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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Roads a risk to the world&#8217;s smallest wild cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jul 2026 15:16:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roadkill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rusty spotted cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/27131148/Rusty_spotted_cat_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39631</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Protected Areas, Roads, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have reported two roadkill incidents of the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) at the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. The two records are the first documented occurrence of the small carnivore in southern Uttar Pradesh, according to the research paper published in the Journal of Threatened [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have reported two roadkill incidents of the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) at the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. The two records are the first documented occurrence of the small carnivore in southern Uttar Pradesh, according to the research paper published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in May. Roadkill data for small carnivores is heavily underreported, and these records were “a matter of chance”, according to Vishnupriya Kolipakam, a WII scientist and one of the paper’s authors. While they add a new locality to the small cat’s known range, the wildlife sanctuary falls within its distribution range, Kolipakam said. “The wild cat has been reported from areas all around Chambal, including Kuno, Rangarh-Vishdhar, Ranthambhore, and Dholpur,” she said. However, this follows a pattern, as seen in recent papers that have curated sighting reports of the strictly nocturnal cat. There were nine records of roadkill from the Saurashtra Peninsula in Gujarat between 2016 and 2024, and four records from Rajasthan between 2000 and 2020. In Nepal, too, where the cat was discovered as recently as 2016, there has been a record of a roadkill. For an elusive small cat that has been rarely observed in the wild, these roadkill records add up to a significant number. There are also not enough studies looking at the effects of roads on small carnivores, noted Shomita Mukherjee, a senior principal scientist at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). “Whatever is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Night shifts help brick kiln workers avoid peak heat, not its consequences</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/night-shifts-help-brick-kiln-workers-avoid-peak-heat-not-its-consequences/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/night-shifts-help-brick-kiln-workers-avoid-peak-heat-not-its-consequences/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jun 2026 15:12:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shivam Bhardwaj]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick kiln]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/26113356/reena-working-at-site-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38821</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Extreme Weather Events, Health impacts, Human Rights, Impacts of Climate Change, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It was 3:00 a.m. on May 22. Crickets chirped in an open field near Kurka village in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh. However, the workday had started two hours ago for Reena Kashyap, 30, and her husband, Jagdish Kashyap who were moulding bricks under a solar-powered light. &#8220;We are now working through the night because it [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It was 3:00 a.m. on May 22. Crickets chirped in an open field near Kurka village in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh. However, the workday had started two hours ago for Reena Kashyap, 30, and her husband, Jagdish Kashyap who were moulding bricks under a solar-powered light. &#8220;We are now working through the night because it is impossible to stay here in the scorching afternoon heat,” she said. The couple, who mould bricks for Adarsh Brick Industry, went to sleep at 9:00 p.m. and woke up at 12:30 a.m. They planned to continue working until 11:00 a.m. “After that, I have to bathe, wash clothes, cook, and feed the children. Then in the evening, we stack the bricks and prepare the mud for the next day; the entire day is gone,&#8221; she said. Jagdish added, &#8220;During summer, we barely manage four hours of sleep a day. It is so hot during the day that sleeping is impossible. We don&#8217;t have any facilities like fans, coolers, or electricity here ,at the kiln.&#8221; The couple migrated from the village of Bujhia Jagir to the brick kiln site in Kurka in the same tehsil, Meerganj, in January 2026. They live here with their four children in a temporary shelter built of bricks and raw mud with a tin roof. There is no ventilation or electricity. &#8220;We try to sleep for one to two hours during the day, but it bakes inside. It is impossible to sleep; the entire body feels restless,&#8221; said Reena, who&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/night-shifts-help-brick-kiln-workers-avoid-peak-heat-not-its-consequences/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>As temperatures rise, cattle industry feels the strain</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-temperatures-rise-cattle-and-the-related-economy-feels-the-strain/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-temperatures-rise-cattle-and-the-related-economy-feels-the-strain/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 May 2026 13:21:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Himanshu Arya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle breeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dairy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dairy sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat Action Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/19103203/AP207690559431-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38234</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Impacts of Climate Change, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Jagdish Agrahari, a resident of Sultanpur in Ayodhya district, Uttar Pradesh, started rearing cattle in August 2025 and selling milk to supplement his income. He has four jersey cows, one Holstein Friesian, and three buffaloes. Agrahari&#8217;s jersey cows fell sick during the weather-changing season in March, as they failed to adjust to the sudden increase [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Jagdish Agrahari, a resident of Sultanpur in Ayodhya district, Uttar Pradesh, started rearing cattle in August 2025 and selling milk to supplement his income. He has four jersey cows, one Holstein Friesian, and three buffaloes. Agrahari&#8217;s jersey cows fell sick during the weather-changing season in March, as they