Counter affidavit on behalf of Chief Municipal Engineer, Patna Nagar Nigam in the matter of Saurav Narayan Vs Bihar Pollution Control Board & Others dated May 20, 2025. The report said that the corporation has been diligently performing its statutory duties within the limitations of the available resources and infrastructure. …
IT WAS a fast-track venture that sought to get round procedures perfunctorily, even if this meant fudging environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and doctoring public hearings. No wonder the Karnataka government has had to ground the Dandeli Mini Hydel Power Project before it could take off. The decision to reject the …
myristica swamps are one of the most unique ecosystems in the Western Ghats. They are called so as they mainly harbour species of the Myristicaceae family of flowering plants that provide nutmegs. Unfortunately, due to human activities, the swamps are today highly fragmented and hence threatened. Subhas Chandran, a lecturer …
A major conservation issue, particularly in the tropics, is habitat loss and fragmentation due to developmental activities and increasing human populations. Ecologists today recognise that much of the once-pristine forests that are now secondary forests, as well as large areas outside existing conservation reserves, harbouring significant levels of biological diversity …
A major conservation issue, particularly in the tropics, is habitat loss and fragmentation due to developmental activities and increasing human populations. Ecologists today recognise that much of the once pristine forests that are now secondary forests, as well as large areas outside existing conservation resources, harbouring significant levels of biological …
The involvement of local communities in protecting and conserving forests has become a priority concern with aid agencies, governmental departments, NGO's and others concerned with biodiversity conservation, to the extent that participatory forest conservation has become a buzzword in conservation circles. This article documents the fourteen-year process of organising a …
function openspmap(){ var popurl="html/20030430_42map.htm" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=500,height=470") } At a time when river networking is being touted as a panacea for the entire country’s water woes, the tide of opinion in Karnataka is turning against the concept. The dissent is moored to a proposed local scheme to divert Nethravathi river. The issue …
the entire gamut of activities that threaten ecosystems in the mountain regions dominated discussions at the meeting of the scientific advisory body to the Convention on Biological Diversity (cbd): from habitat fragmentation, poaching and wildlife trade in the Himalayan belt to grazing pressure, encroachment and fuelwood demand in the Western …
indian scientists have digitally mapped rich flora spread over an area of about 84,000 square kilometres of thick forest. The first phase of this exercise was conducted in the biodiversity hotspots of the northeast, western Himalaya and Western Ghats with the aid of state-of-the-art satellite technology. The digital mapping project …
The hills are alive with tradition. One method killsslashes and burnsthe other is healingand sustains. In the northeast hills of India are found medicinal plants that are treasured for their life giving potential. Tribals use these plants to kill pain and treat diseases. On these hillspeople also practice the age-old …
for thousands of years now, a stumpy tree prized for its heartwood and sandal oil, has been a source of pride for India. Yes, it is none other than the sandalwood tree. However, indiscriminate harvesting and rampant poaching have left the once luxuriant stands in shambles. It is feared that …
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level has been carried out using Indian remote sensing satellite data in Western Ghats of India. This study presents the results of the project undertaken to build national database on biodiversity at landscape level.
neither agricultural plantations nor selectively logged areas can provide for forest butterfly species, prove results of two recent research undertaken in the Western Ghat region of India. These new findings show that many of the butterfly species in the region, particularly those adapted to living inside rainforest habitats, are prone …
These are amazing statistics but if you are interested in the subject of water and recognise its importance for human survival and development, they are a major warning call. I was in Kerala last week for the release of our new book Making Water Everybody's Business: Practice and Policy of …
The Deccan Trap geology of Bombay (Mumbai) differs from the main Deccan flood basalt province in several ways. Very few geological, geochemical and geochronological studies exist on the Deccan geology of Bombay. The basalt of Gilbert Hill, Andheri occupies a special place in Bombay geology on account of its spectacular …
The Himalayan newt, also called the Indian salamander, takes shelter among bamboo stumps in and around the hills of Darjeeling. It lives close to calm and still waters. During the monsoons, it feeds on algae, water beetles and bugs. After the showers, it leaps down on insect larvae, snails, slugs …
A frieze of landscape in black and white. Low hillocks, meandering streams, misty waterfalls and thick foliage. Rays of diffused sunlight filter through the canopy, white clouds nestle among jagged peaks, green dunes stretch across huge acres, low grasslands, high precipice, barren rocks and sheer drops. All this and much …
for the last eight years, the villagers of Kolavipalam in Kozhikkode (Calicut) district have been burning midnight oil to ensure the survival of the visiting Olive Ridley turtles. Every year, the turtles come to nest in the 20-km beach, which stretches between Pavyoli and Kottapuzha estuary, some 45 km north …
Walking through the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary on a misty morning is a cherishing experience. Pushing through the bed of grass bathed in morning mist, hearing the melancholic strains of the Malabar Whistling Thrush (Myophonus horsfieldi), one can spend a solitary morning in communion with nature. The reverie, however, might be …
