Think India Foundation

P'kula MC can use Sec 23-25 for now; tribunal team to scout sites next month

Panchkula : Providing some relief to the municipal corporation (MC) of Panchkula and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, on Friday ruled that the dumping ground in Sector 23-25 could be used temporarily. However, a two-member expert panel from the tribunal would visit Panchkula next month and submit a report about the best-suited sites for garbage dumps.

The sites in contention include one in Jhuriwala, which already has environmental clearance for a solid waste management plant, besides the Sector 23-25 ground and the one located in Madanwala (Pinjore) suggested by the Hemant Sarin, one of the petitioners in the case. Sarin had raised the issue of fire in the dumping ground of Sector 23-25 that had made the life of residents difficult for many days. The MC informed the tribunal that an FIR had been registered in that regard. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Cement-makers want green status for power generated through waste-heat recovery

HYDERABAD : Co-generation of power through waste-heat recovery process in cement plants should be given renewable energy status, according to N. A. Vishwanathan, Secretary-General, Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA). The two-day conference has about 80 presentations from industry experts.

Greener power: Green tech motors from Seimens displayed at the Green Cementech in Hyderabad on Thursday. — P. V. Sivakumar

Speaking at inaugural session of Green Cementech 2013 here on Thursday, he said Indian cements plants were trendsetters in energy conservation measures. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

All eyes on government to solve sewage problem

NAGPUR: The cash-strapped Nagpur municipal corporation (NMC) is helpless in stopping the flow of sewage into the river or ensuring its treatment. However, since managing sewage is necessary to ensure the Nag River remains a clean water body, all eyes are on two projects pending with the central government for clearance. Mayor Anil Sole and municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane are hoping for total rejuvenation of the river within two years if gets the projects are approved.

Sole told TOI the quantity of sewage flowing in the river is huge. "Over 450 million litres per day (MLD) sewage is flowing through the entire city every day. NMC is operating 80 MLD sewage treatment plant and started construction of 130 MLD plant at Bhandewadi. We need to construct sewage pipelines for safe collection and carriage of sewage to the treatment plants, and have capacity to treat entire quantity. Two projects have been submitted to the government and approval is awaited," he said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Japan can help India in waste water management

Tokyo (ANI): A growing population combined with a huge demand of water for development purposes, has put excessive stress on available water resources in India.

From 813 billion cubic metres in 2010 the demand of water is set to reach 1,093 billion cubic metres by 2025 in the country. Read more

Source : www.newstrackindia.com

Civic officials in Visakhapatnam hold meeting with WB team on sanitation policy

VISAKHAPATNAM : Officials of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA &UD) and from four municipal corporations had a meeting on Monday with a World Bank team on National Urban Sanitation Policy.

According to Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana who participated in the meeting in Hyderabad, the policy envisages totally doing away with open defecation, construction of individual and community toilets and scientific management of solid waste management. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Residents of Sukhdev Vihar want waste plant to go, pledge terraces for solar panels

NEW DELHI: Residents of Sukhdev Vihar's Pocket B have embarked on a unique mode of protest against the government's waste-to-energy plant in the area. They have pledged their rooftops for solar panels to increase the city's renewable energy supply so that technology like incineration may be abandoned altogether. 

"We have 18 blocks with four buildings each and there is a lot of open rooftop area that can be dedicated to solar panels. The idea is excellent and we have volunteered the space but would like the government to work with us. Solar power is quite expensive and not everyone will find it easy to install such projects. The government should step up and involve the resident welfare associations in a bigger project to set up rooftop solar panels," Anshu Garg, president of Sukhdev Vihar's Pocket B RWA, said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Bengal focus on e-waste management

Calcutta : The Bengal IT department has initiated the process of setting up an e-waste management and processing unit in an adjoining district of Calcutta.

It is scouting for a suitable plot of land in North and South 24-Parganas and Howrah. Read more

Source : www.telegraphindia.com

Let’s waste no time to trash out Mumbai’s filthy image

It may well claim to be the business, financial and entertainment capital of India, but Mumbai is also the largest generator of waste. 

