POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD STANDS SILENT AMID TOXIC ATMOHOSPHERE AT TALCHER
A survey conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment in November 2022 revealed that Talcher in Odisha is one of the cities in the country ...
A survey conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment in November 2022 revealed that Talcher in Odisha is one of the cities in the country ...
are undermining the country’s EPR framework by exploiting regulatory loopholes and following outdated practices. Next month marks three years since India’s landmark ban on single-use plastics came into effect, targeting items such as plastic bags, cutlery, straws, food packaging, and disposable water bottles. The two-part EIA report titled Dirty Deal suggests India’s market-based EPR regulations for plastic packaging left space for producers, importers, and brand owners to fulfill their regulatory requirements by purchasing credits from accredited plastic recyclers instead of directly handling plastic waste. Meanwhile, India’s informal recycling sector remains a key player, handling much of the country’s plastic waste, according to the EIA report. Yet, this sector lacks formal recognition, hindering its ability to integrate with the EPR system. Amy Youngman, legal and policy specialist at EIA, tells Packaging Insights: “India’s informal recycling sector, comprising an estimated 1.5 to 4 million workers, is the backbone of the country’s plastic waste management system.” “These waste pickers and aggregators are responsible for the vast majority of plastic collected and recycled, yet they remain excluded from formal regulatory systems, lacking legal recognition, fair compensation, and basic social protection.” “Research from the Centre for Science and Environment and other organizations working directly with the sector makes clear: without formal inclusion and support, India’s plastic waste goals are not just at risk, they are structurally unsustainable.” Data gaps challenge ban effectiveness Industry. The packaging sector remains a key contributor, driving consumption and waste. “Almost three years after India announced a ban on single-use plastics, implementation remains inconsistent. While some areas report reduced availability of certain banned products, we continue to hear that these items remain widespread on the market,” says Youngman. “The absence of national-level impact data makes it difficult to assess the ban’s overall effectiveness. As with other attempts to regulate plastics in India, gaps or unclarity in the legislative framework have led to persistent challenges, including limited enforcement capacity, inadequate monitoring, and insufficient support for transitioning to alternatives.” Illegal imports strain domestic efforts In 2019, India banned the import of plastic waste, aiming to improve how the country manages its waste and cut down on pollution caused by incorrect packaging disposal. However, changes made to the Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2022 introduced some exceptions. These amendments allow importing PET plastic bottles for reprocessing. “Despite India’s official restrictions, market trade data indicate that plastic waste and recyclates continue to be imported, primarily from the US, Canada, the EU, and Gulf countries,” says Youngman. “Our investigation further reveals that illegal shipments persist due to misdeclaration and the use of intermediaries or brokers, making enforcement challenging and allowing restricted materials to enter the country.”
New Delhi: The Delhi Heat Action Plan 2025 was released in April with much fanfare and featured measures like placing 3,000 water coolers in public spaces, altering timings of construction sites to avoid peak heat between noon and 4pm and sending cautionary SMS alerts to citizens. But even as the mercury has soared, the steps meant to minimise the impact on people are yet to be implemented. Some parts of the city have recorded three consecutive heatwave days. India Meteorological Department has issued a ‘red alert' for heatwave conditions in many places for Thursday. There's a ‘yellow' alert for Friday too. In April, several areas similarly recorded 3-5 heatwave days. After the heat action plan was launched, against the announcement that 3,000 water coolers would be placed across the city and eco-friendly bus stop shelters with green roofs would be established, the water coolers have been placed at just around 20 sites and the eco-friendly bus stop shelters aren't visible. Availability of shade/shelters, drinking water, ORS packets, etc., at bus and auto stands and construction sites has been partly achieved. The plan to reschedule the working hours of outdoor workers to avoid peak heat hasn't been put into practice yet. Also the use of school premises as daytime shelters to help the outdoor workers and the homeless avoid heat is yet to be implemented. Also unmet are the measures announced to protect stray animals, cattle and poultry birds from the blazing sun. However, experts said sheds and drinking water for cattle and poultry in villages and at important junctions are still to be operationalised. The heat action plan had also proposed establishing cooling facilities in areas with high population density, particularly near pavements and informal settlements. Govt officials claimed to have circulated the heat action plan, which lists roles and responsibilities of agencies and individuals, to all departments involved. "Delhi Disaster Management Authority disseminated weather forecasts and advisories regularly and also communicated heat advisories to hawkers' associations, vendors and gig workers," said one official. "Apart from issuing two circulars on how to prevent heat-related illnesses, the education department conducted training for teachers from govt and govt-aided schools. Delhi Fire Service procured 33 additional water bowsers, each of capacity 12,000 litres, to use during the summer, while DUSIB directed all shelter management agencies to ensure drinking water, coolers and fans in all shelters. All hospitals reported adequate quantities of essential medicines." The official added that water machines had been installed in Delhi Secretariat and at Nehru Place and five others would be placed soon. "A study on five prototypes of cool roof solutions in three slum settlements is under way. Five parks, among them Nehru Park, Lodhi Garden and Sanjay Van, have been designated to absorb more carbon dioxide," the official added. Avinash Chanchal, deputy programme director, Greenpeace South Asia, said that though the people of Delhi were once again facing a brutal summer, govt's response hadn't changed much. "Govt made many promises, but action on the ground remains invisible. It was encouraging to see Delhi govt announce a heat action plan in April, but that plan is only meaningful if it's implemented," said Chanchal. "The promise of 3,000 water ATMs has not materialised, hospitals are unprepared and communities, especially outdoor workers and other vulnerable populations, have been left to cope on their own. No voice or text alerts have been issued to warn the public about heatwaves." Chanchal added that the current plan lacked a dedicated budget and legal binding. "Delhi govt must recognise heat as a state disaster, just as a few other states have done, and roll out a robust, well-funded and accountable plan without delay," he said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said the 2025 heat action plan outlined several short-term and long-term energy efficiency and cooling strategies. "But these require a time-bound implementation plan with clear milestones and targets for each municipal ward for it to be monitorable. Delhi requires much stronger on-ground preparedness and preventive measures to reduce health risks during heat episodes like the one the city is experiencing right now," she said. She added, "The roadmap needs to detail the infrastructure-level interventions to achieve cooler buildings, expanded forests/green areas and water bodies, shading of public spaces and commuting corridors, reduction in waste heat from combustion sources, and thermal comfort for all, especially different categories of low-income groups. Heat management requires actionable targets with a strong monitoring and compliance strategy."
