Weekly Environmental News Roundup (30 March 2026)
Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for Week 13 (23 to 29 March) 2026.
Air Pollution
Delhi’s second green budget focuses on air and water pollution
Chief minister Rekha Gupta presented Delhi’s “first green budget” on Tuesday – earmarking ₹ 22,236 crore or 21.4 per cent of the total allocation – to address a plethora of environmental concerns, including air and water pollution..
High AQI levels but reduced pollutants in the last 10 years, Delhi’s Economic Survey reveals
Even as the average AQI levels remained high in Delhi-NCR, extending the pollution season compared to previous years, the average load of pollutants in Delhi’s air has consistently reduced over the last decade.
Water Security
In Delhi, 55% of Groundwater Samples Not Fit for Drinking; Jal Board Ineffective: CAG Report
The Comptroller and Auditor General has come down strongly on the Delhi Jal Board in a recent report, stating that water shortages in the city are increasing and plans the government had made to avert this situation have not come to fruition.
On Monday (March 23), 70-year-old Deepak Baweja booked a room in a hotel close to his home in New Rajinder Nagar for Rs 5,000 a night.
Waste Management
Delhi Economic Survey 2025-26: Only about 63% of daily waste processed
Delhi’s economic survey reveals a waste processing gap, with only 63% of solid waste managed, as efforts to boost capacity and segregation continue.
NDMC mandates 4-stream waste segregation from April 1 under new waste rules
The New Delhi Municipal Council will enforce mandatory four-stream segregation of waste at source from April 1, in line with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, as part of its push towards a cleaner and more circular urban system, officials said on Friday.
Biodiversity Conservation
Forest dept to create 8 water bodies in Delhi Ridge to channel excess rainwater during monsoon
The Delhi forest and wildlife department will create eight water bodies, four each in the southern and central Ridge, to boost ecology and tackle waterlogging in nearby areas by channelling water into them during monsoon, officials aware of the developments said.
Climate Change
10 times more heat-related deaths in poor countries than in rich countries by 2050, says study
Climate change is projected to increase premature deaths across the world, with over 90 per cent of these slated to occur in low– and middle-income countries, a new global report has highlighted.
