Environmental Pollution News

8/14/2019 Environmental Pollution News

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Environmental Pollution News Environment Laws in India

Environmental PollutionThe environmental problems in India are growing rapidly. The increasing economic development and a rapidly growing population that

has taken the country from 300 million people in 1947 to over one billion people today is putting a strain on the environment,nfrastructure, and the countrys natural resources. Industrial pollution, soil erosion, deforestation, rapid industrialization, urbanization,nd land degradation are all worsening problems. Overexploitation of the country's resources be it land or water and the industrializationrocess has resulted in considerable environmental degradation of resources.

The cost of environmental damage in India would shave 4 percent off of the country's gross domestic

roduct. Lost productivity from death and disease due to environmental pollution are the primaryulprits.The government agency responsible for environmental affairs is the Ministry of Environment and

Forests (MoEF). Coping with Indias industrial pollution is perhaps the agencys top priority. MoEFecognizes the need to strike a balance between development and protecting the environment indministering and enforcing the countrys environmental laws and policies. The government heightenedhe Ministrys powers with the passage of the 1986 Environment Protection Act. This act built on the

42nd amendment to India's constitution in 1976 that gave the government the right to step in and protectublic health, forests, and wildlife. This amendment however had little power as it contained a clausehat stated it was not enforceable by any court. India is the first country in the world to pass anmendment to its constitution ostensibly protecting the environment.

Industrial pollution

Fog due to air pollution

Air Pollution There are four reasons of air pollution are - emissions from vehicles, thermal power plants, industriesnd refineries. The problem of indoor air pollution in rural areas and urban slums has assumedignificant attention lately.Indias environmental problems are exacerbated by its heavy reliance on coal for power generation.

Coal supplies more than half of the countrys energy needs and is used for nearly three-quarters of lectricity generation. While India is fortunate to have abundant reserves of coal to power economic

development, the burning of this resource, especially given the high ash content of Indias coal, hasome at a cost in terms of heightened public risk and environmental degradation. Reliance on coal ashe major energy source has led to a nine-fold jump in carbon emissions over the past forty years. The

government estimates the cost of environmental degradation has been running at 4.5% of GDP inecent years.

The low energy efficiency of power plants that burn coal is a contributing factor. India's coal plantsre old and are not outfitted with the most modern pollution controls. Given the shortage of

generating capacity and scarcity of public funds, these old coal-fired plants will remain in operationor sometime. Power plant modernization to improve the plant load factor, improvements in sub-ransmission and distribution to cut distribution losses, and new legislation to encourage end user nergy conservation were all mentioned as part of the energy efficiency effort. The government hasaken steps to address its environmental problems. As of now the use of washed coal is required for allower plants.Vehicle emissions are responsible for 70% of the countrys air pollution. The major problem with

government efforts to safeguard the environment has been enforcement at the local level, not with aack of laws. Air pollution from vehicle exhaust and industry is a worsening problem for India.

Exhaust from vehicles has increased eight-fold over levels of twenty years ago; industrial pollutionhas risen four times over the same period. The economy has grown two and a half times over the past

wo decades but pollution control and civil services have not kept pace. Air quality is worst in the bigities like Kolkata , Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, etc.Bangalore holds the title of being the asthma capital of the country. Studies estimate that 10 per cent

of Bangalores 60 lakh population and over 50 per cent of its children below 18 years suffer from air ollution-related ailments.CHENNAI: Exhaust from vehicles, dust from construction debris, industrial waste, burning of

municipal and garden waste are all on the rise in the city. So are respiratory diseases, includingsthma. At least six of the 10 top causes of death are related to respiratory disease, says Dr D

Ranganathan, director (in-charge), Institute of Thoracic Medicine.Mumbai : Not only are levels of Suspended Particulate Matter above permissible limits in Mumbai,ut the worst pollutant after vehicular emissions has grown at an alarming rate. The levels of

Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), or dust, in Mumbais air have continued to increaseover the past three years.

Poison in the air due to Power plants. In India, air pollution isestimated to cause, at the veryminimum, 1 lakh excess deaths 25 million excesses illnesses evyear.

