Top 10 stories of the week that was (August 12-August 18)

Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from the week just gone by
Top 10 stories of the week that was (August 12-August 18)
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This week saw terrible destruction in Himachal Pradesh as extreme rainfall wrought havoc in the northern state. There were other developments in the environmental sector in India and the world. Here are Down To Earth’s top 10 green stories on the week that was:

Scores of people lost their lives as heavy rains and subsequent landslides took place in Himachal Pradesh. The state already has had a rough eight months due to extreme weather:

Experts told Down To Earth the Digital Personal Data Protection Act will forbid Indian citizens from seeking information for their benefit.

The National Green Tribunal’s principal bench ordered the Assam government to disburse interim compensation to the victims of Baghjan oil and gas leak that displaced close to 9,000 people in 2020 in Tinsukia district of Assam.

As many  as 25 countries or a quarter of the world’s population are currently exposed to extremely high water stress annually, new data from World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas showed.

The lander of Indian Space Research Organisation’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has successfully separated from the propulsion module, the national space agency announced on August 17, 2023.

Gabon on August 15, 2023 announced a $500 million debt-for-nature swap. In Africa, it is the largest such deal signed by any country to refinance its debt and conserve marine resources.

The World Health Organization on August 18, 2023 said it is monitoring a new variant of the novel coronavirus, BA.2.86, also known as BA.X. The United States federal agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also monitoring the lineage.

Female Genital Mutilation, the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons, is the leading cause of death among girls and young women in parts of Africa annually, a new research paper has stated.

Firefighters in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife and the northern Canadian city of Yellowknife battled to bring massive wildfires under control this week.

The current monsoon break that started on August 7, 2023 has finally ended, according to the regional centre of India Meteorological Department, Pune.

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