Guwahati: Fresh testing conducted by the Pahle India Foundation has found traces of lead in several commonly consumed fish species sold in markets across Guwahati, raising concerns over food safety and environmental pollution, according to a report by a leading environmental Magazine Down To Earth.
दिल्ली स्थित थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) के अनुसार इस प्लांट की कैपेसिटी 182 MLD ही है। सीएसई के अनुसार, “परियोजना के इंटेक वेल के आसपास नर्मदा के पानी में रेत की मात्रा अधिक होने के कारण, गाद निकालने और पंपों में गंभीर टूट-फूट की समस्या लगातार बनी रहती है।” शहरी मसलों पर काम करने वाले सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता किशोर कोडवानी मानते हैं कि नर्मदा से पानी लाने का प्रोजेक्ट फेल हो चुका है। “नर्मदा परियोजना में हफ्ते के सातो दिन और 24 घंटे पानी देने का वादा किया गया था। मगर कई जगहों में तो यह 2 दिन में एक दिन ही आता है।”
जहाँ पहले AAP सरकार पंजाब में पराली जलने के लिए भाजपा शासित केंद्र को जिम्मेदार ठहराती थी, अब स्थिति बदल चुकी है। विपक्षी दलों का आरोप है कि पंजाब में AAP की सरकार होने के बावजूद पराली की घटनाओं पर प्रभावी रोक नहीं लग पाई है। वहीं, सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की 2025 की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, दिल्ली के प्रदूषण में लगभग 65% योगदान NCR के अन्य शहरों और बाहरी कारकों का है।
According to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment, more than 72% of wastewater is discharged untreated, contaminating community water sources and raising health risks. Corporate India’s engagement with water has often been framed as a CSR responsibility—through recharge projects, awareness drives, or community infrastructure. These have been valuable, but the conversation is shifting. Water is no longer just an environmental or social cause; it is fast becoming a business-critical challenge. India’s per capita water availability has fallen from 1,816 cubic meters in 2001 to 1,486 cubic meters in 2021, with projections of just 1,341 cubic meters by 2025—placing the country in the ‘water-stressed’ category. The Global Risks Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum ranks water supply shortage as the most pressing environmental threat for India and the world. For companies, this scarcity is no longer abstract—it shows up in stalled factory lines, disrupted supply chains, tanker-dependent offices, and shrinking agricultural productivity. The question before India Inc. is urgent: Will water be treated as a shared equity—or as the next great fault line of development? Why equity matters as much as efficiency India’s economic growth has leaned heavily on water-intensive sectors—steel, cement, textiles, chemicals, energy, and even emerging semiconductor fabs. In 2023, 87% of India’s groundwater draft was used for irrigation, with the remaining 11% for domestic and industrial uses, according to a CGWB Report. This makes water equity central to the future. Equity means ensuring access to safe and sufficient water is not dictated by geography, income, or sectoral dominance. When industries monopolize aquifers for cooling and processing, nearby villages face dry taps. When urban centers divert rivers upstream, farmers downstream lose irrigation. Such inequities spark conflict, reputational damage, and often regulatory intervention. In other words, inequitable access is no longer only a moral dilemma—it has become a material business risk to operations, investor confidence, and corporate legitimacy. The economic cost of inequity The World Bank estimates that unchecked water scarcity could shave 6% off India’s GDP by 2050. According to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment, more than 72% of wastewater is discharged untreated, contaminating community water sources and raising health risks. In practice, this cost appears in disrupted supply chains—from industries grappling with groundwater stress to manufacturing hubs facing contamination challenges, and urban centers increasingly reliant on unregulated tanker markets. For citizens, water equity determines affordability; for businesses, it defines