Environment minister calls Delhi pollution 'emergency situation'

NGT questioned Delhi government’s initiative to curb air pollution in the capital and slammed the neighbouring Punjab and Haryana governments over the lack of measures taken to control crop burning. Meanwhile, the SC also asked the Centre to devise a concrete pollution-management plan, even as PWD sprinkled 25 lakh litres of water on roads, kerbs and central verges to reduce the dust pollution. The environment minister dubbed this as an "emergency situation".

Rajasthan ready to launch Jal Swavlamban scheme

The second phase of the ambitious Jal Swavlamban scheme at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore will be launched by the Rajasthan government by December. This initiative aims to combine various schemes and bring them under a single platform along with a vision to conserve four types of water--rainfall, runoff, groundwater and soil moisture--to the maximum.

At COP 22, India will highlight climate impact on Himalayas

India will highlight the impact of climate change on disasters, biodiversity and agriculture at the UN Climate Change Conference at Marrakech, Morocco. Experts hope to bring focus on the Himalayas that are warming faster than the global average and draw plans for climate mitigation in this important area that has been inadequately represented in climate change discussions. An India pavilion too was inaugurated at the COP22 by environment minister Anil Madhav Dave.

Garbage and sewage choke rivers in Asia, Africa and Latin America

UN report warns that nearly half of all rivers in Asia are affected by pathogen pollution due to untreated sewage. This rising water pollution across three continents places hundreds of millions of people at risk of life-threatening diseases like cholera and typhoid. UNEP estimates that up to 134 million people in Asia, 164 million in Africa and 25 million people in Latin America are at risk of infection from these diseases.

Sewage, encroachments killing water bodies in Mysuru-Nanjangud belt

Of the 106 water bodies studied in Mysuru and Nanjangud areas , 69 are encroached and polluted. These water bodies are affected by encroachment, inflow of sewage water and dumping of solid waste, as per a study by Environmental Management and Police Research Institute (EMPRI).

This is a roundup of important news from November 7-13, 2016. Also read the policy matters this week.