Joshimath dispatch: Tales of woe emerge from a dying town; locals squarely blame administration

Many of those affected in Joshimath have suffered displacement for the second time

DTE Coverage: ICIMOD report paints bleak picture for Hindu Kush-Himalayas

Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers could lose up to 80 per cent of their current volume by 2100 in a business-as-usual scenario, according to the report

70 years after the first ascent of Everest, the impact of mass mountaineering must be confronted

Recent influx of ‘novice mountaineers’, who may expect luxury packages and a guarantee of summiting, can have dangerous consequences

Sikkim: Threat of South Lhonak lake bursting was forewarned by researchers two years ago

Twenty-one other glacial lakes in the Teesta river basin show potential threat  

Sustainable tourism: Carrying capacity assessment can be a tool for protecting hilly areas 

It is the need of the hour to regulate unmanaged tourism activities to maintain the ecological balance and facilitate tourism

Can mountains of Himachal Pradesh bear weight of heliports and helicopters?

To protect the state from natural disasters, the government should seek the opinion of environmental experts, geologists and local people before …

Environmental planning must for disaster risk reduction and sustainable development in the hills

Floods in Himachal Pradesh point to the need of environmental planning to identify high-risk areas and avoid development there

Himalayan plunder: How to design cities in the region

Build lighter structures, ensure proper drainage and use local knowledge to future-proof the region

China, south Asia not proactive in reducing climate impacts on women: ICIMOD

Most policy documents are silent on the existing pay gaps and women’s access to agricultural resources

Himalayan birds at higher risk of losing unique traits: Study

The global extinction crisis will lead to widespread losses of morphological diversity above that expected by species loss alone

NGT refuses to allow commercial construction on Shimla railway land

A proposal allowing the construction of a hotel and other commercial structures on land in Shimla’s railway warehouse has been rejected

After Joshimath, now Doda? Land subsidence in Chenab Valley village; 300 evacuated

Government official tells Down To Earth situation is not similar to Joshimath

A dedicated snow leopard cell was long-pending: Koustubh Sharma

Down To Earth speaks to snow leopard expert Koustubh Sharma on the findings of the latest government report on the enigmatic cat  

Glacial lake outburst floods in Alaska and the Himalayas show evolving hazards in a warming world

Too much pressure from extreme rainfall or an avalanche or landslide into lakes can burst dams, triggering a devastating flood

Threat from climate change to some of India’s sacred pilgrimage sites is reshaping religious beliefs

One significant theological change that seems to be underway within Himalayan Hinduism as a result of climate change is the transformation of the …

The disappearing wild orchids of North Bengal

Known for their beauty, fragrance and medicinal properties, epiphytic orchids found in the Dooars and Darjeeling hills are dying out because of …

Black carbon is a threat to Himalayan glaciers

Banning fossil fuels or the introduction of glacier tax can be a deterrent in these high-altitude areas

Besides illegal structures, tourist influx, focus on sanitation systems in Himalayas too: CSE

Most Himalayan towns lack sewerage systems; millions of litres of grey water seeps into the clayey, loamy soil, making landslides inevitable

New Joshimath: Activist demands town on the lines of ‘New Tehri’. But where will it come up?

Land subsidence is a ‘silent disaster’ that has taken hold of the Uttarakhand Himalayas; around 500 villages in the state are already …

‘Treasure map’ of ants may help experts discover new species in India

New map created with machine learning predicts Western Ghats, Himalayas, North East India as hotspots for undiscovered ant species

Forest Survey Report 2021: India’s mountainous states, already facing climate change, lose forest cover

Jammu and Kashmir has lost very dense forests, while the North East is top in terms of total forest area loss

Conservation plan chalked out after 150 vultures spotted in Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve

A rescue centre for vultures will be set up in the reserve’s Ganauli range to increase the number of vultures

Chamoli disaster: Why proposed glaciology centre in Uttarakhand was shelved

A glaciology centre was approved for construction in the Himalayan region in 2009; in 2020, it was merged with another institute there 

International Day of Rural Women: It’s time we recognise their lives and livelihood

Rural women are active agents of socio-economic change. As we celebrate the day on October 15, there is a need to pull them out of the …

An Arctic Council-like Himalayan body brewing in India’s backyard

The ICIMOD is pursuing 8 countries, including India, to set up an inter-governmental body to protect the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, known as …