Down To Earth | Latest news, opinion, analysis on environment & science issues | India, South Asia

Another Bengaluru in the making? Chennai’s main drinking water source Veeranam lake dries up

WATER CRISIS AHEAD?

Water

Another Bengaluru in the making? Chennai’s main drinking water source Veeranam lake dries up

Water inflow stops from Mettur dam, other reservoirs experiencing a decline too

NEWS AND VIEWS

Economy

Climate, developmental goals can push 47 emerging markets & developing economies to insolvency by 2028

IMF and World Bank debt analyses grossly underestimate sustainability problems, finds new report

Science & Technology

Milky Way’s largest stellar black hole also second-closest to Earth, scientists discover

Milky Way's largest stellar black hole is also second-closest to Earth

Gaia BH3 is 2,000 light years away from Earth

Waste

Plastic, the forever pollutant

Plastic, the forever pollutant

From production to usage to disposal, it is a threat to those who come in its contact

Economy

MENA economies face stagnant growth & rising debt amidst regional conflict, World Bank warns

Sudan is facing a humanitarian crisis for a year. Photo: UNHCR / X (formerly Twitter)

Report highlights growing burden of debt, particularly among oil-importing countries

Climate Change

NOAA, ICRI confirm fourth global mass coral bleaching event in 2023-2024

NOAA, ICRI confirm fourth global mass coral bleaching event in 2023-2024

This is the second such event in the last 10 years and comes at a time when global oceans …

Energy

Assigning ‘perquisite value’ to e-2-wheelers, cycles can boost sustainable transport adoption in India. Here’s how

Assigning ‘perquisite value’ to e-2-wheelers, cycles can boost sustainable transport adoption in India. Here’s how

There is a need to review the taxation regime and to provide a clarification on the …

Environment

Iconic Tiger Hill near Darjeeling under ‘development’ threat, NGT pulls up government departments

Iconic Tiger Hill near Darjeeling under ‘development’ threat, NGT pulls up government departments

An environmentalist moved court listing several detrimental activities in the area; …

Governance

Survey highlights severe nutrition deficiencies in West Bengal tea workers

Paschim Banga Cha Majoor Samity experts surveyed 122 tea estate workers. Photo: PBCMS

Study carried out following death of a tea worker due to starvation

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CSE Online Training Courses

Decarbonize the Built Environment

Clean-Build Pathways to Decarbonize the Built Environment

Demystifying Environmental and Sustainability

Demystifying Environmental and Sustainability Data for Effective Communication in the 21st Century

Water Audit and Wastewater Management in Industries

Integrated Online and Onsite Training Programme on Water Audit and Wastewater Management in Industries

Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0

Residential Training: Sustainable Solid Waste Management to Strengthen Implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0

Training on Environmental Impact Assessment

Integrated Online and Onsite Training on Environmental Impact Assessment

Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE)

Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) systems Design, Operations and Applications of Solar Mini-Grid Systems

Videos

Water

No relief for Marathwada droughts: Failure of the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan

Through expert analysis and on-the-ground reporting, Down To Earth uncovers the systemic failures and shortcomings of the ambitious water management initiative

Climate Change

How shifts in the rivers are threatening food security in Assam | Alarming Variations Ep-02

Climate Change

Extreme heat affects Indian women more than men, says new study

Climate Change

Watch: Why farmers in parched Marathwada are uprooting citrus orchards

Climate Change

Watch: What does summer of 2024 have in store for India? Heatwaves, rising temperatures, says IMD

Climate Change

Is natural gas actually cleaner than coal? Growing evidence says maybe not

Cartoons

Photo Gallery

Sudan, one of Africa’s largest countries by area and population, is in turmoil. A year of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has taken a huge toll on the country. Here, a refugee mother and her chi

Africa

Sudan, a country displaced

One of Africa’s largest and most populous countries is on the brink of famine after a year of war between its Army and main paramilitary

Down To Earth video journalists, Prabhat Kumar and Dhruval Parekh, are at the ground zero of the ‘Farmers’ Protest 2.0’. Both were at the Shambhu border crossing between Patiala in Punjab and Ambala in Haryana as hundreds of farmers from Punjab attempted

Agriculture

Farmers’ Protests 2.0: DTE reports from ground zero Shambhu border

DTE video journalists, Prabhat Kumar & Dhruval Parekh, at Shambhu border as Haryana Police fired tear gas on farmers crossing from Punjab

It has been an ‘arid winter’ in the Union Territory of Ladakh. There has been a complete absence of snowfall since November 2023. And it has set alarm bells ringing in the fragile region. This photo shows the Sangam Point near Nimmo village of Leh distric

Climate Change

Ladakh: No snow in the cold desert

The arid winter in the region this time is raising concerns among the local population, as it forebodes a potentially alarming situation

No snow in paradise: See Kashmir’s dry winter in pictures

Climate Change

No snow in paradise: See Kashmir’s dry winter in pictures

A dry winter spell is showcasing the impact of climate change in Kashmir. The once snow-capped locations lie bare this year, even during the harshest 40-day winter period known as Chillai Kalan. Here are pictures of drastic changes in the region.