long-term sustainability. Investors are also recalibrating. ESG frameworks now demand disclosures on water withdrawal, wastewater management, and basin-level impact. Companies perceived as hoarding or polluting water face valuation pressures, while those investing in stewardship gain reputational and financial advantage. From philanthropy to strategy For decades, water has been boxed into the CSR section of corporate reports—community wells, recharge drives, tanker donations. While valuable, these don’t tackle the deeper realities: production halts, community unrest, or investor scrutiny when water runs dry. To build long-term resilience, India Inc. must move water equity from the periphery of philanthropy to the center of corporate strategy. Water must be managed with the same discipline as capital, energy, or talent—planned, budgeted, and replenished. Four shifts can guide this transition: 1. From Extraction to Stewardship Corporations must adopt basin-level water budgeting, cap withdrawals, and replenish as much as they consume. Many enterprises have piloted watershed models that improve community access and industrial resilience—demonstrating that stewardship and competitiveness can align. 2. From Linear Use to Circular Systems Zero-liquid discharge, closed-loop cooling, and wastewater reuse are not futuristic luxuries—they are business continuity safeguards. NITI Aayog has already called for mainstreaming treated wastewater as a “new resource.” Companies integrating recycled water into operations will mitigate risks and strengthen resilience. 3. From Projects to Platforms CSR in water must evolve from one-off initiatives into scalable platforms with lasting impact. Opportunities lie in decentralized water storage, rural pipeline networks, and IoT-enabled smart metering. By aligning innovation with community needs, industry can help scale water security across the nation. 4. From Compliance to Collaboration Regulation around groundwater and wastewater is tightening, but companies can go further. Multi-stakeholder water councils—bringing together government, peers, and communities—can pre-empt conflict and enable shared infrastructure. National programmes like Jal Jeevan Mission and AMRUT 2.0 offer avenues for corporates to partner not just as funders, but as co-creators of scalable solutions. A national imperative and a corporate opportunity India’s growth story—whether in manufacturing corridors, urban megacities, or agricultural heartlands—rests on a fragile water foundation. Without equity, that foundation further weakens. But if industry steps up, it can transform a national challenge into an opportunity: to build resilience, secure operations, and enable inclusive growth. For companies, this is not just about risk mitigation—it is about differentiation. In a world where sustainability drives valuation and consumer preference, water equity can become a marker of leadership. Those who embed it into strategy will gain reputational capital, investor confidence, and operational security. The bottom line Water is the common denominator of India’s growth. Every enterprise—whether making steel, software, or services—depends on its availability. As scarcity deepens, corporate India cannot afford to silo water as CSR. It must treat it as a strategy—tied to survival, continuity, and competitiveness. Because without water equity, there can be no economic equity. And without equity, India’s growth story itself runs dry.
मौसमी बदलाव बिग फैक्टर - CSE साइंटिस्ट सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की वैज्ञानिक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने स्टेट मिरर से बातचीत में कहा, ^केवल नैनीताल में ही नहीं, मौसम में बदलाव कम या ज्यादा ग्लोबल लेवल पर भी देखने को मिल रहा है. यह एक वैश्विक फेनोमेना हो गया है. उन्होंने कहा कि ग्लोबल वार्मिंग और प्रदूषण में इजाफा इसके मुख्य कारण हैं.^ उन्होंने कहा कि अब प्रदूषण का असर दूर दराज इलाकों या फिर यूं कहें कि स्थानीय स्तरों पर भी देखने को मिल रहा है. यह समस्या अब केवल महानगरों या बड़े-बड़े शहरों तक सीमित नहीं है. यह मानवीय स्वास्थ्य की लिहाज से चिंता का विषय है.
सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के एक अध्ययन के अनुसार, नगरजुनसागर से हैदराबाद तक पानी लाने की लागत 6.4 से 18 रुपये प्रति किलोलीटर तक है। इंदौर की हालिया त्रासदी लोगों के ज़हन में अभी ताज़ा ही थी कि सोमवार (5 जनवरी) को हैदराबाद के एक रिहायशी इलाके के लोगों ने पीने के पानी की आपूर्ति में गंदगी की शिकायत की। सरूरनगर के बापूनगर की रोड नंबर 2, 3 और 4 के स्थानीय निवासियों का कहना है कि पिछले एक हफ्ते से पानी की स्थिति ऐसी ही है, लेकिन प्रशासन से की गई शिकायतों पर कोई सुनवाई नहीं हुई। स्थानीय लोगों का आरोप है कि जल बोर्ड के अधिकारियों ने पानी की गुणवत्ता को लेकर उनकी चिंताओं को गंभीरता से नहीं लिया और उन्हें या तो पानी को इस्तेमाल से पहले 20 मिनट तक बहने देने या फिर उबालकर पीने की सलाह दी। यह स्थिति तब और चिंताजनक हो जाती है जब हैदराबाद खुद इंदौर जैसी एक त्रासदी का गवाह रह चुका है। वर्ष 2009 में भोलकपुर इलाके में जहरीली भारी धातुओं और खतरनाक कोलीफॉर्म बैक्टीरिया से दूषित पानी पीने के कारण 14 लोगों की मौत हो गई थी।
हमें मौसम में हो रहे बदलाव साफ तौर पर महसूस हो रहे हैं। इस अनुभव को रिसर्च के जरिये सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (CSE) और डाउन टू अर्थ ने अपनी रिपोर्ट ‘क्लाइमेट इंडिया 2025’ में सामने रखा है। इस रिपोर्ट में मौसम से जुड़े ऐसे तथ्य सामने आए हैं जिन्होंने लोगों को चौंका दिया है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, साल 2025 के पहले नौ महीनों में देश के 273 में से 217 दिन किसी न किसी तरह की चरम मौसमी घटनाओं से प्रभावित रहे। इन घटनाओं के चलते पूरे देश में करीब 4,000 से ज्यादा लोगों की मौत हुई। चरम मौसमी घटनाओं में लू, शीत लहर, आंधी-तूफान, भारी बारिश, बाढ़, भूस्खलन और बिजली गिरने जैसी घटनाएं शामिल हैं। रिपोर्ट में यह भी बताया गया है कि 1957 के बाद अब तक कार्बन डाइऑक्साइड (CO₂) उत्सर्जन में सबसे अधिक बढ़ोतरी दर्ज की गई है, जिसका असर न सिर्फ दुनिया बल्कि भारत में भी साफ दिखाई दे रहा है।
यह वह समय था जब हरियाणा और राजस्थान में अवैध खनन अपने चरम पर पहुंचा, पर्यावरणीय नियमों की अनदेखी हुई और प्रशासनिक ढांचे की कमजोरी का फायदा उठाकर एक विशाल समानांतर अर्थव्यवस्था खड़ी हो गई। भारतीय भूवैज्ञानिक सर्वेक्षण (जीएसआई), पर्यावरण, वन एवं जलवायु परिवर्तन मंत्रालय (एमओईएफसीसी), सेंट्रल एम्पावर्ड कमेटी (सीईसी), सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) और संरक्षण संगठन वी आर अरावली के आकलन बताते हैं कि इसी दौर ने अरावली को उस संकट के मुहाने पर ला खड़ा किया, जिसके प्रभाव आज उत्तर भारत की हवा, पानी और जलवायु में साफ दिख रहे हैं।
This is reiterated by a recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment, which reveals that mega Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai have experienced worsening of PM2.5 levels in the winter of 2024-25. It found that January was the most polluted month for Chennai, with Chennai and Manali being the most polluted stations.
In the long arc of Indian history, only a handful of scientists have truly captured the public imagination. Madhav Gadgil was one of them. In the 2010s, his Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), widely known as the Gadgil Report, commanded newspaper front pages, primetime television debates, heated public meetings, and sharply divided political platforms. Rarely has a scientific assessment been so fiercely attacked and so passionately defended for its intellectual rigour and plain-speaking. My own encounters with Dr Gadgil were fleeting: One meeting and one short phone call. Yet, like many environmental advocates of my generation, I feel I knew him well — through his ideas, writing, and the institutions he helped build and nurture. I met him once at the Centre for Science and Environment, sometime after the Western Ghats report was released. We at CSE were critical of certain aspects of the report, and Gadgil had come to engage with us. What struck me during that interaction was not just his formidable intellect, but how deeply personal the issue was to him. The Western Ghats were not an abstract landscape to him; they were a living ecological entity whose degradation he felt morally compelled to prevent.
This is reiterated by a recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment, which reveals that mega Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai have experienced worsening of PM2.5 levels in the winter of 2024-25. It found that January was the most polluted month for Chennai, with Chennai and Manali being the most polluted stations.
