As a lethal combination of pollutants — from traffic emissions to particulates from the burning fields in Punjab and Haryana, as well as industrial effluents (and anything else I may have left out) — descends on the capital city and its luckless inhabitants, it has never been clearer how critical air pollution is to health. Indeed,…
As Myanmar rushes to its date with democratic and electoral destiny on November 8, one of the key challenges that will face a new government is the shaping of peace with major ethnic groups that have stayed away from a ‘nationwide’ ceasefire agreement — or CFA as it is widely known — with the current…
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Gangs of New York, Aviator, Blood Diamond, The Wolf of Wall Street etc) is also a serious environmental activist and organizer. He visited New Delhi recently and visited a nearby village to see effects of climate change in a Haryana village, with Centre for Science of Environment Director Sunita Narain…
Dr.Livia Bellina, a Pathologist from Italy, visited the Boat Clinic units of Kamrup, Dibrugarh and Dhubri district in September 2015. From Palermo in South Italy, Dr Bellina has been working for Italy’s National Health System since 1987. She founded the Mobile Diagnosis, a not for profit association aimed at sharing knowledge and providing diagnostic support…
By the Brahmaputra (Vol: 31) C-NES Newsletter (For the Quarter July – September 2015) Editorial By the Brahmaputra Swach Bharat – Go Beyond Toilets, Clean Up Industry As the Government of India and the Prime Minister rightfully declare that cleaning up India – or Swach Bharat – is ritical for making it a…
The endangered Mahseer fish and river dolphins may face grave danger from the proposed hydroelectric power projects, with a critical study of the Subansiri Sub Basin recommending development of an integrated biodiversity conservation plan. The two-volume report, released by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), was prepared by the Central Water Commission (CWC). Titled…
CSE Webinar CAN HISTORICAL INJUSTICE BE UNDONE? Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana & District Mineral Foundation How much welfare will be delivered to people in mining affected areas? 30th September , 3pm Following the Prime Minister’s Independence Day address, in which he described the under-development of mining areas as an issue of grave concern,…
India is in reeling under the impact of one of its worst dry spells in recent times. A series of reports by Down to Earth show the impact and the gravity of problem. According to an assessment made by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), 283 districts out of the total 640 in the country currently fall…
Amid simmering protest over the NDA government’s move for Indian citizenship to the non-Muslim intruders from Bangladesh and Pakistan, veteran journalist and north east expert Sanjay Hazarika said that it cannot be objected if there has been due process of law and adequate checking of individual cases before citizenship is granted. Talking to Assam Times…
For decades, the state of Assam in north eastern India has been grappling with insurgencies and ethnic clashes. The problems are aggravated by the bad infrastructure in the region. Many people live along the Brahmaputra River, on its many river islands that can only be reached by boats. Life is not easy for those living…