Himalayan upheavals

it is difficult to categorise Natural Premises: Ecology and Peasant Life in the Western Himalaya 1800-1950. It unveils changes in the society, geo-politics, political economy and ecology of the western Himalaya. The book contributes to understanding the region better.

Managing a crisis

after having revived the Arvari rivulet through the sweat of their brow, the 70 villages in the rivulet's basin in Alwar district, Rajasthan, have gone one step ahead. They are taking proactive measures to deal with the third consecutive year of drought. This is being done through the Arvari Sansad, or the Arvari Parliament, which was formed in January 1999.

ETHIOPIA

Waste and pollution have led to critical health problems in various cities of Ethiopia. This was stated by the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society ( ewnhs ). Stephen Spawls, vice president of ewnhs, believes that fast growing urban population has made matters worse. Spawls said the existing environmental educational training manuals and posters focus only on rural environmental problems without giving due attention to basic sanitation problems of the towns.

Disasters galore

british politicians are facing one disaster after another but the way they are facing them should be a lesson for the tribe that exists in India.

Shawls, an antelope and the law

Atul Kaushik Hats off to Anil Agarwal for his insightful piece on Kashmir and environment. It is such rational thinking that can resolve the trade-environment debate. Uday Turaga

Green reflections

in a recent highly publicised event, the un had yet another go at self improvement. Weary eyed observers saw world leaders expound lofty ideas in a series of speeches at a un millennium summit that took place in New York city from September 6-8, 2000.

Technosolutions

across the world, silent and ceaseless crises regarding public health and environmental degradation urgently require the mobilisation of global science and technology. Gearing technological innovation towards solving the crises, by meeting the needs of the poor and the environment in which they live, is among the most critical challenges of the 21st century.

Precipitate

albeit accidentally, a government department has prepared a review on the performance of electrostatic precipitators ( esp s) installed in thermal power stations to control air pollution, which accidentally became an environmental audit as well. It shows that the suspended particulate matter ( spm ) levels in emissions from a thermal power plants with esp s is very high -- at one plant in Bihar it reached up to 260 times the permissible limit (see table: Electrostatic farce ).

Three avenues, one goal

In 1990, senior government officials gathered at Paro to draft broad parameters for the country's development agenda. The conclusion was the "Paro Resolution on Environment and Sustainable Development", a statement that redefined sustainability in the Bhutanese context.

Making a beginning

With modernisation has come the pressure on the forests. Though almost three-fourths of the country is still covered by dense foliage, the demands from a growing population can put unprecedented demands on them. Be it for construction, fuelwood consumption, infrastructure development, it cannot be underestimated.