Poison in the air due tovehicle emissions

The brilliant white of the Taj Mis slowly fading to a sicklyyellow. In the famous TajmahCase a very strong step was ta

by Supreme Court to save the TMahal Case being polluted by
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The air pollution in Mumbai is so high that Mumbai authorities have purchased 42,000 litres of erfume to spray on the citys enormous waste dumps at Deonar and Mulund landfill sites after peopleiving near the landfill sites complained of the stench. The Deonar landfill site, one of Indias largest,

was first used by the British in 1927. Today, the festering pile covers more than 120 hectares and isight story's high.These cities are on the World Health Organization's list of top most polluted cities. Vehicle exhaust,

untreated smoke, and untreated water all contribute to the problem. Continued economic growth,

urbanization, and an increase in the number of vehicles, together with lax enforcement of nvironmental laws, will result in further increases in pollution levels. Concern with New Delhi's air quality got so bad that the Supreme Court recently stepped in and placed a limit on the number of newar registrations in the capital.The effects of air pollution are obvious: rice crop yields in southern India are falling as brown cloudslock out more and more sunlight. And the brilliant white of the famous Taj Mahal is slowly fading tosickly yellow. In the famous Tajmahal Case a very strong step was taken by Supreme Court to

ave the Tajmahal Case being polluted by fumes and more than 200 factories were closed down. Inhe case of Shatistar of 1990, AIR 1990 SC 630 (pp.8 to 13), Supreme Court declared in a clear tonehat a citizen has right for a decent environment in his living area.

fumes and more than 200 factorwere closed down.

Multi-storeyed residential buildstand behind an expanse of slumMumbai

Mumbai authorities have purch42,000 litres of perfume recentlspray on the citys enormous wadumps at Deonar and Mulund

landfill sites

River water PollutionFully 80 percent of urban waste in India ends up in the country's rivers, and unchecked urban growth

across the country combined with poor government oversight means the problem is only getting worse. Agrowing number of bodies of water in India are unfit for human use, and in the River Ganga , holy to thecountry's 82 percent Hindu majority, is dying slowly due to unchecked pollution.

New Delhi's body of water is little more than a flowing garbage dump, with fully 57 percent of the city'swaste finding its way to the Yamuna. It is that three billion liters of waste are pumped into Delhi's YamunaRiver Yamuna ) each day. Only 55 percent of the 15 million Delhi residents are connected to the city'sewage system. The remainder flush their bath water, waste water and just about everything else down

pipes and into drains, most of them empty into the Yamuna. According to the Centre for Science and

Environment, between 75 and 80 percent of the river's pollution is the result of raw sewage. Combined withndustrial runoff, the garbage thrown into the river and it totals over 3 billion liters of waste per day. Nearly20 billion rupees, or almost US $500 million, has been spent on various clean up efforts.

The frothy brew is so glaring that it can be viewed on Google Earth.Much of the river pollution problem in India comes from untreated sewage. Samples taken recently from

he Ganges River near Varanasi show that levels of fecal coliform, a dangerous bacterium that comes fromuntreated sewage, were some 3,000 percent higher than what is considered safe for bathing.

Agara city's waste finding

way to theRiver Yamuna

Groundwater exploitationGroundwater exploitation is a serious matter of concern today and legislations and policy measures takenill date, by the state governments (water is a state subject) have not had the desired effect on the situation.Plastic PollutionPlastic bags, plastic thin sheets and plastic waste is also a major source of pollution.Every year, around 500 billion (500,000,000,000) plastic bags are used worldwide. So many that over one

million bags are being used every minute and they're damaging our environment. India's plasticsconsumption is one of the highest in the world. Yet, precious little has been done to recycle, re-use anddispose of plastic waste. Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle and most end up on landfill siteswhere they take around 300 years to photo degrade. They break down into tiny toxic particles thatcontaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. Buthe problems surrounding waste plastic bags starts long before they photo degrade.
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Our planet is becoming increasingly contaminated by our unnecessary use of plastic carry bags. Big black bin liners, plastic carrier bagscarrying advertising logos, clear sandwich bags, vegetable bags and a variety of other forms used to carry our daily food items and other tems are all polluting our environment. Just take a look around you. Plastic bags can be seen hanging from the branches of trees, flying inhe air on windy days, settled amongst bushes and floating on rivers. They clog up gutters and drains causing water and sewage to

overflow and become the breeding grounds of germs and bacteria that cause diseases.

