Har Gobind Khorana: The chemist who cracked DNA’s code and made the first artificial gene was born into poverty 100 years ago in an Indian village
Khorana’s legacy has also suffered from neglect that may be a result of racial bias. But this neglect is changing, as a new generation of …
Desertification in India: How Green Revolution hastened the man-made soil degradation
The biggest threat of desertification emanates from the major crops of the Green Revolution — wheat and paddy
No end to discrimination against Punjab’s Dalit women labourers, says study
A recent study examined 927 Dalit women labour households across four districts. A lot of them reeled under debt, faced sexual harassment
Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (January 9, 2024)
Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Simply Put: Gulliver in Lilliput
Simply Put: Vital organs of society
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
Jodhpur blues: How the Indira Gandhi Canal has robbed the desert citadel of its character
There is ample water in what was once a water scarce place; traditional water bodies, architecture, social habits have consequently gone for a toss
Why Punjab’s short-duration paddy varieties have not solved stubble burning
Promoted by the government, short-duration varieties now dominate Punjab’s paddy landscape and allow farmers enough time to clear the field …
Struck by higher costs, Punjab farmers wait to burn stubble; fire incidences likely to flare up
At least 5,772 incidents of stubble fire have been registered in Punjab till October 22 alone
Rising wet-bulb temperatures due to climate change pose health risks for humans
A wet-bulb temperature of 35°C is considered the maximum limit of humidity humans can handle
The ‘qissa’ of Basmati
As the European Union gets set to pronounce whether to give a GI tag to India’s Basmati rice, we explore the history of a grain that …
Farmers in Punjab are burning stubble as an act of rebellion
They are angry that even as they suffer from farm distress and do not get any proper returns on their labour and produce, the onus of stubble …
Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (April 1, 2024)
Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in Supreme Court, high courts & National Green Tribunal
There is a desert in Tamil Nadu and the dunes are red
There are a couple of theories regarding the formation of these dunes, the most plausible being the role of south west monsoonal winds
Delhi pollution crisis: The figure of 4-10% for stubble fires is not wrong but irrelevant
There need to be different strategies to address long- and short-term exposure to pollution problems in Delhi. Governments are aware of it, but …
Use revenue-sharing model for development, land acquisition
Access to village commons improved livelihoods but some recent state policies seek to grab them
Researchers study behavioural aspect of farmer suicides
One of the major causes behind suicidal intent is depression, experts find while studying cases in Punjab, Telangana and Maharashtra
Dip in yield, low protein content: PAU field experiment finds several problems with nano urea
Production can decrease further year on year if nano urea application is continued
A year since Giaspura: Ludhiana’s gas leak remains unsolved; activists say tragedy like this could happen again
No improvements have been made to the sewer system since the incident and the cleaning was last done six months ago, residents told DTE
Punjab’s ‘Donkey Flights’ to the world’s conflict zones
Widespread joblessness explains why Punjab’s migrants resort to desperate means to reach their final destinations
Farmers will once again march to Delhi, decides Jandiala Guru Mahapanchayat; here are their demands
MSP, crop insurance, debt relief, repeal of Electricity Bill 2020 among main demands
Groundwater in 12 Indian states found to be contaminated with uranium
Punjab is the worst-affected state with Haryana being the second
75 years of people’s power: Lambra in Punjab uses dry ash to treat grey water
The treatment plant works on a natural treatment system and hence no labour is involved
Punjab procures wheat in the shadow of COVID-19
Here are the problems farmers face despite government efforts