Weekly Environmental News Roundup: 2 February 2026
Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for Week 5 (26 January to 1 February) 2026.
Delhi’s pollution hits sales of top retailers, construction companies
New Delhi’s worst air pollution in several years is hitting revenue at some of India’s top companies, with retailers, restaurant operators and construction companies citing hazardous air and related constructions bans as a drag on demand in recent earnings.
Foul air causing deaths in India? “Yes”, “can’t say”: 2 govt arms take differing stands
Is air pollution directly causing deaths in India? The ministry of environment, forest and climate change and the Indian Council of Medical Research under health ministry have offered starkly different answers to this question, exposing a policy contradiction at the heart of the govt’s public health and environment response.
Delhi’s polluted air now carries antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’, JNU study finds
The unhealthy air in Delhi hides another unseen threat. Researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru University have mapped a “biological smog” that carries antibiotic-resistant bacteria—often referred to as “superbugs” and a part of the growing global crisis.
Delhi among world’s most water-stressed cities, India in the eye of crisis
Half of the world’s 100 largest cities are now located in regions of high water stress, with 38 of them facing extremely high water stress, where water withdrawals for cities, agriculture, and industry are close to exceeding available supplies.
Millions of Delhi residents lost water for days. Some say it’s still toxic
Ravinder Kumar wades through ankle-deep sludge every day to leave his home in Sharma Enclave in northwest Delhi – yet inside the brick tenement, he does not have a drop to drink.
Delhi Releases Rs 500 Crore For Sanitation, Roads And Dust Control
With garbage piling up in pockets of the city and dust from broken roads continuing to choke air quality, the Delhi government on Friday released Rs 500 crore to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to stabilise sanitation services, repair damaged roads and curb dust pollution.
Delhi’s water bill surcharge waiver scheme extended till August 15: Minister Parvesh Verma
The Delhi government has extended the deadline for its water bill surcharge waiver scheme to August 15, Minister Parvesh Verma said on Friday (January 30, 2026), while noting that more than three lakh people have availed the benefits of the scheme till now.
Water minister suspends four Delhi Jal Board officials
Delhi water minister Parvesh Verma on Thursday ordered disciplinary action against four officials, including zonal revenue officers of the Delhi Jal Board, following surprise inspections in Rajendra Nagar, Kanhaiya Nagar and Ashok Nagar zones.
Does Delhi need more facilities to treat industrial wastewater? NEERI to begin study from Feb 6
With industrial effluents continuing to find its way into Delhi’s drains and Yamuna river, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, beginning February 6, will start a study to figure out whether the Capital needs more facilities to treat industrial wastewater.
Pond filled near Wazirabad not a wetland: DDA
A pond near Wazirabad that was filled up was not a wetland, Delhi Development Authority recently submitted in National Green Tribunal, denying the existence of any such waterbody in official records.
Froth reappears in Yamuna despite record defoamer use
A thick, glacier-like layer of toxic white froth has once again covered stretches of the Yamuna near Kalindi Kunj amid falling temperatures as wind-driven clouds of foam roll across the river surface while devotees pray along its banks.
DJB decides on in-situ treatment of 5 Yamuna drains in Delhi
The Delhi Jal Board has decided to undertake in-situ treatment of five drains and their sub-drains before they empty into the Yamuna in Delhi, officials aware of the developments said.
Centre asks Haryana, UP to push water in Yamuna for clean-up
In a meeting convened recently on the rejuvenation of the Yamuna, the Centre directed Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to increase environmental flows, trap drains, and curb industrial effluents entering the river.
NGT asks authorities to fix falling native fish population in Yamuna
The National Green Tribunal has issued directions to the State Governments of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and other authorities to take a slew of measures to fix falling native fish populations in the Yamuna River and control exotic fish species.
Delhi Government approves ₹728-crore schemes to fast-track development in Trans-Yamuna region
The Delhi government has approved schemes worth 728 crore rupees to effectively accelerate the pace of development in the Trans-Yamuna region in the national capital.
Future demand in focus, Delhi govt plans mega survey to frame water usage policy
Considering the city’s growing demand for drinking water and the need that arises in future, the Delhi government is planning to conduct an extensive survey of borewells to frame a water usage policy.
Forest divisions to be redrawn to align with new districts in Delhi
The forest department is going to reorganise its four forest divisions — South, Central, North and West — to align them with the newly redrawn districts for better distribution of resources, officials said on Thursday.
How many trees planted in 8 years for Delhi-Mumbai eway project? No one knows
Even eight years after Union environment ministry permitted diversion of 51 hectares of forest land for Delhi-Mumbai Expressway between Badshapur and Sohna, details of compensatory afforestation and compliance with key approval conditions remain unclear.
Delhi: Overflowing dhalao in Hari Nagar shut, MCD informs NGT
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has informed the National Green Tribunal that it has shut down a dhalao in west Delhi’s Hari Nagar, due to which waste was overflowing onto the road, causing inconvenience to locals, stated the submission, adding that further corrective action which requires unblocking a nearby drain will have be carried out by the Public Works Department.
Ahead of World Wetlands Day, Kutch, Etah sites get Ramsar tag
Ahead of World Wetlands Day on February 2, Patna Bird Sanctuary in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh and Chhari-Dhand in Kutch district of Gujarat have been included as wetlands of international importance in Ramsar sites list, under the global Ramsar convention.
Govt amends consent norms to streamline industrial approvals
The Union government has amended the Uniform Consent Guidelines under the air pollution and water pollution laws to make it easier and faster for industries to get environmental approvals across states and Union territories.
