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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/telangana/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Deccan’s vultures in decline</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/deccans-vultures-in-decline/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/deccans-vultures-in-decline/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Nov 2025 13:25:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animal behaviour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vulture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/03211656/Nest-numbers-have-sharply-declined-in-recent-years-from-23-occupied-nests-in-2019-to-just-one-in-both-2022-and-2023.-Photo-Credit-Ravikanth-Manchiryala-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35330</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health and The India Water Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Conservation, Pollution, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[High on the sandstone cliffs of Telangana’s Kaghaznagar Forest Division, long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus) once nested in dozens. Their rhythmic flights in the skies were a familiar sight for local people. Today, however, only a handful remain. A 14-year study has now found that these critically endangered birds are breeding less successfully. “The long-billed vulture [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[High on the sandstone cliffs of Telangana’s Kaghaznagar Forest Division, long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus) once nested in dozens. Their rhythmic flights in the skies were a familiar sight for local people. Today, however, only a handful remain. A 14-year study has now found that these critically endangered birds are breeding less successfully. “The long-billed vulture has undergone severe population declines across the Indian subcontinent, primarily due to diclofenac [a veterinary drug] poisoning. It’s also a slow reproducer, typically raising only one nestling per year,” says Ravikanth Manchiryala, a researcher from the Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, AVC College, Tamil Nadu, and the first author of the study. “Most earlier studies were short-term or focused on multiple species of Gyps and offered only general insights. This one, however, specifically tracked this species’ breeding ecology, nest success, and how environmental factors affect reproduction over time,” he added. A 14-year study on long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus) has revealed that they are breeding less successfully. Researchers compared breeding outcomes annually against environmental variables including temperature, rainfall, wind speed and direction, surface pressure, dew, and local water toxicity. Image by Ravikanth Manchiryala. Tracking a slow decline Between 2010 and 2023, researchers monitored 23 nests across two cliff-nesting colonies in the Kaghaznagar Forest Division and adjoining parts of the Deccan Plateau, at the junction of Telangana, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh states. These cliffs, known as Palarapu and Lakkameda, lie along the Peddavagu stream and Pranahita river, a landscape that also serves as a corridor linking the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/deccans-vultures-in-decline/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Gig work heats up, disaster body steps in with advisory</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/gig-work-heats-up-disaster-body-steps-in-with-advisory/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/gig-work-heats-up-disaster-body-steps-in-with-advisory/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Aug 2025 14:06:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gig workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Disaster Management Authority]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NHRC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NITI Aayog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/05102635/banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33945</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar, India, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change Adaptation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Suresh Kumar Singh (name changed), 46, worked with a quick commerce company in Varanasi until his account was blocked by the company in retaliation for participating in a protest. On April 26, when temperatures in the city soared to 43°C, around 150 gig workers, including Singh, went on strike, demanding heat safety measures and fair [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Suresh Kumar Singh (name changed), 46, worked with a quick commerce company in Varanasi until his account was blocked by the company in retaliation for participating in a protest. On April 26, when temperatures in the city soared to 43°C, around 150 gig workers, including Singh, went on strike, demanding heat safety measures and fair pay. The company blocked the accounts of all the 150 protestors. Eventually, about 125 of the delivery partner accounts were reinstated. But many, like Singh, who preferred not to reveal his name as he is still hoping to get back onto the platform and receive delivery orders, are still waiting. Singh, a migrant from Saran district in Bihar and father of two children, says, “I keep sending them emails on a daily basis, but to no avail.” When asked the reason for the strike, he says, “We were forced to work during the peak heat wave. We were requesting to reduce the workload or increase the rate.” The delivery partners for quick commerce app, such as Singh, are part of a ranking system which is linked to incentives. Rejecting orders can lead to a drop in ranking which in turn gets them fewer orders. In certain cases, they are even penalised, which makes it hard for the workers to opt out of deliveries, even if temporarily. The workers have been protesting to ease these systems or provide a higher pay for working during peak heat hours. In continuation of the protests, on April 29, the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/gig-work-heats-up-disaster-body-steps-in-with-advisory/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>When forests fall and peacocks cry [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/when-forests-fall-and-peacocks-cry-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/when-forests-fall-and-peacocks-cry-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 May 2025 10:04:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sanjay Asthana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban trees]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/05/28214210/IMG-20250408-WA0002-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32814</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Deforestation, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Recent student protests at the University of Hyderabad over the clearing of 400 acres of forest by the Telangana government have drawn widespread public attention to the ecological damage and land loss caused by development projects. In 2022, I participated in the U.S. Scholar Fulbright Program at the University of Hyderabad, focusing on Ph.D.