Graded Response Action Plan: How Delhi plans to combat severe air pollution

For the last three years, the months of October and November see extensive coverage of how bad the air in Delhi is. Winters in the capital are a time of excruciating discomfort and irritation in various forms; delayed flights, extreme traffic, low visibility, inability to breathe and irritation in all kinds of body parts. I’ve […]

India’s Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

In light of recent alarming trends in air quality of India, I felt that it is a good idea to revisit one of the most important environmental legislation to have come into effect in India, and to see what the government had in mind when it came out with this Act. The Air (Prevention and […]

WHY IS THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA LEANING?

Constructed in three phases, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is definitely the most well-known architectural maverick and one of the great wonders of the medieval world. And this wonder, does perfect justice to its name. IT ACTUALLY IS LEANING. Construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa occurred in three phases, spanning nearly two whole centuries […]

SUMATRA TSUNAMI AND EARTHQUAKE: DEADLIEST DISASTER OF ALL TIME

Tsunamis have been a relatively rare event in the Indian Ocean, at least in human memory, and have been quite prevalent in the Pacific. But every ocean has generated the scourges and left millions of people with scarred memories. Fourteen years ago, such an event occurred, when an earthquake of magnitude 9.1 struck beneath the […]

Groundwater recharge through irrigation losses in New Zealand

A guest blog by Nigel Cowburn. Nigel is a landscape architect based in New Zealand. I recently attended the New Zealand Irrigation Conference. One topic that came up often was aquifer recharge. NZ is undergoing a rapid shift from government funded irrigation to private sector schemes. The government-led approach resulted in over-allocation of many […]

The White Shark Cafe

The White Shark cafe is an extremely unique place. Sounds like a cool hang-out place doesn’t it? Well, it is. Quite literally. This isolated, sub-tropical region in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii is quite literally a cool water, hang out spot for one of the most impressive predators of the open ocean; White […]

FAQs about earthquakes

No matter where you live in the world, you must know of a place in your country that has experienced earthquakes. Some regions are more prone to earthquakes than others, and draw a lot of focus and attention from scientists and policy makers alike. Regions like California, Himalayas, New Zealand, Japan and the European Alps […]

Is groundwater a reliable source of water for communities?

Traditionally, communities all over the world have relied on fresh surface water to meet their water needs. Thus, with the advent of urban centers and rapid development, one of the first thrust areas was to control and store surface water resources so that the population of an area can reliably survive on it. Investment in […]

How does LULC change affect groundwater recharge?

It has been seen all over the world that while the land cover is changing rapidly, the effect it is having on groundwater and it’s recharge is becoming more and more significant. This is especially true in places that rely solely on groundwater to meet their water needs. As groundwater extraction is increasing around the […]

From Europe: Bee harming insecticide now banned!

In a widely popular decision among environmental groups and scientists, the EU voted last week to ban all outdoor use of one of the world’s most popular insecticide-“neonics” or neonicotinoids. These compounds have been suspected to have a very negative impact on the health of the honeybees and wild bees around the world, especially in […]