The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
the Institute of Hydrology (ih), England, has developed a hydrological radar system which combines weather radar and rain gauges to estimate rainfall over river catchments in the past, as well as forecasts of future rain. Data is fed into the River Flow Forecasting System (rffs) which provides forecasts of possible …
Officials of 160 countries would soon meet in Bonn, Germany, to negotiate cutbacks in the emissions of heat trapping gases linked to global warming. Although most experts agree that these gases may cause a rise in sea levels, there is a difference of opinion about the scale and severity of …
on december 13, 1996, the Supreme Court (sc) cancelled the deed of 2.22 ha of forest land leased out to the Span Motels Pvt Ltd (smpl) in Himachal Pradesh. They directed the latter to restore the damage caused to the environment. The sc ordered the hearing on the cost of …
Devastated by three decades of war and currently mounting corruption, the state of environment in Cambodia seems to be faring the worst. Accor-ding to environmentalists, unchecked harvesting of trees, which has stripped the nation of half its forest cover since 1970, has recently escalated alarmingly following political infighting in the …
IT TOOK a recent outbreak of an epidemic of Japanese encephalitis with 27 resultant fatalities to focus attention on the widespread environmental degradation in Kuttanad. The Kuttanad basin; in central Kerala extends over 1600 sq km. The region 'is nestled between the foothills of the Western Ghats in the east …
an estimated 2,750 Bangladeshi villagers who lost their homes in heavy floods last May, have petitioned the World Bank ( wb ) for redress. They opine that the floods in central Bangladesh were more due to the digging of a diversion channel in the area and the construction of new …
WHERE dams are concerned, the most ridiculous arguments are put forward by their proponents. The most expensive dam in the US history is proposed to be built on the American river in California. The Auburn dam is awaiting nod from the Congress. The dam is supposedly being built to protect …
In a country frequently besieged by floods and storms, there are reportedly severallakh people suffering from five diseases like tuberculosis (TB), goitre, filaria, kalazar, and leprosy in eight northern districts of Bangladesh. A joint survey conducted by the Dhaka University and the World Health Organization found that 2,80,000 people have …
Nearly 100 caged baboons had the fright of their lives when the inundated Olifants river climbed under their cages at a remote reserve in northern South Africa recently. Rescue workers worked night and day to carry the baboons and some other animals like jackals, civets, warthogs and monkeys to the, …
The World Bank has some unhappy forebodings for Bangladeshis. In its recent report, it estimates that the nation will face a food deficit of over 40 lakh tonnes ( t) in the current year as a result of the shortfall in the production of grains. The Bangaldesh food ministry officials …
With floods in Bangladesh occurring every year leading to severe loss of infrastructure and causing a lot othardship to the people, the Japanese have come forward th a loan of US $5.22 million to finance constructions 15 cyclone shelters which will also serve as schools. Japan is also coming to …
Frequent floods has left the Bangladeshis in a state of utter despair. Pitching in to help is the World Bank which recently announced the approval of a US $121.9 million credit. The credit will be used mainly to protect the river banks from erosion and also to build institutions devoted …
THE book Rivers of life is a result of an exhaustive study based on assessments of existing flood control works in Bangladesh, of related documents, interviews with flood-affected people and Bangladeshi experts, and interactions with donor agencies for a Flood Action Programme (FAP). An excellent book which focusses on the …
The Himalayan mountains constitute an ecological system naturally primed for disaster. The deep gorges through which the Himalayan rivers flow convey the impression that the Himalayan valleys would never face floods. Yet these very channels often fail to contain the fury of disastrous floods. Among the most affected valleys are …
THE Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river has been exposed to more damages, according to a press release by Narmada Bachao Andolan. More than 15,000 cubic megatonnes (cu mt) of cement has been washed away in addition to an indefinite number of foundation rocks. A substantial section of the sloping …
THE people of Thailand are still reeling under the impact of the most devastating wet-season flooding in a decade, and they hold the government responsible for their suffering. It was the poor water management policy of the goverment that deepened the crisis, claim the experts in the country. "It was …
Rice producing areas across Asia have been hit by huge floods in early October. Thailand, one of the world's top growers and rice exporters has been hard hit with as much as 10 per cent of the rice area facing a threat. According to a senior Thai agriculture ministry official, …
IN A dozen villages in the Khem Karan sector (Amritsar district), bordering Pakistan, August 5 was a day of festivity. That day the villagers had completed a kind of dream project: a 2-km-long anti-flood bund on the Sutlej with their own labour. "We have done in 4 months whht the …
NOT all floods in Bangladesh are "bad"; there are "good" floods as well, and only the Bangladeshis can distinguish between the 2 to make the best use of them. This is the message that they are endeavouring to convey to the World Bank (wb), which has recently come up with …