-level research [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Recent student protests at the University of Hyderabad over the clearing of 400 acres of forest by the Telangana government have drawn widespread public attention to the ecological damage and land loss caused by development projects. In 2022, I participated in the U.S. Scholar Fulbright Program at the University of Hyderabad, focusing on Ph.D.-level research methods and theory seminars that used the campus as our classroom. During June and August of that year, my students and I traversed the campus’s vast expanse — observing its natural and biophysical environment, documenting and recording specific sites and occurrences, reading from philosophy and media literature, and engaging with ancient intellectual traditions as well as local and Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and living. These walks deepened our connection to the campus’s bioregional ecology, including the 400 acres of forest and its waterbodies. As we continued our dialogues — reflecting on the readings, nature, and the environment — it became clear that the living presence of this landscape could not be ignored. What stood out was the long-standing effort to preserve the integrity of the university&#8217;s land from encroachment — an effort increasingly under threat in recent years under the banner of urban development. Bulldozers raze down trees at Kancha Gachibowli forest in Hyderabad. Recent student protests over the clearing of 400 acres of forest by the Telangana government have drawn attention to the ecological damage caused by development projects. Image by special arrangement. Learning from nature The campus treks began shortly after dawn,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/when-forests-fall-and-peacocks-cry-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Telangana green crusader Daripalli Ramaiah dies at 87 [Obituary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/telangana-green-crusader-daripalli-ramaiah-dies-at-87-obituary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/telangana-green-crusader-daripalli-ramaiah-dies-at-87-obituary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Apr 2025 16:36:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daripalli Ramaiah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Padma Shri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plantations]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/14150428/Former-President-Pranab-Mukherjee-presenting-the-Padma-Shri-Award-to-Daripalli-Ramaiah-at-Rashtrapati-Bhavan-in-New-Delhi-on-March30-2017-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32193</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Daripalli Ramaiah, widely recognised for his lifelong dedication to planting trees in Telangana, passed away on the morning of April 12, in the Khammam district of the state. He was 87 and died of cardiac arrest. His last rites were performed the next day, where ministers from the state, followers, and family members paid their [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Daripalli Ramaiah, widely recognised for his lifelong dedication to planting trees in Telangana, passed away on the morning of April 12, in the Khammam district of the state. He was 87 and died of cardiac arrest. His last rites were performed the next day, where ministers from the state, followers, and family members paid their final respects. Born in 1937 in Reddipally village of Khammam district, Ramaiah is credited with planting over 10 million trees. He transformed social forestry into a people’s movement, often carrying seeds in his pocket. On a mission to restore green cover, he would plant seeds wherever he went, according to a 2017 post on X (formerly Twitter) by a Press Information Bureau (PIB) official. The post also notes that his wife, Janamma, significantly contributed to his plantation efforts. He used to carry saplings on his bicycle and plant them in barren areas, says Mohan Chandra Pargaien, a former Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer. He adds that Ramaiah’s action for increasing green cover both by way of dibbling seeds of local species and by way of raising seedlings for planting at various locations can be considered his unique contribution. His passion earned him the titles ‘Chettu’ (tree) Ramaiah and ‘Vanajeevi’ (forest man) Ramaiah. He focused on promoting native plant species like neem, teak, bael, and peepal etc. To raise awareness about tree conservation, Ramaiah wore a steel headgear inscribed with the phrase Vriksho Rakshati Rakshitah (written in Telugu), meaning “one who protects trees is protected,” says&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/telangana-green-crusader-daripalli-ramaiah-dies-at-87-obituary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Forest row spotlights diminishing value of urban green patches</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/forest-row-spotlights-diminishing-value-of-urban-green-patches/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/forest-row-spotlights-diminishing-value-of-urban-green-patches/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2025 15:17:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/08212608/IMG-20250408-WA0032-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32137</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities and Towns, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With a Supreme Court order halting tree felling that has stalled the Telangana government plans to auction disputed forest land adjoining the University of Hyderabad, the state is now considering an ecopark in the area, even as citizen protests continue. The Kancha Gachibowli Forest or KGF, an open natural ecosystem with a mix of dry [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With a Supreme Court order halting tree felling that has stalled the Telangana government plans to auction disputed forest land adjoining the University of Hyderabad, the state is now considering an ecopark in the area, even as citizen protests continue. The Kancha Gachibowli Forest or KGF, an open natural ecosystem with a mix of dry deciduous and wet deciduous forests, savannah, scrubland, rocky outcrops and more, is one of the few lung spaces remaining around Hyderabad city. Last month, the state government’s announcement to auction 400 acres of the land in this area, was met with public protests. In response, the chief minister of Telangana, Anumula Revanth Reddy, said in the Assembly that KGF has “no deer, no tigers, but only a few ‘cunning foxes’ who were out to hinder the state’s development”, attempting to justify the hostile takeover of the land using earthmovers. This sparked the university students, faculty, and environmentalists to take it upon themselves to put a stop to the government’s blinkered approach to development. They protested, stopped the earthmovers from wreaking more havoc, were detained, and made the judiciary sit up and take notice of the systematic decimation of green cover in the city. Taking cognisance of deforestation on the land, the Supreme Court, on April 3, passed an interim order staying the tree felling in the disputed area. Now, in an unexpected move, government sources have informed Mongabay India that the ruling Congress government is considering building a 2,000-acre eco-forest park — potentially the world’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/forest-row-spotlights-diminishing-value-of-urban-green-patches/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Farming with AI and drones to increase yields, manage