Nepal has been ranked 139th in the Environmental Performance Index 2014, which assessed 178 countries across the world. Read more in this January 2014 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Nepal

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has pledged Dh22million (US$6 million) in concessionary loans for clean energy projects in the Maldives, Abu Dhabi media has reported. Read more in this January 2014 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Maldives.

Import, transit, research and development and introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) capable of reproducing in the natural environment will become illegal in Bhutan with the enactment of the biosafety bill. Read more in this January 2014 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Bhutan.

Bangladesh ranked 169th among 178 countries in the Global Environmental Performance Index 2014. Bangladesh scored 25.61 out of 100 taking into consideration indicators like health impacts, air quality, water and sanitation, water resources, agriculture, forests, fisheries, biodiversity and habitat. Read more in this January 2014 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Bangladesh

Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Bhutan, Dec 2013

The government of Denmark reiterated its commitment to Bhutan with multilateral funds to support efforts within climate change, environmental protection and others at the Biennial High Level Consultation on Bilateral Cooperation between Bhutan and Denmark on December 3 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more in this December 2013 edition of the Bhutan State of the Environment Overview.

Young children are at risk of serious health problems from toxic materials found in toys widely available in the capital city of Bangladesh. A recent study, undertaken by the Environment and Social Development Organisation, identified high levels of lead, cadmium, bromine and chromium in all but one of 40 toys that were analysed. Read more in this December 2013 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Bangladesh published by the South Asia Environment Portal

Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Sri Lanka, Dec 2013

The Transport Ministry has formulated the draft Urban Transport Master Plan for the Colombo Metropolitan Region and the suburbs to address issues in the transport sector including heavy congestion in the Colombo city within the next 20 years. Read more in this December 2013 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Sri Lanka

Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Pakistan, Dec 2013 Erratic climate change events have hit the rice production in Pakistan this year and to take account of damages, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its end-of-the-season report has downgraded its production forecast for the country by 600,000 tonnes to 8.7 million tonnes (5.8m tonnes, milled basis). Read more in this December 2013 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Pakistan

Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Nepal, December 2013

Until a few months ago, Kathmandu Valley denizens would walk past the Bagmati River covering their noses. These days, the river has undergone a makeover of sorts and the credit goes to the ‘Bagmati Cleaning Campaign’, which completed its 30 weeks in December. Read more in this December 2013 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Nepal, December 2013 published by the South Asia Environment Portal.

The European Union approved a grant aid of EUR 4 million to help Maldives tackle issues related to climate change. Read more in this December 2013 edition of the Monthly Overview on State of Environment, Maldives.