Series: Environment and climate change in Tier II cities

While the big focus is on mobility, the ramifications of the Char Dham project on urban ecology of the several small towns situated on the highway deserve more scrutiny.

Ignored and untapped till now, the potential of solar energy to power Shimla and other urban centres is being realised only now .

The average minimum temperature in the city has risen by 1.8 degree Celsius over the last seven decades, caused primarily by lack of public transport and loss of green cover.

As per official estimates, there are more than 31,000 unauthorised buildings in major hill towns in Himachal Pradesh, with Shimla constituting 30 per cent of these.

Extreme weather events triggered by climate change pose huge risk to life in Himachal Pradesh. To mitigate these risks, the state is now all set to install a first-of-its-kind automatic ‘Early Warning System’ in Kullu district.

Once a clear water stream and the centre of Ludhiana’s social life, the Buddha Nullah’s pollution has affected the groundwater table, contaminated drinking water sources and more.

Because of erratic rainfall due to climate change, Bhubaneswar sees frequent spells of unexpected heavy rainfall. With natural drainage channels illegally encroached, this poses a big problem.

The first of a two-part story on how river pollution and lack of a proper sewerage and drainage system is affecting Bhubaneswar