resources and reduce pests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/farming-with-ai-and-drones-to-increase-yields-manage-resources-and-reduce-pests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/farming-with-ai-and-drones-to-increase-yields-manage-resources-and-reduce-pests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Apr 2024 18:54:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bio-manures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chemical fertiliser]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/04/18165626/Photo-stories-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27432</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Innovations]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story is Part 2 of a three-part series about the advances in agricultural technology in India. It discusses the commonly used agricultural technologies in the crop growth stage. Part 1 and Part 3 throw light on the technologies in use in the pre-sowing stage and the post-harvest stage. Drone pilot Ajith Babu reaches the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story is Part 2 of a three-part series about the advances in agricultural technology in India. It discusses the commonly used agricultural technologies in the crop growth stage. Part 1 and Part 3 throw light on the technologies in use in the pre-sowing stage and the post-harvest stage. Drone pilot Ajith Babu reaches the paddy field owned by Kerala Agro Machinery Corporation Ltd. (KAMCO) at Athani, in Kerala, early in the morning. He brings along with him an agriculture drone and its controller. After completing the GPS calibration process, which helps align the drone’s sensors and controller with the actual shape and physical conditions of this paddy field, Babu pours biofertiliser into a 10-litre tank mounted on the drone. He then plots the area on his controller where the drone needs to fly and monitors the machine as it takes to the sky. The drone traces the whole plot in a ruler-lined fashion, precision-spraying the biofertiliser over the paddy crop. Biofertilisers are derived from microorganisms and they increase plant nutrition and promote growth. The birds in the paddy field have accepted the noise from the drone propellers without demur but avoid its flight path. Before noon, Babu completes spraying the whole field. He lands the drone and starts packing up. “This entire area (six-acre farm) can be covered in two-three hours with the drone, whereas it used to take us three-four days to spray the fields manually with the help of labourers,” shares Manoj Mathew, farmer and staff at&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/farming-with-ai-and-drones-to-increase-yields-manage-resources-and-reduce-pests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Photos] Women, heat and informal housing</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/photos-women-heat-and-informal-housing/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/photos-women-heat-and-informal-housing/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Apr 2024 15:37:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Almaas Masood]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vulnerability]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/04/17133915/IMG_2379-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27414</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Impacts of Climate Change, and People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“There is the blazing sun above and scorched earth beneath us,” laments 28-year-old Yelamma while sitting under a tree outside her tarpaulin and tin hut in Hyderabad, Telangana. Telangana has been experiencing a steady rise in temperature, from 38 degrees Celsius in February 2024 to 44 degrees Celsius earlier in April. Yelamma lives in an [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“There is the blazing sun above and scorched earth beneath us,” laments 28-year-old Yelamma while sitting under a tree outside her tarpaulin and tin hut in Hyderabad, Telangana. Telangana has been experiencing a steady rise in temperature, from 38 degrees Celsius in February 2024 to 44 degrees Celsius earlier in April. Yelamma lives in an urban slum, about three kilometres from an elite commercial area called Financial District in Hyderabad. This area hosts multinational companies and government establishments, as well as affluent housing societies. In this slum, cement blocks and plastic make up their windowless walls, while bamboo, tarpaulin, and tin sheets are used for low ceilings. Simple cement is used for flooring. For home decor, one would find anything from political party flags, tattered stuffed toys, and a lot of drums and cans of water. There is only one water tap here for a settlement of 300 families. A road leads into an informal settlement on the side of a main road in Hyderabad. Young girls who cannot attend school tend to other young children while the adults are out for work. Photo by Almaas Masood/Mongabay. Most of the men who reside here are stone-cutters who survive on daily wages. However, the responsibility of running the slum falls on women. Child marriage is still prevalent here, especially for girls. Yelamma said, “The nature of the men’s work is uncertain and seasonal. The financial burden of running a household throughout the year, is on women.” Indoor temperatures rise significantly during&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/photos-women-heat-and-informal-housing/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/photos-women-heat-and-informal-housing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] The missing caste from commons:  A reflection from a Telangana village</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/commentary-the-missing-caste-from-commons-a-reflection-from-a-telangana-village/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/commentary-the-missing-caste-from-commons-a-reflection-from-a-telangana-village/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Dec 2022 10:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Amalendu JyotishiDontha PrashanthGummadi Sridevi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/12/05100435/1600px-Ambuja_Cements_Limited_20020400-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=20722</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Land Rights, Mining, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[N. S. Jodha’s pioneering work on Commons in 1986 alerted us to the poor’s dependency on these resources. When the commons degrade, the poor suffers the most. However, we knew little about what happens when the resource is revived or conserved – who gets access to this and who gains from this? We also knew [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[N. S. Jodha’s pioneering work on Commons in 1986 alerted us to the poor’s dependency on these resources. When the commons degrade, the poor suffers the most. However, we knew little about what happens when the resource is revived or conserved – who gets access to this and who gains from this? We also knew little then how the process of alienation happens beyond the so-called development projects shrinking the commons. Overall, the intricacies of caste and gender dimensions in the alienation process from commons continues to be an anecdotal narrative if not grossly missing. The caste dimension of power relations is intricate, leading to alienation on the one hand and