28 years of Earth’s surface changes on Google

function maps() { var popurl="http://www.downtoearth.org.in/themes/DTE/rainfalls/maps.htm" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=820,height=450,scrollbars=yes") } It is now possible to track how the landscape across the world has changed in the recent past. Google has released a new environment monitoring platform, Google Earth Engine, which brings satellite images of the planet’s surface over the past 28 years on to viewers’ screens, giving people the opportunity to look at land surface changes at any place on the earth.

On foot and pedal

Rice that binds

Hoihnu Hauzel finds out the different ways people of northeast savour sticky rice

Tipaimukh Dam in Manipur driving a wedge?

The proposed 164-m-high dam will come up 500 m downstream of the confluence of the Barak and Tuivai rivers. Its reservoir will have a storage capacity of 15,900 million cubic m with a maximum depth of 1,725.5 m.

Logjam

Unquiet woods With the ban and without access to forest revenue, Northeast economy is in doldrums

Liability sans facility

TO TACKLE the waste generated by the booming health industry, the Union environment ministry plans to amend the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules of 1998. The ministry had posted the draft rules on its website in August for public comment and is evaluating the recommendations.

Taste of Burma in New York

I have a soft corner for Burma and its people. And this love stems from my love and adoration for Aung San Suu Kyi. I have been following the Burmese freedom fighter ever since I got to know of her in school as my father was and is an ardent supporter of Burma. And my insistence on referring to the place as “Burma” and not “Myanmar”, which is a new name given by the military junta, is my way of showing my abhorrence for the military rule and my support for Suu Kyi and all that she stands for.

The ties that bind

Hoihnu Hauzel explores the similarities between Thailand and India's northeastern part

The Manipur advantage

Hoihnu Hauzel on how bamons, people specially designated to cook, add taste to Manipuri cuisine It was only after I left Manipur, my home state, in pursuit of higher education, that I began to look at the place with a sense of awe. And over the years, I have explored and discovered interesting facts about this place that was once a princely state.

South Asia

Stir against Tipaimukh: Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina told the country's parliament she would resolve the issue of Tipaimukh dam with India through bilateral talks. The construction of the dam on the Borak river in Manipur has become a major political issue in the country and has triggered widespread protests. A parliamentary delegation, including members of opposition Bangladesh National Party, would visit India soon to assess the impact of the proposed dam.