Water in Ulhas river near Mumbai highly polluted, MIDC tells Maharashtra pollution board [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=93041]The quality of water in Ulhas River is deteriorating owing to pollution, the water treatment unit of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) told the state pollution control board, urging it to take immediate measures to fix the problem.

Students to construct toilets from plastic at versova beach [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=93020]With more than 50 schools participating in the initiative, specially fabricated eco-bricks will be used for building the structure.Ahead of the complete ban on plastic bags that State Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam plans on imposing from March 2018, fifty schools from Mumbai are already contributing their bit to management of plastic waste by constructing a toilet block on Versova beach out of discarded plastic bottles. Special care will also be taken to ensure that no plastic bottles or bags end up on the narrow stretch of the coastline or a landfill site.

London air pollution cancels positive health effects of exercise in over 60's [ http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=93022]Exposure to air pollution on city streets is enough to counter the beneficial health effects of exercise in older adults, according to new research.The findings, published on Tuesday in The Lancet, show that short-term exposure to air pollution in built up areas like London's busy Oxford Street can prevent the positive effects on the heart and lungs that can be gained from walking.

NGT slams Punjab, Haryana over their action plan to combat pollution [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=93028]The National Green Tribunal on Thursday slammed Punjab and Haryana governments for filing generalised action plans to combat air pollution and directed them to refer to its previous judgements on the issue.

More than 200 nations promise to stop ocean plastic waste [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=93006]NAIROBI (Reuters) - More than 200 countries signed a U.N. resolution in Nairobi on Wednesday to eliminate plastic pollution in the sea, a move some delegates hoped would pave the way to a legally binding treaty.If current pollution rates continue, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050, said the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which organised the meeting.

Plastic ban Bill unlikely in Winter Session [http://cmsenvis.cmsindia.org/resources/newspaper/details.asp?id=92995]While the Maharashtra government has decided to implement the ban on plastic bags and bottled water in government offices and star hotels from March, officials in the Environment department said it is unlikely to bring in a Bill for it in the Winter Session of the assembly. According to the Environment department, four teams have been formed to study the implementation and laws pertaining to the plastic ban in other states, including Sikkim, to implement the mechanism effectively in the state.