grabbing and appropriation on the other. This can be seen in the Narva village in Telangana where our field study was conducted. The village of Narva, prior to the creation of mandals (an administrative division) during 80s, was part of Chennur taluk. While being part of Chennur taluk, the revenue administration of Narva operated through the village Jaipur where the panchayat samiti (a rural local government body) was located and the sarpanch (head of the village government) resided. Village officers being designated as Patwari, Police Patel, Mali Patel also belonged to Jaipur village whereas village servants such as Sunkari and Neeredu were present even in the hamlets. The Police Patel had to deal with law and order, Mali Patel was responsible for collection of revenue and tehsi (tax), whereas Sunkari, served as an assistant to village officers and Neeredu&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/commentary-the-missing-caste-from-commons-a-reflection-from-a-telangana-village/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>From paddy to palm oil: Telangana focuses on water intensive crops</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/from-paddy-to-palm-oil-telangana-focuses-on-water-intensive-crops/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/from-paddy-to-palm-oil-telangana-focuses-on-water-intensive-crops/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Dec 2022 16:13:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[irrigation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oil Palm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palm oil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telangana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/12/06125448/S-Nagesh-Rao-walks-inside-his-palm-oil-garden-at-Medapally-in-Khammam-district.-Photo-by-Manish-Kumar-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=20917</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is the second article in a two-part series on oil palm cultivation in Telangana. Part One discusses the state&#8217;s ambitious plans to expand oil palm cultivation. B. Bucchaya, a 62-year-old farmer, is harvesting fresh oil palm fruits from his farm in Khammam district of Telangana. He will sell these to the nearest oil processing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This is the second article in a two-part series on oil palm cultivation in Telangana. Part One discusses the state&#8217;s ambitious plans to expand oil palm cultivation. B. Bucchaya, a 62-year-old farmer, is harvesting fresh oil palm fruits from his farm in Khammam district of Telangana. He will sell these to the nearest oil processing unit and make quick money. Not too far away, Mohammad Salim is growing paddy over four acres of his agricultural land. This is a common sight in Khammam and now across agricultural land in Telangana as well — large tracts of paddy fields interspersed with patches of young and old oil palm fields. After a push for paddy crop over the past few years, the Telangana government is now boosting oil palm cultivation. Both paddy and oil palm are water-intensive crops. In line with the plan to increase cultivation of these crops, Telangana has also increased irrigation facilities, over the past eight or so years, from 2014, when Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were bifurcated into separate states. Studies and government records suggest that agriculture in Telangana is moving away from traditional crops like oil seeds, pulses and vegetables, which were commonly grown in this region, towards paddy and oil palm in recent years. According to the latest annual socio-economic outlook of the state, production of paddy has increased by 378 percent between 2015-16 and 2020-21 in Telangana. Meanwhile, the production of oil palm has increased almost three times from 75,447 Metric Tonnes (MT) in 2015-16&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/from-paddy-to-palm-oil-telangana-focuses-on-water-intensive-crops/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Despite challenges, Telangana plans to expand oil palm plantation area by 22 times</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/despite-challenges-telangana-plans-to-expand-oil-palm-plantation-area-by-22-times/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/despite-challenges-telangana-plans-to-expand-oil-palm-plantation-area-by-22-times/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Dec 2022 14:46:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palm oil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telangana]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/12/01235844/Villages-cross-across-a-10-acre-aged-palm-oil-garden-at-Medapally-village-in-Mudigonda-mandal-of-Khammam-district.-Photo-by-Manish-Kumar-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=20863</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is the first article in a two-part series on oil palm cultivation in Telangana. Part Two discusses the state&#8217;s shift from traditional crops to water intensive crops such as paddy and oil palm and their potential impacts on the environment. On a cool, mid-November evening, Vidya Sagar, a 56-year-old farmer, was rushing from one [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This is the first article in a two-part series on oil palm cultivation in Telangana. Part Two discusses the state&#8217;s shift from traditional crops to water intensive crops such as paddy and oil palm and their potential impacts on the environment. On a cool, mid-November evening, Vidya Sagar, a 56-year-old farmer, was rushing from one corner of his 3.2-hectare oil palm field to another, hurriedly gathering fresh fruit from the trees before the sun sets. Sagar is a resident of Khammam district&#8217;s Medepally village in the state of Telangana. He plans to expand the oil palm plantation on the remaining 1.2 hectares of his land, given that the government is incentivising the crop. &#8220;There is no reason to think otherwise,&#8221; he says, listing many benefits the state government offers for oil palm cultivation: an assured procurement of all his produce, free electricity which makes irrigation cost-free and subsidised seedlings provided by oil processing firms. &#8220;Oil palm (from which palm oil is derived) cultivation has proved very profitable for the farmers for several reasons. First, there is huge government support to grow the crop. There is little risk of monkey and wild boar attacks on these crops. Oil palm trees can withstand harsh weather conditions, and there is far less labour involved in growing them,&#8221; Sagar tells Mongabay-India while working on his oil palm field. Another farmer, 62-year-old Hariprasad S. from the same village, adds to the ongoing conversation. He has converted four hectares of his mango farm to an oil&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/despite-challenges-telangana-plans-to-expand-oil-palm-plantation-area-by-22-times/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Forest restoration: challenges and opportunities for India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/commentary-forest-restoration-challenges-and-opportunities-for-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/commentary-forest-restoration-challenges-and-opportunities-for-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Feb 2022 12:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mohan Chandra Pargaien]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/02/02071015/PIC1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16979</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Forest restoration is the act of bringing back a forest or landscape which has been degraded or damaged by anthropogenic exploitation or natural factors, to its original state. Forest restoration not only facilitates the recovery of degraded forests and their various functions, but is also considered as one of the best solutions to contribute to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Forest restoration is the act of bringing back a forest or landscape which has been degraded or damaged by anthropogenic exploitation or natural factors, to its original state. Forest restoration not only facilitates the recovery of degraded forests and their various functions, but is also considered as one of the best solutions to contribute to sustainable development by restoring the ecological, economic and social functions and values of the forests. The continued decline of global forests by 3% between 1990 and 2015 as per the reports of FAO (2018) has also necessitated the need for increased forest protection and restoration. The trend of adopting tree planting as a suitable strategy to fight global warming owing to their ability to sequester carbon, thereby slowing climate change, is being challenged by alternate postulations, as in many instances planting without considering local factors and ecology may lead to negative consequences and more damages to ecosystems than the intended benefits. Similarly, faulty planting like planting in grasslands like savannahs may be disastrous, causing loss of local biodiversity and their survival. A study from 2020 that mapped the carbon accumulation potential from global natural forest regrowth, stated that naturally regenerated forests tend to have nearly 32% more carbon storage. These findings have led to a favourable tilt in the conservation story, with more emphasis on forest restoration than tree planting. In this decade (2021-2030) on Ecosystem Restoration as designated by the UN, it is essential to employ new techniques of forest restoration. Restoration is now&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/commentary-forest-restoration-challenges-and-opportunities-for-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>With land acquisition challenges, Telangana eyes floating solar parks</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/with-land-acquisition-challenges-telangana-eyes-floating-solar-parks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/with-land-acquisition-challenges-telangana-eyes-floating-solar-parks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Nov 2021 14:49:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[floating solar plant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Godavari]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karimanagar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NTPC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramagundam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSREDCO]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/11/04113625/Lower-Manair-Dam-site-at-the-outskirts-of-Karimnagar-city-identified-as-a-potential-area-for-floating-solar-power.-Photo-by-Manish-Kumar-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16108</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ramagundam in the Peddapalli district of Telangana has a unique landscape. The Godavari river flows on one side of the city and lush green hillocks add to the natural beauty. In contrast, the vertical blast furnaces of the power plants here hint towards the rapid industrialisation in the area. Being one of the important power [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ramagundam in the Peddapalli district of Telangana has a unique landscape. The Godavari river flows on one side of the city and lush green hillocks add to the natural beauty. In contrast, the vertical blast furnaces of the power plants here hint towards the rapid industrialisation in the area. Being one of the important power generation centres of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in South India, tall electricity towers are omnipresent, spanning from the agricultural fields to the roadsides and to the nearby hilly terrains. The area comes under the Godavari Valley Coalfields, the only coal field of South India. Here coal is mined and processed to create thermal energy to cater to the needs of the state. However, the region, besides being known for its coal mining reserve and thermal power generation centre, was in the limelight last year when the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) announced one of India&#8217;s largest 100 MW floating solar parks (at a single location) on its premises at Ramagundam. Floating solar photovoltaic plants are renewable energy generation plants where solar panels are mounted on a structure on a water body. Floating solar or floating photovoltaics are also called ‘floatovoltaics’. “The floating solar park at Ramagundam is spread over 450 acres of water body on a water reservoir. BHEL has been the executive agency for the project, estimated at a cost of Rs 423 crores. Due to COVID pandemic, the project suffered some delays but is likely to be completed by the end of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/with-land-acquisition-challenges-telangana-eyes-floating-solar-parks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Telangana focuses on clean energy to enhance its power supply</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/telangana-focuses-on-clean-energy-to-enhance-its-power-supply/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/telangana-focuses-on-clean-energy-to-enhance-its-power-supply/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Oct 2021 12:22:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geothermal energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GHMC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IIT-Hyderabad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pargi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Renewable Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telangana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSREDCO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vikarabad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wind Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/10/28102745/20211023_160005-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16012</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sandeep Acharya, a 23-year-old college student from Pargi, a small hilly city in Vikarabad district of Telangana, is a witness to the state’s focus on clean energy and its impact on the lives of the local people. The transition to clean sources of energy, wind in particular, is fulfilling the energy needs of the people, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sandeep Acharya, a 23-year-old college student from Pargi, a small hilly city in Vikarabad district of Telangana, is a witness to the state’s focus on clean energy and its impact on the lives of the local people. The transition to clean sources of energy, wind in particular, is fulfilling the energy needs of the people, without forcing them to breathe polluted air, as is the case in places where coal-based power plants are the main source of electricity. Pargi, which is marked by hills, had windmills were installed in the area around three years ago. “Earlier there was erratic power supply in our area. So many activities, including farming or some small scale industries used to suffer because of this. But since the time these windmills have come up, the power scenario has undergone a transition. Now, there is 24 hours power supply without a break,” Acharya told Mongabay-India while standing near one of the many windmills. The wind turbine towers are installed at a distance of around 200-300 metres away from each other. Acharya also pointed towards a nearby water filtering plant which, he said, runs on wind power. A windmill tower in Pargi. The state produces 128MW of wind energy through these windmills. Photo by Manish Kumar. Pargi is about 90 kilometres away from the state’s capital city of Hyderabad and is among the two places where the state has installed wind power systems. Telangana’s total installed capacity from wind power is 128 megawatts (MW) including 100 MW from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/telangana-focuses-on-clean-energy-to-enhance-its-power-supply/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Telangana’s public transport system steadily moving to clean power</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/telanganas-public-transport-system-steadily-moving-to-clean-power/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/telanganas-public-transport-system-steadily-moving-to-clean-power/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Oct 2021 14:55:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Manish Kumar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electric vehicle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GMR Hyderabad International Airport.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[L&T Hyderabad Metro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Renewable Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telangana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSREDCO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSRTC]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/10/22100312/The-rooftop-solar-panels-installed-on-the-roof-of-MG-Bus-stand-juxtaposed-to-the-MG-Bus-Stand-metro-station.-Photo-by-Manish-Kumar-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=15959</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Telangana&#8217;s gradual shift towards renewable energy-powered public transport system is resulting in savings worth millions and earning the state agencies plaudits from the public. Utilising clean energy, primarily solar, in various parts of the state&#8217;s transport infrastructure &#8211; road transport, airport and metro &#8211; and transitioning to electric vehicles are some of the ways that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Telangana&#8217;s gradual shift towards renewable energy-powered public transport system is resulting in savings worth millions and earning the state agencies plaudits from the public. Utilising clean energy, primarily solar, in various parts of the state&#8217;s transport infrastructure &#8211; road transport, airport and metro &#8211; and transitioning to electric vehicles are some of the ways that Telangana, a state in southern India that was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, is making the shift to reduce its carbon emissions, one of the primary drivers of climate change, and save power costs. The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), for example, joined hands with  Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Limited (TSREDCO), the state’s nodal agency on clean energy, to install solar rooftop systems on the bus stations, bus depots and workshops. “It all started in 2019-20 after we joined hands with the TSREDCO and started using solar power on our premises to fulfil our energy needs. There are 97 bus depots and 364 bus stations in Telangana. On most of them, solar rooftop panels have been installed while work to install them on the remaining ones is going on,” a senior official from TSRTC told Mongabay-India while requesting anonymity. “By switching partially to clean energy, we saved about Rs. 22.6 million (Rs. 2.26 crore) per annum and reduced carbon emissions by around 7,300 tonnes/year,” the official claimed. In addition to the bus stations, the local authorities are also using solar power for traffic signals. “In Hyderabad, 221 traffic signals are&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/telanganas-public-transport-system-steadily-moving-to-clean-power/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/telanganas-public-transport-system-steadily-moving-to-clean-power/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Controversial uranium mining project shelved in Telangana</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/controversial-uranium-mining-project-shelved-in-telangana/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/controversial-uranium-mining-project-shelved-in-telangana/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Apr 2021 12:38:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[M. Somasekhar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/01/28163657/Tiger-jumping_David-Raju-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13841</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Protected Areas, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Between protecting the interests of the tigers and Chenchu tribals, and pursuing uranium mining in Telangana state, the former has won for now. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Hyderabad under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has decided to ‘shelve’ the project to drill boreholes in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Between protecting the interests of the tigers and Chenchu tribals, and pursuing uranium mining in Telangana state, the former has won for now. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Hyderabad under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has decided to ‘shelve’ the project to drill boreholes in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) to prospect for the yellowcake, a form of uranium ore. Uranium is used as the basic fuel to generate nuclear power. In 2019, an expert panel on forests of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had recommended in-principle approval for a proposal by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for survey and exploration of uranium over 83 square kilometres in the tiger reserve. However, facing opposition from environmental groups, conservationists and NGOs, the Telangana government and the state wildlife board consistently rejected the project during the last two years. The key grounds were the threat to the tigers and wildlife, water pollution, damage to the habitation where the Chenchu tribals reside and the long gestation period which was detrimental to the overall forest reserve. Yellowcake uranium, a solid form of uranium oxide produced from uranium ore. Photo courtesy of Energy Fuels Inc./Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Flickr. Consequently, the AMD came to a final conclusion. On March 15, its director D.K. Sinha, after a seminar on Radiation and Environment organised by the Indian Nuclear Society in Hyderabad, told the media that it has suspended plans of taking up survey and drilling of boreholes to estimate