizens’ group, ‘People for Aravalis’, has highlighted in a report the issue of waste dumping and burning at over 100 locations in the Aravalis across five districts of Haryana — Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh, Rewari, and Charkhi Dadri.
16. Delhi Bird Census: Over 160 Bird Species, 21 First Time Sightings Documented
More than 160 bird species including endangered and migratory ones like the greater flamingo and Indian pitta have been recorded across the national capital as part of the Delhi Bird Atlas.
17. Closing illegal road in Rajokari will also help preserve wildlife, says forest dept
The forest department has told National Green Tribunal that it favours closing the illegal road passing through Rajokari village, which falls under the Southern Ridge, for the preservation of forest and wildlife.
18. With ‘feels like’ temp at 45.8 degrees C and high humidity, Delhi awaits good rain
A day after cool and cloudy weather, the city faced a humid day under clear skies.
19. Only 54% villages verified as ‘ODF plus model’ despite 80% coverage: Govt
While 80 per cent of villages targeted under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen are open defecation free and have solid and liquid waste managements systems in place, only 54 per cent are officially verified, a government review found.
20. India’s first wildlife corridor on Delhi-Mumbai expressway
India recently unveiled the country’s first wildlife corridor, which is situated over a portion of the up and coming Delhi-Mumbai expressway.
21. Aralam in Kerala to Be India’s First Butterfly Sanctuary
Home to more than 260 species of butterflies, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary – a 55-square-kilometre forest, just twice the area of Central Delhi – in Kannur district in Kerala will be India’s first ever butterfly sanctuary.
22. Snakes on a plane bound for India found and seized, again
Indian Customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure in June.
23. Environment ministry rejects charge of ‘subverting’ FRA, says minister’s statement misquoted
The Environment Ministry has strongly rejected allegations by forest rights groups that it is attempting to “subvert” the Forest Rights Act, calling them a “gross misunderstanding of facts” and asserting that it remains committed to both environmental protection and the welfare of forest-dependent communities.
24. MoEFCC releases model rules for Agroforestry to support tree farming
The Central Government has introduced model rules aimed at promoting agroforestry on agricultural land, with the goal of improving the business environment for farmers involved in tree farming.
25. Global Companies Face Rising Climate Change Costs Amid $1.2 Trillion Annual Impact Projected by 2050
About 57% of companies reported an impact on their operations within the past year, including increased costs, worker disruption and revenue losses due to climate-related events, according to a Morgan Stanley report.
26. UN Says ‘Heatwaves Are Here To Stay’ In Stark Warning On Climate Change
As vast swathes of Europe continue to reel under scorching summer temperatures, the United Nations’ weather and climate agency warned that the world must begin preparing to live with extreme heat as a permanent reality.
