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