RSS Feed
Author Archive
Greenpeace lauds India court ruling on illegal coal allocations
Posted by Reuters: Nita Bhalla on September 25th, 2014
Reuters: Greenpeace India has lauded a landmark ruling by the country's top court to scrap 214 coal blocks given by the government to various companies after the allocations were deemed to be illegal and arbitrary.
The Supreme Court verdict is a victory for the environment over corruption in the mining industry, said Greenpeace India, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to reverse "its excessive reliance on coal power as the engine of economic growth".
"It’s a strong message from the highest...
Posted in 
Pakistan launches first national climate change policy
Posted by Reuters: Nita Bhalla on March 2nd, 2013
Reuters: Disaster-prone Pakistan has launched its first ever national policy on climate change, detailing how it plans to tackle the challenges posed by global warming, mitigate its risks and adapt key sectors of the country's economy to cope with its consequences.
Pakistan is highly vulnerable to weather-related disasters such as cyclones, droughts, floods, landslides and avalanches. Devastating floods in 2010 disrupted the lives of 20 million people - many more than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - and...
Thirsty South Asia’s river rifts threaten water wars
Posted by Reuters: Nita Bhalla on July 24th, 2012
Reuters: Pakistan Line of Control, July 23 (AlertNet) - As the silver waters of the Kishanganga rush through this north Kashmir valley, Indian laborers are hard at work on a hydropower project that will dam the river just before it flows across one of the world's most heavily militarized borders into Pakistan.
The hum of excavators echoes through the pine-covered valley, clearing masses of soil and boulders, while army trucks crawl through the steep Himalayan mountain passes.
The 330-MW dam is a symbol...
Millions hit by heavy floods in north and eastern India
Posted by Reuters: Nita Bhalla on September 2nd, 2011
Reuters: Surging flood waters in northern and eastern India have affected millions of people, forcing many from their homes as swollen rivers wash away roads and make rescue work difficult, government and aid officials said on Friday.
Aid workers said 5.2 million people are now affected, double the figure from 10 days ago, as tail-end seasonal monsoon rains sweep the heavily-populated states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam where 158 people have died in flooding incidents in the past three months.
"The...