Science is a political orphan

Maharashtra draft urban housing policy not enough

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (February 15, 2023)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal

Making migrants count: The role of Indian judiciary amid COVID-19 pandemic

The Supreme Court’s recent order has shifted the focus from protecting workers’ legal rights to government largesse 

Puri may have no water left in a decade

Rapid construction and encroachment in Odisha’s main tourist hub threaten water supplies

Safe as houses

Earthquakes don't kill; badly built houses do. A look into houses in India that have withstood several earthquakes

Sand slips

Where there is a river, there is sand. Called a minor mineral, it fulfils a major requirement of the booming construction industry. No wonder, …

Cleaner, greener: Can architects help maintain natural correction?

Infrastructure is the backbone of any growing economy and fixing the way we build it can help address air pollution concerns 

Road to disaster

Fertile land is up for grabs in western Uttar Pradesh. Private developers are acquiring it to build apartments, industries, IT institutes, and …

North-East

Assam-type solution

Home sweet yuck

Apartments mushroom on contaminated industrial sites

COP27: Carbon emissions, energy consumption due to constructions back to pre-COVID levels

Report reveals 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere in 2021; Most significant energy demand in last 10 years

How can Delhi provide affordable housing near transit to its poor

India’s capital and other metros have performed woefully in this regard, even as their global counterparts have progressed 

Kangra safe corners

The Himalaya is the youngest range of mountains in the world are immensely prone to earthquakes. The entire range falls in seismic zone 5 and 4 - …

Real estate on water

Lakes were critical for Indian cities. They prevented floods and recharged groundwater. Today, these holes in the ground are either lucrative …

Bihar elections 2020: Who is talking about safai karmacharis?

The Bihar govt refuses to identify manual scavengers; the latter continue to face abuse and death threats 

Sompeta power project: CAG indicts Andhra government for allotting wetland to developer

State government violated Supreme Court directions and own orders

Roman secret to durable architecture? Self-healing concrete

Quicklime, pozzolanic material ‘hot-mixed’ to make concrete can endure for millenia; It can also help reduce environment …

Demolish hotel being built in Udaisagar lake: HC

Developer Vardhan Enterprise forcibly acquired island in the lake from farmers to build five star hotel

Real estate on water

Lakes were critical for Indian cities. They prevented floods and recharged groundwater. Today, these holes in the ground are either lucrative …

Banning manual scavenging in India: A long, complex passage

Union government is set to introduce The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, in …

Lethal toxicity vs quantum of pollution in Delhi’s air

Not just quantum of pollution but also toxicity of emissions must be assessed to prioritise action on pollution sources

How effective are environmental PILs

Judiciary's pro-development tilt is making activists seek recourse at the societal level

Sewage stink

Many townships in Greater Noida are not connected to the sewage system

Uttarakhand chief minister bans construction along riverbanks

Construction to be 200 m from river; hoteliers welcome move, but demand compensation