It is a food fraud more nefarious and more sophisticated than what we found in our 2003 and 2006 investigations into soft drinks; more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that we have found till now – keeping in mind the fact that we are still fighting against a killer COVID-19 pandemic with our backs to the wall.

This report is prepared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) as a guiding document to mainstream the approach of Water-Sensitive Urban Design and Planning (WSUDP) principles in the NCT of Delhi.

Crop stubble burning is a major source of pollution in Northwest India. It will require significant and continuous investment to end the practice. On the other hand, despite the growth in ‘renewables’, India’s reliance on coal to meet its base power load demand will continue in the foreseeable future.

Coal based thermal power stations are responsible for one of the largest industrial waste streams in India—coal ash. As fugitive emissions in the dry form and as leakage of ash slurry from ash ponds, coal ash is a major environmental and health concern today. It has been under the regulatory scanner for more than two decades.

Despite the growth in renewable power, India continues to be heavily reliant on coal to meet its energy needs. This is unlikely to change in the near future. India’s coal power sector contributes nearly 50 per cent of India’s fuel-related CO2 emissions.

Coal-based power is one of the most resource intensive and polluting industries. On 07 December 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change introduced stricter environmental standards for coal-based thermal power plants under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Coal-based power is one of the most resourceintensive and polluting industries. On 07 December 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change introduced stricter environmental standards for coal-based thermal power plants under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Crop stubble burning is a major source of pollution in Northwest India. It will require significant and continuous investment to end the practice. On the other hand, despite the growth in ‘renewables’, India’s reliance on coal to meet its base power load demand will continue in the foreseeable future.

The summer of 2020 has been quite different. The ongoing public health crisis, besides having caused unprecedented disruption to business-asusual, has also given us a new prism through which we can view the air pollution crisis.

India adopted nationwide Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emissions standards on 1 April 2020. This direct leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI emissions standards has led to a paradigm shift in emission-control systems, especially in diesel vehicles.