Every day, nearly 5,000 tonnes of solid waste is generated in the city and a significant part of it ends up uncollected and untreated. Read more

Source : www.khaleejtimes.com

Hudco slashes lending rates

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (Hudco) effected a significant reduction in its lending rates for government and public sector borrowers for various housing and infrastructure development projects. A reduction of 25 basis points has been effected in respect of its entire housing portfolio covering economically weaker sections, low income groups, middle income groups and all other categories of housing. With this reduction, the EWS and LIG category housing projects would get loans from Hudco at 8 per cent to 8.5 per cent. The reduction also includes land acquisition for housing purposes.

The interest rates have been reduced for core infrastructure projects also covering water supply, sewerage, drainage, solid waste management, urban/city roads and social infrastructure. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Gurgaon lacks toxic waste disposal policy

GURGAON: There is no policy or guidelines for disposing of toxic waste generated by city hospitals and nursing homes in the city. This shocking fact came to light in a recent RTI reply.

According to the RTI reply, there does not seem to be any specific policy or instructions to dispose of the toxic waste generated by city hospitals, nursing homes and clinics in a safe manner. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Regional waste treatment plant to come up by 2015

Will process 2,500 tonnes of garbage from MMR daily, convert it to electricity.

By the end of 2015, MMRDA expects to commission a regional solid waste management plant at Taloja with a capacity to process 2,500 tonnes of solid waste produced in the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) daily, and convert the waste into power. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Waste collection in Margao to be extended

MARGAO: The door-to-door collection of segregated garbage currently underway in Maddel in Margao is to be extended to Aquem shortly.

The drive, which was launched on May 1 by the Margao municipal council (MMC), currently covers around 800 households where waste is collected from their door steps. The MMC has engaged 30 additional daily-wage labourers for the exercise. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Mumbai groundwater level worsens’

MUMBAI : Forty two per cent of the respondents in Mumbai feel that the ground water availability has worsened over the last five years. The finding was released in a survey report of the Mumbai chapter by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) here on Tuesday.

The report, however, said that 39 per cent of the people perceived that there has been an improvement in the drinking water quality and availability, besides improvement in waste and waste management (46 per cent). Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

No garbage disposal at Sec 23 site in Panchkula

PANCHKULA: In a huge respite for residents living in sectors 23 to 25 and adjoining areas of Panchkula, the National Green Tribunal, Delhi, has restrained the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the municipal corporation(MC) from dumping solid waste at the Sectors 23 site. Till now, garbage of the entire Panchkula was dumped in Sector 23. The foul smell emanating from it made life difficult for people residing near it.

The tribunal passed these orders while hearing an issue pertaining to shifting of Sector 23 garbage dumping site on the grounds that waste was being dumped there without the permission of Haryana Pollution Control Board (HPCB). The matter was referred before the tribunal by the Punjab and Haryana high court in March this year. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Indian Supreme Court gives green signal to Kudankulam plant

The court cautioned the Indian government and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd to find safe areas to dispose of the nuclear waste which the plant would be generating.

The court observed that nuclear energy is extremely important for the country's growth and a balance has to be struck between the right to life and sustainable development. Source: Press Photo

The Indian Supreme Court on Monday gave its much-awaited clearance for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant project (KNPP) in THE southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu being built with Russian help.  Today’s judgment has come on the 630th day of Protests over the alleged not-up-to-the-mark safety features of the plant.

However, the court, while disposing of a public suit which sought the court’s direction to halt the commissioning of the plant on safety concerns, attached a rider. The court cautioned the Indian government and the KNPP’s operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to find safe areas to dispose of the nuclear waste which the plant would be generating. “Don’t commission the plant before final report on safety aspect is out,” the Supreme Court expressly directed in its judgment. Read more

Source : indrus.in

Ooty model of bio-remediation to save urban waterbodies

CHENNAI : There is a ray of hope for hundreds of urban waterbodies, victims of urbanisation and industrial pollution. A combination of bio-ozolyte treatment process and bio-remediation adopted by the State government to save the Ooty Lake, can be used to recover these polluted water bodies.

According to officials, phosphorus and nitrogen are responsible for the rapid growth of water hyacinth, that has invaded many water bodies. The bio-processes will increase the dissolved oxygen (DO), by bringing down the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). DO improves quality of water and replenishes life in water bodies. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Waste no more

India is likely to see its waste generation triple to 376,639 tonnes per day by 2025. The solution to managing this could lie in segregating the waste. 

