Finding a way through prolonged haze and policy maze
As cities around the world saw smog-ridden days and unabated carbon emission in 2016, Down To Earth looks into the scale of problem and solutions …
Weak municipalities, governance failure stalling progress of Swachh Bharat: experts
The panelists suggested that the Centre should find ways to reform governance and change attitudes
Meanwhile, the monsoon anomaly
Instead of quantum of rainfall, we must analyse the distribution of rainfall to understand the changing nature of the monsoon
Findings of nationwide rural sanitation survey leave several questions unanswered
The claim that 93.4 per cent of rural households are using toilets is somewhat questionable
How to convince communities to sustain conservation efforts
Conservationists across the world have to warm up to the idea of communicating problems in local parlance and interpreting global challenges in …
Underdog resilience
The downtrodden, destitute and the diseased are the lead protagonists in this collection of short stories
Hailstorm in Maharashtra kills at least three, destroys crops in Marathwada, Vidarbha
More than 27,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed in Jalna district alone
Can digital villages inspire transition to cashless economy?
The success of e-infrastructure in a village depends on the physical infrastructure and other socio-economic indicators
Feel the bitter winds
Nila Madhab Panda's Kadvi Hawa is a gently told tale of a family caught in the cusp of climate change
How inaccurate weather forecasts are adding to farmers’ woes in Maharashtra
Farmers rely on IMD forecasts, even though they are not always accurate, but sudden changes in advisories make it difficult for them to respond
Behaviour change at many levels needed to make India open defecation-free
National Consultation on Rural Sanitation calls for triggering mindset change, but lack of credible data on health and sanitation is a challenge
Drought politics
U R Ananthamurthy's iconic classic about the struggle of an idealistic civil servant trapped in a highly political environment has greater …
More than 800 per cent jump in dengue cases in Tamil Nadu this year
Other states in southern India such as Karnataka and Kerala have also wtinessed about three-fold increase in the number of dengue cases this year
Warned, yet unprepared
States prone to floods have failed to implement management schemes, finds a performance audit of CAG
Why this sudden surge in malaria cases in Delhi
Experts attribute higher incidence of malaria to intermittent rain in June
Pellet guns proving lethal for civilians in Kashmir
Using pellet guns on unarmed civilians is considered a transgression of human rights
129 tonnes of fish die due to lake contamination; Telangana springs into action
Laboratory tests confirm presence of chloromethane in water, a solvent used in the pharmaceutical industry
J Jayalalithaa: Tamil Nadu's beloved Amma
The “Iron Lady of Tamil Nadu” has managed to leave a state that is among India’s top five in social and economic indicators
How ethanol tax in some states is affecting crisis-ridden sugarcane farmers
State taxes are affecting inter-state supply for ethanol, which could, otherwise, generate additional income for farmers
Not just Andaman, frequency of earthquakes is increasing in northeast too
The surge in frequency of tremors hitting northeast India can be attributed to giant earthquakes that preceded them
Maratha silent protests make noise for economic security, social justice
Reservation in government jobs and relief to drought-hit farmers are among the major demands of the Marathas
New lizard species discovered in Mumbai; more pan-India studies needed
At least 10-15 new species of lizards have been discovered in the last 2-3 years
No toilet, no food; is this how India will become ODF?
Kiran Bedi's order, suspending free rice distribution scheme for Puducherry's poorest families from end of May unless they produce a certificate …
Delhi’s crop area reduced by 34%; less than 1% workforce engaged in agriculture
The Economic Survey of Delhi also revealed that the area under food-grain crops has decreased substantially
Why are pests developing resistance to Bt cotton in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh?
Low compliance to planting refuge crops along with Bt crops and selection of refuge crops are some of the problem areas identified by a recent study
