The Chipko movement as it stands today

The idea behind the Chipko movement originated in early 1970s from Mandal, a village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Forty-three years later, …

Mountains of Sanjeevani

The Uttarakhand government's initiative to spend Rs 25 crore on an elusive mythical herb should trigger a wider quest to identify, document and …

Rafting: in troubled waters

White water rafting operators and environmental activists are in a legal battle over rafting's effect on the environment

Why cutting down Chirpine is not a solution to Uttarakhand forest fires

Resin ducts that make the tree prone to fire should rather be used as a resource

Temple town to ghost town: Kedarnath before and after flash flood

Floods in Kedar valley swept away or damaged almost everything in its way, except for the main Shiva temple, a grey stone structure, said to have …

For the love of butterflies

Book>> Butterflies on the roof of the world • by Peter Smetacek • Aleph • Rs 499

More Uttarakhand disasters in the offing

Soon-to-be-finalized state action plan on climate change full of extreme events warnings

Did hydel projects have a role in Uttarakhand disaster? asks Supreme Court

Judges express concern over large number of power projects and dams on the Ganga and its tributaries without scientifically assessing their …

Sustainable tourism: Carrying capacity assessment can be a tool for protecting hilly areas 

It is the need of the hour to regulate unmanaged tourism activities to maintain the ecological balance and facilitate tourism

Food security: Climate change is affecting the seeds that India depends on

An increase in the number of days with extreme temperatures or rain has caused a decline in the quality and size of seeds across India

Himalayan plunder: How to design cities in the region

Build lighter structures, ensure proper drainage and use local knowledge to future-proof the region

Joshimath’s sinking brings Uttarakhand’s rehabilitation policy into sharp focus

Of Uttarakhand’s 484 villages threatened by natural disasters, more than 450 await relocation despite the state’s ambitious …

Fabulous Faba: Ancient super food set to stage a comeback

Food scientists are now trying to give this neglected ancient crop a makeover, given its high nutrition content

Forest Survey Report 2021: Forest fire counts up 2.7 times

Forest fires in Uttarakhand in November 2020-June 2021 were 28.3 times more compared to November 2019-June 2020  

NGT refuses to allow commercial construction on Shimla railway land

A proposal allowing the construction of a hotel and other commercial structures on land in Shimla’s railway warehouse has been rejected

Massive surge in COVID-19 infections in Uttarakhand’s remote villages. But who will treat them?

Residents in several villages report symptoms but not tested; many doctors and medical officers infected 

Glacial burst at Sumna on the Indo-China border near Reni in Uttarakhand

Sumna is an uninhabited place, with only border roads personnel working there; no word yet on casualties

Chamoli disaster: What lesson can Himachal learn

More than a dozen organizations from the hill state have come together to highlight dangers of climate change, exacerbated by exploitation of land,…

Vishweshwar D Saklani (1922-2019): The calm tree man of India

A freedom fighter, conservationist and a scientist who truly heard the voice of trees, Mr Saklani is a role model for future generations

Char Dham national highway has cost Uttarakhand its ecological balance

To assess the extent of the ecological damage that construction activity is causing, Down To Earth travelled 250 km on the Char Dham …

Uttarakhand forest minister blames UP poachers for tiger deaths in Corbett

Minister Harak Singh Rawat said increased fencing and drone surveillance will be introduced to curb poaching

Bastar witnessed more forest fires than Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal

FSI’s satellite data show that while Pauri Garhwal recorded 471 instances of forest fires, the highest in Uttarakhand, Bastar recorded 555 …

Hemkund: then and now

Senior journalist Suman Dubey points out Hemkund, which houses a popular Sikh shrine, has become overcrowded over the years

New dams to burden Uttarakhand, heighten disaster risk

Districts worst hit by the floods are also the ones with maximum hydropower projects in the pipeline 

Heritage valley in danger

The Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand, a World Heritage Site, may have been damaged in the recent floods in the state. A look at what makes this …