So much in India seems out of control because local governments are not functioning well. A SYSTEM for citizen involvement needs to be in place, says Ramesh Ramanathan.

We have grossly under-estimated the true cost of urban infrastructure in our country. 20-odd committees have considered this over several decades, and so have the Planning Commission and several Finance Commissions. But we don't really have a legitimate figure for our urban infrastructure needs, says Ramesh Ramanathan.

The destinies of the people of Kolavipalam village in North Kerala and the endangered Olive Ridley turtles are bound together. M P Basheer explores.

Kishore Wankhade peers into a 2002 inquiry report into the disappearance and fast-track clearance of hazardous wastes from India's Ports.

Tackling the globalization of waste requires new partnerships that span national boundaries and different sectors of society, says Ravi Agrawal.

The Narmada Control Authority permits an increase in the dam's height while the SC is in recess, giving the court no opportunity to verify its directives.

Summiya Yasmeen reports on the contours, content and debate about environment education in India.

Sudhirendar Sharma notes the reversal of positions on the mega-project is tied to political changes rather than environmental or social assessments.

Why exactly do we need to link our rivers? Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen of IIM Kolkata present a sweeping analysis of some important justifications on which the Interlinking project stands.

Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen
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Why exactly do we need to link our rivers? Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen of IIM Kolkata present a sweeping analysis of some important justifications on which the Interlinking project stands.

Why exactly do we need to link our rivers? Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen of IIM Kolkata present a sweeping analysis of some important justifications on which the Interlinking project stands.

Rashida Bee and Champa Devi are the winners of the prestigious Goldman Prize this year. Tarun Jain reports on a definite filip for the campaign to hold Dow Chemicals accountable for the 1984 Union Carbide gas tragedy in Bhopal.

Videh Upadhyay reviews the predicament of the Interlinking Rivers project.

After years of public participation, the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan reached its final stage. And then, things began to unravel. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Pushed to wall by a Supreme Court monitoring committee, Kerala's industries as well the state's pollution watchdog are finally seeking ways to reverse a reckless approach to hazardous waste management. There is no time to waste, reports C Surendranath.

In addition to the aftermath of Bhopal's catastrophic gas leak of 1984, severe contamination of water and soil has taken its own toll on citizens. At a Greenpeace organized November 2004 symposium, experts put the cost of cleanup in the range of Rs.135 crores. K Rajani Priya looks at the possibilities.

Governments in India have been using key provisions in environmental regulations to create and protect 'Ecologically Sensitive Areas'. Recently, the Supreme Court also pressed a state government on an ESA commitment. Kanchi Kohli reports on the practice and challenges.

The National Environmental Appellate Authority came into being in 1997 for citizens concerned with environmental impact to challenge central government clearances. But the Law Commission of India pointed out not long ago that this forum of final appeals "had very little work". Kanchi Kohli discovers more.

The boom in construction has not been accompanied by a higher level of environmental awareness among builders, architects, developers and planners. But green buildings can be profitable and also demand less from the natural world, notes Ramesh Menon.

After one round of public scrutiny and an adverse order from the Supreme court, UCIL's plans for uranium mining in Nalgonda seemed to be defeated. But the company now proposes to continue down the same path, apparently unmindful of local opposition or legal strictures. Sunita Dubey reports.

Who decides if livelihoods or habitat should be the focus of conservation efforts? In a remote island in the Sunderbans, fisherfolk whose seasonal dry-fishing dates back many generations find themselves competing with mangroves and the Environment Ministry's changing stance on national security. Sunita Dubey reports.

Environment and forest clearances for Jindal Power's proposed thermal power plant in Tamnar have followed the predictably poor course of regulation set by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in recent years. Kanchi Kohli reports on the latest irregularity from the ministry, as a public hearing for the project looms.

Public participation and decision-making to safeguard the environment have been highly contentious issues in modern India. Sunita Dubey traces this to the prioritisation of development over conservation, and to lessons drawn from the wrong precedents.

First, a ship with dubious credentials leaves the shores of Denmark. Then a month later, India allows it to beach at Alang, Gujarat's massive shipbreaking yard, for scrapping. In between, it gets a new name and rules are flouted to let it in. Gopal Krishna chronicles how Riky, unlike Clemenceau, sailed through the law.

Unmindful of evidence that Nalwa Sponge Iron Limited had started civil works for its expansion without environmental clearance, officials rush through a public hearing to review the new project. An operation that is already violating regulations is given the merit of due process for its expansion under the same law, notes Kanchi Kohli.

The governing body meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Brazil in March. Since being one of the most pro-active countries in the formulation of the CBD, India has been gradually losing its leadership role in the last few years. Kanchi Kohli elaborates.

