CATEGORIES
WATER SCARREDCITY
Bengaluru's water crisis was long in the making. The city has grown at the cost of its lakes and ponds that are key to its water security. Over 93 per cent of the city is built-up, which makes groundwater recharge difficult. Inadequate sewage systems pollute the limited water available. Over the decades, the city has become dependent on the Cauvery, 100 km away, for 70 per cent of its water needs. This makes water unaffordable. It's time Bengaluru broadened its water resource base beyond the Cauvery and focused on recharging groundwater and reusing treated wastewater.
On guard
Communities in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh reduce human-elephant conflicts using technology and proactive on-ground monitoring
Overlooked crisis
While there is much talk about climate migration, the world is without a legal framework to protect people displaced by weather disasters
Taking charge for water
A young sarpanch in Maharashtra helps his village residents avail drinking water at home
International Women's Day Special SHE
In India, women self-help groups have been a source of empowerment, fostering economic independence, social stature and community resilience.
MODERATELY YOURS
The crunchy, slightly sweet tubers of shankhalu can be a healthy addition to one's diet
AI can see you
Asophisticated and frightening face-recognition algorithm being employed by technology firms could be the end of privacy as we know it
TROUBLED TEAK
Farmers need to be sensitised about right planting materials and cultivation techniques to benefit from high-value teak plantations
Follow the Chinese way on high tech
Making universities the hub of innovation and churning out scientists adept in frontier technology has put China at the top
Stronger resolve
In the face of climate change, countries make a slew of commitments to ensure conservation of migratory species
MIND YOUR THOUGHTS
Technologies with potential to read one’s thoughts have grown tremendously in recent years driven largely by artificial intelligence, a develooment that raises ethical and privacy issues
Winter Without Snow
Record-low snowfall in the Himalayas is evidence that climate change is speeding up
UNDERRATED GREEN
Kohlrabi is a healthy but little used member of the cabbage family
Historical hindsight
An encyclopaedic work capturing the breathless changes in Assam’s recent history as well as its struggle for identity and modernity
Making jugaad a global success
Frugal innovation is the new concept that companies are adopting to take technology to developing countries
Whose debt is it
Many African nations are defaulting on payment of loans they have utilised for funding climate-resilient infrastructure
RACE TO REHABILITATE
Every sixth urban Indian lives in slums. With housing-for-all being a key national target, states across the country have taken steps to redevelop slums.
At the cost of welfare
The Interim Budget 2024-25 took a cautious approach to reduce fiscal deficit. This prioritisation led to inadequate allocations for key sectors
Forced to vanish
The world has its first clear evidence on migratory species facing heightened levels of extinction risk due to human-led pressures
That Lonely Feeling
WHO has recognised loneliness as a public health crisis and is trying to devise a way to measure the condition that affects a quarter of the world population
Worthy alternative
A new field experiment shows that fertiliser derived from faecal sludge can improve crop yields
Narkya and the plunder of biodiversity
Dilution of biological conservation rules and lax enforcement of forest laws are giving free rein to the drug industry and trade
Pencil in this shortage
India's 'pencil village' faces uncertain future due to raw material crises
Fight for land
From stricter land laws to revising domicile rules, Uttarakhand residents demand government action to stop the sale of agricultural land to outsiders
Madagascar faces year's first cyclone
THE FIRST cyclone of 2024 made landfall near Morombe in Madagascar on January 1, affecting around 16,100 people.
Paddy warriors
A couple in Karnataka is preserving rare native paddy varieties through cultivation
SOUR SURPRISE
Fermentation can help make uniquely tangy healthy dishes while also reducing food waste at home
Twist in the (fairy)tale
How might fairy tales read if written in today's times? When Fairyland Lost Its Magic is an attempt at that-a retelling of eponymous fables with climate change factored in on every page.
UNTAPPED POTENTIAL
India's two-decade journey with Geographical Indication tags has shown limited outcome and there is an urgent need to simplify the registration processes to ensure that the protection mechanism helps producer communities
Forced evolution
Plants shift towards self-pollination as they see disruption in interactions with insects due to changes in climate