Environment

Unbridled tourism in the Western Ghats will be a thing of the past if the Union government accepts the recommendations of an expert panel that was formed to look into the environmental aspects of the ecologically-fragile region. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), which submitted a comprehensive report to the government in August 2011, has noted that some of the environmental footprints relate to the uncontrolled growth of tourist establishments in the Western Ghats leading to...

For the mining lobby, it gets only worse. But that’s good news for conservation. If the report on illegal mining by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court was not bad enough, the one by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) seeks to bring mining to a grinding halt in most parts of the fragile hotspot. The panel, which submitted its report to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) on August 31, 2011, has called for a blanket ban on mining in the most...

From the moment the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) submitted its ecological report on the Western Ghats to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) , the government was in a position it wanted desperately to wriggle out from. The 14-member panel headed by Prof Madhav Gadgil had presented its report on August 31, 2011, during the peak of the furore over the Bellary illegal mining case. With the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court also looking at the issue of...

The order of the Central Information Commissioner (CIC) asking the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to “disclose” the ecological report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) by May 5 is bound to have far-reaching consequences on “developmental” activity in the area. The ministry, which had been sitting on the document since August 31, 2011 when the panel submitted its two-volume report, will now not be able to dilute the recommendations of the 14-member panel.The...

The Karnataka High Court’s directive to the state government staying two mini-hydel projects in the ecologically-sensitive Western Ghats is bound to have far-reaching consequences. The order is also a scathing indictment of the manner in which the government has been throwing environmental laws to the winds. Wildlife biologist Sanjay Gubbi said, “The order is significant since the court has taken the government to task over the flagrant manner in which the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was...

It’s not a problem as yet, but the first signs of trouble have been found by a bunch of schoolchildren. The issue is that of fluoride content in drinking water in the state. The Schools Water Portal, an initiative of Arghyam, has found fluoride content in seven places in the state: Bellary, Kudremukh, Kasargod, Mangalore, Belgaum, Kopal and Bangalore North. According to Priya Desai of Arghyam, the Schools Water Portal is an online platform that shares learning resources on water with parents...

The state government in Manipur is forcefully evicting families living on Loktak. Since Tuesday, the state police has used brute force to chase alleged illegal settlers away from their homes, including burning nearly 200 huts. It is being alleged that the eviction is in fact a security operation, and not to preserve the environment under the controversial Loktak Lake (Protection) Act, 2006, as claimed. State government officials started burning down floating huts, khangpokshang, built over...

Wipro has retained the top slot in environmental NGO Greenpeace's latest Guide to Greener Electronics. HCL Infosystem is placed second in the Indian version. The international version ranks the IT manufacturing company HP at the top, taking the lead over Dell and Nokia. Three new companies are included in the latest version of the guide. Research in Motion (RIM), manufacturer of the Blackberry phone, is included in the international version while Chirag Computers and SAI InfoSystem are included...

When Manas National Park was removed from the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger List in June this year, there was a lot to cheer about. The hard work put in by conservation groups has been recognised, but a bigger danger lies in the future — one that can virtually wash away the national park. Well, almost. If a recent study conducted by Partha J Das (Head, Water, Climate & Hazard Programme) and Bibhab K Talukdar (Secretary General) of Aaranyak is to be taken even with a pinch of salt, there's much...

Bharti Airtel and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) have reneged on their commitment of disclosing a detailed and sustainable emission reduction plan, including a substantial substitution of diesel with renewable alternatives to power their network operations by September 2011, environmental organisation Greenpeace India has alleged. The public commitment was made following a meeting between Bharti Airtel, representatives of COAI and Greenpeace India on June 10, 2011. “Not only...