failed to adjust to the sudden increase in temperature. The treatment bill came to ₹20,000. He can manage the costs, he says, only because he and his two brothers also run a scrap shop. But most of the 80 million rural households that rely on cattle rearing and dairy for their livelihood have limited capacity to bear rising costs. These farmers have played an important role in the growth of India’s dairy sector over the last two decades. During this period, milk production increased from around 80 million tonnes in 2000 to 239 million tonnes in 2023. However, these gains are now under growing pressure as climate change begins to disrupt India’s cattle economy. A recent study by the New Delhi-based think tank, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), says that more than half (54%) of buffalo rearers reported climate-related impacts on their animals. The study claims that half of those rearing crossbred or exotic cattle and 41% of Indigenous rearers report similar impacts. The impact of climate change ranges from increased disease rates, restlessness, and mortality among bovines to reduced productivity and threats to the livelihoods and nutritional security of cattle rearers, it says. Shorter lactation periods, fewer productive days,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/as-temperatures-rise-cattle-and-the-related-economy-feels-the-strain/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Ramsar wetland tag needs to be followed up with sustained management, say experts</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ramsar-wetland-tag-needs-to-be-followed-up-with-sustained-management-say-experts/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ramsar-wetland-tag-needs-to-be-followed-up-with-sustained-management-say-experts/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Apr 2026 11:45:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migratory birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar site]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar sites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waterbirds]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/24094121/Image_5_Sarus_cranes-e1777004765814-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37855</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Lakes, Water, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has been designated a Ramsar site, taking India’s total number of wetlands of international importance to 99 and Uttar Pradesh’s tally to 12. The 40-hectare freshwater wetland in the Upper Gangetic Plain that supports 249 bird species, including 62 water bird and wetland-dependent species. The perennial water [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has been designated a Ramsar site, taking India’s total number of wetlands of international importance to 99 and Uttar Pradesh’s tally to 12. The 40-hectare freshwater wetland in the Upper Gangetic Plain that supports 249 bird species, including 62 water bird and wetland-dependent species. The perennial water body regularly hosts more than 20,000 water birds in peak winter and serves as a refuge during dry months, supporting vulnerable species such as sarus crane, common pochard, greater spotted eagle and endangered freshwater turtles. The Ramsar site is characterised by a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands, forests and agriculture lands. The Ramsar official information sheet describes the wetland’s role in groundwater recharge, irrigation support, nature tourism, education and research, while also noting that it is facing pressures from invasive alien species, excess heat and noise, temperature extremes and grazing. The management plan lists several on-ground measures already proposed or taken at the site, including mounds for bird resting and nesting, a nature trail, two watchtowers, weed removal in some areas, afforestation, awareness drives and involvement of local villagers in conservation. India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, in a press release, that Shekha Jheel acts as “a crucial stopover on the Central Asian Flyway,” providing habitat for migratory birds such as the bar-headed goose, painted stork and various ducks during winter. The Ramsar dossier says Shekha Jheel supports several species of higher conservation concern, including the vulnerable sarus crane, common pochard, greater spotted eagle and river&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ramsar-wetland-tag-needs-to-be-followed-up-with-sustained-management-say-experts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Hopes for inland waterways transport fall short as operational challenges rise</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/hopes-for-inland-waterways-transport-fall-short-as-operational-challenges-rise/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/hopes-for-inland-waterways-transport-fall-short-as-operational-challenges-rise/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Apr 2026 12:48:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rahul Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transportation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/13105842/Saraswati-Ghat-at-Yamuna-River-in-Prayagraj-2-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Industry, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2016, Nitin Gadkari, the then Shipping Minister, laid the foundation stone for a multi-modal terminal (MMT) in Ramnagar, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and symbolically flagged off two ships. In November 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the completed terminal, built on the banks of the Ganga River, as a key stop on National [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2016, Nitin Gadkari, the then Shipping Minister, laid the foundation stone for a multi-modal terminal (MMT) in Ramnagar, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and symbolically flagged off two ships. In November 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the completed terminal, built on the banks of the Ganga River, as a key stop on National Waterway-1. “Inland waterways will save time and money, reduce road congestion, fuel costs and vehicular pollution,” the Prime Minister had said at the time. However, today, transportation through National Waterway-1 remains inefficient and unreliable. Adequate river depth remains a major problem for water transport throughout all months. Targets set in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) projected that the multi-modal terminal had the potential to transport 3.55 million tons annually by 2020, 3.82 million tons by 2025, 10.12 million tons by 2035 and 10.32 million tons by 2045. However, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is far behind these targets. When Mongabay-India asked about the number of trips from the terminal and operational challenges, Sanjeev Kumar, Assistant Director at IWAI, did not provide any concrete response. The Ganga River flows through Jopa village in Mirzapur district, between Varanasi and Prayagraj. Image by Rahul Singh. Goals vs