PANJIM: The mining ban has come as a blessing for people living in mining belts as government records indicate that pollution levels along the mining talukas have shown a drastic decline.

According to the data tabled in the House by Minister for Environment Alina Saldanha, since September 2012, the pollution level has been much below the permissible limit, which was beyond permissible limit from 2011 till September 2012.

China's poorest areas enjoy the best quality air, a new report suggests.
Of the 30 cities found to have the worst levels of PM10, 70 percent also rank highly in terms of per capita GDP.

Pollution standards exist only for ambient air quality and not for individual power plants, says report

Emissions from coal-fired power plants is taking a heavy toll on human life across large parts of India. In 2011-2012, a first-of-its-kind study in the country estimates it resulted in a whopping 80,000 to 1,15,000 premature deaths and more than 20 million asthma cases from exposure to a total PM10 (particulate matter) pollution.

Shanghai is likely to become the first city nationwide to pilot PM2.5 forecasts in 2013, as national legislators submitted proposals to address thorny environmental issues.

The city has joined the list of the country's most polluted cities, with high level of particulate matter being detected in downtown Pune.

A sure shot indication of how polluted its air is evident in the latest data of the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) that shows high concentration of particulate matter 2.5 or PM-2.5 as they call it. (See graphics) Evidently, concentration has crossed permissible levels in the past eight days (February 20-28).

Shift All Public Transport Vehicles To CNG, Says HC

Lucknow: The high court on Friday asked the central and state governments to consider converting all public transport vehicles in Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra into CNG-operated ones to control the ever-increasing levels of air pollution. The state capital is rated fifth in terms of pollution level as per a WHO report. The court has given four weeks’ time to the authorities to give a detailed report on the feasible supply of CNG in Lucknow.