DELHI, India – As north India reels under ‘severe’ levels of air pollution for the fourth day in a row, the government has appointed a former Petroleum Ministry bureaucrat to chair a new national Commission For Air Quality – hastily set up by a presidential decree just 10 days ago. Dr M.M. Kutty, former head […] Continue reading ->
After weeks of inaction, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has signalled that it will create a comprehensive law to halt rice stubble burning in rural areas of northern India, where drifting smoke from thousands of fires is a major contributor to Delhi’s annual autumn air pollution emergencies. But experts remain skeptical, stating that there are […] Continue reading ->
With fires from crop stubble burning spreading across northern India heralding the beginning of Delhi’s winter air pollution season, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has pledged to take pre-emptive action – announcing a ‘war on pollution,’ led from a ‘war room’ that he will personally command. His arsenal includes a seven-point action plan that will […] Continue reading ->
Environmentalists and scientists have called out the recent Indian Supreme Court decision directing the government to install “smog towers” in Delhi as an injudicious move that will lead to a waste of public money. The opposition escalated after the Court on Tuesday, ordered the government to begin installing the smog towers within the next week. […] Continue reading ->
New Delhi, India – Prime Minister Narendra’s Modi’s ambitious plan to use coal to power India’s economic revival after his government’s strict lockdowns flattened the wrong curve, bringing economic growth to a halt even as the infection epidemic curve continued to rise, seems to have run into significant opposition from unexpected quarters. Since the launch […] Continue reading ->