New Delhi: Sheetal Pawar, a housewife who lives in the Katraj ward, or prabhag as it is known locally, of Pune, began segregating the waste generated by her household into dry (or inorganic) and wet (organic) waste two years ago. It was part of a pilot initiated jointly by four organizations in Pune to move towards zero waste developed on the philosophy of recycling garbage—a practice already in vogue in metropolises like New York and London.

In a majority of the cities in the country, solid waste goes straight to landfills without any segregation. Once the site is filled, the authorities are expected to find another, not always easy given the pressure of land. Photo: Hindustan Times

According to Pawar it was not a difficult practice to weave into her daily routine; while the organic waste including vegetable peel, egg shells and leftover food is deposited in a green coloured bin, all the inorganic waste like paper, plastic and aluminium are placed in a white bin. Read more

Source : www.livemint.com

Piling e-waste turning Hyderabad city toxic

HYDERABAD: Throwing out your old computer in a garbage dump may lead to mercury poisoning and a possible brain stroke. Confused? Experts on e-waste (electronic waste) management warned Hyderabadis against the hazards of not disposing e-waste properly and going by their claims, the city could have its very own Erin Brockovich story if immediate steps are not taken. 

In fact, some say the city is at the top spot when it comes to illegally converting PC monitors into television sets especially during lucrative periods like the ongoing IPL season, and later dumping them in water bodies. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Waste management is a social responsibility’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Shashi Tharoor has said that a health policy cannot stand isolated from issues such as waste management and water management, which are the responsibilities of the society as a whole rather than that of any particular government department.

Tharoor said this while delivering the inaugural address at a seminar organised by the State Government to formulate a draft health policy here on Saturday. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Pune Cantonment to prepare CDP independently

Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) will independently prepare the City Development Plan (CDP), which needs to be submitted to the state government to avail funds under Jawaharlal Nehru National Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The CDP includes sewage treatment, solid waste management, drainage systems, roads and waterlines as prominent heads. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Guwahati to expand by 66 sq km: Neog

GUWAHATI – The Guwahati Development Department (GDD) plans to expand Guwahati by another 66 square kilometers to accommodate the city’s rapid growth and development.

Announcing this during the inaugural ceremony of the three-day ARIEDA Realty Expo-2013 at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre, Ajanta Neog, Minister for PWD and GDD, said that a committee had been formed to resolve differences of opinion about issues relating to building permission with builders and others associated with the industry. Read more

Source : www.assamtribune.com

Cities facing garbage disposal problem: Govt

New Delhi : Due to lack of dumping space, financial constraints and inadequate capacity of urban local bodies, problem of garbage disposal in cities has increased manifold, the government told the Rajya Sabha today.

Lack of proper recycling and reuse of waste is further aggravating the problems of landfills, Minister of State for Urban Development Deepa Dasmunshi said in a written reply. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Delhi's rubbish plans throw poor off waste heap

NEW DELHI - India's planners worry about "jobless growth", but perhaps nothing illustrates this phenomenon better than a policy of handing over the collection and disposal of the capital's refuse to large private corporations, leaving close to 50,000 ragpickers unemployed. 

For decades, ragpickers provided a service to this city, scavenging waste for recyclable plastic, aluminum, glass and other materials, and earning a livelihood by selling their pickings to contractors with equipment to process the waste into useful items like fibre-reinforced roofing sheets. Read more

Source : www.atimes.com

Scam-hit Lonavala is losing the plot

Trouble's simmering in Lonavala, which has for long been a picturesque getaway for a majority of Mumbaikars, and where some of the city's richest and the most glamorous boast of opulent holiday homes.

The hill station, famous for lush green ghats, waterfalls and ponds, sports a rough look these days, with heaps of garbage strewn all over its narrow lanes, and several pockets of stalled infrastructure projects. Read more

Source : www.mumbaimirror.com

Create awareness about civic sense, Patna HC tells govt

PATNA: Patna high court on Tuesday directed the state urban development department and the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) to launch a drive to make residents aware about the garbage problem. Expressing deep concern over the piling of garbage in various parts of the city, the court observed that the residents needed to be educated on this issue. The government as well as the residents lacks civic sense, it observed.

The division bench of Justice Navin Sinha and Justic Shivaji Pandey directed the PMC to put big hoardings in the city to make denizens aware about the basic civic problems by placing advertisements in local TV channels, cinema halls and newspapers. The court passed the order after hearing the PIL of Sunil Kumar and others. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

3 MW waste to energy gasification plant underway in India

Following years of delays preliminary civil works have begun on a waste to energy facility in the village of Venkatamangalam, India which will use gasification technology to process municipal solid waste (MSW) from Tambaram and Pallavaram municipalities, according to a report in The Hindu.