Animals and sea creatures are hurt and killed every day by discarded plastic bags - a dead turtle with a plasticbag hanging from its mouth isn't a pleasant sight but mistaking plastic bags for food is commonplace amongstmarine animals. Plastic clogs their intestines and leads to slow starvation. Others become entangled in plastic

bags and drown. Because plastic bags take hundreds of years to break down, every year our seas becomehome' to more and more bags that find their way there through our sewers and waterways. Given India's poor garbage collection facilities, tons of plastic bags litter the roads, preventing rainwater from seeping into theground. Hundreds of cows die in New Delhi alone every year when they choke on plastic bags while trying toeat vegetable waste stuffed in the garbage.

Every bag that's washed down a drain during rainfall ends up in the sea every bag that's flushed down a toilet (many mall bags are), endsup in the sea - every bag thats blown into a river will most likely end up in the sea. Besides choking drains, plastics are highly toxics.When burned they release cancer-causing gases. Lying in the garbage, polythene bags also find their way in gut of cattle, asphyxiating thenimals. The cheap bags contain chemicals such as cadmium- or lead- based chemicals that are harmful to health. They leach into

vegetables, meat and food.An estimated 15 lakh computers and 30 lakh mobile phones are disposed of every year in India. Computers, mobiles and other lectronic items generate hazardous e-waste like lead, brominated flame retardants and chromium which can cause cancer, There isnother problem: India has more to deal with than just the waste generated at home. The Environment Protection Authority of Britainecently said 23,000 tonnes of e-waste was dumped in India, China and Pakistan.Several countries have already banned their use and more will doubtless follow. Several Indian states such as Maharastra, Dehli, Punjab,

Rajasthan, Himanchal Pradesh, Goa , West Bengal etc. banned their use. Mumbai's storm water drainage choking with accumulatedplastics waste, making the floods unmanageable, is an old story. The Environment Ministry has banned manufacture and use of plasticsarry bags less than 8 inches X 12 inches in size 20 micron in width. The ministry has also asked State Governments to register all plastics

manufacturing unit, so that these can be regulated. However, the implementation of the order has been tardy, evident from the large number of polythene bags strewn in every major town and city.The alternative to plastic bags are paper bags, jute bags and cloth bags. Paper, Jute and Cloth are eco-friendly. Jute bags are most suitableubstitute then paper and cloth, because it is cheaper then cloth and reusable. Though paper bags are cheaper then jute bags but less

durable. The Rajasthan Government, has put a ban to use plastic bags for food stuffs in Rajasthan.

A Mumbai resident who lived in the United States for many years says every grocery store there offers the option of paper or plasticarrybags. Besides, large bins are kept outside the stores to collect used plastic bags . Closer home, Delhis Shyamala Mani, programmedirector, waste and resource management, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), advises : Malls are the best places to easily promotepaper, jute, even non-woven cloth bags and other materials which are biodegradable.

The main reason of plastic bag pollution is that the poly-bag comes free. Shop-keepers blindly hand out polythene carry-bags, even if you buy just a tube of toothpaste or a pencil, little caring that the bag will be in the dustbin after some time. The shopkeepers shouldnclude the cost of poly bags in the bill, along with other billed products. People will then finally take some steps to reduce the dependence

on polythene and try and reuse them or carry cloth bags. The Government will be able to generate extra revenue through polythene tax andhe environment will be less polluted with polythene.

An Example of Strict plastic ban in Assam:Dibrugrah, March 06, 2008: Use of non-degradable plastic as the carry bags has been banned from time to time by the Dibrugrah (Assam)

district administration. But since not much was done to ensure people did not use polythene, the ban would invariably die a naturaldeath. This time, the Dibrugarh Municipal Board has decided to take things into its hands and do everything it takes to banish polythenerom the town.As a first step, the civic body will deploy 20 homeguards to keep an eye on shopkeepers and businessmen who have not been heeding the

ban on the use of polythene carry bags. And the penalty is not on the shopkeepers alone. If the neighbourhood grocer packs the monthstock into a polythene bag and the customer only innocently carries it home, chances are both the customer and the grocer will beenalised.We have been forced to take such stringent steps, as it seems that a section of these unscrupulous businessmen have taken the appealsssued by the municipal board as just a formality. We will impose heavy penalty on all those who are still using polythene carry bags, said

