The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
which was the cruellest month of the year 2002? April, pace T S Eliot but also the unnaturally high temperature. June, or July, or August, if you thought the rains would come. November, when it was announced that India is in the grip of a full-country drought. Even December, with …
who would have thought that bacterium genes could one day make rice hardy? Biologists from New York-based Cornell University have made this possible. To make a rice strain resistant to drought, cold and salt water, they have fused two genes from the Escherichia coli bacterium, and then inserted them into …
Using genes from mangrove plants, scientists from the Chennai-based M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MMSRF) are developing transgenic varieties of rice, mustard and black gram that can withstand salinity and drought conditions. The scientists have isolated and characterised the salt-resistant genes from two mangrove species
What if Phulmai did not exist. You can meet her in the forest; follow her for a day; listen to what she says and so complete half an assignment. The other half lies in accounting for her, and all those like her who spend their lives headloading. Step out of …
It is five o'clock in the morning. I am inside Jharkhand's Khellari forest, on assignment. In the first light of morning, the forest looks lush and dark green. Suddenly, a frail frame
Five districts in Sindh province of Pakistan and 3000 human settlements are reeling under a prolonged drought. According to Sindh's additional chief secretary (development), Shahzado Shaikh, 194,798 families living in the districts of Thar, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Dadu and Thatta have borne the brunt of the dry spell. The total population …
true, everybody loves a good drought. But the latest mantra is the interlinking of the country's rivers. Everybody loves it too. So much so, that it seems to be a favoured jingle with most political parties. It is an old virus. The first sign of its new mutation showed up …
For the first time in two decades, Australia is reeling under a water crunch. Restrictions on water use have been imposed on Melbourne residents. Environment minister Sherryl Garbutt has directed the people to use watering systems sparingly during the day and reduce washing their cars with hoses. Empty pools and …
Environmental disasters, including drought and flood, cost the world more than us $70 billion in 2002, reveals United Nations Environment Programme (unep). This year floods ravaged Europe, China, India, Nepal and Bangladesh killing thousands of people and leaving millions homeless. "Natural catastrophes, a vast majority of which have been weather-related, …
I travel in drought-hit Rajasthan. I want to see, and record. What does really happen when an area is hit by drought? It doesn't rain over Rajasthan the way it used to. Less rainfall has led to a drop in groundwater levels. This year, Rajasthan got 208 mm rain. That's …
large amounts of soot particles and other pollutants are causing adverse changes in precipitation and temperatures over China, indicates a new research done by Washington dc-based National Aeronautical Space Administration (nasa). The soot is partially responsible for the increased incidences of floods and droughts witnessed by China during the last …
all herders and livestock, who had intruded into the 392-square-kilometre (sq km) Ranthambhore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district, Rajasthan, have been driven out ending one month of drama. The tension between 100-odd villages around the park and the forest department, however, can spark more trouble in the future. There …
• Part I: Untapped data • Part II: Lessons learnt How long have you been driving an auto in Ahmedabad? Just about a fortnight now. I came about 25 days ago from Lucknow. You live in Lucknow city? No. Who lives in the cities? People come to the cities to …
Part I: Untapped data Four consecutive years of drought have brought home a lesson that the people of Hamirpur district and its neighbouring districts in Himachal Pradesh have learnt well. These areas had started receiving piped water supply from the government and gave up on their traditional water harvesting structures. …
Ralph Unger had to sell 60 per cent of his cattle because fields typically used to feed the animals have turned to dust. Unger's predicament sums up the plight of us farmers and ranchers who are the worst sufferers of this year's devastating drought. At a meeting with lawmakers in …
Water is a critical issue in Afghanistan. The country receives less than 300 millimetres of rain each year and shares all its river basins with neighbouring countries. Twenty-three years of conflict have left its water infrastructure system shattered. And drought over the last five years aggravated the situation. Today, only …
Droughts, an integral part of India's geophysical profile, have registered a steep rise in frequency and ferocity during the past 50 years. To its credit, the scientific community has kept pace by conducting research that can minimise the impact of dry spells. But the government has done precious little to …
Vietnam is grappling with the elements. Different parts of the country are reeling under varying extremes of weather, with the central region in the grip of a deadly drought and northern areas deluged by floods. A two-month dry spell has hit paddy crop in central Vietnam severely. More than one-third …
from Tuscany to the tip of Sicily, Italy is in the grip of its worst drought in decades. It has wiped out crops, killed livestock and changed the lives of thousands of people. Experts say that rainfall in Sicily is at its lowest level in more than 70 years and …