3 MW waste to energy gasification plant underway in Venkatamangala, India

To mark the start of construction, a 'bhoomi pooja' ceremony was reported to have been performed at the 50-acre site located around 15 km from Tambaram in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Read more

Source : www.waste-management-world.com

Bangalore’s reality lags behind image

BANGALORE, India — Two decades ago, this bustling melting pot was an advertisement for a new, confident India. Bangalore’s young, unapologetically cosmopolitan, English-speaking workforce drove India’s economic rise and put the city on the global map, making it synonymous with the country’s information technology revolution.

Sanjit Das/Bloomberg - Pedestrians and traffic move along Brigade Road in Bangalore, India.

But these days, Bangalore’s reputation is taking a beating. Read more

Source : www.washingtonpost.com

Coimbatore Corporation plans to construct waste-to-energy plant

COIMBATORE : Council passes resolution according in-principle approval

The latest in the series of measures the Coimbatore Corporation has taken to address issues related to waste management is a waste-to-energy plant. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Order against wastage of water in Garo Hills

SHILLONG: The district magistrate of West Garo Hills has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPc against 'wanton wastage' of water and polluting streams in the wake of severe water crisis in the district, a government communique said.

"The order has been imposed at a time when Tura and surrounding areas are reeling under acute water shortage and it prohibits unwarranted, unhygienic and illegal practices leading to contamination and drying up of water bodies," read the statement. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Convert steel plant waste into ceramics: Vizag Steel Plant CMD

HYDERABAD : Visakhapatnam Steel Plant CMD A.P. Choudhary said here on Saturday that the steel industry should find ways and means using the latest technology to convert various wastes generated in the process of steel-making into useful products.

He was speaking after inaugurating the workshop on utilisation of solid industrial wastes for ceramic projects in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

‘VMC failed in solid waste management’

VIJAYAWADA : The Communist Party of India-Marxist has alleged that the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation utterly failed in solid waste management.

Addressing a press conference in Vjayawada on Saturday, CPI(M) city secretariat member Donepudi Kasinath said that the mounds of garbage was piled up in the city. The VMC had miserably failed to clear the garbage piled up for last one week. The Corporation had no proper plans for solid waste management. Till recently it dumped the garbage in residential area putting the residents to hardship. The authorities had no vision and comprehensive plans on the solid waste management front, he alleged. The VMC had failed to find a place for dumping yard, though the government had released funds for the MSW. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Bidders cannot get more than 5 garbage contracts in Bangalore

BANGALORE : Waste must not be transported uncovered, court tells BBMP

Should you find yourself driving behind a garbage lorry, chances are you’ll fear that some of its contents many rain on you as nine times out of ten it is uncovered. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

HC seeks report from Palike on garbage

Bangalore : The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to submit a report on the steps taken to tackle garbage crisis in the City.

During the hearing of a batch of petitions on garbage menace in Bangalore, the Division Bench comprising Justices N Kumar and B V Nagarathna observed that mere acquisition of land to dump garbage would not solve the problem. “The Palike will have to take up steps to set up waste processing units for scientific disposal of garbage,” the Bench noted. Read more

Source : www.deccanherald.com

Vaddem lake fish not fit to eat: Kuvelkar

VASCO: Vaddem's residents have been warned against consuming any fish from the lake, where, a week ago, dead fish were found afloat. "The fish are not fit for human consumption," Dr Vikas Kuvelkar, health officer, Urban Health Centre, Vasco, told TOI on Thursday.

He said the fish could have died due to lack of oxygen as the water is shallow and the temperatures are high, as well as the pollution caused by dumped wastes. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

GVMC violates rules

Visakhapatnam: The GVMC has violated the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2000, and has been dumping the city garbage at Kapuluppada for which the AP Pollution Control Board has denied permission for the landfill.

Around 800 mt of waste is being generated per day in the city which contains around 45 pc of domestic and 13 pc of commercial waste, according to officials. Read more

Source : www.deccanchronicle.com

From now on, clean up or pay up in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: The next time you litter on the streets or are caught desecrating any neighborhood with your garbage, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) enforced fines can literally burn a hole in your pocket. After almost one and a half years of reviewing the fine structure, the AMC dished out it's detailed municipal solid waste management rules for the city.