Bitul Talukdar, the vice-chairman of the civic body.Plastic, being non bio-degradable, is a major source of environmental pollution. Besides, they clog the drains causing artificial floods


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during the monsoon season.Innovation in Recycling TechnologyCentre for Environment Education (CEE) has been awarded the Plasticon 2005 Award' on 1st October 2005 in Mumbai by the PlastIndia

Foundation in the category of Innovation in Recycling Technology' for its innovation of a Polyloom' . The polyloom is a plastic weavinghandloom that helps reuse and recycling of discarded plastic bags (polybags).

The concept of polyloom' has been popularized by CEE's Waste Management Initiative as part of itsmandate to address the reuse and recycling of dry waste from domestic garbage. Under this initiative, CEE has established an

Ecofriendly Reuse and Recycling Unit' (CEE-ERU) especially for recycling of paper scraps and plastic carry bags. In this unit, paper crap is recycled by the hand-made paper making method while polybags are reused through the polybags weaving method.

The plastic weaving concept is based on the fact that plastic bags which are thin and flimsy (be it 20 or less) have an average life time of to 3 hours after which they are discarded. They end up in gutters, dumpsites or on mountain sides and even in the stomachs of animals;hey are responsible for clogging, choking, flooding, asphyxiation, landslides, death and destruction. Instead, if they are collected, evenrom roads, they can be washed, cleaned, dried, cut into strips and woven into the basic plastic textile fabric, which can then be stitchednto various products like mats, folders, hand bags and purses. In this manner, both the plastic and paper waste becomes more manageablend less destructive.The first CEE-ERU was first established in Coorg, Karnataka and subsequently, through various CEE offices, it has also been establishedn Ahmedabad, Coimbatore , Delhi , Goa , Patna and Tirupathi. Today, the concept has been taken up by many women's self-help groups

who gather raw material either by door to door collection or by buying it from rag pickers. This provides them livelihood while taking thelastic carry bags away from the environment.

Municipal solid waste

Indias urban population slated to increase from the current 330 million to about 600 million by 2030, the challenge of managingmunicipal solid waste (MSW) in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner is bound to assume gigantic proportions. Theountry has over 5,000 cities and towns, which generate about 40 million tonnes of MSW per year today. Going by estimates of The

Energy Research Institute (TERI), this could well touch 260 million tonnes per year by 2047.Municipal solid waste is solid waste generated by households, commercial establishments and offices and does not include the industrial

or agricultural waste. Municipal solid waste management is more of an administrative and institutional mechanism failure problem rather han a technological one. Until now, MSW management has been considered to be almost the sole responsibility of urban governments,

without the participation of citizens and other stakeholders. The Centre and the Supreme Court, however, have urged that this issue beddressed with multiple stakeholder participation. Cities in India spend approximately 20% of the city budget on solid waste services.Pollution due to MiningNew Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on December 29, 2007 said mining was causing displacement, pollution,orest degradation and social unrest. The CSE released its 356-page sixth State of Indias Environment report, Rich Lands Poor People, isustainable mining possible? According to the Centre for Science and Environment ( CSE) report the top 50 mineral producing districts,

s many as 34 fall under the 150 most backward districts identified in the country.The CSE report has made extensive analysis of environment degradation and pollution due to mining, wherein it has said, in 2005-06lone 1.6 billion tonnes of waste and overburden from coal, iron ore, limestone and bauxite have added to environment pollution. With thennual growth of mining at 10.7 per cent and 500-odd mines awaiting approval of the Centre, the pollution would increase manifold in theoming years.In Orissa state, in the next five to 10 years, Jharsuguda will be home to production of 3.1 million tonne aluminum. This, however, will

generate 3,100 tonne of fluoride every year. Similarly, the State is gearing up for power projects - mostly coal-based - targeting 20,000mega watt energy. This will require 3.2 lakh tonne of coal daily which in turn can lead to generation of 1,200 tonne ash a day.

