The biological water quality of Narmada river is under category B-C, which is below average. The reason for the degradation of water quality is mainly due to human activities, including religious, recreational and agricultural.

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government today approved a special plan for the seven pollution zones in Orissa identified by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).

KOCHI: The Ministry of Environment & Forests has proposed amendments to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 -- NPR -- to make them more stringent. A

Hyderabad, Jan. 26: The Centre has taken a serious note of the state

Months after notices were issued to 56 hospital establishments in Pune, 177 hospitals and clinics in Solapur and Satara districts have been issued show-cause notices by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for not treating their bio-medical waste. MPCB officials said the Pune hospitals had paid the fines and authorisation certificates had been issued to them.

Patiala: Continuing with its raids, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) raided half a dozen industrial/dyeing units on Tajpur Road, Ludhiana, on Sunday.

During the raids, authorities found that two dyeing units were violating the pollution control norms by burning unauthorised fuel. The process for taking action against the erring units has been initiated.

Bhubaneswar: The Centre

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board to prepare a detailed report on level of pollution in Budha Nullah.

The Bench, comprising Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Jasbir Singh, asked the Board to compare the present level with the one at the time a petition in this regard was filed.

G.K. Nair

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

Directive to TDB not to pump sludge into Periyar Tiger Reserve

SABARIMALA: The Forest Department has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) not to dispose of the sludge generated in the direct chemical treatment of Njunangar, a tributary of river Pampa, into the ecologically-sensitive Sabarimala forests that forms part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR).