Heatwave takes a toll on north India’s wheat yield
Hardeep Kaur, 36, and her husband Chamkaur Singh, 39, owned two acres of agricultural land in the Bathinda district of Punjab, a northern Indian state. With a fierce heatwave in…
Articles by Kapil Kajal
I am a freelance journalist based out of India. I cover grassroots stories that have an impact on society as a whole. When it comes to news, I try to bring out unexplored angles. I always aspired to be a part of the intellectual and creative team. I am particularly better at searching for new story ideas or following up ideas, researching for new stories, covering them including video shooting and writing. My strength is long-form journalism. Apart from this, making documentary films interests me. In my free time, I pursue it as a hobby.
As Lohari village is submerged for a dam, homes, farms and memories are drowned
Sukhpal Singh Tomar, 53, a resident of Lohari village in Uttarakhand and a teacher by profession, narrates the incident that led to the the loss of his home. “It will…
A twin-state hydropower project could drown livelihoods and biodiversity
Straddling the border districts of Dehradun in Uttarakhand and Sirmour in Himachal Pradesh, the Kishau hydropower project, a multipurpose project with 660 MW power generation capacity, has been planned on…
Hydropower project nudges a tribal community out of their land in Himachal Pradesh
Almost eight years ago, on March 25, 2014, at least 31 women from Jharauta village in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh were arrested for protesting against the commencement of the…
The ignorance of the Haryana government has cost the Aravallis dearly
In January 2022, five people were killed in a landslide at Tosham’s Dadam mining zone in the Bhiwani district of Haryana, a northern Indian state. The incident put the spotlight…
Glacier loss pushing India’s mountain region towards water insecurity
Himachal Pradesh, a state that has five important perennial rivers fed particularly by glaciers, has witnessed a decline in snowfall over the past year. The area under snow cover in…
In a Himachal village, people accuse a waste management plant for contaminating water
Around 20 years ago, Karmo Devi, a resident of Majra village in Himachal Pradesh’s largest industrial area, Nalagarh, dug a well for drinking water. For 20 consecutive years, she and…
Himachal Pradesh and its recurring face-off with disasters
Himachal Pradesh, a state known for its natural beauty, snow-capped Himalayas and exquisite landscapes, attracts millions of national and international tourists every year. The hill state, however, is now caught…
Rajasthan’s phosphate mines deprive villagers of land, livelihood, health
“Yeh toh bhagwan ki marzi hai, sahab. Pichhle janam ke kuch paap honge jo iss janam main saamne aa rahe hain (It’s all god’s will. Maybe we had sinned in…
Kolar Gold fields: From fields of gold to a dust bowl
“The government has taken 40 precious years of my life, used me and left me to die when their work was completed,” rued 79-year-old K. Esavel, a resident of Karnataka's…
Rainfall in parts of Karnataka has reduced over decades
Changes in key climatic factors — especially rainfall — have been observed over Karnataka, according to an assessment by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). Some experts attribute…
Low fish catch along India’s western coast hints at impacts of climate change
Fish catch from the western coast of India has declined, according to the Marine Fish Landings Report 2019 by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Climate scientists attribute this…
How a Karnataka district is rapidly losing lush forest cover
Over the last four decades, the forest cover in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka has declined due to the rising number of unplanned infrastructure and agricultural activities. Studies have…
Karnataka government okays rail line in the Western Ghats
On March 20, the controversial Hubballi-Ankola railway line project was cleared at the Karnataka State Wildlife Board (KSWB) meeting in Bengaluru amid protests from members. The proposed 164.44 km Hubballi-Ankola…
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
Environment And Health
- As heatwaves projected to worsen across India, do vulnerability assessments and heat action plans suffice?
- Assam’s North Lakhimpur treats 40 years of legacy waste in just nine months
- Varying levels of microplastics detected in sea salt produced across India
- Decline in pollinators linked to half a million premature human deaths every year, shows study
Almost Famous Species
- The gharial attempts a second comeback with help from the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary
- Understanding the role of local communities in the conservation of critically endangered rhino rays
- Citizen scientists help discover a blind catfish species hidden inside Kerala’s aquifers
- Flying is riskier for female katydids, finds India’s first insect radio telemetry study
Eco Hope
- [Interview] Conservation scientist Joli Rumi Borah on integrating traditional knowledge in research
- [Interview] Scientist Ruth DeFries on deforestation: There isn’t one driver, there’s a different context in different places
- India budgets for mangroves and wetlands
- Working with biomaterials to add to the sustainable energy mix
India's Iconic Landscapes
- Experts call for coexistence, sustainable development as tiger population is close to saturation
- Ain’t no mountain high enough: alien invasive plants increasing in higher elevations
- Unplanned, faulty buildings tremble under weather events in the fragile Himalayan regions
- Nourishing soils of Kashmir’s karewas crumble under infrastructure
Beyond Protected Areas
- The art and science of elephant whispering
- Scientists develop a toolkit to identify high conservation-value areas
- Call to save rare snake habitat follows red coral kukri sightings in Bangladesh
- Small cats in big trouble: Why we need to save these elusive endangered species
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- How a drought-prone village in Maharashtra attained agricultural success with millets
- Thirunelly’s seed festival celebrates traditional climate-resilient seeds and farm produce
- [Explainer] Why is 2023 the International Year of Millets? What do we achieve by celebrating such years?
- Nations adopt Global Biodiversity Framework amid concerns over watered-down targets
Just Transitions
- Bauxite mining in Jharkhand is impacting soil fertility, people’s health
- Incentives to boost demand, increase in e-buses in Tamil Nadu’s latest EV policy
- Electricity transition in India’s renewable-rich states needs to accelerate, says study
- [Interview] Ajay Kumar Rastogi on leading India’s first just transition task force