reality According to a data analysis of the IWAI cargo portal by Manthan Adhyayan Kendra (an organisation that conducts research on waterways), only two shipments were flagged off from the Varanasi MMT in 2024-25. From November 2018 to December 2025, about 1,057 metric tonnes were transported from Varanasi MMT,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/hopes-for-inland-waterways-transport-fall-short-as-operational-challenges-rise/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Rewilding rhinos as part of a long-term conservation plan</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rewilding-rhinos-as-part-of-a-long-term-conservation-plan/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rewilding-rhinos-as-part-of-a-long-term-conservation-plan/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Apr 2026 16:23:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brahmaputra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dudhwa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dudhwa Tiger Reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greater one-horned rhino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rhino conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/03152740/DSC4427.JPG-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Grasslands, Mammals, Protected Areas, Rhinos, Rivers, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the grasslands of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, a rhino stood inside a transport crate mounted on a tractor trolley as forest staff, veterinarians, mahouts and elephants gathered around it. Once the team lifted the door and stepped back, the animal paused briefly, looked around, and then moved toward the forest. The was [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[In the grasslands of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, a rhino stood inside a transport crate mounted on a tractor trolley as forest staff, veterinarians, mahouts and elephants gathered around it. Once the team lifted the door and stepped back, the animal paused briefly, looked around, and then moved toward the forest. The was part of a two-day release operation in March 2026, during which forest staff, veterinarians and field teams shifted four great one-horned rhinos from a fenced rehabilitation area into the reserve’s core habitat. The rhinos (one male and three females aged 15 to 25 years) were tranquilised, fitted with radio collars, examined and then released into an unfenced grassland area inside the reserve. With the introduction of the four rhinos in March, Dudhwa now has eight free-ranging rhinos. This exercise was carried out by a joint team of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and WWF-India. It was the third such effort after similar releases in November 2024 and March 2025. The team has set up a monitoring mechanism and control room to track the animals using VHF and satellite locations. H. Rajamohan, Field Director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, said in a press release, the release of the four rhinos into the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was a significant step in rhino conservation. “After decades of hard work, the efforts to bring back rhinos to India’s Terai landscape have finally begun to bear fruit. The exercise exemplifies the commitment of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department to conserve and protect&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rewilding-rhinos-as-part-of-a-long-term-conservation-plan/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Traditional boatmen washed out by waterways infrastructure and tourism</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/traditional-boatmen-washed-out-by-waterways-infrastructure-and-tourism/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/traditional-boatmen-washed-out-by-waterways-infrastructure-and-tourism/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Mar 2026 17:36:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rahul Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/17154548/Varanasi-MMT-main-Building-2-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37310</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Environmental Politics, Industry, Pollution, Rivers, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A multi-modal terminal (MMT) has been constructed on the banks of the Ganga river in Ramnagar, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, under the National Waterways Project, a venture of the central government. As part of this project, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also approved the construction of a freight village in Milkipur in December 2018, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A multi-modal terminal (MMT) has been constructed on the banks of the Ganga river in Ramnagar, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, under the National Waterways Project, a venture of the central government. As part of this project, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also approved the construction of a freight village in Milkipur in December 2018, with a budget of ₹156 crore and the foundation stone for it was laid on September 2025. The village is to be developed on approximately 100 acres of land as a cargo hub. In a report submitted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee in the Rajya Sabha in December 2024, the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shripad Naik stated that the freight village would facilitate the shift of cargo from rail and road to waterways. The land is to be acquired from villages in Varanasi and surrounding districts by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). However, this land largely belongs to the Mallah community which is native to the region. They claim that this land is being acquired from them at very low prices, and that the project will adversely impact their long-standing traditional livelihoods as boatmen of the Ganga. Concerns related to land acquisition The announcement of the freight village has left 43-year-old Chhaya Devi worried for her future. She is a resident of Tahirpur village in Mughalsarai tehsil of Chandauli district, which is adjacent to Varanasi. “We will not give our land to the port (IWAI) to build the freight village. If&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/traditional-boatmen-washed-out-by-waterways-infrastructure-and-tourism/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Old kilns, new blocks, uncertain futures</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2026 11:40:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tanvi Bhatia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick kiln]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manufacutring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/26101535/AP20081304327460-e1772081488710-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37042</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Coal, Energy, Environmental Economics, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With