On 5th June, the world celebrated the Environment Day. The actions by nations and the global community towards the conservation of nature show the collective concern for the planet. However, the steps taken in this direction are far from adequate. The frequency and intensity of adverse natural calamities is increasing rapidly across the globe. This calls for greater reverence towards the bounties of nature. India has regarded the rivers, trees mountains and air as sacred. Primitive people of diverse cultures across the world hold the gifts of nature as valuable and pray for their survival. Vedic culture presents deep respect for Nature. Our ancient scriptures propagate a healthy and balanced attitude towards the environment. The human race has to coexist with the flora and fauna. The oceans, rivers, mountains, forests and wetlands along with all-natural water bodies and human habitations must thrive. Natural ecosystems have been traumatised due to activities like mining, deforestation, dam construction etc. The entire physical systems survive and sustain themselves based on their internal rhythms. They draw sustenance from the energy of the sun, air, water and Earth. There is a cost to the physical environment during the process of economic development. These externalities are traditionally not accounted for in the economic costs associated with production activities. India is introducing Green Accounting to internalise the costs borne by nature. Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and environmental clearances are mandatory to undertake projects that harm the natural ecology. On grounds of socioeconomic considerations or security threats in Naxal-infested regions, environmental clearances may be given expeditiously. Since this is a relatively new area of accounting, clarity is lacking on how environmental impact assessments are processed and given. There are several instances of projects being cleared without due environmental impact assessment approval. The Western Ghats are a sensitive region where the construction of dams and other projects need careful environmental scrutiny. Often, due to vested interests involved, engineering projects have been completed without adequate environmental approvals. As a consequence, there have been several instances of severe flooding along the western coast. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation working actively towards the conservation of planet Earth. They have released a report titled E- Report on State of India’s Environment in Figures 2025 on the occasion of World Environment Day. This report ranks the states and Union territories in India according to several environmental parameters based on government data. While gaps in data exist, the findings of the report are useful. Policymaking depends on reliable and recent data. Planning for environmental conservation also draws upon relevant statistics. According to the figures in this report, Andhra Pradesh is at the top in forest, biodiversity and climate action areas. There are challenges in sewage treatment and pollution of rivers in Andhra Pradesh. Sikkim has the top rank in environmental conservation in agriculture. In Public health and environmental conservation, Goa is assigned the best rank among states, and Chandigarh among the Union territories. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) under the auspices of the UN is working towards policies to reduce human induced greenhouse gases. The Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) meets annually to draw up climate action plans. The last COP 29 at Baku agreed on a compliance mechanism to regulate emissions. A system of carbon credits has been agreed to reward those who contribute less than the target emissions and penalise those who contribute more. Carbon markets facilitate the buying and selling of carbon credits. India had introduced carbon markets in 2023 and now the compliance mechanism will become operational from 2026 formally. The other issue discussed at COP 29 was climate finance. The developed countries have not guaranteed climate finance in line with the requirements of the developing countries. This matter will be further taken up at Belem COP 30 this year. Anti-climate political lobbies are causing strain on the climate action plans. Unfortunately, the geopolitics of the present times is quite unfavourable to the global climate agenda. The focus on plastic pollution on this 5th June Environment Day is well placed. In 2022, the United Nations recommended a ban on single-use plastic. Nations are required to innovate with eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic. UNEP (United nations Environmental Programme) and Ellen Macarthur Foundation have launched a joint programme called the "New Plastics Economy Global Commitment,” to create a circular economy in plastics. India is also sensitive to plastic pollution. It imposed a ban on single-use plastic. Further, India has introduced the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle to make the manufacturers accountable for the control of consumer waste. With a lifecycle approach, plastic credits are an optional compliance technique under EPR. The opportunities are being created for setting up recycling facilities and promoting eco-friendly waste disposal techniques. Technology has been used by many startup enterprises to manufacture biodegradable plastics that return to nature within two years. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has set out specific norms for plastics that are permitted. The CPCB has created a Centralized EPR Portal for Plastic Packaging where producers, importers and brand owners can purchase plastic waste recycling certificates from approved exporters. Plastic credits are a reflection of the balance between environmental responsibility and economic growth. These are laudable efforts towards sustainable development. India is committed to sustainable development and has a goal of net zero emissions by 2070. This conforms to the United Nations climate change agenda. Circularity principle should be incorporated in all input-output production cycles. The producers have a responsibility for the entire life cycle of the products they introduce into the market, including waste management after consumption. While rules exist for circular economy principles, they are not followed. The success of EPR in plastic waste management is low. The roadmap has been formulated for improved business practices towards environmental conservation though the goals are unmet. In transportation, railways are much cleaner than road transport with 90 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than trucks. Indian railways are expected to achieve net zero before 2030. This augurs well for the future of India’s goals along the green path. Over consumption and extreme selfishness is destroying the planet. Prime Minster Modi has proposed Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) as a global mission to encourage environment friendly life styles. We need to restore respect for mother nature. Otherwise, the human race is doomed. The World Environment Day reminds us that collective and individual action is needed to save and nurture the environment.
