Careful planning, adequate budgeting and close cooperation of government and NGOs will be needed this summer in Barmer and nearby Thar desert areas of Rajasthan, says Bharat Dogra

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.

A recent report published by Toxics Link reviews the waste management situation that India has to deal with on the fast-widening information-technology highway.

Ravi Agrawal and Kishore Wankade say that the state of mercury pollution in India is alarming and needs the concern of all. They provide a factsheet with alternatives.

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

Textbooks for 800 schools in eight states were revised after a study on the teaching of environmental concepts. A Pune-based institute has recently begun an evaluation of the revisions, reports Rasika Dhavse.

The litigation in Kerala over Coca Cola's activities and the over-exploitation of water resources has moved into a crucial phase. Sreedevi Jacob reports.

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.

A vast network is needed to keep the Narmada promises, but funding for this vital element is mostly absent, says Himanshu Upadhyaya.

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.

While holistic solutions are available, municipalities have struggled to implement them without proper planning and support from various ministries. Sanjay K Gupta reports.

Videh Upadhyay reviews the predicament of the Interlinking Rivers project.

Seva Mandir's experiment in organising the poor to protect their own village commons is now part of a book, The Waste Land: Making of Grass-roots Leaders. Deepti Priya Mehrotra reviews this chronicle of important work at the intersection of local governance and ecological issues.

The rules notified in April to operationalise biodiversity legislation appear to exclude those opposed to treating public biological resources as private intellectual property. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Except a standout municipality in AP, none of the other towns and cities in India are complying with a Supreme Court directive on waste management. Surekha Sule reports.

The Greening of the Left parties has probably been good for them, exposing them to aspects of social deprivation that they had previously ignored. Ramachandra Guha notes the infusion of environmental thought into socialist politics, as the material aspirations of the people have risen.

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.

Climate change is already affecting millions of people; many are forced to do the things that everyone else should be doing too - conserve forests, curtail excess use of water, and roll back pollution. Ramesh Menon reports.

A conservation program to protect Manipur's state flower is limiting the loss of its habitat, but community-wide efforts are needed to sustain the efforts in the long run. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Vermicomposting to convert household waste into manure is widely used worldwide, but using it to treat toxic waste is relatively recent and yet to gain acceptance. Surekha Sule reports on the work of Dr.Suneet Dabke.

The deadline for public comments from the draft National Environmental Policy expires on Oct 31. Sudhirendar Sharma reports on the context for the development of this policy and what it may portend.

A coastal tourism development project in Andhra Pradesh threatens the natural environment, puts livelihoods at risk, and quite possibly flouts the laws on several counts. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Aiming to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, the Ministry of Environment and Forests published a 'good practices in regulation' note earlier this year. Sunita Dubey finds that instead, the charter may further weaken environmental protection.

Laws to protect the environment cannot follow a simple prohibition model; what is needed instead is an elaborate scheme of regulation and licensing, following rules designed to promote fairness and efficiency. Sairam Bhat outlines the differences between the two legal approaches to protecting the natural environment.

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.

Increasingly, cities around the world are reshaping themselves to be centres of culture and commerce in ways that are more global than related to their home nations. As Indian cities too move in that direction, Darryl D'Monte catches up with a scholar of the evolution of cities, and finds much for Indian planners and city leaders to think about.

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.

Declared 'protected' by the central government way back in 1984, the Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala has suffered from emboldened poachers who have met with little resistance from authorities. But with community involvement, a local development committee holds some hope of restoring protection, reports Deepa A.

"Why are the Expert Committees of Ministry of Environment and Forests dominated by ex-bureaucrats, politicians and engineers?" asked over 60 non-profit organizations earlier this month in an open letter. Kanchi Kohli was one of the drafters of the letter to Ministry that has asked for a reconstitution of the flawed committees.

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.

Forests are a critical repository of India's biodiversity, but widespread habitat destruction is hurting. Attitudes need change too. "Compensatory forestation does not really compensate - it only replaces trees, not biodiversity", says one former top forests official. Ramesh Menon reports.

On 20 May, the National Environment Appellate Authority refused to admit two appeals cases where citizens and panchayat representatives in Uttaranchal had challenged Central government clearances to two hydro-electric power projects, on grounds of failure in due process. Kanchi Kohli was at the hearings.

On 7 June, the Kerala government-constituted K John Mathew Commission greenlighted mineral sand mining on a narrow strip of beach and the adjacent sea basin in Alapuzha district. M Suchitra and P N Venugopal note that the report has irked the local communities as well as environmentalists.

Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. is seeking environmental clearance for a proposed Rs 2000 crore expansion project in Chhatisgarh. A public hearing this January witnessed plenty of local opposition. The 17 July visit of a Ministry of Environment expert committee has not inspired faith in due process, writes Kanchi Kohli.

What we do know is that the temperatures are rising and that weather patterns throughout the globe are being disrupted as a consequence, says Fred Pearce, one of the best-known environmental journalists and the author of Global Warming. Pearce recently spoke in Mumbai. Darryl D'Monte chaired the discussion.

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.

The Nalwa Sponge Iron Limited's plans to further expand its operations at a plant in Chhatisgarh run into opposition from locals and NGOs, who point to the company's history as well as irregularities in the environment clearance process. Kanchi Kohli reports on recent developments.

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.

In biological diversity, India is one of the richest countries in the world. But widespread destruction has already taken place and this is continuing. Urgent measures to reverse the damage are both necessary and possible. Ramesh Menon sounds the wake-up call.

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.

Yet another ship with toxic waste has recently beached at Alang, Gujarat. The Blue Lady's owner admits that the ship contains asbestos. But the ship carries neither documents required as per international law, nor a complete inventory of its hazardous wastes, says Gopal Krishna.

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.