Though experts and officials speak proudly of the country's clean air and water, the data they rely on is outdated.

Oil tanker spills compound the danger to the marine food chain by crude released into the sea in normal operations and seepage from the earth. Steps are now being taken to reduce the threat. The International Maritime Organisation is taking the initiative

Major oil spills: Many ships are Liberia-Registered

Indian crews successfully contained a huge oil spill near the Great Nicobar island. Now, the ministry of environment and forests must assess the damage to the island chain's ecology.

What is your assessment of CG's handling of the spill? I visited the area a few days after the spill along with the environment secretary, the assistant inspector general of wildlife and the NIO

Chemical dispersants should be used cautiously as they can harm marine life.

The largest ever spill almost went unnoticed in the Western media.

Oil and gas service companies injected tens of millions of gallons of diesel fuel into onshore wells in more than a dozen states from 2005 to 2009, Congressional investigators have charged.

Only the combined study of all the proposed power projects on the Konkan coastal belt, will give the real picture of the possible impact on the environmental of these plants, says the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

The 200-km-long Konkan coastline is expected to have around 15 thermal power plants, with a capacity of around 23,000MW.