India is facing a mounting crisis on multiple environmental and development fronts. This is the warning that the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has sounded as a sobering alarm. The think tank’s annual “State of India’s Environment in Figures 2025” report, released in the capital on June 4, 2025, offered a stark data-led portrait of a nation grappling with extreme weather, declining public health, stalled infrastructure and deepening economic strain, according to a DTE press release. Using 48 indicators across four thematic areas, environment, agriculture, public health and human development, the report ranked all 36 states and union territories. The year 2024 was recorded as India’s hottest year, with 25 states witnessing extreme and erratic rainfall. Alarmingly, as an analysis of the report by ClimateFactChecks states on its website, extreme weather events were reported on nearly 88% of the calendar days in the year. This climatic volatility displaced 5.4 million people within the country — the highest number of internal displacements due to climate disasters since 2013. Assam alone accounted for nearly half of these displacements, highlighting the vulnerability of northeastern regions to flooding and riverine erosion.
n the last quarter of 2024, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based civil-society organisation, released two reports examining the implementation of India’s EPR guidelines for plastic packaging. The reports exposed significant loopholes exploited by businesses, based on interactions with stakeholders involved in implementation of the guidelines and analysing publicly available data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) centralised EPR portal. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines for plastic packaging on February 16, 2022. These guidelines stipulate mandatory targets for collection, recycling, end-of-life disposal, as well as use of recycled content, and (selective) reuse by brand owners of plastic packaging introduced in the Indian market. These guidelines direct all the manufacturers, producers, importers, brand owners (PIBOs) and plastic-waste processors like mechanical recyclers, and end-of-life disposal units like waste to energy, cement co-processing plants, waste to oil and composting units to register onto a centralised portal. The idea of introducing EPR was to improve the accountability of businesses that place their products on the Indian market by taking responsibility of the (plastic) packaging material that is introduced in the waste-management systems of India cities. Thus, the EPR regime promoted the principle of “polluter pays” by directing the businesses to engage in critical activities of waste management such as collection, processing, disposal and reuse. What We Found In the last quarter of 2024, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based civil-society organisation, released two reports examining the implementation of India’s EPR guidelines for plastic packaging. The reports exposed significant loopholes exploited by businesses, based on interactions with stakeholders involved in implementation of the guidelines and analysing publicly available data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) centralised EPR portal. The findings revealed a system that has been systematically weakened—by businesses and supported by a select group of plastic waste processors. Throughout this process, the MoEFCC remained largely passive. What emerged was a diluted version of the original policy—reshaped to serve corporate interests under the guise of environmental responsibility. Despite the mandate provided by the guidelines for registration, no manufacturers of virgin plastics feature on the portal. These are bigger players in the upstream of the plastic value chain that are in the business of manufacturing virgin plastic polymers. The guidelines explicitly suggest that they are under the scope of the legislation, however, basic compliance such as registration for such players is completely missing. Till August 14, 2024, the cut-off date for the CSE analysis, 41,577 PIBOs had registered on the centralised portal. 83% of the registered PIBOs are importers, 11% are producers and 6% are brand owners. The producers cumulatively have placed 65% of the plastic packaging in the Indian market, followed by 26% by the brand owners; importers despite being the highest in numbers have only introduced 9% of the plastic packaging introduced in the Indian market. It was found that the 66% of the plastic packaging placed on the Indian market is flexible in nature which is difficult to collect and thus recycle; 25% of the plastic packaging is rigid in nature and 9% comprises the aseptic (cartonised) plastic packaging. This shows the shift of the plastic-packaging sector from rigid (valuable) formats of plastic packaging to flexible (low value), difficult to recycle plastic waste. Policy vs Ground Reality The analysis revealed that the plastic-recycling sector in the country is already under capacitated to serve the unregulated flow of plastic packaging in the country—29% under capacity was observed for flexible plastic (the highest-circulated plastic), while compostable plastic recycling saw an under capacity of over 700% with just one registered plant in the state of Gujarat. The EPR guidelines for plastic packaging implied that businesses that used plastic packaging for circulating their products had to register on the centralised portal. The CPCB, on the basis of the numbers provided by the businesses, assigns targets for collection, recycling, use of recycled content and reuse (by brand owners). The businesses should comply by taking relevant action on the ground such as financial support for collection, transportation, storage to implementing agencies such as urban local bodies, waste management agencies and informal sector to ensure sound and scientific management of plastic waste. Interaction with several stakeholders revealed that the EPR guidelines promote a market-driven credit/certificate-trading mechanism that does not require PIBOs to actually collect and manage plastic waste. EPR for plastic packaging has been reduced to PIBOs simply procuring certificates from plastic-waste processors (PWPs) at throwaway prices thus reducing the liability and accountability of the PIBOs and undermining the “polluter pays principle”. Currently PIBOs are paying less than 10% of the total cost of collecting, and channelising plastics to a PWP or recycler, especially for multi-layered plastic packaging. Power of Polluters The EPR regime in the country has been reduced to a bargaining exercise between the polluters and the PWPs, where the businesses have a dominating position. So, within the Indian EPR system for plastic packaging the polluter has the power to decide the cost to be paid for every plastic-recycling certificate. In October 2023, the state and central regulators such as SPCBs and CPCB revealed that plastic-waste recyclers in three states were indulging in generation of fake certificates. A total of 7 lakh fake certificates were generated by the plastic recyclers. This was 38 times more than their claimed recycling capacity of all the plastic-waste recyclers put together. The CPCB imposed a cumulative fine of Rs 355 crore on these violators. There is no update on how much of this has been recovered or paid by the violating companies. End-of-life disposal service providers, such as waste-to-oil, waste-to-energy and cement co-processing facilities, showed a similar pattern with certificates generated and transferred in volumes exceeding their registered processing capacities. Such practices have disrupted the market-driven mechanism on which the EPR guidelines were based thus increasing the supply of certificates in the market and driving the cost of EPR certificates to rock bottom.
Extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves and cyclones are happening more frequently in India, with widespread negative impacts on health, development, and the economy. An annual report on the state of India's environment released last week by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organization, shows how the extreme weather affects large parts of India's population. The report showed that nearly 3,000 people died, 2 million hectares of crops were ruined, and 80,000 homes were destroyed in extreme weather-related events last year. It also showed that extreme weather events happened somewhere in India on 88% of days in 2024. CSE director Sunita Narain told DW that the latest report should be a wake-up call for policymakers.
पिछले हफ्ते, दिल्ली के रिसर्च इस्टिट्यूट, सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने भारत के पर्यावरण पर अपनी वार्षिक रिपोर्ट जारी की. जिसमें दिखाया गया है कि चरम मौसमी घटनाएं देश की बड़ी आबादी को किस तरह प्रभावित कर रही हैं. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, पिछले साल भारत में चरम मौसम संबंधी घटनाओं के कारण लगभग 3,000 लोगों की मौत, 20 लाख हेक्टेयर फसल बर्बाद और 80,000 से अधिक घर तबाह हो गए. यह भी सामने आया कि 2024 के 88 फीसदी दिनों में भारत के किसी ना किसी हिस्से में चरम मौसमी घटनाएं घट रही थीं. वर्तमान में पूरा उत्तर भारत भीषण गर्मी से जूझ रहा है और ऐसी गर्मी के दिन आने वाले सालों में और बढ़ने की आशंकाएं हैं. सीएसई की निदेशक, सुनीता नारायण ने डीडब्ल्यू को बताया कि यह रिपोर्ट भारत में नीति बनाने वालों के लिए एक चेतावनी है. उन्होंने कहा, "यह रिपोर्ट बेहद अहम है क्योंकि यह दिखाती है कि हमें अब पर्यावरण के लिए और सजग प्रशासन, बेहतर स्वास्थ्य सेवा और जलवायु नीतियों की जरूरत है, ताकि इन समस्याओं का डट कर सामना किया जा सके.” कुछ शहरों ने गर्मी से बचने के लिए कदम उठाए हैं लेकिन गर्मी की तीव्रता को देखते हुए इन्हें पर्याप्त नहीं कहा जा सकता. वायु प्रदूषण, गर्मी और बाढ़ दुनिया में सबसे खराब वायु गुणवत्ता स्तर अक्सर भारत के शहरों में ही दर्ज किए जाते हैं. रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, 2021 से अब तक दिल्ली समेत भारत के 13 शहरों में हर तीन में से एक दिन लोगों को प्रदूषित और असुरक्षित हवा में सांस लेना पड़ता है. विभिन्न अध्ययनों में पाया गया है कि वायु प्रदूषण के कारण दिल्लीवासियों का जीवन औसतन लगभग आठ साल घट जाता है. हालांकि भारत में अप्रैल से लेकर जून तक का महीना पारंपरिक रूप से गर्म ही होता है, लेकिन पिछले एक दशक में गर्मी की तीव्रता खतरनाक तरीके से बढ़ी है. इसके साथ-साथ बारिश और बाढ़ की तीव्रता भी साफ तौर पर बढ़ी हैं.
Extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves and cyclones are happening more frequently in India, with widespread negative impacts on health, development, and the economy. An annual report on the state of India's environment released last week by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organization, shows how the extreme weather affects large parts of India's population. The report showed that nearly 3,000 people died, 2 million hectares of crops were ruined, and 80,000 homes were destroyed in extreme weather-related events last year. It also showed that extreme weather events happened somewhere in India on 88% of days in 2024. CSE director Sunita Narain told DW that the latest report should be a wake-up call for policymakers. “This report is important and emphasizes the urgent need for stronger environmental governance, improved health care infrastructure, and ambitious climate policies to address these interconnected crises,” Narain said. Air pollution, heat and flooding Large Indian cities frequently experience the worst air quality levels of anywhere in the world. Since 2021, residents in 13 Indian cities, including Delhi, have breathed unsafe air one in every three days, according to the report. Life expectancy in Delhi is nearly eight years shorter due to air pollution, according to various studies. Even though the main summer months — from April to June — are always hot in India, temperatures have grown more extreme in the past decade. The intensity of rain and flooding has also increased. About 80% of India's population lives in regions that are considered vulnerable to disasters such as heat waves or severe flooding, the report said. “This report lays bare an uncomfortable truth. India is in the eye of a perfect storm where climate chaos, health crises, and development shortfalls are colliding,” Abinash Mohanty, head of climate change and sustainability at IPE Global, an international development organization, told DW. Mohanty said that the data found in the report corresponds with the key findings from IPE Global's study in 2024, which showed that 80% of districts in India are susceptible to extreme weather events. “This is more than a statistical alarm, it is a lived crisis unfolding in real time,” he said. Mohanty added that India's development model needs to be “radically reimagined” to adapt to hotter temperatures, biodiversity loss, and water emergencies.” “The consequences of inaction today will become irreversible realities tomorrow,” he said.
