Chattisgarh
Fighting the drought preoccupies the new government. Charting a mining policy to explore the rich mineral deposits is next on the agenda
Tehri: is it curtains?
The beginning of submergence of Tehri also marked the drowning of anti-dam sentiments. Any strong protest was conspicuous by its absence. Does …
15 lessons for India
As odd-even traffic restrictions in Delhi draw to a close, we highlight the takeaways from this massive community initiative to curb air …
An oasis put to test
Backed by three decades of water conservation measures, semi-arid Saurashtra is driving Gujarat’s agricultural growth. Will it be able to …
Micropowerful
A microhydel project a day. Communities snatch the initiative from the government to electrify rural Nepal
Poor little rich states
Rich in natural resources but extremely poor, the three new states are in need of a new strategy for development. But no blueprints have been …
Hunters turn protectors
Traditional hunters Phase Pardhis are part of an initiative to save critically endangered lesser floricans
Ugly is the new beautiful
A group of anonymous citizens in Bengaluru is cleaning filthy streets and inspiring change across India
For common sense
Down To Earth articles on shahtoosh and Veerappan provoke comment. We decided to excerpt them. But first, the editor's rejoinder
Solo Performances
Besides the communities who have done exemplary work in the field of environment, several individuals are making a difference in the lives of …
Hamlets reborn
Although Bhaonta-Kolyala village walked away with the Down To Earth-Joseph C John Award, the judges came across several such communities worthy …
Awarded : Bhaonta-Kolyala
... for reviving the Arvari river, for showing that a healthy ecology and good water management mean prosperity, for proving that drought is a myth
TRAMPLED DESTINIES
What happens if conservation is based on half-baked knowledge? Ask a person rendered homeless by wildlife managers "No conservation strategy …
WORKING IN ISOLATION
A mutual lack of trust and understanding between forest officials and wildlife scientists may be responsible for the mismanagement of India's …
CONSERVATION TO DEATH
Misguided conservation efforts are leading to depletion of biodiversity and exploitation of poor people
Lessons from two cities
Pune aims to become a zero-landfill city by 2015. With a range of solid waste management options, the target does not seem too ambitious. …
Walk the village talk
After raising the political profile of village councils, government wants to downsize them
Children of endosulfan
Several unusual diseases afflict a Kerala village. Residents blame aerial spraying of the pesticide endosulfan by the Plantation Corporation of …
Rivers, up close and personal
Over centuries people have learnt to live with rivers. They are part of our lives but over the past 150 years this association has weakened. A …
Driven for and by the people
GRP has emerged as a truly democratic indicator of the direction in which corporate environmental governance is headed
REVIVING WISDOM
Rainwater is abundant in India. So is its mismanagement. This has led to a human-made water scarcity. The only way to solve modern India's water …
Highs and lows
The government's vanaspati van scheme is good news, but for it to succeed small-scale farmers and local communities have to be brought in its fold
Grow more
There is no land to cultivate medicinal plants, neither are there any legal provisions, nor market access. At present, the risks involved are …
A Himalayan Tragedy
People who have no idea about forests step in to further trade, while the indigenous herb gatherers get exploited further
Herbal heist
Hand-in-glove with the forest department, traders of medicinal plants and herbs make hay while communities who depend on herb gathering for …