the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/controversial-uranium-mining-project-shelved-in-telangana/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>[Commentary] Counting bulbuls to conserve the Deccan hillocks and scrub forests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/commentary-counting-bulbuls-to-conserve-the-deccan-hillocks-and-scrub-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/commentary-counting-bulbuls-to-conserve-the-deccan-hillocks-and-scrub-forests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Jan 2021 12:30:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashish JhaSomdatta Karak]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/01/11120533/Fig-4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=12852</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The word ‘hill forest’ often brings up an imagery of a tall cliff draped in dense greenery, rising from the plains, peaking high to vanish amidst the mist. Though that is certainly true for the Western Ghats, the inland hillocks of the Deccan region do not conform to this. These are isolated hillocks, rising 500-1000 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The word ‘hill forest’ often brings up an imagery of a tall cliff draped in dense greenery, rising from the plains, peaking high to vanish amidst the mist. Though that is certainly true for the Western Ghats, the inland hillocks of the Deccan region do not conform to this. These are isolated hillocks, rising 500-1000 m above earth’s surface, found across Southern India between the Eastern and Western Ghats. They consist of huge granitic monoliths, naked rock sheets and sparsely distributed trees and thickets, justifying their other names as granitic inselbergs or rocky outcrops. Precariously placed rocks and boulders are signatures of inland hillocks of the Deccan. The rocks predate the Himalayas by 50-100 million years; eons of weathering and climatic events have eroded much of their top soil. In the scorching heat of a typical summer noon, the withered bushes and stunted trees might give an impression of a silent and drowsy ecosystem to an uninitiated eye. Eons of weathering has exposed rocks of inland hillocks as pieces of art. Photo by Ashish Jha. However, this seemingly barren land hides the treasure of life. Beneath these rocks, one will find moist patches supporting mosses and ferns. There are no streams cascading through them. But water trickling through these rock layers creates a microcosm. It is around such moist patches that one finds tall lush green trees, in an otherwise arid landscape. Rock crevices hold moisture, and provide safe refuge for tree sprouts, insects and various reptiles. While the noon&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/01/commentary-counting-bulbuls-to-conserve-the-deccan-hillocks-and-scrub-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Hyderabad floods highlight the need for a disaster mitigation and climate resilience plan</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/11/hyderabad-floods-highlight-the-need-for-a-disaster-mitigation-and-climate-resilience-plan/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/11/hyderabad-floods-highlight-the-need-for-a-disaster-mitigation-and-climate-resilience-plan/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Nov 2020 12:18:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[M. Somasekhar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/10/28183520/hydflood4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=12007</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Flood and drought]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Floods, Impacts of Climate Change, and Monsoons]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For residents of Hyderabad city in India, September usually meant caution as the month brought unusually heavy rains. The Great Musi Floods of 1908  that impacted most of Hyderabad was caused by an unprecedented downpour on September 28 that year and each year September has been the time for caution. This year however, it is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[For residents of Hyderabad city in India, September usually meant caution as the month brought unusually heavy rains. The Great Musi Floods of 1908  that impacted most of Hyderabad was caused by an unprecedented downpour on September 28 that year and each year September has been the time for caution. This year however, it is October that saw an extreme weather event that will be etched in the memories of the people. Sudden spells of heavy downpour, cloud bursts and flash floods over a week and especially on the intervening night of October 13-14, exposed the fragile and inefficient urban infrastructure of the capital of Telangana. Some experts claim that it is a clear case of the impact of climate change causing extreme weather events. Others point out that it is an example of bad planning, encroachment of lakes and poor urban infrastructure and preparedness. Hyderabad lost 33 lives, nearly 40,000 families got badly impacted and suffered a property loss of Rs. 6.7 billion (Rs 670 crores) as per official estimates. Hyderabad of October 2020, Chennai of December 2015 and Mumbai of July 2005 are definite cases of extreme events. They are wake up calls for urban planners to firm up strategies and implement measures to minimise the damages of such events, whose occurrence could only increase in future, say experts. Annual average fatalities in India due to climate hazards are about 3660, which is the second highest in the world. The vulnerability of southern cities to urban flooding seems higher.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/11/hyderabad-floods-highlight-the-need-for-a-disaster-mitigation-and-climate-resilience-plan/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Discarded single-use plastic masks and gloves are choking ocean beds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/discarded-single-use-plastic-masks-and-gloves-are-choking-ocean-beds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/discarded-single-use-plastic-masks-and-gloves-are-choking-ocean-beds/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2020 14:51:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nalini Ravichandran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/10/28181110/Heaps-of-masks-were-found-along-with-other-biomedical-waste-on-Rushikonda-beach-seabed.