The annual report, compiled by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in collaboration with Down To Earth magazine, assesses the performance of states and UTs across critical environmental and sustainable development indicators such as forest and biodiversity, climate, waste management, water resources, etc. Chandigarh’s high score is driven by significant achievements, including robust waste segregation and management systems; efficient urban mobility initiatives, including electric vehicle adoption and public transport upgrades; green cover expansion and biodiversity conservation, water conservation and sanitation, clean energy transition, with increasing reliance on solar power and green buildings The Union Territory of Chandigarh has emerged as the national leader in the “State of India’s Environment 2025” rankings, scoring an impressive 89.09 out of 100, far ahead of all other states and Union Territories (UT) across the country. The annual report, compiled by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in collaboration with Down To Earth magazine, assesses the performance of states and UTs across critical environmental and sustainable development indicators such as forest and biodiversity, climate, waste management, water resources, etc. Chandigarh’s exemplary performance reflects its commitment to sustainability and smart urban planning. The UT’s high score is driven by significant achievements, including robust waste segregation and management systems; efficient urban mobility initiatives, including electric vehicle adoption and public transport upgrades; green cover expansion and biodiversity conservation, water conservation and sanitation, clean energy transition, with increasing reliance on solar power and green buildings. Saurabh Kumar, CCF Chandigarh and director, environment, Chandigarh administration, stated, “This recognition is a result of collective action by our administration, civic bodies, and the residents of Chandigarh. We are committed to building a model city for the rest of the nation to emulate—one that thrives sustainably while offering a high quality of life.”
The Union Territory of Chandigarh has emerged as national leader in the State of India’s Environment 2025 rankings, scoring an impressive 89.09 out of 100. The annual report, compiled by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in collaboration with a magazine, assesses the performance of states and UTs across critical environmental and sustainable development indicators such as forest and biodiversity, climate, waste management, water resources, etc. Saurabh Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forest, and Director, Environment, Chandigarh, stated: “This recognition is a result of collective action by our Administration, civic bodies and most importantly, the residents of Chandigarh.”
Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said such research is crucial for developing "effective strategies" to reduce pollution.
Extreme weather events across India last year affected 3.2 million hectares of cropland — an area bigger than Belgium — the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment research group said. On a small farm in India’s Maharashtra state, Mirabai Khindkar said the only thing that her land grew was debt, after crops failed in drought and her husband killed himself. Farmer suicides have a long history in India, where many are one crop failure away from disaster, but extreme weather caused by climate change is adding fresh pressure. Dwindling yields due to water shortages, floods, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, coupled with crippling debt, have taken a heavy toll on a sector that employs 45 percent of India’s 1.4 billion people. Mirabai Khindkar’s husband, Amol, was left with debts to loan sharks worth hundreds of times their farm’s annual income, after the one hectare soybean, millet and cotton plot withered in scorching heat. He swallowed poison last year. “When he was in the hospital, I prayed to all the gods to save him,” 30-year-old Mirabai said, her voice breaking. Amol Khindkar died a week later, leaving behind Mirabai Khindkar and three children. Her last conversation with him was about debt. Their personal tragedy is replicated daily across Marathwada, a region in Maharashtra of 18 million, once known for fertile farmland. Extreme weather events across India last year affected 3.2 million hectares of cropland — an area bigger than Belgium — the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment research group said. More than 60 percent of that was in Maharashtra. “Summers are extreme and even if we do what is necessary, the yield is not enough,” Amol Khindkar’s brother and fellow farmer Balaji Khindkar said. “There is not enough water to irrigate the fields. It doesn’t rain properly.” Between 2022 and last year, 3,090 farmers took their own lives in Marathwada, an average of nearly three a day, Indian Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. Government statistics do not specify what drove the farmers to kill themselves, but analysts point to several likely factors. “Farmer suicides in India are a consequence of the crisis of incomes, investment and productivity that you have in agriculture,” said R. Ramakumar, professor of development studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Farming across many Indian smallholdings is done largely as it has been for centuries and is highly dependent on the right weather at the correct time. “What climate change and its vulnerabilities and variabilities have done is to increase the risks in farming,” Ramakumar said. This “is leading to crop failures, uncertainties ... which is further weakening the economics of cultivation for small and marginal farmers,” he said. The government could support farmers with better insurance schemes to cope with extreme weather events, as well as investments in agricultural research, he added. “Agriculture should not be a gamble with the monsoon,” Ramakumar said. Faced with uncertain weather, farmers often look to stem falling yields by investing in fertilizers or irrigation systems, but banks can be reluctant to offer credit to such uncertain borrowers. Some turn to loan sharks offering quick cash at exorbitant interest rates, risking catastrophe if crops fail. “It is difficult to make ends meet with just farming,” Mirabai Khindkar said, standing outside her home, a tin-roofed hut with patch-cloth walls. Her husband’s loans soared to more than US$8,000, a huge sum in India, where the average monthly income of a farming household is about US$120. Mirabai Khindkar works on other farms as a laborer, but could not pay back the debt. “The loan installments piled up,” she said, adding that she wants her children to find jobs outside of farming when they grow up. “Nothing comes out of the farm,” she said. The agricultural industry has been in a persistent crisis for decades and while Maharashtra has some of the highest suicide rates, the problem is nationwide. Thirty people in the farming sector killed themselves every day in 2022, according to national crime records bureau statistics. At another farm in Marathwada, 32-year-old farmer Shaikh Imran took over the running of the family smallholding last year after his brother took his own life. He is already more than US$1,100 in debt after borrowing to plant soybean. The crop failed. Meanwhile, the pop of explosives echoes around as farmers blast wells, hoping to hit water. “There’s no water to drink,” family matriarch Khatijabi Imran said. “Where shall we get water to irrigate the farm?”
