Industry in Asia's largest chemical unit zone is like a terrorist outfit, devastating the atmosphere and, reportedly, killing people

The Government of India announced its decision in 1973 to set up a 6 million tonne per year Petroleum Oil Refinery at Mathura under the Indian Oil Corporation of India.

A proper inventory of atmospheric emissions from natural sources is basic to our understanding of the atmospheric cycle of the trace metals (and metalloids), and is also needed for assessing the extent of regional and global pollution by toxic metals1. It is generally presumed that the principal natural sources of trace metals in the atmosphere are wind-borne soil particles, volcanoes, seasalt spray and wild forest fires2–6.

Calculated loading rates of trace metals into the three environmental compartments demonstrate that human activities now have major impacts on the global and regional cycles of most of the trace elements. There is significant contamination of freshwater resources and an accelerating accumulation of toxic metals in the human food chain.

To protect the treasured monument - Taj Mahal - from the possible effects of chemicals in air, the Government of India constituted a High Power Committee to oversee the implementation of the necessary air pollution control measures in Agra Mathura Region and an Expert Group to assist the Committee with its scientific and technical findings.

The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 (EPR) states that the central government can prohibit or restrict the location of industries and carrying on certain operations or processes on the basis of considerations like the biological diversity of an area, maximum allowable limits of concentration of pollutants for an area, environmentally compati

The primary task of the Expert Group is to assist the High Power Committee who is to oversee the implementation of pollution control measures at Agra-Mathura Region, based on scientific and technical findings.

Is stubble burning the main reason for the worsening condition of NCR Air quality? With the air quality in Delhi-NCR crossing the 'very poor' mark, concerns over the sources of pollution have started to emerge. Apart from the regular vehicular and industrial emissions, a significant amount of pollution is attributed to the stubble-burning activities in northern states post-monsoon. Now, environmentalists and even the Delhi government are highlighting that, despite regulations, farmers have continued to burn crops this year. (00:00 to 32:00)

Shereen Bhan speaks to Sterlite Copper's CEO P Ramnath about the escalation of protests in Tuticorin against the company's plant.

India has the uncomfortable honour of being one of the most polluted countries in the world with 13 of its cities on that list, and the national capital prominently on it. An alarming number of school children have asthma or other respiratory disorders in spite of efforts to enforce guidelines for industry, the use of cleaner fuel, or encourage public transport. Nothing seems to work, nothing seems to help.

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