Global South water-sensitive cities: Here is how to make our urban areas water secure in a just and inclusive way

 Neo-liberal capital and builder-led urban development are splitting our cities into unequal parts

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (January 20, 2023)

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

Obituary: Sujit Patwardhan, India’s sustainable urban transport champion

Patwardhan founded Parisar in the 1980s out of concern for the rapid changes taking place in Pune leading to environmental degradation

How are you utilising green funds worth Rs 75,000 crore? SC asks Centre

The Supreme Court has asked the environment ministry to submit a status report on whether these funds are being utilised for environment …

Odisha tribal organisations protest against draft CAF Rules  

The protests are in opposition to the vague position of the Rules on forest-dwelling communities in the compensatory afforestation process

World Food Day: our agriculture must keep pace with changing climate

To feed the world, agriculture, along with forestry, fisheries and livestock, needs to become more resilient and productive

Divide and rule

The failure of India's rural planning policies is due to the lack of understanding of human-land relationship

‘The fight for Telangana is to regain control over its resources and restore cultural identity’

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) has been at the forefront of the demand for a separate Telangana state. Its chairperson M Kodandaram …

Raise tax on diesel cars

Proliferating diesel cars are a public health risk and drain the exchequer

Are our budgets participatory?

Legislative scrutiny of budget in India compares with that of Afghanistan and Rwanda

Jharkhand proposes MGNREGA worker unions

Work demand under the rural employment programme is decreasing in the state

Is India ready?

Effective social schemes need more than cash transfer

Bill will push PDS reform

Development economist JEAN DREZE, known for his work on issues such as hunger, famine, social and human development in India, child health and …

Unique identity crisis

Biometric-based unique identity or Aadhaar is leading to huge problems for people working for the rural employment guarantee scheme and for …

In Short

NGT has imposed a fine of about 80,000 crore so far on states for not disposing of sewage and garbage

If this amount was to be deposited by the states, it would be 48% more than the CAMPA fund.

India’s urban floods: Why we need to look at nature-based solutions

Solutions to reduce the loss of lives and livelihoods from urban floods; Can be exercised by individuals and local govts

Court Digest: Major environment hearings of the week (August 26-30)

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

What India should look like in 2100

A new anthology touches upon most facets of Indian society, but leaves the reader feeling like the proverbial blind man who describes an elephant …

Green fund rules notified: Some hits, major misses

The rules of the Compensatory (Afforestation) Fund Act 2016 are better than the draft but not impactful

When climate comes unhinged, we need to re-think how to build our cities

While reducing carbon emissions is key to tackling extreme weather events, there are various ways to make cities more resilient

First white paper for holistic flood preparation in the works

Paper will be the outcome of a workshop organised recently to deliberate on India’s flood preparedness

'Inclusive urbanisation is the answer'

S Janakarajan, professor at Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), conducts research on urban and peri-urban issues, disaster management …

A billion strong or weak?

Recently, India crossed the one-billion population mark. The question on everyone's lips is what does the future hold for babies born this …

Small towns do not degrade the rural environment

Auroville, or 'the city of dawn', is a unique township located in a predominantly rural district of Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. At the time of its …