Plastics have become synonymous with modern life, but are difficult to dispose of and have become a significant source of environmental pollution. Biodegradable plastics are now a possibility, and a shift in India's agricultural biotechnology thrust may help put them to good use, says Vaijayanti Gupta.

As invasive species aggressively eliminate native plants and animals, whole ecosystems are impacted. India has been slow to recognise and respond to the complex challenges this poses. Meanwhile, invasives have already taken over large areas, with plenty of damage to show. Arati Rao reports.

What happens when a company's mining permit or forest clearance expires before its renewal application is approved? After a year of arguments in the Supreme Court showed conclusively that there were no uniform guidelines, the court has now acted to set this right. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Despite rejecting yet another appeal brought before it, the newly reconstituted Environment Appellate Authority accepts that the rules for environment clearances and project monitoring must be strengthened. Kanchi Kohli reports that this may mark a welcome new direction for the organisation.

Polyvinyl chloride or PVC is all around us. It is one of most versatile of plastic materials and its global production is at 40 million tonnes a year. Yet, PVC products are being phased around the world, and India may need to follow. Rasika Dhavse has more.

In the first few years since the passage of the Biodiversity Act, it has become evident that rather than promote conservation, the law merely establishes procedures for access and commercial use. Communities are waking up to the actual wording of the law, and they don't like what they see. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Jyotsna Sitling's gargantuan assignment involved ridding a buffer zone of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in Uttarakhand of mountain-high piles of plastic and non-biodegradable waste, dumped by pilgrims over the last three decades on their way to Hemkund Sahib. She elicited the help of the community and did it, reports Neeta Lal.

Recently, disaster struck all 53 families of the Chellipadam village in a Kochi suburb, when nearly 25 lorries, all carrying stinking garbage from the city rolled in with heavy police escort and dumped decaying garbage in their midst. The villagers had to flee their homes unable to stand the stench. M Suchitra and P N Venugopal have more.

Even as the IPCC's latest assessment speaks of the need for technocratic solutions to the challenge of global warming, the United Nations Security Council has signalled that this will be an issue of importance to questions of political stability and peace too. Gopal Krishna reports.

By every rule in the book, this ship, carrying asbestos waste and radioactive elements, should not be in Indian waters, let alone be beached. And yet, despite well-premised objections, the central government persuaded the Supreme Court to rule that Blue Lady be dismantled at Alang. Gopal Krishna was a petitioner in the litigation.

Construction without approval. An incomplete public hearing. Failure to notify local residents in a timely manner. It seems no amount of non-compliance with the law is enough grounds for the proposed expansion of the Monnet plant in Chhatisgarh to be halted. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Last year, the Ministry of Environment and Forests attempted to dilute the hazardous waste management regulations. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court intervened and the tacky attempt appears to have stalled. Gopal Krishna digs deeper.

The European Union is determined that even as it makes plans to reduce its own carbon emissions, it must act to curb the polluting actions of other countries too. Developing countries, however, see this as an indirect trade restriction, devoid of justice. Darryl D'Monte reports.

A new book by authors based at the Thiruvananthapuram-based Centre for Development Studies (CDS) attempts to make the case that the rain-gods, farmers and public institutions were the culprits for Plachimada's water scarcity, and not the beverage major Coca Cola. P N Venugopal analyses the findings.

Biological matter drawn from animals and plants in India could be transforming into biofuels in the labs of foreign corporations. Kanchi Kohli reads between the lines.

The climate system is a global, inter-locking one, and its many facets cannot be considered in isolation. However, this is precisely what the National Action Plan on Climate Change has done, writes Sudhirendar Sharma.

Twenty-one families were relocated from the core area of Sariska Tiger Reserve to a newly built township last year. The signs are that this has gone off well both for the people and the forests, reports Malini Shankar.

As Indian companies look to resources in other countries, some of the issues that have become familiar at home are surfacing elsewhere too. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

Impact assessment studies to understand the consequences of large dam projects have been de-linked from the actual implementation of the projects, thus diluting their value, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

Many of the institutions or departments who have sent in applications for IPR consideration to the NBA are also represented on the committee which evaluates the applications, reports Kanchi Kohli.

The NGT Bill, 2009 includes a number of flawed passages, which would need to be corrected before it is deemed fit for passage from Parliament, writes Gopal Krishna.

Gold mining wreaks havoc on the environment and humans alike, but some precautionary measures and fair practices can help minimize the damage. Mahazareen Dastur concludes this two-part series.

Can Jairam Ramesh, who was the Minister of State for Power during his last tenure, suffer a change of heart suddenly and come down heavily on non-compliance by those power projects he once presided over? Himanshu Upadhyaya has more.