expanding cities, rising housing demand, and large-scale infrastructure projects, India is witnessing one of the world&#8217;s fastest construction booms. Under the government&#8217;s urban housing scheme, over a period of 10 years, 11.8 million houses were sanctioned, 11.4 million grounded for construction, and over 8 million completed as of 2024. Meanwhile, under the rural housing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With expanding cities, rising housing demand, and large-scale infrastructure projects, India is witnessing one of the world&#8217;s fastest construction booms. Under the government&#8217;s urban housing scheme, over a period of 10 years, 11.8 million houses were sanctioned, 11.4 million grounded for construction, and over 8 million completed as of 2024. Meanwhile, under the rural housing scheme the government plants to construct 20 million houses by 2029. Every year, the country constructs millions of buildings, reflecting both the scale and pace of this growth. The construction sector is a critical contributor to climate change. According to the World Green Building Council, buildings and construction together account for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions, with materials and construction alone contributing 11%. The growing construction demand has increased the demand for bricks and the brick industry is growing. India is the world’s second-largest producer of bricks, after China. Yet, much of the sector is unorganised, widely dispersed, and largely informal. Traditional brick-making methods rely on coal-fired, energy-intensive kilns, resulting in higher emissions from fired clay bricks used in construction. The brick industry is one of the largest (coal) energy users and a source of GHG emissions from India. But it also employs some of the largest workforces in India, after agriculture. Kanpur, an industrial city in Uttar Pradesh, has a well-established brick manufacturing industry. Its peripheral regions host numerous traditional brick kilns that fuel the city’s rapid construction growth. At the same time, several enterprises here are experimenting with low-carbon alternatives such as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Why wolf psychology matters for community-based conservation [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-wolf-psychology-matters-for-community-based-conservation-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-wolf-psychology-matters-for-community-based-conservation-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Feb 2026 13:04:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Devvrat SinghRohit R.S. Jha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wolf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wolves]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/05102951/Indian_Wolf-e1770273062621-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36749</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During March to October 2024, panic gripped several villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Children were vanishing, snatched from courtyards and fields by a predator many had only heard of in folklore: the Indian wolf. For months, fear and confusion rippled through the community. Forest officials searched for answers, experts debated theories, and villagers kept [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During March to October 2024, panic gripped several villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Children were vanishing, snatched from courtyards and fields by a predator many had only heard of in folklore: the Indian wolf. For months, fear and confusion rippled through the community. Forest officials searched for answers, experts debated theories, and villagers kept sleepless night vigils. But when the reports came in, explanations ranged from rabies to mistaken identity — perhaps feral dogs or wolf-dog hybrids — and various ecological drivers of conflict. The attacks were attributed to a specific pack of six wolves. Five of these wolves were captured by the forest department (one died of stress during capture). The sixth and final wolf was beaten to death by villagers in October, when it attempted to attack a goat. The relief proved temporary, and after nearly a year, as similar events recur — accompanied by drastic measures from the state forest department, including the killing of wolves — several underlying aspects remain unanswered. To uncover the reality of such cases, the lead author, along with senior veterinarian Utkarsh Shukla, conducted a field investigation in Mahasi Tehsil of Bahraich district — one of the worst-hit areas — in the winter of 2024. The findings challenge long-held beliefs about wolf intelligence and human-wolf interactions. A wolf shaped by human landscapes The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes), recently listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is not an animal of distant forests and untouched wilderness.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-wolf-psychology-matters-for-community-based-conservation-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A proposed night safari threatens the ecosystem of an urban forest [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-proposed-night-safari-threatens-the-ecosystem-of-an-urban-forestcommentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-proposed-night-safari-threatens-the-ecosystem-of-an-urban-forestcommentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Dec 2025 10:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shravya Shruti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[policy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/26133118/IMG_5436-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36263</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered species, Environmental Law, Forests, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Uttar Pradesh government has proposed a night safari in the Kukrail Reserve Forest. While it is being planned as an eco-tourism project, artificial lighting, noise, and constant human presence threaten the very species it aims to protect. Located on the capital city — Lucknow’s northern edge, Kukrail is more than a patch of green; [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Uttar Pradesh government has proposed a night safari in the Kukrail Reserve Forest. While it is being planned as an eco-tourism project, artificial lighting, noise, and constant human presence threaten the very species it aims to protect. Located on the capital city — Lucknow’s northern edge, Kukrail is more than a patch of green; it is the city’s green lung, home to owls, reptiles, migratory birds, and the nation’s most prominent gharial rehabilitation centre. Several studies describe light pollution as an “ecological pollutant” that alters animal behaviour, navigation, and reproduction, breaking the natural rhythm that species like owls, bats, and jackals depend on. Dilution of environmental laws The first phase of the project, covering 6.5 hectares (about the size of two to three cricket grounds) will