Saudi Arabia Elected to Chair Panel on Tropical Cyclones in Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea

Flag of Saudi Arabia.
Flag of Saudi Arabia.
TT

Saudi Arabia Elected to Chair Panel on Tropical Cyclones in Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea

Flag of Saudi Arabia.
Flag of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia was unanimously elected to chair the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, SPA said on Thursday.
Ayman bin Salem Ghulam, CEO of the National Center for Meteorology (NCM), expressed his gratitude to the member states of the committee for selecting him as the chairman of the committee.
Ghulam said the Kingdom’s appointment as the committee chair is a testament to the country’s pioneering role and its commitment to addressing critical issues related to disasters and their significant impact on humanity, both regionally and internationally.
He further highlighted the increasing frequency of tropical cyclones in the region and the world, which requires all nations to play a larger role in addressing such challenges.
To effectively respond to these tropical conditions, Ghulam highlighted the importance of strengthening monitoring and forecasting systems to accurately predict cyclones and improving preparedness measures to minimize loss of life and property.
Additionally, Ghulam underlined the importance of supporting decision-making tools to enhance resilience and adaptation to climate change. He also highlighted the need to develop early warning systems to mitigate the risks associated with natural disasters.



New Delhi Vows to Flatten Monster Garbage Pile in Indian Capital

New Delhi says it plans to level the massive Bhalswa landfill by March 2026. Prakash SINGH / AFP/File
New Delhi says it plans to level the massive Bhalswa landfill by March 2026. Prakash SINGH / AFP/File
TT

New Delhi Vows to Flatten Monster Garbage Pile in Indian Capital

New Delhi says it plans to level the massive Bhalswa landfill by March 2026. Prakash SINGH / AFP/File
New Delhi says it plans to level the massive Bhalswa landfill by March 2026. Prakash SINGH / AFP/File

India's capital New Delhi has vowed to clear one of its largest trash piles by next year as part of a plan to eradicate unsightly landfills dotting the megacity's skyline.

Around 32 million people live in greater Delhi, where a slipshod approach to waste management has left numerous landfills with garbage piled up to 60 meters (200 feet) high and visible from miles away.

Regular spot fires during the capital's long and intense summer see the trash mounds turn into toxic conflagrations spilling dangerous chemical fumes into nearby neighborhoods, reported AFP.

Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told reporters Tuesday that work was underway to process and dispose of waste at one of the city's biggest trash piles.

By the end of the year, waste at the Bhalswa dump on the city's northern outskirts "will be reduced to a point where it will no longer be visible" from a distance, he said.

"Our ultimate aim is to ensure that no new garbage mountains are formed," he added.

Local neighborhoods around the Bhalswa landfill are home to thousands of Delhi's poorest residents who have migrated from grinding rural poverty in search of work.

Sirsa said the Bhalswa site would be cleared by March next year with similar remediation work to follow at Delhi's other two main garbage dumps.

According to last reported estimates from 2023, Delhi generates more than 11,000 tons of solid waste each day, according to official estimates in 2023.

More than four million tons of waste sit at the Bhalswa dump according to official estimates.

Untreated domestic waste burns in the landfills during the hot summer months, producing excess methane which further pollutes India's already smog-choked urban centers.