Weekly Environmental News Roundup: 5 January 2026
Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for Week 1 (29 December 2025 to 4 January) 2026.
New Year, same air: Delhi starts 2026 with ‘very poor’ AQI at 372; Anand Vihar worst hit
Delhi woke up under a thick blanket of fog on Thursday, with visibility plunging across large parts of the city and the National Capital Region (NCR) as air quality stayed in the ‘very poor’ category.
65% Of Delhi’s Air Pollution In 2025 Came From Nearby Areas: Study
As much as 65 per cent of Delhi’s air pollution in 2025 originated from outside the city, mainly from other NCR districts, while local sources accounted for the remaining 35 per cent, a study said.
Delhi recorded cleanest air in eight years in 2025: Environment Minister Sirsa
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday (January 1, 2025) said the national capital recorded its best air quality in eight years in 2025.
GST Council may weigh 5% levy on air, water purifiers as AQI worsens
The GST Council in its next meeting may consider a reduction in taxes on air and water purifiers as air quality across the country worsens and access to safe drinking water remains uneven.
Government sets up expert panels to seek ideas for curbing city’s worsening air quality
The Delhi government has constituted an expert committee to provide independent ideas, suggestions and solutions to tackle the capital’s chronic air quality crisis, officials said on Monday.
Of Delhi’s 25 public water testing labs, only two are global-standard certified
Despite being the national capital, Delhi ranks at the bottom among all states and Union territories when it comes to the accreditation of public water and wastewater testing labs.
Water supply to be hit for 10 days in parts of north, west Delhi: DJB
Parts of north and west Delhi are likely to witness water supply disruptions from January 3 to January 12 due to reduced water treatment at the Nangloi water treatment plant, Delhi Jal Board has said in an advisory.
TERI study flags gaps in DJB’s claims on ammonia in Yamuna
A Delhi govt-sanctioned and officially accepted TERI report on Yamuna frothing has thrown up serious discrepancies with Delhi Jal Board’s water quality claims, raising questions over monitoring credibility and public safety.
DDA plans improving quality of Bhalswa Lake
DDA has drawn up a plan for the bioremediation and rejuvenation of Bhalswa Lake in north Delhi to improve water quality and address sanitation concerns in the area.
New Delhi District To Rejuvenate 62 Water Bodies; DDA Directed To Fast-Track Work
The district administration in New Delhi has decided to take concrete steps towards the conservation, rejuvenation, and beautification of water bodies.
NDMC to set up five STPs to meet horticulture water needs
The New Delhi Municipal Council has initiated the process to set up five new sewage treatment plants on a public-private partnership basis to meet its water requirements for horticulture, senior civic officials said on Tuesday.
In a stern order, the Delhi High Court recently directed authorities concerned to fence the graveyard and restrict any further construction for people “to stay or live” on the Yamuna floodplains in the national capital.
Nature-based solutions to clean water entering river
Delhi government will use nature-based solutions to treat polluted water in different drains before it enters the Yamuna.
CPCB Flags Waste Crisis: Only 64% Of Delhi’s Daily Garbage Processed, Rest Ends Up At Landfills
Delhi processes only about 64 per cent of its daily municipal waste, with the remaining garbage continuing to be dumped at the overflowing Bhalswa and Ghazipur landfills, the Central Pollution Control Board has informed the National Green Tribunal.
Ghazipur WtE plant in Delhi has shut for 108 days already in current fiscal
Even as the deadline for clearing the waste mounds in the national capital looms large, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is grappling with maintenance issues with its Ghazipur Waste to Energy plant, which remained shut for 108 of 275 days from April to December 2025.
Delhi CM targets to flatten landfills in 2026
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said that the government is targeting to completely flatten Delhi’s landfill sites by the end of 2026, which will align with its “Vision 2047”.
Delhi: Waste segregators to come up on Yamuna at Haryana border
The Delhi government is set to install floating waste segregators upstream of Palla – where Yamuna enters Delhi – to tackle the floating waste, hyacinth, and garbage entering the river. Similar floating structures have previously been installed on larger drains in Delhi.
DDA seeks SC’s permission to cut 473 more trees to widen road leading to CAPFIMS hospital
Amid growing concern over depletion of green cover and life threatening pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, the Delhi Development Authority has sought Supreme Court’s permission to cut 473 more trees to widen the road leading to the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in south Delhi.
Delhi Vidhan Sabha Turns To Langur Mimics To Tackle Persistent Monkey Menace
The Delhi Assembly is taking an unusual yet humane step to manage a persistent problem: monkeys invading the Vidhan Sabha complex.
Datanomics: At 80%, Delhi’s forests most degraded among Aravallis
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday led a three-judge Bench to keep an earlier SC judgment dated November 20 on Aravalli in abeyance. Citing the requirement of more clarification, the Bench ordered an expert committee to conduct a fresh environmental impact study.
Aravalli hills row: Environment minister welcomes stay on new definition: extends support
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s direction to stay its order on the new definition of the Aravalli range that was widely criticised across the spectrum.
‘Haryana to implement Aravali green wall project to conserve range by 2030’
Haryana environment, forest and wildlife minister Rao Narbir Singh said on Thursday that the state govt was committed to the conservation of the Aravali range.
2 PWD road projects may axe 6,300 trees in Rajaji
Nearly 6,300 trees in the core zone of Rajaji Tiger Reserve are proposed to be felled for two road projects of the Public Works Department raising serious concerns among forest officials about the impact on wildlife in one of Uttarakhand’s most critical wildlife habitats.
14 khair trees axed at protected area in Yamunanagar district
Fourteen khair trees were allegedly cut illegally by wood smugglers from the protected forest area of Devdhar village falling under Pratap Nagar block of Yamunanagar district.
Green mobility: Delhi to soon get 4 new e-bus depots
Delhi’s public transport infrastructure is set for a green boost, with four newly constructed electric bus depots at Nangloi, Kohat Enclave, Dwarka and Rithala all set to be inaugurated.
National Biodiversity Authority disburses ₹45 lakh to red sanders farmers from Andhra Pradesh
The National Biodiversity Authority has continued its series of ‘Access and Benefit Sharing’ disbursements with the release of ₹45 lakh to Andhra Pradesh’s red sanders farmers, officials said on Friday.
Climate extremes in 2025 exposed inequality; millions closer to limits of adaptation: Report
Climate change fuelled extreme weather across the world in 2025, worsening heatwaves, droughts, storms and wildfires and pushing millions close to the “limits of adaptation”, according to the World Weather Attribution’s annual report.