include enclosures, walking trails, a 7D theatre, an art gallery, and other visitor facilities. What might have required a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) under the 2006 notification could now, in practice, bypass rigorous scrutiny because the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, redefines what counts as “non-forest use” for certain government projects like safaris and zoos. This reclassification can allow such projects to proceed without triggering the EIA process, even if their ecological footprint remains significant. However, the exemption given to safaris under Section 5(a) of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 is itself under challenge in the Supreme Court. Moreover, in its February 2024 order in the Corbett Tiger Reserve case, the Supreme Court further restricted the construction of safaris in forest&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/a-proposed-night-safari-threatens-the-ecosystem-of-an-urban-forestcommentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Proposed sloth bear reserve caught between courts and a thermal power project</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/proposed-sloth-bear-reserve-caught-between-courts-and-a-thermal-power-project/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/proposed-sloth-bear-reserve-caught-between-courts-and-a-thermal-power-project/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Dec 2025 16:49:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shaz Syed]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sloth bear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thermal energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thermal Power Plants]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/18141539/Sloth_Bear_with_Cubs_at_Bor_tiger_reserve_Maharashtra_India-e1766047635833-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36127</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coal, Deforestation, Energy, Environment, Forests, Mining, Pollution, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A proposed conservation reserve for the sloth bear in Uttar Pradesh is caught in a prolonged battle with a thermal power plant. Even as scientific studies and forest officials support the proposal for a sloth bear reserve in the Vindhyan forests of Mirzapur, work on a 1,600-megawatt coal-based plant has advanced in the in the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A proposed conservation reserve for the sloth bear in Uttar Pradesh is caught in a prolonged battle with a thermal power plant. Even as scientific studies and forest officials support the proposal for a sloth bear reserve in the Vindhyan forests of Mirzapur, work on a 1,600-megawatt coal-based plant has advanced in the in the area, despite multiple legal challenges. Sloth bears have historically inhabited the dry deciduous forests and hilly terrain of Mirzapur. Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, the sloth bear is the only species of ursid that has adapted to feeding on ants, termites and fruits, a trait critical for it to thrive in small home ranges, often in harsh conditions and with a degree of tolerance to human disturbances. Protecting the bear&#8217;s prime habitats is key to its survival. “If the (thermal power plant) project is established at the proposed location, it would necessitate a railway line, water pipelines, transmission lines and approach roads, all through the contiguous forested landscape,” said Debadityo Sinha, co-founder of Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation (VENHF) and a graduate from the South Campus of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) that adjoins the forest ranges. “It would spell disaster for the forest.” Forests in Marihan range in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. A proposed conservation reserve for the sloth bear in the Vindhyan forests is caught in a battle with a thermal power plant. Image by Debadityo Sinha. A legacy of wildlife  Mirzapur has long been an important administrative and trading centre on the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/proposed-sloth-bear-reserve-caught-between-courts-and-a-thermal-power-project/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Residential rooftop solar grows under government scheme, but gaps persist [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/residential-rooftop-solar-grows-under-pm-surya-ghar-yojana-but-gaps-persist-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/residential-rooftop-solar-grows-under-pm-surya-ghar-yojana-but-gaps-persist-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Dec 2025 12:35:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gaurav UpadhyayPrabhakar Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decentralised energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decentralised renewable energy (DRE)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decentralised solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PMSGY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rooftop solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Rooftop]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/15121734/AP24052670530069-cropped-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36058</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat, India, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s rooftops are increasingly dotted with solar panels, marking a new chapter in the country’s clean energy story. The central government scheme, Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGY), launched in February 2024, has brought residential rooftop solar into the mainstream after years of slow uptake. As of July 2025, India had installed about [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s rooftops are increasingly dotted with solar panels, marking a new chapter in the country’s clean energy story. The central government scheme, Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGY), launched in February 2024, has brought residential rooftop solar into the mainstream after years of slow uptake. As of July 2025, India had installed about 11 gigawatts (GW) of residential rooftop solar capacity, of which, about half, 4.9 GW, has been added under the PMSGY. For a country that depends heavily on imported fossil fuels, the idea of turning every roof into a small power plant carries both economic and environmental value. The scheme aims to make rooftop solar more affordable and accessible for households across India. And in its first year itself, it is clear the scheme has sparked widespread interest. However, in our recent analysis, we find that while early results are encouraging, the programme’s on-ground implementation faces several hurdles, including financing bottlenecks, supply chain gaps, limited awareness and procedural delays. Early successes but uneven progress Before PMSGY, rooftop solar uptake in India was largely limited to commercial and industrial consumers. For households, factors such as high upfront costs, complex processes, and low awareness