A recent study discovered that many Tel Aviv wells are polluted beyond suitability as drinking water sources. Data collected by the Health Ministry and Water Authority showed that 96 of a total 166 wells in the Tel Aviv area were closed due to contamination. Nearly two-thirds of the wells have been shuttered since 1980, when all 166 were in full operation. The pollution has been caused by two types of activities. First, contaminants from armament manufacturing, agricultural runoff and sewage systems seep into the groundwater table.

They are setting up sewage and effluent treatment plants

Many industrial estates in the city are setting up sewage and effluent treatment plants in an effort to promote eco-friendly practices and reduce burden on civic agencies. The industrial estate in Ambattur is the forerunner among the estates with two sewage treatment plants set up in north and south phase.

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) raided on Monday two illegal dyeing units in Tirupur knitwear cluster.

The units were located at Pitchampalayam Pudur and Thottiamannarai and found discharging effluents into the open despite the Madras High Court directive last year asking dyeing/bleaching units to strictly follow zero liquid discharge in the dyeing process.

China has ordered relocation of all smelting plants in a southwestern city in five years after a spill of toxic cadmium in a river threatened drinking water supplies for millions of people.

Metals companies that refuse to move out of town would be shut down, said Mr Liao Jincheng, Director of the Development and Reform Commission of Hechi city in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Owners of zip, button and accessories dyeing/bleaching units observed fast here on Wednesday to condemn the sealing of many such units by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) over the past few months on the charges of creating pollution.

The agitators were of the view that closure/sealing of about 150 zip, button and accessories dyeing units by TNPCB could not be justified as sludge generation was very minimal when compared to the normal dyeing operations carried out by the fabric dyers.

Located on the banks of the Ami river, this constituency in eastern Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a rather unusual election campaign by a nominee of Rahul Gandhi — one centred around pollution and environment with economic, cultural and political overtones. Vishwa Vijay Singh, 39, has launched many agitations under the banner of the Ami Bachao Manch over the past three years to save the river from industrial effluents that threaten the local flora and fauna besides posing health hazards.

BERHAMPUR: Rows of sugarcane-laden trucks in front of Aska Cooperative Sugar Factory speak volumes of uncertainty over latter’s functioning. A molasses tank bursted last Sunday on the factory premises which led to the death of a woman and two children. With the remaining three tanks filled to the brim with molasses, the authorities are in a fix as there is no place to store more after crushing the sugarcane.

Surat: Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) chairman Dr KU Mistry said more development means more responsibilities for the industries, adding that growth at the cost of environment can’t take place.

He said pollution level has to be monitored and accountability of the industries fixed. “We are not against industries, but they can’t grow at the cost of environment. Both must survive.” Mistry promised cooperation towards speedy approval for a new site for solid waste disposal and final effluent treatment plant for the chemical and textile industries of the city.

Jaipur: Former environment minister Maneka Gandhi visited Jaitpur area in the Pali district on Sunday as she was invited by the farmers to take up the issue of Bandi river, which is getting polluted by industrial waste and making agricultural land infertile.

Gandhi inspected the area and said those responsible for polluting the river should not be spared and that stringent action be taken against them. “Pollution cannot go on in the name of industrialization,” she said.

Effluents and toxic fumes from factories and refineries and high concentration of vehicles on roads, besides the Deonar dumping grounds (now partially closed) contribute to pollution in Chembur, one of the most polluted suburbs in the commercial capital of the country. A joint survey by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and IIT-Delhi conducted in December 2009 had placed Chembur on the top half of the list of 88 most polluted industrial clusters in the country.