The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is a research institute created and funded by Government of India. It was established in Nagpur in 1958 with focus on water supply, sewage disposal, communicable diseases and to some extent on industrial pollution and occupational diseases found common in post-independent India. NEERI is a pioneer laboratory in the field of environmental science and engineering and part of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). NEERI has five zonal laboratories at Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. NEERI falls under the Ministry of Science and Technology (India) of the central government. The NEERI is an important partner organisation in India's POPs national implementation plan (NIP).The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur was established in 1958 as Central Public Health Engineering Research Institute (CPHERI), when environmental concerns were limited to human health with a focus on water supply/sewage disposal/ communicable diseases and to some extent on industrial pollution and occupational diseases. The chemical and biological solutions to address these problems were simple, though challenging. However, slowly worldwide public awareness on the contamination of the environment on regional to global scale started getting attention in 1970's. Shrimati Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, rechristened the Institute as National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in the year 1974. National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur is devoted to research and innovations in environmental science and engineering besides solving a range of problems posed by industry, government and public.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were used as dielectric fluids in transformers and capacitors until the 1990s due to their thermal stability, inertness, and insulating properties. PCBs pose a serious threat to human health and the environment because of their persistence, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties. Electrokinetic remediation (EKR) has been shown to be a promising technology for the remediation of PCB-contaminated soils. The efficiency of EKR-techniques can be further enhanced by using different chemical reagents. The present study explores the synergistic effects of surfactants, oxidants, and catalysts in removing PCBs from transformer oil-contaminated soils. Under the optimized conditions, using Tween 80 (3
This study presents an integrated machine learning framework to predict potential spring occurrence zones in the high-altitude Kishtwar region of the Indian Himalayas, where springs are rapidly depleting due to climate and anthropogenic pressures. Forty-two geotagged spring locations obtained from field visits combined with pseudo-absence background locations were used to train and test the machine learning models using 80:20 split. Predictor variables-including soil moisture, elevation, slope, Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), annual precipitation, and saturated soil hydraulic conductivity-were derived from remote sensing and environmental datasets. Random Forest, MaxEnt, and CART models were trained and combined through linear regression-based ensemble integration to reduce the bias. Elevation, precipitation, and soil parameters were key predictors affecting the springs occurrence. Model outputs delineated 815.6 km2 as potential and 467.3 km2 as high-probability spring zones in the study area. While the ensemble achieved high discriminatory performance (AUC up to 0.99), the results are based on a limited set of field-observed springs and should be interpreted as screening-level prioritization outputs rather than definitive predictive maps. The study, although designed on a regional scale, demonstrates scalable potential for Himalayan springshed management, enabling data-driven restoration through advanced geospatial-machine learning integration.
Coal remains central to India’s energy mix, yet the rapid expansion of surface (opencast) mining has imposed severe environmental costs, particularly on soil resources. This review synthesizes peer-reviewed studies and official reports to assess the physical, chemical, and ecological degradation of soils in India’s coal mining regions, along with restoration strategies and policy frameworks. Findings reveal consistent patterns of topsoil loss, increased bulk density, reduced moisture retention, and significant depletion of soil organic carbon. Widespread contamination by potentially toxic elements such as Cr, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cu, coupled with acid mine drainage, further degrades soil quality and mobilizes metals. At the landscape scale, multi-decadal land-use and land-cover changes across central Indian coalfields show marked declines in forests and water bodies, accompanied by growth of mining pits, overburden dumps, and transport corridors that fragment habitats and disrupt hydrology. A case study from the Raniganj Coalfield illustrates the severity of impacts, with soils exhibiting broad pH and EC variability and elevated trace-element concentrations above regional baselines. Evidence indicates that the construction of Technosols, integrated multi-tier revegetation with native grasses and trees, combined with phytoremediation, bioremediation, microbial inoculants, biochar amendments, and constructed wetlands, can substantially improve soil structure, enhance nutrient availability, stabilize toxic metals, and accelerate ecological recovery. Although policy instruments such as Environment Impact Assessment/Environment Management Plan requirements, mine-closure guidelines, and restoration norms exist, enforcement and ecological performance monitoring remain inconsistent. This synthesis proposes an integrated framework combining geospatial monitoring, soil–biota indicators, and community participation to restore soil functionality, biodiversity, and climate resilience in India’s coal mining landscapes.
Rapid industrialization, urban expansion, and intensive agriculture are driving significant land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Godavari River Basin (GRB), central India, posing a substantial threat to landscape integrity, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem services. Despite the basin’s classification as highly vulnerable in multiple climate risk assessments and its role in sustaining livelihoods for nearly 10
Old-growth attributes, including large trees, complex canopy architecture, and varied tree-related microhabitats, are crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem health in Himalayan forests, yet their early expression is poorly understood. In this study, tree-related microhabitats were assessed as robust indicators of structural complexity and ecological continuity to capture early development of forest maturity and resilience. Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D. Don) G. Don was investigated in the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, Western Himalayas, India, using forty 10 m-radius plots and 120 dominant trees across three forest ranges. Epiphytic crypto- and phanerogams were the most prevalent microhabitats. Generalized linear mixed models identified canopy class and DBH as significant predictors. A 10 cm DBH increase yielded a 0.016 unit rise in richness and 0.010 in abundance, demonstrating the biological significance of larger trees as keystone structures supporting habitat diversity. Moderately closed canopies enhanced richness by 0.919 units and abundance by 0.602 units, while open canopies increased richness by 1.003 units. These results highlight the importance of structural habitat features for ecosystem health and the value of tree-related microhabitats as sensitive, early indicators of biodiversity. The conservation of large trees, maintaining canopy diversity, and geo-tagging for long-term monitoring is recommended. By linking management actions to global targets such as CBD, IPBES, and SDG 15, this study positions biodiversity-oriented forest management in the Western Himalayas within international conservation and restoration frameworks. This emphasizes the broader significance for sustainable ecosystem stewardship.
