The Dongria Kondhs tribals bring the judiciary down on its knees

Dongria Kondh tribals stand firm against mining of Niyamgiri

In a first of its kind village council meeting on July 18 that brought the district judge to their village, natives of Serkapadi in the Niyamgiri hill range of Odisha's Raigada district said a firm no to bauxite mining in their hills by Vedanta Aluminium Limited. This was the first of the 12 meetings that will take place in different villages of Niyamgiri as per a Supreme Court order that forest dwellers will take a decision if mining in the hills will infringe their cultural and religious rights.

Environment degradations costs India 5.7% of its GDP

A World Bank report released last week says that environment degradation - especially pollution due to particulate matter, lack of access to clean drinking water, hygiene and sanitation - costs India Rs 3.75 trillion, equivalent to 5.7% of its gross domestic product. This is the first of its kind report by the World Bank that talks about the economic value of India's natural resources, biodiversity and health issues due to pollution.

Excess rain a problem for Adilabad cotton farmers

The cost of cotton production is set to rise in Andhra Pradesh's Adilabad district as fertilizers get washed off and weeds grow rampant due to sudden incessant rainfall. Continuing rainfall renders fertilizers already applied useless and prevents deweeding operations as farmers are unable to enter fields.

Maharashtra plans its own carbon trading mechanism

The state government is formulating an Act under which it will be mandatory for polluting industries, hydro power projects and heavy vehicle owners to buy carbon credits from farmers and those who grow and maintain trees on private land. Tree credits, as they will be called, will operate on "Polluter Pays" principle and will be mapped using a geographical information system.

Rs 109 crores to resolve conflict between human beings and elephants

The Karnataka government has prepared a Rs 109 crore project to tackle man-elephant conflict in some districts where wild elephants entering human habitations has led to a trail of destruction. The project will include desilting of tanks in forest areas to ensure year-round water supply for elephants. It will also ensure eough water available for growing bamboo and other grasses for food.

This is a roundup of important news from July 14-21, 2013.