-Photo-courtesy-Platypus-Escapes-Visakhapatnam..jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=11995</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Coast, Plastic, Pollution, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On September 16, when Subhash Chandran, a scuba diver, along with four others, went for their first underwater clean-up post the lockdown at Rushikonda beach in Visakhapatnam, they found floating in the seabed N-95, surgical and cloth masks and other biomedical waste. The divers removed over 1500 kg of waste over three rounds till September [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[On September 16, when Subhash Chandran, a scuba diver, along with four others, went for their first underwater clean-up post the lockdown at Rushikonda beach in Visakhapatnam, they found floating in the seabed N-95, surgical and cloth masks and other biomedical waste. The divers removed over 1500 kg of waste over three rounds till September 27. The Rushikonda beach was recommended by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for the coveted ‘Blue Flag’ certification on September 19, the International Coastal Cleanup day. The eco-label is given to the cleanest beaches in the world meeting stringent environmental and safety criteria. Over the years, there has been a 70 percent decline in marine species with many figuring as endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The single-use plastic protective gears are a new threat to aquatic lives. Chandran, the founder of the scuba diving centre Platypus Escapes, had removed 17,000 kg of wet plastic over 57 days in November, last year. “It is an ocean of plastic and biomedical waste, flowing through open drainage systems from hospitals and litter on the beach,” he said. According to the World Health Organization, every month the world needs 89 million plastic medical masks and 1.6 million protective goggles, which are made of polypropylene and may take even 500 years to degrade in the ocean. Around 10, 000 discarded masks, 1050 gloves and PPE kits were found on Mumbai&#8217;s Juhu beach in a cleanup drive during May-August. Photo&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/discarded-single-use-plastic-masks-and-gloves-are-choking-ocean-beds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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					<title>Migratory openbill storks find safe haven in Andhra village</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/migratory-openbill-storks-find-safe-haven-in-andhra-village/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/migratory-openbill-storks-find-safe-haven-in-andhra-village/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Oct 2020 12:58:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish KumarSahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/10/05155315/Openbill-storks-seen-in-the-patched-vegetation-at-the-village-periphery.-Photo-Credit-Manish-Kumar-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=11605</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Eco Hope]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Birds, Community based conservation, People, Positive Environmental, Villages, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With the onset of monsoons, excitement sets in, in a community along India’s southeast coast. The Telukunchi village community in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, with vast swathes of wetlands, prepares to welcome their winged guests, the migratory Asian openbill storks (Anastomus oscitans), in the hope of prosperity and good rains. Conspicuous by their peculiar long, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With the onset of monsoons, excitement sets in, in a community along India’s southeast coast. The Telukunchi village community in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, with vast swathes of wetlands, prepares to welcome their winged guests, the migratory Asian openbill storks (Anastomus oscitans), in the hope of prosperity and good rains. Conspicuous by their peculiar long, dull grayish-yellow bill with a gap, the large pale grey wading birds have been visiting the village for several decades, recall village elders. The distinctive-looking stork species occur in the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia. Along the Bay of Bengal, coastal areas of Srikakulam, such as Telineelapuram and Telukunchi wetlands, are Important Bird Areas (IBA) receiving good numbers of spot-billed pelicans, painted storks (Telineelapuram), and openbills (Telukunchi). The Asian openbills prefer the Srikakulam district because of the wetlands habitats that aid in their feeding. And at Telukunchi, the community has forged friendly relations with the birds and is familiar with their routine-the storks arrive every year during monsoons and leave the region around January; after enjoying six months of stay with their hospitable human inhabitants. Asian openbill stork in a wetland. Photo by Sumanta Pramanick/Flickr. They use the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) in India, one of the nine flyways (or migration flightpath) in the world. India lies at the heart of CAF, which spans 30 countries. Ornithologists said the Telukunchi openbills are local migrants that move within India. The Telukunchi wetlands, economically important to the community, act as ecological connections in the Flyway. Tradition seems&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/migratory-openbill-storks-find-safe-haven-in-andhra-village/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>New research improves understanding on dengue, but vaccine search continues</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/new-research-improves-understanding-on-dengue-but-vaccine-search-continues/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/new-research-improves-understanding-on-dengue-but-vaccine-search-continues/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Sep 2020 12:37:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[M. Somasekhar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/09/09212738/Dengue-banner.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=11297</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Environment, Health impacts, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As COVID-19 cases rapidly rise in India (more than 4.4 million cases now), the annual scourge of dengue fever is also slowly raising its head. India is labelled as ‘hyper-endemic’, by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for dengue. Which means, the virus is active in almost the entire country and throughout the year. The worst [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As COVID-19 cases rapidly rise in India (more than 4.4 million cases now), the annual scourge of dengue fever is also slowly raising its head. India is labelled as ‘hyper-endemic’, by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for dengue. Which means, the virus is active in almost the entire country and throughout the year. The worst period being monsoon to winter. The dengue virus is prevalent in at least 150 countries. Most of them are endemic and suffer the impact with varying degree of occurrence. About 40% of the world&#8217;s population is at the risk of dengue virus infections with 400 million cases reported annually. Lack of complete understanding of the (pathogenesis) is one of the main hurdles for developing effective anti-virals for dengue, which is caused by the females of Aedis aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. There is no specific drug and an effective vaccine is far off, say experts. However, it’s all not ‘gloom and doom’. Recent research from the University of Hyderabad (UoH), has broken new ground with three important findings in one year. These include, identifying all the four strains (serotypes) of the virus in the country, developing a simple, diagnostic test and finding the reason for the huge drop in blood platelet count in patients with severe dengue, which potentially leads to death in some severe cases. The Aedes mosquito that causes dengue. Photo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The link between dengue and COVID-19 The latest UoH study, published in the Journal of Virology, has established that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/new-research-improves-understanding-on-dengue-but-vaccine-search-continues/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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