Not segregating your waste at your house as wet and dry waste can invite fines of up to Rs 250 for residential areas, while its Rs 500 for commercial complexes, over which an additional administration charge of up to Rs 6,500 can be charged. So the next time you are caught throwing anything on streets of residential areas, you could be fined Rs 500 on the spot. If it's a commercial complex and anyone is caught littering outside the premises, the AMC will charge a fine of up to Rs 2,500 including the administration charges. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

'Garbage processing still way below expectations in Gurgaon'

GURGAON: The "threats" issued by the Gurgaon Municipal Corporation to terminate the contract of the private agency operating the solid waste management plant at Bandhwari for not efficiently processing the garbage do not seem to work as according to MCG officials the garbage processing is still way below expectations.

In fact according to sources the amount of garbage that is being piled up inside this plant is such that there is hardly any room to "store" any more garbage here due to which the excess garbage collected in the city is being "temporarily" dumped at Vyapar Sadan in the old city. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Two new JNNURM projects for Rajkot

RAJKOT: Two new projects on solid waste management and improving water supply have been sanctioned for Rajkot under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the flagship programme of central government.

These projects are for improving solid waste management and water supply in the city. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cidco warns of illegal disposal of biomedical wastes

NAVI MUMBAI: The city and industrial development corporation (CIDCO), which is the civic authority for major part of Navi Mumbai, has appealed to the medical practitioners to dispose bio-medical waste according to the norms meant for waste handling and disposal.

It is has been noted by the Public Health Department of City and Industrial Development Corporation that Medical Practitioners were disposing Bio-Medical waste in the regular Municipal Solid waste bins. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Fiscal Instruments for climate friendly industrial development in West Bengal

New Delhi: CII with the support of UKFCO took up a project to develop fiscal instruments for low carbon industrial development in the state of West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. The activities involved - a review of the state existing policies, developing a report on national and international best practices and identifying specific fiscal instruments along with cost benefits for each of the three states.

 

Five specific instruments focusing on - Power plants, industry, sponge iron industry, waste management and building sector have been developed. The instruments were shared with the stake holders (government, private sector and multilateral agencies) at a steering committee meeting at Bengal club on 22nd April 2013. Read more

Source : indiaeducationdiary.in

Zhaleo to build mini park at World War Two tank site

Dimapur (MExN): Parliamentary Secretary for Urban Development, Zhaleo Rio along with department official, Kohima district administration and official of Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) visited the ongoing construction works of the waste dumping site below Lerie Colony, Kohima on April 23. The project financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and implemented by SIPMIU, which started in February 2012, was scheduled to be completed within 36 months. This was stated in a press release issued by Zhaleo’s press secretary, Vilasielie Nakhro. The construction work is being taken up by the Ramky & Enviro Engineers Ltd, Hyderabad and the total area of the site is 24,000 square metre and estimate cost of the project is 40 crore, it said. It further mentioned that the site was acquired by the state government during 1960’s for the purpose of establishing state secretariat, however the idea was dropped by the state govt. since the proposed area was not sufficient for the purpose.

Zhaleo Rio after inspecting the area asked the implementing agencies to complete the ongoing construction work within the stipulated time, “since it is an emergency need for maintaining proper hygienic and cleanliness for the citizens living in the Kohima city.” Read more

Source : www.morungexpress.com

Clean E-INDIA: A new hope

An estimated 40 mn tons of e-waste is produced every year; growing at the rate of 40% every year

The estimated market value of e-waste management was $11.8 bn last year and is expected to grow to $44.3 bn by 2020 globally. e-Waste is one of the fastest growing waste products in the world and currently accounts for 2-5% of total solid waste; however, it accounts for 70% of toxic waste. An estimated 40 mn tons of e-waste is produced every year; growing at the rate of 40% every year. Read more

Source : www.waste-management-world.com

48 MW Waste to energy plant planned for Jawaharnagar, India

Hyderabad: India based waste management and environmental services company, Ramky Enviro Engineers, is to begin construction of a 2400 tonne per day 48 MW waste to energy facility in Jawaharnagar, according to a report by The Hindu.

The report said that the company is the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) private partner in developing the Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management Project, which will see the construction of the four stage waste to energy plant. Read more

Source : www.waste-management-world.com

Kolkata celebrates Earth Day with stress on green initiatives

Kolkata: Honouring planet earth that is battling the impact of climate change, the city celebrated Earth Day with stress on novel ideas and strategies that can be adopted by its residents for a sustainable future.

