Environment | Citizen Matters

Is your city allowed to burst firecrackers this Diwali?

November 11, 2020 Aruna Natarajan

With Diwali approaching, many states have chosen to ban crackers. The NGT has also issued a ban in cities with poor air quality. Where does your state stand?

Hyderabad floods: Who bears the brunt of a golf course on a lake bed?

November 4, 2020 Mimansa Sidhnath

Real scenes and anecdotes from Nadeem Colony reveal the impact of urban floods on the lives of ordinary people. Ironically, many of them knowingly or unknowingly, have a part to play.

A super commission to check air quality in the National Capital Region

November 3, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

The Commission has been given sweeping powers to ensure its orders are implemented and its decisions cannot be challenged in any court.

From 630 to 122: Where did Ahmedabad’s lakes disappear?

October 19, 2020 Darshan Desai

A study of land-use patterns, through Landsat images from 1974 to 2017, has revealed that water bodies in Ahmedabad have been shrinking at a decadal rate of 1.57 square km.

Delhi’s pollution response plan key to flattening its winter COVID curve

October 13, 2020 Sri Krishna

Uncontrolled pollution leads to severe respiratory problems, which could worsen the COVID-19 situation. Can the government’s response plan, with its 10-member high-tech war room, prevent that?

Rediscover Delhi and its rich heritage through tree walks

October 9, 2020 Deepanwita Gita Niyogi

Tree walks and nature trails have found a growing audience in Delhi where urban citizens are keen to connect with natural surroundings.

India urgently needs urban forests. What’s stopping us from creating more?

September 30, 2020 Neeta Lal/TheThirdpole.net

Lack of political will and outdated laws hamper the creation of urban forests in India, but there is no dearth of good examples that can be adopted.

Delhi: Crores allocated, but winter smog from stubble burning likely this year too

September 16, 2020 Asha Ramachandran

Health experts fear that the effects of COVID-19, primarily respiratory problems, could be worsened by heightened air pollution due to smoke from the annual stubble burning.

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.

As we honour Mother India this Independence Day, let’s not forget Mother Earth

August 15, 2020 Odette Katrak

Patriotism has 3 colours – and green is one of them! So let our celebrations be green!

In photos: Life along Pune’s Mutha riverbank in the time of COVID-19

August 5, 2020 Abhay Kanvinde and Parineeta Dandekar

These astounding captures by photographer Abhay Kanvinde during the lockdown urges us to reconsider the need for clean urban rivers and open riverfronts.

What lies behind the deepening water crisis in Himalayan towns?

July 29, 2020 Krity Shrestha, Sreoshi Singh and Anjal Prakash

A study conducted in the Himalayan towns of Singtam, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Devprayag and Mussoorie exposes the effect of haphazard urbanisation, poor water management and climate change on water resources.

Clean air plans ready for 102 cities, but no budget

July 24, 2020 Dr. Sarath Guttikunda, Tanushree Ganguly and Kurinji Selvaraj

90% of the cities that have made plans under the National Clean Air Programme have no budgetary support. None, except Delhi, have a legal mandate to implement those either.

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.