acted as barriers. The government sought to change this by standardising capital incentives and simplifying procedures to bring solar energy within the reach of regular families. Numbers reflect the scheme&#8217;s transformative impact. With a financial outlay of around $8 billion, the scheme targets 30 GW of residential rooftop solar capacity and coverage of 10&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/residential-rooftop-solar-grows-under-pm-surya-ghar-yojana-but-gaps-persist-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>As wolf attacks rise, villagers and scientists hunt for answers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-wolf-attacks-rise-villagers-and-scientists-hunt-for-answers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-wolf-attacks-rise-villagers-and-scientists-hunt-for-answers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Nov 2025 16:15:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Raihana MaqboolSaurabh Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grey wolf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat degradation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human-wildlife conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild animals]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/07090104/Indal-Chauhan-in-green-t-shirt-along-with-villagers-guarding-the-village-in-the-daytime-from-wolves-with-sticks-in-their-hands.-Photo-Saurabh-Sharma-e1762489960423-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35423</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Human Wildlife Conflict and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a bright Saturday afternoon, Rafique, who goes by his first name, is busy counting the bullet cartridges in his left pouch. Rafique is a forest watcher with the Uttar Pradesh Wildlife Department. He also works as a designated shooter when required. This time, he has been deployed in Balrajpurva and nearby villages with a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a bright Saturday afternoon, Rafique, who goes by his first name, is busy counting the bullet cartridges in his left pouch. Rafique is a forest watcher with the Uttar Pradesh Wildlife Department. He also works as a designated shooter when required. This time, he has been deployed in Balrajpurva and nearby villages with a grim task: to hunt down and kill the animals, believed to be wolves, that are behind a series of recent attacks on humans, including children. These attacks have been taking place across a dozen of the villages and hamlets in the Bahraich district. As of October 21, allegedly six humans, including an elderly couple, have been killed and more than 20 people have been attacked since September 9. While many suspect the animals to be wolves, experts are disputing the claim. “We have orders to shoot wolves on sight and have so far killed three of the six wolves,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit Singh told Mongabay-India. The senior wildlife officer, currently posted in Ghazipur, has been temporarily deployed to manage the situation, as he had led a similar operation in 2024 in another part of the Bahraich district. He said that during that time, two wolves were killed and five were captured. It is pertinent to note that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered either to catch the wolf responsible for the recent attacks or call shooters to eliminate it for public safety. “I am not blaming the wolves for attacking the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-wolf-attacks-rise-villagers-and-scientists-hunt-for-answers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>U.S. tariffs set to threaten India’s traditional craft revival</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/us-tariffs-set-to-threaten-indias-traditional-craft-revival/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/us-tariffs-set-to-threaten-indias-traditional-craft-revival/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Sep 2025 17:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[textiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional crafts]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/26113717/1.-A-male-Artisan-making-a-handtufted-carpet-in-Bhadohi-Pic-courtesy-Aslam-Mahboob-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34796</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Economics, Environmental Politics, Industry, Politics, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It is late afternoon, and Chowk, one of the oldest markets of Lucknow, is bathed in the golden hues of dusk. Amid hurried footsteps drumming on cobblestones, the cries of vendors and the thick aroma of kebabs, a narrow by-lane leads to veteran embroiderer Zafar Ali’s weathered yet quiet kaarkhana (workshop) of chikankari and zardozi. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It is late afternoon, and Chowk, one of the oldest markets of Lucknow, is bathed in the golden hues of dusk. Amid hurried footsteps drumming on cobblestones, the cries of vendors and the thick aroma of kebabs, a narrow by-lane leads to veteran embroiderer Zafar Ali’s weathered yet quiet kaarkhana (workshop) of chikankari and zardozi. Sitting cross-legged on the cement floor, Zafar bends over an adda, a wooden frame stretched taut with fabric. With a hooked needle, he guides metallic threads through the cloth, bringing blossoms and vines to life. “When tariffs go up, we are the first to be hit. If the businessman doesn’t get orders, he won’t place orders with me. My livelihood dries up then,” says Zafar, referring to the tariffs imposed by the U.S. on textile imports from India. Zardozi and chikankari are artisanal hand embroidery techniques. While metallic threads, stones and pearls are used to create opulent designs in zardozi, intricate white thread work is done on light-weight fabrics in chikankari. “When a shock like this comes, buyers start shifting, orders start drying up and things fall apart,” says 33-year-old Zafar. In Srinagar, over 1,300 km away from Lucknow, Pashmina and handicraft manufacturer and exporter Mujtaba Kadri echoes a similar sentiment. “The U.S. is a primary market for us. Since the 50% tariff has come into effect, there is hardly any order. The previous shipments have gone, and there is no fresh order.  