Saving Darbhanga’s wetlands from encroachment and apathy
Almost a decade ago, when Narayanji Choudhary first decided to work to save ponds, by creating awareness in his home region of north Bihar, he didn’t think that one day,…
New frog species from unexplored Jharkhand and Bihar brings cheer
A new species of small burrowing frog has been discovered from the Chota Nagpur plateau in Jharkhand. Scientists have named it ‘Magadha Burrowing Frog,’ (Sphaerotheca magadha) after the ancient kingdom of…
A social venture on the road to improve lives, reduce emissions with electric rickshaws
Jugnu Prasad manoeuvres silently through the congested streets in Varanasi in the northern India state of Uttar Pradesh. While heavy air pollution and the sputter of fossil fuel-powered vehicles engulf…
Ganga is shifting away from Patna
“In last 20 years Gangaji has moved too far from here, perhaps our sins have caused this. We pollute it so much and dig its heart (for mining) day and…
Farmers become citizen scientists to adapt to climate change
Farmers in three countries, including in India, have turned into citizen scientists, helping generate data on crop varieties that adapt best to potential climatic changes. In a study spanning India,…
Gangetic river dolphins in the Indian Sundarbans struggle with swelling salinity
India’s national aquatic animal, the endangered Gangetic river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica), is rarely visible in the waterways of the Indian Sundarbans. A study sheds light on the rise in salinity…
Gharials of Gandak: A population back from the brink faces development pressures
Lalsa Yadav gushes with a big smile on his face every time he spots a gharial in the river Gandak, that flows through West Champaran district of Bihar, bordering Nepal.…
Durga puja art exhibits spur dialogue on conservation
Underpinned by the message of “good-over-evil”, Durga puja or the worship of goddess Durga, is one of the most important event in the religious calendar in east India. In contemporary times,…
Bihar’s wetlands are on a ventilator, but there is still hope from the ground
Seventy-year-old Narayan Sahni reminiscences the days when he used to catch around 8-10 kilograms of fish from the Kanwar Lake in Bihar almost every day. The catch was enough to…
Conservation benefits humans and wildlife in Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve
Mithilesh Kumar has been employed as a member of the patrolling team of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar for the past six years. He earns a monthly salary…
