In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95 billion. The year 2024 was marked by extreme temperature events in Asia that caused thousands of deaths, severe droughts in Africa affecting over 25 …
A tsunami has once again hit the Java islands of Indonesia. Four-metre high waves, which crashed into the western and central-southern coast of the islands on July 17, were triggered by a series of mid-afternoon earthquakes centred deep beneath the Indian Ocean. The us Geological Survey measured the first and …
The December 2004 tsunami, which battered much of the south Indian coast, has helped unearth priceless relics in the ancient port city of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. The killer waves shifted thousands of tonnes of sand to uncover granite sculptures which archaeologists claim, are remnants of a seventh-century civilisation. The …
coastal mangroves and green belts offer little or no protection against the power of a tsunami, according to a recent study. Conducted by the arc Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Australia, the University of Guam, and the Wildlife Conservation Society-Indonesia Programme, the study …
The 26 December 2004 tsunami caused widespread destruction and contamination of coastal aquifers across southern Asia. Seawater filled domestic open dug wells and also entered the aquifers via direct infiltration during the first flooding waves and later as ponded seawater infiltrated through the permeable sands that are typical of coastal …
the Union ministry of environment and forests (moef) is set to replace the Coastal Regulation Zone (crz), an enactment for the protection of coastal areas of the country, with the Coastal Zone Management Plan (czmp). The plan will come into force in a few months and will be based on …
more than a year after the killer tsunami hit southern India, the country still does not have a plan in place to study the seafloor rupture that triggered the calamity. Not only has India not initiated any research programme to probe the 1,300-kilometre rupture zone, two-thirds of which falls in …
tribals in the Kamota island, part of the Nicobar Islands, have protested against the defence establishment's attempt to re-install the field firing range (ffr) near the Pillomillow side of the island. The range's lease ended in February 2004. Talks to renew it have sparked protests from the tribals who had …
A year after Sri Lanka's worst natural disaster, many victims of the tsunami languish in makeshift shelters while an inefficient government bureaucracy and the country's poor utilisation of foreign aid continues to compound the crisis. Experts reckon that at the current rate, it will take at least four years for …
After the deluge, it's usThe bustle's gone out of Tharangambadi. The once-prosperous Dutch-controlled port was before last year's tsunami a contented fishing village
• A group of 60 on horsebacks who call themselves The Nomads have undertaken a tour of the world to promote organic farming and complete respect for the environment. • Every Time I See the Sea: Life After the Tsunami , an interactive exhibition of photographs and footage from India …
A year has passed since the killer tsunami devastated the islands, but the Rs 600-crore corpus set aside by the Central government for rehabilitation of those who lost their homes, is yet to be utilised. The reason: the Centre can't make up its mind on the design for tribal housing, …
Averse to law: The Afghanistan government, along with the UN, has rejected a call of experts to legalise cultivation of opium crops in the country. Eighty seven per cent of the world's opium is produced in Afghanistan and illegal heroin trade is rampant. Senlis Council, a France-based group of experts, …
• A new reality television series is teaching Britain's "most wasteful families' how to live simpler, greener lives. Each week, the BBC's, No waste like home looks over a different family's house. It then suggests techniques for cutting down on their ecological footprints. Despite early rave reviews from within the …
environmentalists in Andaman and Nicobar (a&n;) Islands are vociferously opposing a government decision to construct mud sea walls to stop the deluge of seawater post-tsunami. Many non-governmental organisations working in Andaman allege the move is a misutilisation of tsunami relief money and would destroy coral reefs. "This [construction of sea …
abundant bacteria: Scientists say soil contains 100 times more bacteria species than believed. Previous studies estimated a gramme of unpolluted soil contained about 10,000 bacteria species. But a fresh analysis of soil data by researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the US, suggests the actual number …
They choose the deep blue sea over the devil (of starvation, in this case), literally. Driven by extreme desperation due to loss of livelihood, tsunami-hit fisherfolk in Indonesia's Banda Aceh area are willingly venturing into the sea in the new fishing boats provided in aid, knowing full well that the …
The uncertainty clouding the fates of thousands of tsunami victims in areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (ltte) deepened with a July 15, 2005, order of Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (sc). The sc blocked a deal between the government and the rebel group to share billions of …
