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 …
Socio Economic and Caste Census could leave rightful claimants out of BPL list
Activists point out several drawbacks in the inclusion and deprivation criteria
Subansiri dam: green tribunal issues notices to NHPC, government
Petition seeks minimum flow in the river to protect Gangetic dolphins and other life forms
Unravelling the food mess
Reaching food to people who need it the most has remained one of the most stubborn problems in India. The public distribution system (PDS) is in …
The ideal gap
A two-and-a-half-year gap is ideal between births for the health of the babies
Grim reality of India's poverty dip
Slums as self-confrontation
The attempt to free cities of slums will only make them invisible
If we’re smart about water, we can stop our cities sinking
As more cities sink, rethinking how we use groundwater can ease pressure on precious aquifers
Global South water-sensitive cities: Focus should be inequity in access, functionality and reusability
Cities of Global South cannot copy-paste frameworks and solutions emerging from the Global North
An environment engineer shows how sanitation safety planning helped Kochi Municipal Corp
Nearly 4.2 bln people do not have access to safe sanitation; sanitation safety planning is a risk-based technique that can help mitigate health …
Despite flagship schemes, financial inclusion and skill development 'failed'
108 districts out of 112 show disappointing negative growth between July 2018 and Feb 2019; youth from marginalised districts ignored
States violate community forest rights as Centre delays implementation of CAF Act
States exploit the delay in the drafting of rules for the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act to assert rights over land claimed by communities …
Meet the Kerala farmer who preserves genetic diversity of rice
He received the National Plant Genome Saviour Award for his efforts towards conserving 45 varieties of rice seeds
International community resents the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill
International organisations say there are absolutely no provisions in the Bill to safeguard the rights of forest dwelling communities
Alcohol brands now targeting women and youth, says report
Expresses concern over alcohol brands being advertised in violation of rules
World Population Day: call to end India's target-based approach to family planning
Two-child norm is endangering women's lives and skewing sex-ratio, say activists
Hunger games – it’s the real India show
Budget 2020-21: Govt likely to set up a national ‘plantation corporation’
Experts express concern; say move against Constitution’s federal structure