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 …
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 …
function open_new_popwin() { newwd=window.open('photo/photo_gallery.htm','','height=570,width=550,scrollbars=yes'); newwd.moveTo(250,75); } Clipped Wings In Uttar Pradesh's Etawah and Mainpuri regions, a newly-married couple is shown a pair of sarus cranes (Grus antigone). The elegant birds which mate for life are revered by people here. Sighting a pair of the cranes bodes well for marital bliss, …
Should we feel comfortable with the latest government claim that unemployment is coming down? The government says unemployment has come down due to growth. During the 2006-07 budget, finance minister P Chidambaram reiterated that growth rate must go up further for unemployment to go down. Development economists and government agencies …
>> Computers, the hub of modern business and lifestyle, are considered to be the vanguard of clean technology that has freed us from the use of paper and unnecessary transportation. By default, the industry that produces computer is also perceived to be clean. However, a un study reveals that each …
Eating at home isn't the in thing anymore. Hanging out is hip, especially in the mushrooming fast food joints that blister the skylines of India's cities. The urban middle classes with money to burn are redefining nouvelle cuisine. The costs are huge but few are counting the calories fewer still …
the Union budget for 2007-08 is big on illusions, small on vision. Despite the hype about its tilt towards the agriculture sector, the budget has failed to put together a package to bail out the ailing sector. Also, despite being the first budget of the 11th Five-Year Plan, it has …
the 61st round of the National Sample Survey (nss) seems to suggest that the unemployment rate in the country has come down. But this statistic has to be read in context. The entire gamut of data generated by the survey also indicates that the unemployment rate based on daily status …
Urban India produces 120,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste each day. Businesses want to burn this garbage to produce electricity, using government subsidies. Environmentalists say this is not viable, given Indian conditions—they also fear toxic emissions from incineration. KUSHAL PAL SINGH YADAV analyses the costs and benefits of India’s waste …
Hardness is an important water quality parameter especially when water is used for drinking purpose. Hardness of water is attributed to the presence of alkaline earth cations like calcium, magnesium, strontium and barium.
Using the 1994 Bolivian Integrated Household Survey, this study analyzes the equity implications of urban water sector reform including both increased water prices and increased access to piped water. Household water expenditures are examined by income decile, and low-income households are found to spend a higher percentage of income on …
Malnutrition is the underlying cause of half of under-five child deaths. So even though the proximate cause of children dying may be measles, diarrhoea, diphtheria, jaundice or malaria, the real reason is that they are so weakened by malnutrition that their small bodies are unable to withstand infection. Half of …
Delhi generates about 8000 tonnes of solid waste per day and municipal bodies are able to collect only about 60 percent of the generated waste. Quantity of collection of solid waste has increased overtime, but the rate of increase has not been consistent.
The study is carried out in the vicinity of Rihand Dam to analyse the socio-economic condition and status of welfare schemes for the displaced people. In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight the role of major development projects and their impact on the social well-being of people …
Climate change is real. The sheen of industrial revolution is wearing off >> The cat is out of the bag. Since its last report in 2001, IPCC has a wider range of data, and more accurate analysis of global climate. It has compared existing carbon levels with data from ice …