Indian stations typically consume twice as much water as their global counterparts, according to the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment think-tank. April marks the start of the cruelest months for residents of Solapur, a hot and dry district in western India. As temperatures soar, water availability dwindles. In peak summer, the wait for taps to flow can stretch to a week or more. Just a decade ago, water flowed every other day, according to the local government and residents of Solapur, some 400 km inland from Mumbai. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. Then in 2017, a 1,320-megawatt coal-fired power plant run by state-controlled NTPC (NTPC.NS), opens new tab began operations. It provided the district with energy - and competed with residents and businesses for water from a reservoir that serves the area. Solapur illustrates the Catch-22 facing India, which has 17% of the planet’s population but access to only 4% of its water resources. The world's most populous country plans to spend nearly $80 billion on water-hungry coal plants by 2031 to power growing industries like data center operations. The vast majority of these new projects are planned for India's driest areas, according to a power ministry document reviewed by Reuters, which is not public and was created for officials to track progress. Many of the 20 people interviewed by Reuters for this story, which included power company executives, energy officials and industry analysts, said the thermal expansion likely portended future conflict between industry and residents over limited water resources. Thirty-seven of the 44 new projects named in the undated power ministry shortlist of future operations are located in areas that the government classifies as either suffering from water scarcity or stress. NTPC, which says it draws 98.5% of its water from water-stressed areas, is involved in nine of them. NTPC said in response to Reuters' questions that it is "continuously striving towards conservation of water with best of our efforts in Solapur," including using methods like treating and reusing water. It did not answer queries about potential expansion plans. India's power ministry has told lawmakers in parliament, most recently in 2017, that the locations of coal-fired power plants are determined by factors including access to land and water and that state governments are responsible for allocating water to them. Access to land is the dominant consideration, two federal groundwater board officials and two water researchers told Reuters. India's complex and arcane land laws have delayed many commercial and infrastructure projects for years, so power operators under pressure to meet burgeoning demand pick areas where they are likely to face little resistance, said Rudrodip Majumdar, an energy and environment professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru. "They look for areas with easy land availability - minimum resistance for maximum land - even if water is available only far away," he said. The federal power ministry, as well as energy and water authorities in Maharashtra state, where Solapur is located, did not respond to queries. Delhi attempted to reduce its reliance on coal before reversing track after the COVID pandemic. It has invested heavily in renewable energy sources like solar and hydro, but thirsty thermal power will still be dominant for the coming decades. India's former top energy bureaucrat Ram Vinay Shahi said ready access to power was strategically important for the country, whose per-capita power consumption is far lower than its regional rival China. "The only energy resource we have in the country is coal," he said. "Between water and coal, preference is given to coal." 'NOTHING' IN SOLAPUR? Solapur resident Rajani Thoke plans her life around water in high summer. On days with supply, "I do not focus on anything other than storing water, washing clothes and such work," said the mother of two, who strictly polices her family’s water use. Sushilkumar Shinde, the federal power minister who approved the Solapur plant in 2008, when the area had already been classified "water scarce," told Reuters he helped NTPC procure the land by negotiating payments to locals. The member of the opposition Congress party, who won election to retain Solapur's parliamentary seat a year after the plant's approval, defended the operation on grounds of NTPC's sizable investment. The $1.34 billion plant generated thousands of jobs during its construction and now provides part-time employment to about 2,500 locals. "I made sure farmers got good money for the land NTPC acquired," he said, adding that mismanagement by local authorities was to blame for water shortages. Solapur municipal official Sachin Ombase acknowledged that water distribution infrastructure had not kept up with population growth, but said that authorities were trying to address the problem. Shinde said "there was nothing" in Solapur in 2008 and that residents who received land payments had no reason to oppose the plant. Researcher Shripad