Weekly Environmental News Roundup (7 September 2026)
Weekly environmental news roundup from across different media networks for Week 36 (31 August to 6 September) 2026.
Air Pollution
Delhi steps up preparations to tackle winter pollution with 78 sub-divisional, 256 ward teams
The Centre and the Delhi government on Thursday stepped up preparations to tackle winter air pollution, with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav reviewing the Delhi-NCR action plan and Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announcing a multi-tier enforcement mechanism involving round-the-clock monitoring at the sub-divisional and ward levels.
Delhi govt launches campaign to boost public participation in curbing air pollution
The Transport Department has also carried out awareness activities on PUC compliance, vehicular pollution, timely vehicle servicing, disposal of end-of-life vehicles,..
Delhi and its surrounding states partner for air quality management ahead of October
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi have developed action plans that include strict regulations on stubble burning.
Water Security
Delhi’s Kitchener Lake fails water quality norms despite Rs 36 lakh cleaning work
A 66-acre lake inside the protected Central Ridge forest in Delhi was supposed to be on the road to revival.
Heavy rain causes waterlogging at Delhi airport; 11 flights diverted, hundreds delayed
Heavy rain that lashed Delhi on Friday afternoon caused severe inconvenience to flyers, both on the ground and in the air.
Questions over possible repair work and water accumulation in the basement have emerged after a five-storey building housing a boys’ hostel collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday, killing at least three people and leaving five others critically injured.
NDMC suspends official for water woes
Days after New Delhi Municipal Council chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi apologised for waterlogging in parts of Lutyens’ Delhi following heavy rain, the civic body has suspended an executive engineer for alleged dereliction of duty, officials said.
123 Paharganj hotels face borewell sealing for ignoring water meter rules
As many as 123 hotels and guest houses in Delhi’s Paharganj are still operating borewells without installing the mandatory digital water meters or piezometers, despite repeated communication, in violation of NGT’s orders.
Delhi teen grabs iron pipe to avoid falling on flooded road, gets electrocuted
While walking through an alley that was inundated after a spell of heavy rainfall, a motorcycle passed close to the boy. In an attempt to avoid falling into the water, he grabbed an iron pipe attached to an electric pole.
Over 20 years without a water connection, Rs 2-4 cr homes in Faridabad society live on tankers
From the outside, Achievers Society at Sector 49, Kalindi Hill in Faridabad, mirrors the aspirational urban dream of the National Capital Region — wide cemented roads, underground electrical cabling, manicured parks and nearly 300 villas and low-rise floors, many now valued at Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore.
25 water resources ministers from 14 BJP-ruled states attend ‘Jal Manthan’ workshop in Delhi
Working towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for water resources and their conservation, the BJP’s Good Governance and Policy Research Department organised a “Jal Manthan” workshop for water resources ministers from BJP-ruled states on Thursday at the party’s central office.
Waste Management
Garbage crisis in Delhi as overflowing dhalaos trigger jams, attract strays
Delhi generates over 13,000 tonnes of waste daily, while ageing equipment and delayed contracts hamper collection across several zones.
Delhi L-G TS Sandhu calls for shifting to ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ model
Emphasising effective waste management through public participation, Delhi Lieutenant Governor T.S. Sandhu on Tuesday called for shifting from a “Waste-to-Landfill” approach to a “Waste-to-Wealth” model.
The Delhi government has claimed significant progress in the direction of removing the garbage mountains of Okhla, Bhalswa, and Ghazipur.
Delhi’s waste-to-energy plants more polluting than coal units: Study
A new analysis has found that four major waste-to-energy incineration plants in Delhi have a cumulative Pollution Index score of 100, meaning they are more polluting than coal-fired thermal power plants and petrochemical industries.
Shahpur Jat residents protest MCD move to use their only open space for waste-management vehicles
“We have given everything for the development of Delhi. Siri Fort, Hauz Khas and Panchsheel have all been developed on the land of Shahpur Jat village and this is the only piece of open land that we have to celebrate festivals like Holi, Diwali, Dussehra. But the MCD is being very insensitive,” says Saroj Panwar, a senior citizen from Delhi’s Shahpur Jat .
Ramdas Athawale distributes NAMASTE, Ayushman cards to waste pickers in Delhi
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Friday inaugurated the distribution of NAMASTE Cards to waste pickers of the MCD Najafgarh Zone at an event in Matiala, Delhi.
Biodiversity Conservation
At Delhi’s Ridge, contempt of court claims ‘pause’ removal of invasive trees
Freshly cut trunks, piles of branches and stretches of vegetation removed: the forest behind Buddha Jayanti Park near Dhaula Kuan in South Delhi bears signs of recent clearing.
DU Inaugurates India’s First Carbon Garden, Vice-Chancellor Warns Of ‘Pollution Capital’
Delhi University has launched India’s first Carbon Garden at its Botany Department to combat air and soil pollution and boost urban biodiversity.
Aravalis can’t be defined by height or any single criterion: SC panel
The high-powered committee tasked with defining Aravali has informed Supreme Court that its complex landscape cannot be captured through a single terrain or height-based criterion and sought six more months till Feb 27 to complete the exercise.
National meet on strengthening biodiversity governance kicks off
Union environment minister calls for effective functioning of 2.7 lakh Biodiversity Management Committees and stronger use of People’s Biodiversity Registers in local planning
The National Biodiversity Authority has crossed a significant milestone in implementing India’s Access and Benefit-Sharing framework, with cumulative ABS disbursements exceeding Rs 200 crore.
Environmental Governance
Dwarka was Delhi’s middle class dream. Now it’s fighting traffic, garbage, water woes daily
Dwarka was once conceived as a non-suburban solution to the desire for self-sufficient, gated communities for Delhi’s middle class.
Climate Change
‘Climate change a common challenge’: India on Nepal’s ‘justice’ demand
India responds to Nepal’s climate compensation demand after devastating floods, saying developed nations must lead on emissions cuts, finance and technology.
UNEP says 1.5°C warming overshoot is now ‘unavoidable’. What does it mean for climate action?
A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme suggests the world will likely “overshoot”, or temporarily breach, the 1.5°C target of warming above preindustrial temperatures within the next few years.