Besides, there is emission of sulphur dioxide. The emissions at Jharsuguda alone will be higher than that of all refineries in India putogether. Jharsuguda will also see 12 million tonne steel annually being produced when the projects go on stream. This will mean

generation of 20 million tonne of solid waste every year.In Jharkhand there are abundant coalmines, most of the coalmines are situated in Hazaribag, Chatra, Palamau, Rajmahal, Dhanbad and

Ranchi district. Mighty Damodar River and its tributaries flow through these coalmines. Due to extensive coal mining and vigorous growthof industries in this area water resources have been badly contaminated. The habitants have, however, been compromising by takingontaminated and sometimes polluted water, as there is no alternative source of safe drinking water. Thus, a sizeable populace suffers from

water borne diseases. Besides mining, coal based industries like coal washeries, coke oven plants, coal fired thermal power plants, steellants and other related industries in the region also greatly impart towards degradation of the environmental equality and the human

health.Delhi's air is choking with pollutant PM 2.5PM 2.5 is only 2.5 microns in diameter is very very small particle. The diameter of a human hair strand is around 40-120. Being so small,t escapes emission apparatus prescribed by Euro II and III. Any kind of combustion, especially of vehicular origin, contains this particle.f PM 2.5 is not regulated it will ensure major health hazards. The number of Asthma patients will rise and in future there may huge rise of ung cancer cases also. The toxic value of PM 2.5 is such that metals like lead present in the PM 2.5 get inhaled deeper into lungs which

deposits there. The children are most affected by depositing lead due to inhaling the poisonous air. The increasing amount of PM 2.5 isike a poison in the air we breathe. Researchers believe particulates, or tiny particles of soot, interfere with the respiratory system because


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hey are so small they can be breathed deeply into the lungs.Toxic smog is set to engulf New Delhi once again this winter after a six-year respite because of the huge number of new cars clogging theoads. New Delhi adds nearly 1,000 new cars a day to the existing four million registered in the city, almost twice as many as before 2000.

Pollution levels are up to 350 micrograms per cubic metre in 2006-2007 and the levels of nitrogen oxides have been increasing in the cityo dangerous levels, which is a clear sign of pollution from vehicles. Of these it is the diesel cars that are responsible for the pollution.

Diesel- run vehicles constituted just two percent of the total number of cars on Delhi's roads seven years ago compared to more than 30ercent today and a projected 50 percent by 2010.Diesel is being increasingly used because it is a cheaper fuel. Diesel emissions canrigger asthma and in the long run even cause lung cancer.

A survey by the Central Pollution Control Board and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences survey showed that a majority of peopleiving in Delhi suffered from eye irritation, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and poor lung functioning. One in 10 people have

sthma in Delhi. Worse, the winter months bring respiratory attacks and wheezing to many non-asthmatics who are old, who smoke, haveespiratory infections or chronic bronchitis. Across the national capital and its suburbs, polluted air is killing people, bringing down thequality of life, and leaving people feeling ill and tired.

Some studies show children are among the worst-affected by the dense haze that often shrouds the city, and doctors frequently tell parentso keep their children indoors when smog levels are particularly high. In a survey of almost 12,000 city schoolchildren late last year, 17ercent reported coughing, wheezing or breathlessness, compared to just eight percent of children in a rural area.Greenhouse Gas EmissionsIndia emits the fifth most carbon of any country in the world. At 253 million metric tons, only the U.S., China, Russia, and Japanurpassed its level of carbon emissions in 1998. Carbon emissions have grown nine-fold over the past forty years. In this Industrial Age,

with the ever-expanding consumption of hydrocarbon fuels and the resultant increase in carbon dioxide emissions, that greenhouse gasoncentrations have reached levels causing climate change. Going forward, carbon emissions are forecast to grow 3.2% per annum until020. To put this in perspective, carbon emissions levels are estimated to increase by 3.9% for China and by 1.3% for the United States.ndia is a non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and as such, is not required to reducets carbon emissions. An historical summary of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel use in India is increasing rapidly andauses global warming.All inhabitants of our planet have an equal right to the atmosphere, but the industrialized countries have greatly exceeded their fair, per-apita share of the planets atmospheric resources and have induced climate change. The most developed countries possess the capital,echnological and human resources required for successful adaptation, while in the developing countries, a large proportion of theopulation is engaged in traditional farming, that is particularly vulnerable to the changes in temperature, rainfall and extreme weather vents associated with climate change.According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol , the most industrialized countries are mainlyesponsible for causing climate change. Thus equity requires that they should sharply reduce their emissions in order to arrest further limate change and allow other countries access to their fair share of atmospheric resources in order to develop.

