Pollution

Ban on polythene: Punish rule violators, experts demand

Environmentalists demand exemplary punishment for the people who are violating the law banning production and use of polythene.
Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy could change children's brain structure

A new European research finds that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy could affect the cognitive function of children, by changing the structure of the brain.
Ozone layer declining over populated zones, study says

The ozone layer that protects life on Earth from deadly ultraviolet radiation is unexpectedly declining above the planet's most populated regions, a study says.
China punishes officials for tampering with smog monitoring

China has punished officials in the provinces of Jiangxi and Henan for tampering with pollution monitoring equipment in order to reduce smog readings, the environment ministry says in a notice.
Babies' brains at risk from toxic pollution: UN

As New Delhi and other major cities hit new toxic smog peaks, the United Nations sounds the alarm over the damage that pollution is doing to babies' developing brains.
Take steps to control road dust in winter: Activists

Green activists ask the authorities concerned to take monitoring initiatives to check dust pollution in Dhaka city as its air quality is set to fall with the onset of dry season.
Water: Garments’ invisible price

Bangladesh boasts as the world’s number two garment exporter. Every third European has a t-shirt made in Bangladesh on his back. Every fifth American wears jeans manufactured in Bangladesh. But this is not a story of how many million pieces we export. This is a story of the invisible price we pay every time a jeans rolls out of a factory in Bangladesh. The western buyers little know how much water, that precious resource, was used to wash and dye his shirt. The figures are mind boggling.
Govt asked to stop use of pneumatic horn in Dhaka

The High Court directs the government to take necessary steps in 48 hours to stop the use of pneumatic horns in vehicles in Dhaka city to prevent sound pollution. The court asked the government to confiscate the instruments used for hydraulic horns in next seven days.
4 Asian countries have world’s most coal plant projects

China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam have the world’s four biggest coal-fired power plants in pipeline. Together, they represent 82 percent of the 718 units globally under construction.
Lighter vessel sinks in Bagerhat

A lighter vessel carrying 800 tonnes of cement clinkers capsizes in Pashur River along the Sundarbans in Bagerhat.
Tobacco kills 7 million a year, wreaks environmental havoc: WHO

Smoking and other tobacco use kills more than seven million people each year, the World Health Organization says, also warning of the dire environmental impact of tobacco production, distribution and waste.
Chinese firms offer pollution solution with bottled air

Even as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledges to ensure that blue skies never become a luxury, a state-backed firm is doing brisk business selling 48 yuan ($6.95) cans of fresh air bottled in a forest in western China.
Coal vessel sinks near Sundarbans, all rescued

Lighter vessel, carrying 1,000 tonnes of coal sinks west of Zulfikar Channel on the way in to Passur River – some 10 kilometres into the estuary of Bay. All 13 aboard the vessel have been rescued.
China’s new weather satellite can study lightning, pollutants

China launches a new-generation weather satellite that can improve weather forecasting as well as help study lightning and air pollutants, including PM2.5.
Pollution may force Delhi residents to pack up and go

Air quality has fallen to levels not seen in two decades amid calls for authorities to take urgent action.
Air pollution can affect blood pressure: study

Long-term exposure to urban air pollution incrementally increases the risk of high blood pressure, according to a study.
South Asian rights body calls for halt to Rampal plant

South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a regional human rights group, calls for suspension of Rampal plant’s construction in the Sundarbans and urged for an impartial impact assessment.
Fast-growth fish risks overlooked

A study of global fish populations suggests fast-growth fish species are more vulnerable to population collapses than previously thought.