Themed "Faces of Climate Change", the 43rd Earth Day was observed on Monday. Read more

Source : www.ndtv.com

A daunting task ahead

BANGALORE : The city was in the throes of a major garbage crisis not so long ago. While the situation may seem like it is under control, none of the solutions proposed by the solid waste management experts have been implemented, giving rise to fears that Bangalore could be engulfed in its own garbage anytime again.

It remains to be seen whether the new government will rise to the challenge of finding a solution to the garbage issue. File photo: Bhagya Prakash K

The crisis erupted in September last when the communities living around the landfills rose in protest against the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) dumping untreated waste in their backyard. This resulted in garbage piling up across the city. The city generates more than 3,500 tonnes of garbage every day. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Crackdown on land sharks to start soon in Noida

NOIDA: Concerned over massive encroachment of floodplains in the NCR, a high-level meeting was held in Noida Authority office on Monday in which officials decided to crack down on violators. Environmentalist Sunita Narain, environment pollution authority chairman Bhure Lal and senior police and administration officials of west UP, Delhi and other NCR towns also discussed ways to curb rising pollution levels.Noida Authority also assured that measures will be taken for providing parking facilities, promoting public transport and addressing traffic congestion issues.

On Monday, while reviewing existing systems in place in the twin cities, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority appointed by the apex court stressed on the deplorable medical waste disposal facilities and management in Noida and Ghaziabad. Apart from this, the pollution control body also directed the Authority not to damage parks for creating parking space. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Rains expose poor sanitary conditions in Varanasi

VARANASI: Civic conditions went completely out of gear after rainfall on Sunday. Unveiling the preparedness of Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) in maintenance of sanitation and cleanliness, heavy accumulation of garbage was visible on main roads, market places, and residential colonies. The already over flowing regional collection centres and dustbins placed in different areas further deteriorated the condition as most of the areas of the city reported no cleanliness work on Sunday. 

Despite the tall claims of VMC, huge pile of garbage was found accumulated and scattered at major roads including Beniabagh, Sonarpura, Lanka and Cantonment Railway Station. Situation was worst on the dug up roads. Potholes and cracks have come up on the newly built roads and road repair works carried out in several areas including Maidagin and Sigra whereas the already damaged roads in various residential localities of Mehmoorganj, Sigra, Chowkaghat, Pandeypur created slippery pathway conditions causing trouble to the commuters. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Sonsoddo gets yet another date

MARGAO: The saga of Sonsoddo's solid waste management (SWM) plant continues, with yet another date being given for its commissioning.

Fomento Green CEO Sirdhar Kamat, who three months ago had said the plant would be commissioned in June this year, on Saturday said the landfill site would be ready only by February 2014, post which the plant would be commissioned. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Bangalore needs innovative solutions to sustain growth’

 BANGALORE : If Bangalore has to sustain its rapid growth, innovative and sustainable solutions to manage its waste, water, environment and transport are the need of the hour, Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) member and waste management expert Kalpana Kar said.

Speaking at a panel discussion on sustainable cities on Saturday, she said, “The waste management crisis is an opportunity. There lies a business prospect in converting the inert waste into power. There is a lack of institutional capacity in the current structure to deal with solid waste management issues. Hence, it is an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to create innovative solutions which will lead to sustainable cities.” Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

GHMC eyes 800 crore works under JNNURM II

HYDERABAD: After securing a good number of projects (works) under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) Phase I, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is now eyeing more funds under the JNNURM transition phase. The transition phase will begin very soon and the project period will be for the next three years. 

According to sources, the corporation is likely to get Rs 800 crore in this transitional phase of JNNURM for various projects like flyovers, rail under bridges (RUBs), solid waste management plants and roads. The detailed project reports for the projects are being prepared by the engineering wing for securing funds. Under JNNURM, while the Union government provides 35% funds for a project, 50% has to be borne by the civic body and the balance 15% by the state government. The JNNURM scheme began in 2005 and closed last year. The implementing agencies, mostly civic bodies, of various states were given time till 2014 to complete the already sanctioned works. Since there is sufficient time to take up phase II of JNNURM, the Union ministry of urban development department has decided to provide funds for various cities under the transition phase. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com