Right now, the business environment looks uncertain,” he rues. A similar situation&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/us-tariffs-set-to-threaten-indias-traditional-craft-revival/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Rooftop solar dreams turn sour for consumers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/rooftop-solar-dreams-turn-sour-for-consumers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/rooftop-solar-dreams-turn-sour-for-consumers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Aug 2025 13:18:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shikha Salaria]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rooftop solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Rooftop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[subsidy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/28124808/AP24052670717894-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34360</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change Mitigation and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When Ramesh Singh of Janipur, a village in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, installed a three-kilowatt (kW) solar rooftop plant on the terrace of his two-storey house last year, he expected his electricity bills to decrease and his power generation to meet his domestic needs. Initially, he received a minimal electricity bill, but in July he was [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When Ramesh Singh of Janipur, a village in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, installed a three-kilowatt (kW) solar rooftop plant on the terrace of his two-storey house last year, he expected his electricity bills to decrease and his power generation to meet his domestic needs. Initially, he received a minimal electricity bill, but in July he was shocked to get a bill of ₹12,269 for three months, much higher than what he had anticipated. “Earlier, I used to get a bill of about ₹700-800 per month. Now, despite the same load, I don’t understand how my bill has increased,” he said. He is not alone. In the Khajani town of Gorakhpur district, Brijesh Modanwal installed a five-kW solar plant in April 2025, hoping for minimal bills. By July 7, he was shocked to receive a bill of ₹22,295 for three months. Similar complaints of inflated bills are emerging from across the state. These consumer experiences highlight the gap between expectations and reality under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY), launched in February 2024 with the aim of promoting rooftop solar in the country. While Uttar Pradesh has set ambitious targets and ranks one among the top three nationally in the project&#8217;s rollout, many districts are struggling to meet their goals, even as consumers grapple with inflated bills and other challenges. The rooftop solar plant at Ramesh Singh’s house in Gorakhpur. He received an unexpectedly high electricity bill in July. Image by Shikha Salaria/Mongabay. Big push, uneven results According to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/rooftop-solar-dreams-turn-sour-for-consumers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<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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					<title>Tracking critically endangered turtles in the Ganges</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/tracking-critically-endangered-turtles-in-the-ganges/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/tracking-critically-endangered-turtles-in-the-ganges/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jun 2025 11:19:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/24103007/ce1be552-0504-410a-917c-38a94cbd13b8-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33285</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The red-crowned roofed turtle or batagur kachuga, which was almost on the verge of extinction in the Ganga river, has made a comeback after 30 years. In April, 20 turtles were translocated from the Garheta Turtle Conservation Centre —  located within and under the supervision of the National Chambal Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh (UP) — and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The red-crowned roofed turtle or batagur kachuga, which was almost on the verge of extinction in the Ganga river, has made a comeback after 30 years. In April, 20 turtles were translocated from the Garheta Turtle Conservation Centre —  located within and under the supervision of the National Chambal Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh (UP) — and released at the Haiderpur wetland, a Ramsar site located in UP, part of river Ganga. In collaboration with Namami Gange — the Ganga conservation mission by the Indian government, the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, and the India Turtle Conservation Program (ITCP), the critically endangered red-crowned turtles have been released and these turtles have been tagged with sonic devices to monitor their safety and migration. The rehabilitation process Red-crowned roofed turtles were once found in the Ganges river and its tributaries. But in the past 30 years, their numbers have decreased due to excessive hunting, illegal trade, loss of habitat and change in the flow of the river. The turtle is endemic to India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is also found in the Brahmaputra river region. Now, the only place in the country where a good number of these turtles are left is the National Chambal Sanctuary. And now, this area which is its natural home are also in danger. It is estimated that less than 500 female turtles are left here. In May 2021, a resident of Duhri, a village in UP’s Hapur district spotted a large turtle. When experts examined it, they found that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/tracking-critically-endangered-turtles-in-the-ganges/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>The railway journey to net zero began a century ago, but coal slows it down</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/the-railway-journey-to-net-zero-began-a-century-ago-but-coal-slows-it-down/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/the-railway-journey-to-net-zero-began-a-century-ago-but-coal-slows-it-down/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jun 2025 14:27:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Esha Lohia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indian Railway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[railways]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/06095429/1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32978</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A century ago, when terms like “climate goals” and “net zero” were unheard of, the railway tracks of Bombay (now Mumbai), witnessed a technological turning point and a precursor to today&#8217;s clean energy movement. On February 3, 1925, the then-Governor of Bombay, Sir Leslie Wilson, flagged off India&#8217;s first electric train at Victoria Terminus — now [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A century ago, when terms like “climate goals” and “net zero” were unheard of, the railway tracks of Bombay (now Mumbai), witnessed a technological turning point and a precursor to today&#8217;s clean energy movement. On February 3, 1925, the then-Governor of Bombay, Sir Leslie Wilson, flagged off India&#8217;s first electric train at Victoria Terminus — now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). As crowds cheered at the historic journey, India’s railways entered the electric age, a step what would, a century later, become an important part of the country’s green transition. India has committed to making its railways a net zero emitter by 2030. Electrification of the railways and shifting away from diesel engines, is part of