Environment News

By Sudeep Lavania / Updated: Nov 16, 2025, 11:44 IST Agra: The Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) planned on 1,058 acres along Agra’s Inner Ring Road has received conditional approval, opening the door to a major industrial expansion expected to generate thousands of jobs across sectors. The Supreme Court–appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) allowed the felling of 553 trees and the translocation of 997 while imposing stringent environmental safeguards. The Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) had sought approval for the project last year, proposing the removal of 5,084 trees. In its recent submission, the authority revised the estimate to 4,087 trees, a substantial reduction from the original figure. The SC, after reviewing the updated proposal, sought the CEC’s opinion on the project which is expected to position Agra as a modern, investment-ready industrial hub with integrated infrastructure and planned land use. In its 95-page report, the CEC recommended compensatory afforestation, directing authorities to plant 15,500 trees to offset the 1,550 affected. In addition, only industrial units with low pollution emissions as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards will be permitted to operate in the cluster. Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) chairman Shailendra Kumar Singh, who is also Agra’s divisional commissioner, has been designated as the nodal authority to ensure compliance with the conditions. The IMC is part of the Amritsar–Kolkata Industrial Corridor, nearly half of which runs through Uttar Pradesh. The project, to be implemented by the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) and UPSIDA, will focus on non-polluting industries. The state government expects the cluster to attract investments worth around ₹3,400 crore. The Supreme Court will now consider the CEC’s recommendations. “The CEC has submitted its recommendations, and the matter is now before the apex court. The SC will need to carefully examine the conditions laid out by the committee as the TTZ is an eco-sensitive zone and its green cover functions as the lungs of the region,” said Sharad Gupta, an Agra-based environmentalist. Note: The Taj Trapezium Zone is an ecologically sensitive area of about 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal and adjoining regions, where tree felling and industrial activity are regulated to protect the environment and heritage structures

AGRA has called for a bold shift from rhetoric to action at COP30, urging global leaders to deliver a farmer-first climate breakthrough that places soils, youth, and food systems at the center of international climate commitments. Speaking in Belém, AGRA leaders pressed governments and development partners to convert climate pledges into practical financing and policy packages that strengthen smallholder resilience, create employment for young people, and stimulate growth across Africa’s food economies. “Africa’s farmers are not waiting for the future; they are shaping it,” said Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA. “A farmer-first climate breakthrough means turning promises into progress, converting finance into resilience, and transforming ambition into action where it matters most—on farms.” AGRA emphasized that COP30 provides a critical platform to advance the global adaptation and resilience agenda through agriculture and food systems. Throughout its engagements in Brazil, AGRA will highlight proven pathways for scaling impact, including coherent agricultural policies, tailored finance mechanisms, strong market systems, and investments in soil health—all with youth and women at the center of agricultural transformation. The organization’s call aligns with the newly adopted Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and Human-Centered Climate Action, endorsed by 43 countries and the European Union. The declaration underscores that climate action and social justice are inseparable, urging a rebalancing of climate finance toward those most vulnerable to climate shocks. It also highlights the need for climate-responsive social protection, insurance for smallholder farmers, and long-term livelihood programs. AGRA welcomed the declaration, stressing that small-scale producers must be recognized not only as victims of the climate crisis, but also as agents of resilience and transformation. “Resilience is built when the right policies, finance, and technical solutions meet at the farm level,” noted Tilahun Amede, AGRA’s Director for Sustainable Farming, Climate Adaptation and Resilience. “At COP30, together with partners, we aim to show how soil health, water management, inclusive finance and strong value chains can turn climate ambition into practical results for farmers—both for short-term gains and long-term resilience.” The 2025 UNEP Adaptation Gap Report warns that developing countries face an annual adaptation financing shortfall of USD 284–339 billion, with current funding meeting barely 10 percent of that need. AGRA is therefore urging a stronger push to channel climate finance directly to farmers and rural enterprises that form the backbone of Africa’s food and job systems. The farmer-first approach echoes the demands of African climate negotiators, who are advocating for adaptation interventions that deliver real improvements for producers. With governments, AGRA is working to streamline regulations for climate-resilient seed varieties, strengthen risk-sharing instruments to attract private capital, and align donor investments with national priorities rather than short-term pilot projects.

Untreated sewage and industrial effluents discharged into Ganga river, Varanasi An action plan to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluents into the river Ganga has been prepared, but approval from the chief secretary or additional chief secretary for Uttar Pradesh’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change department is still awaited, the counsel representing the state informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on May 23, 2025. The counsel accordingly sought time to file the approved plan. A letter to this effect has also been circulated. The Tribunal accepted the request and listed the matter for hearing on August 29, 2025. The applicant, Rajendra Prasad Gupta, had submitted a letter petition raising concerns about the discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater into the Ganga at Varanasi. Supporting the petition, he enclosed photographs showing wastewater discharge and encroachments along the river’s embankments at various locations. Illegal felling of trees in Agra The NGT directed the authorities concerned to file their responses regarding complaints of large-scale illegal felling of green trees in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh on May 23, 2025. The respondents were instructed to file their replies at least one week prior to the next hearing date, which is August 29, 2025. Respondents include the Zila Panchayat Agra, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), district magistrate Agra, district forest officer Agra, and the Taj Trapezium Zone Authority, among others. The application cited instances of illegal tree felling in the tehsils of Fatehabad, Sadar, Kiraoli and Agra. Newspaper articles submitted as evidence highlighted unauthorised tree felling in Kiraoli tehsil for the construction of a residential colony. The applicant’s counsel referred to a Supreme Court order from May 2025, which stated that any tree felling within a 5 kilometre aerial radius of the Taj Mahal requires the Court’s permission, which was not sought in this case. Illegal mining and use of ammonium nitrate in Leta village, Mahoba The NGT directed that notices be issued to authorities and a mineral-based company allegedly involved in illegal mining in Leta village, Mahoba district, Uttar Pradesh on May 23, 2025 . The tribunal stated that the matter involved substantial issues concerning compliance with environmental regulations. Notices were ordered to be served on the controller of explosives, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Jai Maa Chandrika Enterprises and the district collector of Mahoba. The next hearing has been scheduled for September 1, 2025. In addition to the illegal mining complaint, the applicant, Akhilesh Kumar, raised concerns about the unauthorised sale and use of ammonium nitrate by the miner. The applicant submitted that gatta (land parcel) number 576 in Leta village, tehsil Kulpahar, Mahoba district, was leased to the miner for a 10-year period starting from May 24, 2001, which has since expired. Despite this, Jai Maa Chandrika Enterprises has sought a licence for a shed to manufacture ammonium nitrate fuel oil. The applicant also referred to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act on March 30, 2024, confirming that araji (property) number 576, covering 4.5 acres, had been sanctioned for a 10-year term from May 24, 2001. Another RTI reply dated April 25, 2024, provided by the directorate general of mines safety, revealed that no formal notice regarding the opening of the mine at gatta number 576 had been submitted to the directorate.