Dharmadhikary, who founded environment advocacy group Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, said local politicians often supported splashy infrastructure projects to boost their popularity. Any "problems come up much later," he said. Even before the Solapur plant started operating, there were signs of the trouble to come. The first of its two units was supposed to start generating power by the middle of 2016, but it was delayed by more than 12 months because of years of severe water shortages, according to a 2020 regulatory filing. The absence of nearby water resources meant the station ended up drawing on water from a reservoir about 120 km away. Such distances can sharply increase costs and the risk of water theft, said Dharmadhikary and two plant sources. As of May 2023, the station is among India's least water-efficient, according to the latest available federal records. It also has among the lowest capacity utilization rates of coal-fired plants, according to data from government think-tank NITI Aayog. NTPC said its data indicates the Solapur plant has an efficiency ratio in line with the country's norms. Indian stations typically consume twice as much water as their global counterparts, according to the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment think-tank. Solapur plant officials told reporters in March that capacity utilization will improve with increasing demand, indicating that water consumption could surge in the future. A forthcoming survey on water use in Solapur led by state groundwater authorities and reviewed by Reuters showed that irrigation demand in the district outstrips supply by a third. Dharmes Waghmore owns farmland a few miles from the plant and said that developing it would provide more financial security than his current casual work. But he said borrowing money to develop the land by drilling a bore well is too risky: "What if there's no water?" Kuladeep Jangam, a top local official, said authorities were struggling to draw businesses to Solapur. The lack of "water neutralizes all other pull factors," he said. THIRST FOR WATER Since 2014, India has lost 60.33 billion units of coal-power generation across the country - equivalent to 19 days of coal-power supply at June 2025 levels - because water shortages force plants to suspend generation, according to federal data. Among the facilities that have struggled with shortages is the 2,920 MW Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station, one of India's largest. Located about 500 km northeast of Solapur but also in a water-stressed area, the plant shuts several of its units for months at a time when the monsoon delivers less rain than usual, according to NITI Aayog data. Despite the challenges, the plant is considering adding 800 MW of new capacity, according to the power ministry list seen by Reuters and half a dozen sources at Mahagenco, which operates the station. The document indicates the plant hasn't identified a water source for the expansion, though it has already sourced its coal. State-owned Mahagenco did not respond to Reuters' questions. The plant's thirst for water has previously led to tensions with residents of nearby Chandrapur city. Locals protested the station during a 2017 drought, prompting officials such as local lawmaker Sudhir Mungantiwar to order it to divert water to homes. Mungantiwar, however, says he supports the expansion of the plant, which he hopes will lead to it retiring water-inefficient older units. But the station has already delayed a plan to decommission two polluting and water-guzzling power units with a capacity of 420 MW by about seven years, citing instructions from the federal government, the company sources said. The Indian government asked power companies not to retire old thermal plants until the end of the decade due to a surge in demand following the pandemic, Reuters has reported. Chandrapur resident Anjali, who goes by one name, said she is resigned to visiting a tap installed by the station near one of its gates for drinking water. "We’re poor, we make do with whatever we can get," she said.
Last year, extreme weather events across India affected 3.2 million hectares (7.9 million acres) of cropland -- an area bigger than Belgium — according to the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment research group. Khadija Bi (R), whose son Shaikh Latif Sheru, a farmer who committed suicide due to mounting financial loans, sits under the shade of a tree along with her family members at their farmland in Mochi Pimpalgaon village of Beed district in India's Maharashtra state. — AFP On a small farm in India's Maharashtra state, Mirabai Khindkar said the only thing her land grew was debt, after crops failed in drought and her husband killed himself. Farmer suicides have a long history in India, where many are one crop failure away from disaster, but extreme weather caused by climate change is adding fresh pressure. Dwindling yields due to water shortages, floods, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, coupled with crippling debt, have taken a heavy