News and Articles

Citizens save polluted Bengaluru lake
One of the many polluted Bengaluru lakes, Gottigere lake is being revived, thanks to the intervention of some responsible citizens. Posted on 14 Mar, 2018 07:23 PM

Gottigere lake used to be a major source of water for south Bangalore. Its overflow fed several other lakes in the area. It was also the reason why so many people bought apartments nearby.

Gottigere residents gather to clean the lake. (Pic courtesy: 101Reporters)
Centre fails to see the wood for the trees
The latest FSI report says India is getting greener. A closer look at the story behind the numbers says otherwise. Posted on 13 Mar, 2018 03:38 PM

As per the biennial State of Forest Report (SFR) 2017 by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the total forest and tree cover in India increased during the period 2015 to 2017 by 0.94 percent. The increase in the forest cover has been of the order of 6,778 sq km and that of tree cover was about 1,243 sq km.  

India’s forest cover stands at 21.54 percent while its dense forest cover is about 12.26 percent, as per the State of Forest Report, 2017. (Image: Tridib Choudhury, Wikimedia commons, CC BY SA-4.0)
CPCB: Delhi's groundwater most exploited
News this week Posted on 13 Mar, 2018 11:38 AM

Delhi's groundwater most ‘over exploited’ after Punjab and Rajasthan

Extraction of groundwater far exceeds recharge in many places. (Picture courtesy: The Hindu)
Karnataka to stop industries from using fresh river water
Policy matters this week Posted on 13 Mar, 2018 11:19 AM

Karnataka to formulate plan to prohibit industries from drawing fresh river water

Karnataka plans to regulate fresh water use by industries. (Picture courtesy: India Spend)
Farmers’ plight: Leaving land for a lesser life
One of the worst affected districts in Andhra Pradesh, Anantapur is seeing its farmers leave their villages for cities due to water scarcity. Posted on 13 Mar, 2018 06:24 AM

Scanty rainfall, depleting groundwater levels, barren farmlands and mass migration of farmers to cities for better livelihood--this is the reality of most of rural India today. Many parts of India are witnessing this growing trend of farmers leaving their lands in search of jobs in cities.

Many villages look deserted due to mass migration of villagers to cities for jobs. Houses are abandoned and are getting ruined due to nonuse. (Pic courtesy: 101Reporters)
Arsenic-affected village gets water after two decades
Kaudikasa village’s two decades of struggle with arsenic contamination in drinking water ends with a new government scheme. Posted on 12 Mar, 2018 05:41 AM

Kaudikasa is a small village with a population of just 350 people in the Ambagad Chowki block of the Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh. Despite its small size, Kaudikasa village has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Severe health problems have been reported from the village, thanks to acute arsenic contamination in its groundwater.

Yuvraj Singh, a former sarpanch of Kaudikasa near the tube well reported to have the highest level of arsenic contamination.
Monsoon modelling no ‘blind men and elephant’ story
Though there have been amazing advances in the modelling of weather and climate, no model is perfect. Posted on 08 Mar, 2018 04:53 PM

In a few weeks from now, monsoon forecasts will begin. These forecasts are based on calculations made by computer modelling. There have been amazing advances in the modelling of weather and climate. These include the monsoons, El Niño’s, cyclones, the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), winds, currents, and so on. Just as even a new car is not perfect, these models are not perfect.

The current models for monsoon prediction do not always show perfect results due to the intricacies of the monsoon dynamics. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Islands float on Delhi lake
Floating wetlands have been constructed on Hauz Khas lake in an attempt to naturally restore it. Posted on 08 Mar, 2018 06:09 AM

Located in the Hauz Khas urban village in the busy metropolis of Delhi is an exquisitely landscaped lush green patch. This deer park, with spotted deer, peacocks and numerous birds, leads to an incredibly beautiful lake. As per a plaque at the site, the lake is a part of the medieval (13th century) city of Delhi Sultanate.

Phytoremediation principle is used to convert Hauz Khas lake into a water purifying wetland ecosystem. (Image: Tarun Nanda)
Study of ancient eclipses can unveil past climate trends
The imprint of perturbations in Earth’s rotation called delta T can be deciphered from records of ancient eclipses: Scientists Posted on 07 Mar, 2018 06:00 AM

For a long time now, historians have been using epigraphy to infer the political and economic aspects of the past. In recent times, astronomers have come to realise that it can also be a potent tool to understand the history of astronomy as well as for inferring minute changes in the motion of Earth. 

Scientists say ancient eclipse records in epigraphical inscriptions can help us understand climate change in historical time scales.
Harappans had knowledge of hydraulic engineering
Researchers have found buried archaeological features at Dholavira, one of the important sites of Harappan civilisation in India. Posted on 07 Mar, 2018 05:47 AM

A team of archaeologists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, conducted a survey of an unexplored area of around 12,276 square metre at Dholavira using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technique which helps to scan the ground and reveal objects buried underground.

Researchers at the Dholavira site. (Pic courtesy: ISW)
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