Cloudburst in Uttarakhand: 30 killed, many missing
All the major rivers in the region have swollen following heavy rains; Mandakini and Alaknanda have crossed their danger marks
What caused the landslides in Uttaranchal?
Debris flow is a natural occurence. Environment-friendly town-planning can reduce its impact on human settlements
Five stories you may like to read on Himalaya
The states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are not new to floods and landslides. There has been continuing concern over protecting the …
Melting into thin air
The 25-km long Gangotri glacier, fountainhead of the Ganga, is receding at an average 18 metres annually
Char Dham project: Is development equal to disaster?
A significant portion of the project falls under dry deciduous biome along dry slopes of rivers. Ruthless harvesting can be perilious for&…
Writing on the wall: Infrastructure projects are destroying Western Ghats
The time to put off the inevitable question about human relationship to nature is long past. Our assumption that we can control and modify nature …
Lok Sabha discusses losses due to natural calamities since 2012
Only 59 per cent of the funds allocated for relief operations were actually released in 2015 as compared to 77 per cent in 2012
Beyond conservation, why our natural ecosystems need restoration
Significant strides have been made in both the science and practice of restoration over the last three decades, with specialisation across …
Flood fury
Floods claim hundreds of lives across India besides causing large-scale destruction, Bihar is the worst-affected
How climate resilient is Shimla? Not much, shows city’s ground situation
A third of Shimla is at high risk for landslides; more open spaces and green cover needed
Heavy rain triggered 10,000 landslides in Maharashtra in July 2021: Study
Report bats for early warning system to minimise losses to life, property
Droughts after deluges
As the glaciers recede, the frequency of natural hazards such as floods and cloudbursts will increase
High and dry in Nepal
Country’s most-arid region is getting less rain than it did before, forcing villages to relocate
On road to recovery
Nepal has banned new constructions till it formulates a fresh building code. Emerging threat of landslides compounds its troubles
Nature's wrath
Even flash floods cannot refresh the authorities' understanding of the dynamic and fragile ecosystem of the Himalaya
Floods and the Politics
Shalini Dhyani travels to Chinyalisaur to find out how heavy rains coupled with rise in water of Tehri dam has devastated the area.
Widespread protests near Tehri
Residents are angry after increase in the dam’s water level led to landslides and subsequent house collapse
Ready for only tourists
Uttarakhand government has carried out rehabilitation projects only in tourist circles and ignored other areas that were hit by floods last year
ISRO data shows Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag and Tehri Gharwal most prone to landslides in India
Mizoram saw 12,385 landslides from 1988-2022, the highest; followed by 11,219 in Uttarakhand and 8,070 in Tripura
Passive neighbour
India remains indifferent as China builds dams on upper reaches of Brahmaputra
Under threat
A proposed dam is set to change the landscape in the Pindar ghati--host to the last free flowing tributary of the Alaknanda. Bharat Lal Seth …
High risk
Problem: Tall buildings risky in high seismic zones; Status: Hill-stations are getting concretised and growing vertically; Challenge: Use local …
What goes down
Problem: Lack of space for garbage disposal; inadequate sewerage; Status: Garbage disposed on hill slopes ends in streams/rivers; Challenge: …
Defying gravity
Problem: Terrain forbids water supply systems that work in plains; Status: Water crisis in peak season every year; Challenge: Develop …
Local travails
Problem: Tourist influx too large; earnings flow downhill; Status: Residents forced to share meagre facilities with tourists; Challenge: Regulate …