toll on a sector that employs 45 per cent of India's 1.4 billion people. Mirabhai's husband Amol was left with debts to loan sharks worth hundreds of times their farm's annual income, after the three-acre (one-hectare) soybean, millet and cotton plot withered in scorching heat. He swallowed poison last year. "When he was in the hospital, I prayed to all the gods to save him," said 30-year-old Mirabai, her voice breaking. Amol died a week later, leaving behind Mirabai and three children. Her last conversation with him was about debt. Their personal tragedy is replicated daily across Marathwada, a region in Maharashtra of 18 million, once known for fertile farmland. Last year, extreme weather events across India affected 3.2 million hectares (7.9 million acres) of cropland -- an area bigger than Belgium — according to the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment research group
सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) एक प्रसिद्ध पत्रिका डाउन टु अर्थ प्रकाशित करता है। इसने एक रिपोर्ट का हवाला दिया कि भारत में हर साल 17 लाख से ज्यादा लोगों की कुपोषण से मृत्यु हो जाती है। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 71% भारतीय पौष्टिक भोजन नहीं खरीद सकते। क्या भारत में गरीबी दर घट रही है? और अगर ऐसा है, तो सरकार अभी भी 80 करोड़ से ज्यादा भारतीयों को मुफ्त अनाज क्यों दे रही है? पहले सवाल का जवाब है- हां, भारत में गरीबी दर वाकई घट रही है, और पहले से कहीं ज्यादा तेजी से। आरबीआई के पूर्व गवर्नर सी. रंगराजन की अध्यक्षता वाली समिति की नई रिपोर्ट के अनुसार गरीबी दर 2011-12 में 29.5% थी, जो 2023-24 में घटकर 4.9% हो गई है। यह एक असाधारण गिरावट है। रंगराजन कहते हैं गिरावट की दर पिछले 12 साल की अवधि में 2.02% प्रति वर्ष रही है। तब सवाल उठता है कि अगर पिछले 12 सालों में गरीबी में इतनी नाटकीय गिरावट आई है, तो सरकार प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण अन्न योजना के तहत 806.7 मिलियन भारतीयों को मुफ्त अनाज क्यों दे रही है? इसका जवाब आंशिक रूप से राजनीतिक और आंशिक रूप से वैज्ञानिक है। मुफ्त खाद्यान्न योजना को गरीबों के वोटों के लिए शुरू किया गया था, लेकिन यह पोषण संबंधी सप्लीमेंट के लिए भी थी। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) एक प्रसिद्ध पत्रिका डाउन टु अर्थ प्रकाशित करता है। इसने एक रिपोर्ट का हवाला दिया कि भारत में हर साल 17 लाख से ज्यादा लोगों की कुपोषण से मृत्यु हो जाती है। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 71% भारतीय पौष्टिक भोजन नहीं खरीद सकते। हालांकि गरीबी दर गिरकर 4.9% हो गई है, लेकिन पोषण एक गंभीर चिंता का विषय बना हुआ है। गरीब भारतीयों का एक बड़ा हिस्सा पौष्टिक आहार नहीं खरीद सकता। इसलिए मुफ्त खाद्यान्न सहायता दी जाती है। बचे हुए पैसों को ज्यादा पौष्टिक भोजन पर लगाया जा सकता है। जैसा कि विदेश मंत्री एस. जयशंकर ने अमेरिकी सेनेटर एलिसा स्लोटकिन से कहा- सेनेटर, आपने कहा कि लोकतंत्र आपकी मेज पर भोजन नहीं लाता। वास्तव में, दुनिया के जिस हिस्से में मैं रहता हूं, वहां ऐसा होता है। आज चूंकि हम एक लोकतांत्रिक समाज हैं, इसलिए हम 800 मिलियन से ज्यादा लोगों को पोषण-सहायता और भोजन देते हैं। विश्व बैंक ने भी भारतीय गरीबी में गिरावट की पुष्टि की है। इंडियन एक्सप्रेस में लिखते हुए सी. रंगराजन और एस. महेंद्र देव (प्रधानमंत्री की आर्थिक सलाहकार परिषद के अध्यक्ष) ने बताया कि विश्व बैंक ने हाल ही में 100 से अधिक विकासशील देशों के लिए गरीबी और समानता संबंधी संक्षिप्त रिपोर्ट जारी की है। इसमें कहा गया है कि भारत ने पिछले दशक में गरीबी में उल्लेखनीय कमी की है। अत्यधिक गरीबी (क्रय शक्ति समता के संदर्भ में प्रतिदिन 2.15 डॉलर से कम पर जीवन यापन करना) 2011-12 में 16.2% से घटकर 2022-23 में 2.3% हो गई। इस अवधि में 17 करोड़ से अधिक लोग अत्यधिक गरीबी की स्थिति से ऊपर उठ गए। निम्न-मध्यम आय वाले देशों के लिए गरीबी रेखा के मानदंड से नीचे के लोगों की संख्या (प्रतिदिन 3.65 डॉलर) 61.8% से घटकर 28.1% हो गई। यदि गरीबी को परिभाषित करने के लिए घरेलू आय का कट-ऑफ स्तर बढ़ा दिया जाए, तो गरीबी दर तेजी से बढ़कर 28.1% हो जाती है। यह लगभग 50 करोड़ भारतीयों का जनसांख्यिकीय समूह है, जिसे पोषण संबंधी सहायता की आवश्यकता है। प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण अन्न योजना के अंतर्गत अतिरिक्त 30 करोड़ और लोगों को शामिल किया गया है, ताकि स्पष्ट चुनावी लाभ के साथ व्यापक जनसांख्यिकीय समूह तक भी पहुंचा जा सके। भारत में गरीबी के निरंतर प्रसार के बावजूद गरीबी रेखा से नीचे रहने वाले लोगों की संख्या में कमी देखी जा सकती है। 1947 में स्वतंत्रता के बाद से भारत में अकाल नहीं पड़ा है। जबकि ब्रिटिश औपनिवेशिक शासन के 190 वर्षों के दौरान 31 बड़े अकाल पड़े थे, जिनमें से आखिरी 1943 का बंगाल अकाल था। उसमें 30 लाख लोग मारे गए थे। रंगराजन गरीबी दर में गिरावट को जीडीपी में वृद्धि से सही ढंग से जोड़ते हैं। वे लिखते हैं कि गरीबी का निर्धारण जीडीपी वृद्धि, कीमतों और सेफ्टी नेट जैसे फैक्टर्स से होता है। जीडीपी वृद्धि 2022-23 में 7.6% से बढ़कर 2023-24 में 9.2% हो गई, यानी एक वर्ष में 1.6% की वृद्धि। उपभोक्ता मूल्य सूचकांक (सीपीआई) 2022-23 में 6.7% से घटकर 2023-24 में 5.4% हो गया यानी 1.3% अंकों की गिरावट। हालांकि इसी अवधि के दौरान खाद्य मुद्रास्फीति 6.6% से बढ़कर 7.5% हो गई है। ऐसे में लगता नहीं कि अगले चरण में कल्याणकारी कार्यक्रमों में कोई महत्वपूर्ण बदलाव होगा। भारत की कम प्रति व्यक्ति आय (2,900 डॉलर) की ओर इशारा किया जाता है। पर इसकी सही माप क्रय शक्ति समता पर आधारित है। मुंबई में 500 रु. में हवाई अड्डे से शहर तक पहुंचा जा सकता है, टोक्यो में 5,000 रु. लगते हैं। (ये लेखक के अपने विचार हैं।)