In 2023, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded a total of 399 disasters related to natural hazards. These events resulted in 86,473 fatalities and affected 93.1 million people. The economic losses amounted to US$202.7 billion. The 2023 earthquake in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic was the most catastrophic event …
A study was conducted to estimate the rate of solid and dissolved mass denudation from six prominent landuse systems of Bhetagad micro watershed, Gomti basin of Indian Central Himalaya. An investigation was also conducted to assess the seasonal variation in water quality parameters influenced by rainwater in the four sub-catchments …
the need for a national policy on the voluntary sector has been debated in public circles for close to 20 years. The matter seemed to have been sealed with the Union cabinet approving a policy on May 17, 2007. "Creating an environment for the Voluntary Organisations (vos) in order to …
a new study in a high carbon content paddy field of West Bengal has questioned India's projected methane emission levels, suggesting that if rigorous research is carried out in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the country on high carbon agricultural land, our methane emission figures might actually go up …
Safety in mines has improved today compared to days of bonded mine labour. But mines which employ 1 per cent of the global labour force remain hazardous Over half the world's mining accidents occur in the Asia-Pacific Recent mining accidents March 19, 2007: 108 killed in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia February …
HEREINAFTER The Union ministry of environment and forests (MOEF) has reached the first milestone of its ministerial excercise 'Defining Forest in Indian Context'. At a 2-day meeting held April 30-May 1, 2007, the Ashoka Trust AT STAKE At the April end workshop, the consultants put forward a draft definition: henceforth, …
The last five years have been tough on 55-year old Saraswati Devi. Her two sons have left their village to work as construction workers in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (mp). The family's one hectare patch in Ragauli Bhatpura gram panchayat in Uttar Pradesh's (up) Banda district has been mortgaged. The money …
Milk productions in India during 1950-51 was 17 million tonnes which has reached to 78 million tonnes in 1997-98. Presently India ranks first in the world in milk production. The Operation Flood Programme was instrumental in dairy development activities. These programmes are useful in upgrading the standard of living of …
The nature of agricultural diversification differs across regions due to wide heterogeneity in agro climatic and socio-economic conditions. Generally, the pattern of agricultural diversification shows a shift from crop production to livestock production during the 1980s to 1990s. The focus of this paper relates to diversification of food production and …
We used a semistructured social survey of 590 households in 37 villages along the southern boundary of Kaziranga National Park and World Heritage Site, Assam, India in late 2000 and early 2001 to assess resource use and demographic and socioeconomic conditions. Kaziranga, recently expanded in size in a region with …
All public expenditure meant for development of a community can be expected to have some benefits for children as well. However, in a country where children are clearly a disadvantaged section, there exists a strong case for identifying that part of the public expenditure specifically earmarked for addressing their needs. …
Organic agriculture is practised in more than 120 countries. Over 31 million hectares in 633,891 farms are certified organic Oceania has about 40 per cent of the world's organic land. Europe has 23 per cent, and Latin America 9 per cent. But Oceania has less than one per cent share …
Low-elevation coastal zones (leczs) are areas at an elevation of 10 metres or less above sea level. Although leczs account for just 2 per cent of the world's total land area, they contain about 634 million people: 10 per cent of the global population. About 75 per cent of people …
Vishnubhai Patel was an operator-cum-fitter with Green Environment Services Co-operative Society Ltd. He claims he was sacked in August 2006, a little over a year after exposing the society's fraudulent effluent treatment practices. Society officials, however, say he was relieved off his duties because he stole imported machine parts worth …
Lukewarm spots >> Biodiversity hotspots are regions of significant diversity threatened with destruction through commercial exploitation. There are 34 hotspots in the world, accounting for just 1.4 per cent of the world's land. These regions support 60 per cent of species on earth. A hotspot contains at least 1,500 species …
parshit Kurmi, a daily-wage labourer in Delhi since 1991, was puzzled when he was told that the government's latest estimate had found poverty levels were coming down. For the past 16 years, Kurmi's life has been uncertain as he struggles to survive. "In Delhi, I earn more, but am poorer …