Smog Stories: The air quality in Delhi-NCR has remained in the 'poor' to 'severe' category in the past two months, leading to serious health issues for the residents. While there are several factors behind the air pollution in the national capital, the primary contributor are vehicular emissions with over 50 per cent share, as per a report by the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE). The report suggests that the gases released by vehicles are harmful and they choke the surface wind, leading to the air pollution. While addressing the issue, the Supreme Court has suggested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to either close or temporarily shift the toll plazas to curb the air pollution. Why Supreme Court Called For Closing Toll Plazas? On December 17, the Supreme Court urged the civic and highway authorities to either shift the toll plazas or temporarily shut them till the end of January, at least. It asserted that the long-hour congestion at the traffic plazas led to the aggregation of harmful gases, worsening the situation. The apex court pointed out that hundreds of vehicles remain stranded at the Delhi-Gurugram border on a daily basis due to the toll plazas, adding that the authority must take necessary steps to improve the situation.
According to analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth, extreme-event days rose from 88 percent of the pre-monsoon season in 2022 to 99 percent in 2025. The excess rainfall triggered flash floods and landslides. Heavy rain, floods and landslides occurred on 51 of 59 winter days, creating widespread damage before the monsoon season officially began.
A New Delhi-based environmental think tank, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has warned the European Union (EU) that imposing a carbon tax on developing countries like India will exacerbate climate inequities by shifting the burden of decarbonisation onto the Global South. The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) came into effect on January 1, taxing selected industrial goods exported to the EU. CBAM is a carbon tax that the EU impose on imported goods to protect the climate and its companies. For countries like India, this has significant implications. Analysis indicates that CBAM could reduce the actual price of Indian steel and aluminium—mainly produced using coal—by 16 to 22%. Such shocks are likely to be mitigated through price compression in order to maintain competitiveness. "By putting a carbon price at the border, the CBAM alters the definition of competitiveness in global trade. However, it also shifts the costs of decarbonisation to developing countries, perpetuating a familiar dynamic where these nations adapt to rules set elsewhere under conditions that structurally disadvantage them," said Sunita Narain, Director General of CSE. Narain added, "Decarbonisation in industry is both necessary and unavoidable. Developing countries must pursue decarbonisation to remain competitive. However, this transition cannot be achieved solely through unilateral measures." Concerns were raised in 2023 when the EU introduced the CBAM, as it does not address historical responsibilities or structural inequalities. The CSE is advocating for equitable global climate action and emphasises the importance of providing real sectoral decarbonisation support, including concessional finance and technology transfer from the EU to developing country partners. "This can help reduce the carbon intensity of manufacturing, ensure a level playing field, and provide funds for Global South countries to invest in low-carbon growth," remarked another expert. Over the past 15 months, CBAM has expanded its scope, evolving into an extensive trade obligation that places increasing demands on exporters for data provision and verification. Recent proposals aim to widen CBAM’s scope to additional sectors, tighten verification requirements, and introduce anti-circumvention provisions, thereby escalating compliance and cost pressures on exporters from the Global South. CSE has suggested that measures should include ensuring that funds from the carbon tax remain within borders, along with the EU providing additional climate finance for decarbonisation. A comprehensive package of measures could include recycling CBAM revenues to developing country partners, supporting the monitoring and reporting of emissions, and granting exemptions for least developed countries.
“AMR is already something to be worried about. And as this study indicates, when we are inhaling microplastics, it is even more concerning as it adds to another pathway to the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens,” said Rajeshwari Sinha, who leads the AMR programme at the Centre for Science and Environment, an environmental thinktank in Delhi.
लेकिन भारतीय भूवैज्ञानिक सर्वेक्षण (जीएसआई), पर्यावरण, वन एवं जलवायु परिवर्तन मंत्रालय (एमओईएफसीसी), नेशनल ग्रीन ट्रिब्यूनल (एनजीटी), सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) और संरक्षण संगठन वी आर अरावली की रिपोर्ट यह स्पष्ट करती हैं कि खनन, अंधाधुंध शहरीकरण, अवैध निर्माण और नीति-स्तर की ढोल ने अरावली को गंभीर पारिस्थितिक संकट के मुहाने पर ला खड़ा किया है। वैज्ञानिक चेतावनी दे रहे हैं कि यदि अब भी निर्णायक हस्तक्षेप नहीं हुआ तो इसके दुष्परिणाम केवल स्थानीय