Pollution of Indian SeasThe first sophisticated Pollution Control Vessel to patrol the seas for oil spills and other environmental exigencies is likely to be ready by

October, 2008, Vice Admiral Rusi Contractor, Director-General, IndianCoast Guard, said in the 11th National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) preparedness meeting on April 23, 2008. Mr.Contractor said the proposed induction of at least three specialised vessels by mid- 2009 would shorten the response time to an emergency.The Coast Guard chief highlighted the importance of enforcement of maritime laws. He said 90 per cent of trade was essentially sea-bornend substantial numbers of vessels were old and un-seaworthy or single-hull vessels and raised the risk of significant pollution of Indian

waters.He said pollution remedy measures were being thought of following the various international conventions on environmental pollution that

would also include exhaust and greenhouse gas emissions from ships and energy efficiency certification. He pointed out that none of 10ccidents involving vessels during 2007 in Indian waters had resulted in an oil spill.

NASA research findings Latest research findings by NASA and Stanford University indicate that aerosol pollution will slow down winds, impacting normal

ainfall pattern in tropical countries. The unique combination of meteorology, landscape (relatively flat plains framed by the Himalayas tohe north and open ocean to the south), and the large population maximize the effects of aerosol pollution in India. The skies over North

ndia are seasonally filled with a thick soup of aerosol particles all along the southern edge of the Himalayas, streaming southward over Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. Most of this air pollution comes from human activities.

Accumulation of aerosol particles in the atmosphere also makes clouds last longer without releasing rain. This is because atmosphericwater forms deposits on naturally occurring particles, like dust, to form clouds. But if there is pollution in the atmosphere, the water has todeposit on more particles. Thus it causes lesser rain.

Environmental Pollution and chronic diseasesIn an Indo-US joint workshop, on September 05, 2008 at Chandigarh, Prof S K Jindal said it has been

globally recognised that environmental factors, have important links with infectious as well as non-infectious diseases of both acute andhronic nature. The WHO estimates that 24 per cent of global disease burden and 23 per cent of all deaths can be attributed tonvironmental factors. The burden is more on the developing than the developed countries. He said: In developing countries, anstimated 42 per cent of acute lower espiratory infections are caused by environmental factors.The major burden of these hazards is borne by the lungs. Bronchial asthma and other allergies; chronic obstructive lung disease,


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espiratory infections including tuberculosis and occupational lung diseases are some of the common problems with a strongnvironmental risk which, account for a large disease burden all over the world, including in India. There is a need for extensive studies to

gauge the effects of environmentalactors on the human health.According to New England Journal of Medicine, 2007, even a short exposure to traffic fumes can increase your chances of heart disease,ncluding heart attack. People who exercise in areas where there is heavy traffic may be especially at risk, researchers say.The most polluted places in India

Vapi in Gujarat and Sukinda in Orrisa is among the world's top 10 most polluted places, according tohe Blacksmith Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group.Vapi : Potentially affected people: 71,000 -Pollutants: Chemicals and heavy metals due to its Industrial

states.Sukinda: Potentially affected people: 2,600,000. -Pollutants: Hexavalent chromium due to its

Chromite mines.The most polluted cities in IndiaAs many as 51 Indian cities have extremely high air pollution, Lucknow, Raipur, Faridabad and

Ahmedabad topping the list. An environment and forest ministry report, released on September 14, 2007has identified 51 cities that do not meet the prescribed Respirable Particulate Matter (RSPM) levels,pecified under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). In 2005, an Environmental

Sustainability Index (ESI) placed India at 101st position among 146 countries.Taking a cue from the finding, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) formulated NAAQS andhecked the air quality, which led to the revelation about air quality in leading cities.According to the report, Gobindgarh in Punjab is the most polluted city, and Ludhiana, Raipur and

