Series: Environment and climate change in Tier II cities Citizen Matters

Varanasi’s horrible air quality typical of issues faced by cities of Indo-Gangetic plain

December 19, 2020 Rishabh Shrivastava

An alarming report on air pollution in these plains from the University of Chicago (EPIC) shows that residents here are losing 7.5 years of their lives as a result. What’s causing this?

Char Dham highway project will only add to urban woes

November 27, 2020 Rishabh Shrivastava

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.

Solar energy drive to make Shimla a ‘green’ city

November 24, 2020 Ashwani Sharma

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

Almost every family in Chandigarh has two cars. This is what it has cost the city

September 11, 2020 Raj Machhan

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.

Shimla’s haphazard building policy a recipe for climate disaster

September 1, 2020 Ashwani Sharma

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.

State-of-the-art early warning system to save more lives in Shimla, Kullu, Manali during extreme climate events

July 23, 2020 Ashwani Sharma

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.

Dozens of studies, hundreds of crores, but Buddha Nullah pollution still threatens Ludhiana

July 22, 2020 Raj Machhan

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.

Where can Bhubaneswar’s rainwater go?

July 16, 2020 Lalit Pattajoshi

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.

Smart city Bhubaneswar yet to get proper wastewater treatment infrastructure

July 16, 2020 Lalit Pattajoshi

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