India&#8217;s larger strategy towards net zero. The inaugural journey of India’s first electric train — four coaches on the Harbour Line designed to navigate Mumbai’s steep gradients — marked the beginning of a transformed rail network. Today, 98.83% of India’s broad-gauge network is electrified, up from just 388 route kilometres (RKM) before independence to 68,701 RKM as of March 2025. Electrification of railways has accelerated in recent years. Between 1947 and 2014, India electrified 21,801 route kilometres (RKM, a unit to measure a railway tracks). Since then, 46,900 RKM have been added by March 2025. Only five states — Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Assam — are yet to have all their railway lines turned electric. All other states have achieved full coverage. The environmental benefits of electrical railway, compared to other modes of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/the-railway-journey-to-net-zero-began-a-century-ago-but-coal-slows-it-down/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Public private partnerships build urban forests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/ppp-forests-partnerships-for-planet/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/ppp-forests-partnerships-for-planet/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Feb 2025 14:19:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corporate Social Responsibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest and Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ministry of Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nagar Van Yojana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Nations Development Programme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/20112827/3.-The-Nest-Pic-Credit-RPG-Foundation-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31548</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Haryana, India, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a winter afternoon, the air feels sharp and cold as one drives on the Yamuna expressway, which gives the impression of an endless concrete ribbon. Then, the landscape suddenly shifts — the concrete, metal, and glass skyline gives way to a lush green stretch. Step in, and a different experience awaits. Outside, the city [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a winter afternoon, the air feels sharp and cold as one drives on the Yamuna expressway, which gives the impression of an endless concrete ribbon. Then, the landscape suddenly shifts — the concrete, metal, and glass skyline gives way to a lush green stretch. Step in, and a different experience awaits. Outside, the city hums with speeding cars, honking bikes, and loud street vendors, and inside this pocket forest, peace blankets the air, punctuated by the soft rustle of leaves and birdsong. Here, two worlds coexist — the chaos of urban life and the serenity of nature. Welcome to the PPP forest, a public-private project developed on public land, funded by a corporate house, and executed by a group of environmental enthusiasts. By investing in these forests, companies are aiming to fulfil their corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments while making a long-term commitment to environment conservation. Urban forests are meant to work as green infrastructure that provides various environmental benefits, such as carbon sinks, natural air purifiers, and islands for heat reduction. Urban forests are an element of nature-based solutions, says Nidhi Pundhir, Senior Vice President, Global CSR at technology firm HCLTech. “Our vision for urban forests encompasses creating/restoring green urban spaces to improve air quality, combat pollution, and support biodiversity conservation in urban areas — all while enhancing community engagement in environmental protection,” says Pundhir, who is also the director of HCLFoundation, the CSR arm of HCLTech. An aerial view of Udaan Biodiversity Park in Pune, which was featured in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/ppp-forests-partnerships-for-planet/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Reviving an encroached bird haven</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/reviving-an-encroached-bird-haven/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/reviving-an-encroached-bird-haven/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Feb 2025 15:55:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[central asian flyway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migratory birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar sites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waterbirds]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/06132220/An_adult_female_Black-necked_Stork_drinking_water_in_an_irrigation_canal_in_Uttar_Pradesh-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India, a global biodiversity hotspot, is home to 1,306 bird species, accounting for 12.5% of the world’s avifauna — bird species found in a particular region or habitat. Within this vast richness, Uttar Pradesh plays a pivotal role, hosting over 500 bird species across 31 designated Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). Its wetlands, in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India, a global biodiversity hotspot, is home to 1,306 bird species, accounting for 12.5% of the world’s avifauna — bird species found in a particular region or habitat. Within this vast richness, Uttar Pradesh plays a pivotal role, hosting over 500 bird species across 31 designated Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). Its wetlands, in particular, serve as critical ecosystems for avian populations. Among these, the Saman Wetland Complex in the state’s Etawah and Mainpuri districts stand out as a vital bird sanctuary, offering crucial wintering habitats for migratory birds travelling across continents. Yet, despite its ecological importance, it remains inadequately studied, with significant gaps in avifaunal documentation. A recently published study has now addressed this gap, and highlighted the anthropogenic pressures that over the past two decades have degraded this habitat. “This study aimed to evaluate the current status of waterbird populations and diversity within the wetlands,” says Omkar Joshi, senior project fellow at the Bombay Natural History Society, and one of the authors of the study. Conservation and waterbird survey The Saman Wetland Complex comprises the Saman jheel (wetland) and its satellite wetlands — Sauj, Sarsai Nawar lake, Kurra jheel, and Kuddaiyya marshland. Of them, Saman and Kurra wetlands are included as priority sites under India’s National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats along Central Asian Flyway (2018-2023). All five wetlands are also designated as IBA, and attract large congregations of waterbirds, especially during the winter, including species such as the common teal (Anas&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/reviving-an-encroached-bird-haven/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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