What Erin Brockovich, a twice-divorced mother of two and a legal clerk, did to the small South Californian town Hinkley by taking on a corporation as huge as PG&E is part of American activism history Sukinda, in Orissa, has . not been as lucky despite scores of citizens' reports, environment assessment studies and a green brigade's non-relenting crusade.

The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to form a river basin authority for smooth implementation of the Pampa Action Plan. It recommended issue of an Ordinance to the Governor for constituting the authority on an urgent basis. The Pampa River Basin Authority, as per the proposed Ordinance, will have powers to take executive decisions on implementation of various projects under the Action Plan. The Plan aims at controlling the pollution of the river.

THE Madras High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the State Government on a public interest writ petition that sought to put the administration on the mat for releasing untreated sewage water directly or indirectly into the city's waterways. Petitioner V Ravichandran, founder-chairman of an NGO, Cit izens Guardians, alleged that the government was not implementing the Chennai City River Conservation Project in its letter and spirit. A vacation bench comprising justices G Rajasuria and M Sathyanarayanan ordered notice to the authorities concerned, returnable in four weeks.

A paper and pulp mill, operating in southern Chile, has pitted a group of fisherfolk against its neighbours and is trying to get away by installing a controversial pipeline to dump waste water from

on april 11, the Jodhpur bench of the High Court of Rajasthan ordered closure of 126 industries operating in non-conforming areas in Pali, infamous for pollution from its dyeing and printing industries. The court issued two orders in response to petitions filed by industry groups

Northern Ireland Water has been fined

The Buriganga along with other rivers in Dhaka is dying out due to continued encroachments, and acute pollution caused by dumping of industrial waste. As per the suggestions and the demands made by environmentalists and green activists, the past governments had taken initiatives from time to time in a bid to save the rivers from encroachers and polluters but in vain. In 2003, the then government formed a task force to save the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Sitalakhya and took some decisions, including eviction of the encroachers.

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party has expressed displeasure about the manner in which the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has undertaken sewerage treatment for the rivers in the city, the latter has sought fresh funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for continuing the work. The civic administration is also readying a plan to address the sewerage treatment demands up to 2015. The BJP leadership is not amused, saying that PMC should address present day issues before gazing into the future.

The Delhi government wants to ensure that people do not throw garbage in drains leading to the Yamuna river in the wake of upcoming Commonwealth Games and the river far from being cleaned. The government plans to build walls around the major drains to ensure that no solid waste and other garbage flow into the river Yamuna. More than Rs 100 crores has been earmarked for the work to cover the major drains leading to the Yamuna along with the beautification of the areas near the drains. The special adviser to Delhi government, Mr R.