NGT orders Suav to be restored as a river in official records, warns of penalties for non-compliance

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Uttar Pradesh government to correct official records and restore the Suav’s status from a “drain” to a “river” in the revenue records and gazetteer, DTE reported.

The order follows a petition challenging the classification of the Suav — a major tributary of the Rapti river in Balrampur district — as a nullah (drain). Environmentalists argued that treating rivers as drains in official documents risks erasing their ecological and historical identity for future generations.

The NGT directed the Balrampur district magistrate to correct the classification of ‘Suav’ from ‘nullah’ to ‘river’ in district revenue records within three months of receiving the order and to notify the change in the Official Gazette and local newspapers in compliance with its order.

The district magistrates of Balrampur and Siddharthnagar were directed to ensure that no new construction or infrastructure is permitted in the demarcated Flood Plain Zone until the identification and demarcation of the Active Flood Zone is completed. 

NGT issues notice on plea against pollution linked to railway coal transport

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) served notices to multiple authorities over environmental pollution linked to coal transportation in Odisha’s Talcher area, seeking their replies within six weeks, TOI reported. The newspaper said the NGT’s Kolkata bench passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Talcher resident Raj Kishore Sahoo alleging that the railway sidings connected to nine open-cast mines operated by the MCL are functioning without mandatory consent to establish and consent to operate from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).

The court said “prima facie the averments made in the application raise substantial questions relating to environment arising out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule-I to the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.” The petitioner sought directions to stop coal loading and transportation without tarpaulin cover, assess environmental compensation and fix responsibility on officials for lapses in enforcing environmental norms, the outlet reported.

China tightens air quality standards 

China tightened its national air quality standards announcing tighter thresholds for major air pollutants PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, China Daily reported.

Under the new secondary standards, the annual average concentration of PM2.5 — the air pollutant that poses the greatest threat to human health — is lowered from 35 to 25 micrograms per cubic meter, and its daily average from 75 to 50. For PM10, the annual limit will be reduced from 70 to 50 mcg/cubic m, and the daily limit from 150 to 100.

The outlet said new standards will be implemented in two phases, with transitional limits applied from March 1, 2026, to 2030. During the period, the annual and daily limits under the secondary standard would be set at 30 and 60 mcg/cubic m for PM2.5, and 60 and 120 mcg/cubic m for PM10.

Environmental Groups Sue EPA Over Repeal of Climate Finding

Health and environmental groups in the US have taken to court the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in “an effort to combat its repeal of a landmark climate finding” ; the finding provides the legal foundation for federal greenhouse gas emissions regulation, on the basis that greenhouse gases are a danger to human health, WSJ reported. 

The outlet noted that the legal challenge, filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit, asserts that rescinding the endangerment finding is “unlawful” and the EPA cannot credibly claim that the two decades of scientific evidence supporting it are now incorrect.

Meeting national and state EV targets could cut India’s transport emissions by 50%: ICCT Global Study

Meeting India’s national and state-level electric vehicle (EV) targets could reduce road transport CO2-equivalent emissions by 50% by mid-century (2050), according to a new global analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), reported DTE.

The findings are part of the ICCT’s annual assessment of the global transition to zero-emission vehicles, which models the impact of current and proposed policies on vehicle sales, energy use, and emissions through 2050, the outlet noted. 

While EV uptake remains at an early stage in India, domestic manufacturing already supplies close to 80% of the country’s EV sales, the research stated. It added that if national and state targets currently under development are fully implemented, the country could cut road transport CO2-equivalent emissions and liquid fuels demand in half by 2050.