Orders were issued on Tuesday for the initiation of legal action against some 25 tanneries which are not treating their effluents before discharge.

The director-general of the Sindh Environmental Protection Authority (Sepa), Dr Mohammed Ali Shaikh, issued these directives in accordance with the provisions of the Pakistan Environmental Act 1997, during a visit to the Combined Effluent Treatment Plant which operates in the Korangi Industrial Area under the aegis of the Pakistan Tanners' Association (PTA).

By H H Dayanand, DH News Service, Kolar:

Plastic has become a necessary evil in today's world. Living in a world without plastic now seems almost impossible - but the material largely contributes to destroying the environment.

Even the minutest plastic particle can be dangerous, and can lead to environmental pollution. This can be seen in Tamaka, the industrial area on the outskirts of Kolar.

The area is home to at least eight plastic industries, which function from here. As a result, the place is choc-a-block with the waste materials discarded from these factories.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday tightened norms regulating use and recycling of plastic bags in the Capital to check their indiscriminate use as they pose a serious health hazard and pollute the environment.

A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice T. S. Thakur and Justice Siddharth Mridul also extended the scope of the ban on use of plastic bags to include the city's main markets and local shopping centres. Their use is already banned in hotels, hospitals and malls.

The slow pace of work and change of government has put the fate of Rs225 million proposed Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in the balance, exposing the eco-system of the area to further degradation at the hands of industrialists of the Hattar Industrial Estate (HIE), sources told Dawn here on Sunday. Since the Hattar-based industrial units were predominantly export-oriented ones, the non-compliance of national and international legislation regarding environmental requirements, it might expose the country to threat of non-tariff barriers under the WTO regime internationally.

Bindu Shajan Perappadan NEW DELHI: This is the latest irritant plaguing the waste segregation system in the Capital. Civic agencies in the city have been advised to avoid "polluting and spilling while segregating plastic from general waste at dhalaos'.

China Sunday became the latest country to declare war on plastic bags in a drive to save energy and protect the environment. Under new regulations, flimsy bags under 0.025 millimetres thick are banned and shopkeepers must charge for carrier bags. Those found breaking the law face fines and could have their goods confiscated. Shoppers in downtown Beijing and in Internet chatrooms seemed largely sympathetic to the idea. China, which goes through 3 billion plastic bags a day, is increasingly aware of the damage to the environment caused by its breakneck growth.

China Sunday became the latest country to declare war on plastic bags in a drive to save energy and protect the environment. Under new regulations, flimsy bags under 0.025 millimetres thick are banned and shopkeepers must charge for carrier bags. Those found breaking the law face fines and could have their goods confiscated. Shoppers in downtown Beijing and in Internet chatrooms seemed largely sympathetic to the idea. China, which goes through 3 billion plastic bags a day, is increasingly aware of the damage to the environment caused by its breakneck growth.

China will become the latest country to outlaw ultra-thin plastic bags, when a ban takes effect on Sunday, in a bid to cut pollution and save resources. The ban, announced by the State Council in January, halts the production of bags that are thinner than 0.025 mm and forbids their use in supermarkets and shops. It also requires retailers to charge customers for thicker plastic bags not covered by the ban. Environmentalists say plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to disintegrate and pose threats to marine life, birds and other animals.

In view of the deteriorating water situation in the province, the Environment Protection Department (EPD) announced a scheme to monitor various types of surface water sources in Punjab including rivers, lakes, canals and wetlands here on Monday. The scheme will include a profiling of the water bodies, an estimation of various loads of pollution (organic and inorganic) being discharged in surface water bodies, a public information and awareness drive for the conservation of water and reduction of pollution, as well as greater collaboration between the various government bodies involved.

Waste not, want not, is a maxim many of us were brought up on.