डाउन टू अर्थ

रंगीन से सफेद होती मूंगा चट्टानें, वैज्ञानिकों ने की दुनिया की चौथी कोरल ब्लीचिंग घटना की पुष्टि

जलवायु संकट

रंगीन से सफेद होती मूंगा चट्टानें, वैज्ञानिकों ने की दुनिया की चौथी कोरल ब्लीचिंग घटना की पुष्टि

वैज्ञानिकों ने पुष्टि की है कि ऑस्ट्रेलिया की ग्रेट बैरियर रीफ से लेकर हिन्द महासागर में तंजानिया, केन्या तक फैली दुनिया की रंगीन मूंगा चट्टानें सफेद होती जा रही हैं

मिट्टी के सबसे ऊपर अकार्बनिक कार्बन के रूप में जमा 2,305 अरब टन कार्बन का चला पता

ग्रीन हाउस गैस

मिट्टी के सबसे ऊपर अकार्बनिक कार्बन के रूप में जमा 2,305 अरब टन कार्बन का चला पता

हर साल मिट्टी के अंदर पानी में लगभग 1.13 अरब टन अकार्बनिक कार्बन समा जाता है। इसका भूमि, वायुमंडल, मीठे पानी और महासागर के बीच कार्बन की गतिविधि पर गहरा लेकिन अनदेखा प्रभाव पड़ता है

दिल्ली-एनसीआर सहित 20 शहरों प्रदूषण से दमघोंटू हालात, बर्नीहाट में जानलेवा बना हुआ है प्रदूषण

वायु प्रदूषण

दिल्ली-एनसीआर सहित 20 शहरों प्रदूषण से दमघोंटू हालात, बर्नीहाट में जानलेवा बना हुआ है प्रदूषण

वहीं दूसरी तरफ देश में पालकालाइपेरुर की हवा सबसे ज्यादा साफ है, जहां एक्यूआई 28 दर्ज किया गया है

Data Centre

The ground beneath our feet

Environment

The ground beneath our feet

Why soil health and biodiversity matters for the survival of the planet

Parched Garden City

Water

Parched Garden City

How Bengaluru’s water crisis is of its own making

Counting India’s waterbodies

Water

Counting India’s waterbodies

Down To Earth breaks down data from the country’s first census on waterbodies conducted by the Centre last year

International Women’s Day 2024: How much unpaid labour do Indian women take on?

Governance

International Women’s Day 2024: How much unpaid labour do Indian women take on?

In both urban and rural areas, girls and women aged 6+ were several times more likely than boys and men to do care work and especially domestic work

Factsheet

Scheduled for Day Zero

Water

Scheduled for Day Zero

The cities with population above 1 million in 2016, which would face water scarcity in 2050

Sunita Narain's Desk

Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Editor of Down To Earth magazine. She is an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets

Recent Editorials

Bengaluru’s water future

Bengaluru’s water future

Bengaluru today, your city tomorrow

Bengaluru today, your city tomorrow

Rethink the way we grow food

Rethink the way we grow food

Reshaping democracy in new climate

Reshaping democracy in new climate

In-Depth

Water

DTE Coverage: Parched Marathwada

DTE Coverage: Parched Marathwada

How Maharashtra’s drought-prone region does not have water though summer has not even …

Governance

DTE Coverage: Voting without voters

DTE Coverage: Voting without voters

Down To Earth reports from four states on migrant voters and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections

Governance

DTE Coverage: How halt in MGNREGA work affected rural Bengal

DTE Coverage: How halt in MGNREGA work affected rural Bengal

Many working-age men have been forced to migrate in search of work, leaving women, children &…

Blogs

Palla Trinadha Rao

Palla Trinadha Rao

Rights ensured under FRA are not just ‘enjoyment rights’

Joseph Ogutu

Africa’s wildebeest: Those that can’t migrate are becoming genetically weaker — new study

Trishant Dev

Carbon Controversy: Corporate climate action watchdog’s new decision regarding use of offsetting causes backlash

DTE In Print

Waste

Plastic, the forever pollutant

Plastic, the forever pollutant

From production to usage to disposal, it is a threat to those who come in its contact

Governance

The pill that’s roiling US drug regulation

The pill that’s roiling US drug regulation

The hard right is challenging FDA’s authority to regulate drugs with its lawsuit …

Governance

Cashing in on India’s demographic dividend

Cashing in on India’s demographic dividend

India will have the demographic dividend for another decade. It takes massive skill update …