Kundan Pandey

A denuded river basin, built-up lake beds and wetlands, tarmacked and tiled pavements, and parking lots on green spaces — all these contributed to making a cool “lake city” into a thirsty one this summer. Bengaluru’s conservationists’ mantra of “reduce, recycle, recharge” now finds more takers as climate change makes more cities go dry. For […]

On February 19, 2024, the Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud refused to stay the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act of 2023 (FCAA). Instead, an interim order was passed upholding the 1996 Supreme Court ruling in the T.N. Godavarman v. Union of India in W.P. (C) No. 202/1995 defining forest land. The Supreme Court had […]

It was a Sunday in July last year, 2023, when a lifeguard in Mumbai noticed translucent tiny drops at the city’s Aksa beach. Unable to comprehend what they were, he called up the team at Coastal Conservation Foundation (CCF), a non-profit working on coastal and marine environments in Mumbai. “They looked like fish eggs. Crows […]

On a sweltering April afternoon, Mahesh S., a 28-year-old dairy farmer from Kempanapalya village in Karnataka, lifts a damp jute bag covering a green plastic tub lying in a corner in a cow shed. He checks the maize seeds he has left to sprout in it. When ready, he will place the sprouted seeds in […]

Abdul Majeed Wani, a seasoned farmer from Shaar-i-Shalli village in Pampore town in South Kashmir, knows the art of preserving saffron corms (saffron bulbs). He is saving them for his next cycle of indoor saffron farming. The delicate saffron bulbs give rise to the fall-flowering purple Crocus sativus, which yields the world’s most expensive spice, […]

In the peak of summer, with heat waves sweeping several parts of India, seven-phase general elections are underway in the world’s biggest democracy. The weather department and the government agencies have been regularly issuing alerts and warnings, to ensure the safety of citizens who step out to cast their votes, amid fear of heat strokes […]

The fundamental right to life of Indian citizens has been extended to the right to be protected against harm caused by climate change, thanks to a landmark judgement of the Supreme Court on April 5, 2024. This has been hailed by almost everyone who has faced the impacts of climate change – more frequent and […]

Disruptions in observations and equipment supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic has left critical gaps in the Indian Ocean marine observation system for storm forecasting and fisheries planning. The U.S. and India are jointly addressing the issue with a scientific voyage to revive the system.

As the sun set on the distant horizon of Borsapori village in Assam’s Numaligarh area, Leela Charan Dutta and his five associates were busy packing hundreds of wooden boxes. As the last rays of warmth faded, the chill of the cold January evening intensified over the sprawling mustard fields stretching as far as the eye […]

In the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, a small fishing village named Marianad (land of Mary) has significantly contributed to the development of the state’s fisheries sector. It was the birthplace of Kerala’s first cooperative society for fishers, which later became a model for cooperative movements across the state. The community upholds a unique fishing management […]