Potential help

BESIDES inducing extreme rainfall and prolonged droughts, changing climate has made traditional wisdom of farmers defunct. Earlier, they would read signs of nature— flowering time of trees to egg laying by birds—to predict weather and decide on sowing and harvesting. But with climate change, farmers find they can no longer rely on their native wisdom.

Made it

Savvy Soumya Misra

Why Polavaram is a pointless project

 400,000 MAY BE DISPLACED The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the project says 276 villages will be affected; an estimated 177,275 people live in these villages. The Polavaram Project Environmental Impact Appraisal Report of 1985 expected 150,697 people to be displaced in 226 villages.

Half a cervical cancer vaccine

on april 7, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stopped its cervical cancer vaccination drive in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, which it started in August last year. Several girls—10-14-year olds who were part of the vaccination drive—suffered side effects, and six died. The link between the vaccines and deaths has not been established. But health groups have alleged that ICMR’s vaccination project did not conform to the guidelines for clinical trials in India. In response, the ICMR  has commissioned an enquiry.    

The last crop