Lucknow hold the next three positions. Faridabad on the outskirt of Delhi is the 10th most polluted city,ollowed by Agra, the city of Taj Mahal. Ahmedabad is placed 12th, Indore 16th, Delhi 22nd, Kolkata5th, Mumbai 40th, Hyderabad 44th and Bangalore stands at 46th in the list. The Orissa town of Angul,

home to National Aluminium Company (NALCO), is the 50th polluted city of the country.Emissions of gaseous pollutants: satellite data

Scientists and researchers from around the world gathered at ESRIN, ESAs Earth Observation Centren Frascati, Italy, recently to discuss the contribution of satellite data in monitoring nitrogen dioxide inhe atmosphere. Using nitrogen dioxide (NO2) data acquired from 1996 to 2006 by the Global Ozone

Monitoring Experiment (GOME) instrument aboard ESAs ERS-2 satellite, Nitrous oxide emissionsover India is growing at an annual rate of 5.5 percent/year. The location of emission hot spots correlateswell with the location of mega thermal power plants, mega cities, urban and industrial regions.

Emissions of gaseous pollutants have increased in India over the past two decades. According to Dr Sachin Ghude of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), rapid industrialization,

urbanization and traffic growth are most likely responsible for the increase. Because of varyingonsumption patterns and growth rates, the distribution of emissions vary widely across India.s nuclear energy a solution of global warming? India a country of 1.1 billion people currently gets only a fraction of its electricity from nuclear power.

Now the US atomic trade pact with India and an atomic energypact with France, India can fight global warming with clean nuclear energy. Nuclear energy has beenecognized as a clean as CO 2 to the atmosphere after its reaction that could damage our environment. It'slso known that nuclear energy has reduced the amount of greenhouse gas emission, reducing emissions

of CO 2 for about 500 million metric tons of carbon.Despite the advantage of nuclear as a clean energy, the big concern is the waste resulted from nuclear

eaction, which is a form of pollution, called radioactivity. Nuclear waste is also a problem with nuclear power, in that spent nuclear fuel has no safe place to be stored right now. Perhaps the greatest problemwith nuclear power is the price to taxpayers. Each new nuclear plant built in the United States will costt least one billion dollars in federal subsidies.

Reduce pollutions: suggestionsReduce tax on incomes and institute a tax on pollution was a suggestion environmental crusader Al

Gore had for India to tackle the issue of global warming effectively. "Reduce tax on employees andmployers and put a tax on pollution.

The more carbon dioxide one emits the more he pays in taxes," said Gore in an interactive session at thendia Today Conclave here on March 16, 2008. Replying to a question by Minister of State for External

Affairs Anand Sharma, Gore also suggested subsidising clean energy generation instead of carbon fuelsike kerosene.

AGRA, December 12, 2008: Now Tulsi an ayurveda wisdom to help Taj Majal retain its pristinellure. The forest department has come up with a quick-fix project -- plant a Tulsi drive in Agra. Theecommended complexion care regimen, officers claim, has full backing from ancient texts which hold

Tulsi to be the panacea for all problems from cosmic to cosmetic. The department is all set to launch the

ETP dicharge at Vapi

Worst 5 Indian power companin terms of total emission of C-NTPC LTD.-Maharastra State Power Gen- Gujrat Urja Vikas Nigam- Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut- Andhra Pradesh Power GenCorp.

Nuclear power plants in Indi

Tulsi (Holy Basil) chosen foanti- pollutant anti-oxidation air-purifying properties makinan ideal ornamental shrub in vicinity of the Taj Mahal.
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Tulsi plantation drive from January 2009. The public-private joint venture is expected to provide an eco-protection cover to sensitive Taj trapezium zone surrounding the 17th century monument as well as theother two world heritage monuments -- Agra Fort and Aitma-ud-Daula tomb. Tulsi (Occinum sanctum)hosen for its anti-pollutant anti-oxidation and air-purifying properties making it an ideal ornamentalhrub in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal.By the initiatives of the Delhi Metro and the Delhi Bicycling Club, which encourage people to use

icycles for short distances, pedaling a cycle is increasingly and becoming routine for people. Onbicycle, one can change destination without hassles and its cheap.Taking to pedal, Delhiites choose anco-friendly saddle.

Choose an ecofriendly bicy

for short distance.

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Environmental Pollution News