Ludhiana attempts to come clean, again
In August this year, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) filed a criminal case against the mayor, commissioner and four other officials of the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana, a large…
Hope runs dry as groundwater sources in Punjab drop to alarming levels
On the morning of February 21, 2018, Manvir Singh, 32, a farmer from Andana village in Sangrur district of Punjab, left early from home for his farm. When Manju, his…
Punjab’s groundwater stress drowns in election noise
“It is easy to point fingers at farmers in Punjab for air pollution from stubble burning. But what about the pollution in rivers? Will people living in cities take responsibility…
Punjab farmers’ widows respond to apathy by standing in elections
In the agrarian state of Punjab, an average of two farmers have committed suicide every day, over the last 18 years, an estimate based on multiple reports. These statistics should…
Elections hold out little hope for Punjab’s farmers
In January this year, farmers across the state of Punjab took to the roads in protest. In 12 districts of the state, they were protesting against banks that filed cases…
Scientists take a step towards India-Pakistan cooperation to fight air pollution
Air pollution does not adhere to human-created borders. So, even as south Asian neighbours India and Pakistan spend a majority of time in political conflict, both countries suffer from the…
Delhi smog: Entrepreneurs offer hope with technologies to reuse crop biomass
Nidhi Arora a software professional who works in Delhi dreads winters. She suffered a serious bout of asthma in 2017 due to the dense smog in Delhi. The air quality…
Winter is coming and so is the pollution
Winter in north India is almost here and social media is already buzzing with pictures of crop residue burning in northern Indian states. Over the last few years, the national…
Wheat genome unravelled: can help in dealing with climate change
It took the best scientific minds from 20 nations, including India, to scale what is considered as the “Mt. Everest of the genome world”. After 13 years of painstaking effort,…
Less firewood at home means better health for the family
While air pollution in metropolitan cities like Delhi has hogged the headlines over the past few years, we don’t know much about how our emissions from various activities are affecting…
Air pollution from crop residue burning in the north spreads across India
Northern India, particularly Delhi, is notorious for its choking smog blanketing the city and nearby areas during the post-monsoon period in October-November. This is the time when farmers in the…
High levels of uranium found in groundwater from Rajasthan
India relies heavily on groundwater for crop irrigation and for drinking in many regions. Studies have shown high levels of fluoride, nitrate, and arsenic in groundwater in some parts of…
Dust storms may increase in India due to climate change
Over the past few years, rise in the global temperature has set new records and that is leading to increase in the number of extreme weather events. India may also…
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
Environment And Health
- As heatwaves projected to worsen across India, do vulnerability assessments and heat action plans suffice?
- Assam’s North Lakhimpur treats 40 years of legacy waste in just nine months
- Varying levels of microplastics detected in sea salt produced across India
- Decline in pollinators linked to half a million premature human deaths every year, shows study
Almost Famous Species
- The gharial attempts a second comeback with help from the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary
- Understanding the role of local communities in the conservation of critically endangered rhino rays
- Citizen scientists help discover a blind catfish species hidden inside Kerala’s aquifers
- Flying is riskier for female katydids, finds India’s first insect radio telemetry study
Eco Hope
- [Interview] Conservation scientist Joli Rumi Borah on integrating traditional knowledge in research
- [Interview] Scientist Ruth DeFries on deforestation: There isn’t one driver, there’s a different context in different places
- India budgets for mangroves and wetlands
- Working with biomaterials to add to the sustainable energy mix
India's Iconic Landscapes
- Experts call for coexistence, sustainable development as tiger population is close to saturation
- Ain’t no mountain high enough: alien invasive plants increasing in higher elevations
- Unplanned, faulty buildings tremble under weather events in the fragile Himalayan regions
- Nourishing soils of Kashmir’s karewas crumble under infrastructure
Beyond Protected Areas
- The art and science of elephant whispering
- Scientists develop a toolkit to identify high conservation-value areas
- Call to save rare snake habitat follows red coral kukri sightings in Bangladesh
- Small cats in big trouble: Why we need to save these elusive endangered species
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- How a drought-prone village in Maharashtra attained agricultural success with millets
- Thirunelly’s seed festival celebrates traditional climate-resilient seeds and farm produce
- [Explainer] Why is 2023 the International Year of Millets? What do we achieve by celebrating such years?
- Nations adopt Global Biodiversity Framework amid concerns over watered-down targets
Just Transitions
- Bauxite mining in Jharkhand is impacting soil fertility, people’s health
- Incentives to boost demand, increase in e-buses in Tamil Nadu’s latest EV policy
- Electricity transition in India’s renewable-rich states needs to accelerate, says study
- [Interview] Ajay Kumar Rastogi on leading India’s first just transition task force
