From India to Global South: A Gujarat Water-Governance Model

06 Oct 2026

Context: The 9th India International Water Week, held in New Delhi under the theme of climate-resilient water management, highlighted India's growing experience in water governance.India has moved from being primarily exposed to floods, droughts and...

Why is Buxa Bringing Tigers Back?

06 Oct 2026

Context: On October 2, three-year-old tigress T138 was released into Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), West Bengal, beginning a phased programme to establish a viable, self-sustaining tiger population.Three more tigers are likely to be introduced subsequentl...

Bird Islands: Beyond Symbolic Conservation

06 Oct 2026

Context: Two male Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) were recently released into the wild at Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, highlighting India’s efforts to recover one of its most threatened bird species.The conservation programme now has 97 birds, with...

Drought in Maharashtra: From the 1972 Crisis to Today

05 Oct 2026

Context: Maharashtra is again facing concerns over drought and agricultural distress, prompting comparisons with the severe 1972 drought, one of the State’s defining drought crises.However, the nature of the challenge has changed: while the 1972 cris...

Exceptionally Loud Birds: Understanding Avian Sound Amplitude

05 Oct 2026

Context: A new study has identified the bare-throated bellbird and red-legged seriema, both from Brazil, among the loudest birds recorded.Their calls reached around 121–122 decibels (dB), making them louder than several familiar high-intensity sounds...

Delhi’s Central Ridge: Ecological Restoration vs “Parkification”

03 Oct 2026

Context: Delhi’s Central Ridge, a semi-wild forest landscape in the heart of the city, is undergoing an extensive “restoration” exercise involving removal of vegetation and large-scale plantation.The article argues that the current approach risk...

Tiger Reintroduction and Preventive Wildlife Conservation

03 Oct 2026

Context: The first tiger reintroduction in Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal marks an attempt to restore a tiger population that had disappeared from the reserve.The programme is being implemented by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), We...

From Nepal to India: How AI Is Aiding Disaster Management

28 Sep 2026

Context: Recent disasters in Nepal demonstrated the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), drones and crowdsourced data for rescue, damage assessment and disaster response.AI is increasingly being integrated across the disaster-management cycle...

COP31: Fossil-Fuel Transition and Climate Finance

28 Sep 2026

Context: COP31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, in November 2026, with Türkiye hosting the conference and Australia overseeing the negotiations process.Türkiye’s Environment Minister Murat Kurum will serve as COP31 President, while Australia’s Clima...

Western Ghats: Karnataka’s Position on Eco-Sensitive Areas

26 Sep 2026

Context: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly unanimously rejected the recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee Report on declaring Eco-Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats.The central issue is balancing environmental conservation with the...

Saving the Rhino, Restoring India’s Grasslands

23 Sep 2026

Context: The greater one-horned rhinoceros is an important ecological and cultural component of the Brahmaputra floodplains and Terai grasslands.India is seeking to consolidate existing rhino populations while expanding the species into suitable part...

Groundwater Depletion in Punjab: From Water Crisis to Rural Inequality

23 Sep 2026

Context: Punjab’s groundwater extraction has reached 152%, making groundwater depletion both an environmental and socio-economic challenge.The crisis is increasingly affecting small and marginal farmers, who lack the capital needed to access deeper g...

Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve (ABR)) [Prelims Bits]

22 Sep 2026

Context: A JNTBGRI checklist documented 3,261 flowering plant species in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, highlighting its high floral diversity and endemism.Location: Spans Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the southern Western Ghats.Floral diversity: 3,...

Conservation, Compensation and the Monkey Menace in Himachal Pradesh

22 Sep 2026

Context: The death of a 63-year-old woman in Shimla following an attack by rhesus macaques has renewed concerns over human-wildlife conflict.She was attacked by a group of monkeys on the roof of her house on August 30, suffered serious injuries inclu...

Deep-Sea Exploration and Environmental Responsibility

19 Sep 2026

Context: India is expanding its deep-sea exploration capabilities through the Deep Ocean Mission, raising questions about the ecological consequences of future seabed mining.The central issue is whether technological capability to exploit deep-sea re...

DELHI’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE ROADMAP

18 Sep 2026

Context: Rapid EV Growth: India’s electric vehicle (EV) sales increased from 2,322 in FY 2014–15 to 25.45 lakh in FY 2025–26, reflecting rapid electrification of mobility.Delhi’s Strategy: Delhi’s Electric Vehicle Policy aims to accelerate this trans...

Striped Hyenas: Conservation and Ecological Importance

06 Sep 2026

Context: The Indian striped hyena is an important scavenger that helps maintain ecosystem health, but faces conservation challenges due to poor population data, negative cultural perceptions and fragmented conservation efforts.Population and Dis...

Climate Shocks in South Asia: Unequal Vulnerability and the Need for Regional Cooperation

04 Sep 2026

Context: Recent climate disasters in South Asia — Nepal floods, Sri Lanka’s Cyclone Ditwah, Pakistan floods and recurring floods in India — highlight the increasing frequency and interconnectedness of climate shocks.These disasters reveal that while...

Stubble Burning: Why the Solution May Lie Close to the Farm

02 Sep 2026

Context: As the paddy harvesting season approaches, Punjab and neighbouring States are likely to again face the problem of stubble (parali) burning, contributing to severe air pollution in northern India.Farmers face a difficult choice because p...

Lessons from the Himalayan Flood: India, China and Nepal Must Act Together

01 Sep 2026

ContextDevastating floods in Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers in sparsely populated Rasuwa district (~48,000 people) killed hundreds and destroyed traditional villages, urban settlements, tourist sites, trade routes, roads, bridges, social infr...

Deadly Span: Power Infrastructure Threatens India’s Vultures

01 Sep 2026

ContextElectrocution from expanding power infrastructure is emerging as a major threat to India’s vultures, alongside earlier chemical threats.A 2025 official survey found vultures nesting at only 50% of historic nesting sites, indicating continued p...

Nepal’s Agony: A Himalayan Warning for India

31 Aug 2026

Context: Recent disasters in Nepal highlight the interconnected and fragile nature of the Himalayan region and the need for India to strengthen preparedness against earthquakes, landslides, glacial hazards and climate-induced disasters.The Himalaya s...