pollution liability: Several oil majors in the US have agreed to pay up US $423 million in what is billed as the largest settlement over drinking-water contamination involving 153 public water

IN POVERTY THREATENED BY MALNUTRITION AND DISEASE, IN WEAKNESS BY WAR, IN RICHNESS BY THE POLLUTION BROUGHT ABOUT BY (OUR) OWN PROSPERITY." Kartikeya V. Sarabhai

While the government talks about saving prime agricultural land from industry, a pitched battle between Alphonso growers and a power project developer is raging in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district. The environment ministry has cleared a 1,200MW thermal power plant by JSW Energy Limited in the heart of the famous mango-exporting belt despite admitting that the studies to understand the impact of pollution from the thermal plant do not exist yet.

Ten of the largest rivers in the world are dying. Amongst these are the Ganga, Indus, Nile, Yangtze, Mekong and Danube that are the lifeline of millions of people. These rivers are not merely water sources but repositories of history, myths and cultural memories. And, the greatest threat to these and many other rivers is industrial pollution apart from natural sewage channels.

groundwater in Ankleshwar Industrial Estate in Bharuch district in Gujarat is highly contaminated. The contamination is a result of more than 3,000 industrial units in the estate: around 270 million

AI

Although the Environment Cell of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) in 2003 detected 36 industrial plants in Tejgaon Industrial Area of the capital as the main polluters of the Balu river and linked canals, no action has yet been taken against them. The list comprises 30 washing and dyeing factories, 4 soap factories, and 2 ink producing factories.

Untreated toxic waste released from dying and printing units of a textile mill and a yarn dying mill in Tangail Sadar upazila is polluting Louhajang River. The pollution that goes on unabated for several years, now threatens fish, crops and greenery in the area, locals said. The local administration cannot take action against the authorities of the mills for pollution as the mills managed permission from the Directorate of Environment (DoE).

A public interest litigation was filed in the High Court recently against the state government, seeking directions to the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) to rectify its faulty norms in according permission for setting up industries without studying the impact on bio-diversity and greenery. The PIL disputed the norms of the APPCB for setting up an industrial unit.

Agitated residents of Kalem on Monday asked district Collector, G P Naik to initiate action against a sponge iron plant for alleged pollution. The residents warned to take the law in their own hands if the government fails to intervene and redress the grievances of the people of Kalem. Black-colour dust, which the residents claim is polluting the houses of the people of Kalem was kept before the Collector for his attention and action.