-Scroll.in/ IndiaSpend.com Twelve per cent of India’s land is prone to landslides, and the country accounted for 18% of worldwide deaths in such cases from 2004 to 2016. Six days of relentless rain had saturated the soil on the rolling slopes of Rajamala hamlet in Anamalai hills – which support tea and coffee plantations – in Idukki district of Kerala. On August 6, the downpour became especially torrential, forcing a portion of...

-The Hindu Current method is based on pre-1960s rainfall data, says expert; report also calls for changes in agro plans owing to shift in rainfall and temperature variation A recent analysis of the last 58 years’ (1960 to 2017) weather data of Karnataka has indicated a considerable shift in rainfall pattern in the State, which has a bearing on agriculture and water security. It calls for changes in the present cropping pattern and...

-Down to Earth Attacks by desert locusts are threatening India, Iran and Pakistan, as well as the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region Desert locusts are breeding 400 times than usual due to favourable climatic conditions, according to a report by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). This explosive multiplication may spell disaster for large parts of Asia and Africa. Favourable climatic conditions for the pests have resulted in their multiplication,...

-Down to Earth Rising temperatures due to climate change may be compounding the stress on crops in multiple ways, it says Insect attacks are becoming stronger with rising temperatures and plants are not able to cope with the double whammy from pests and rising heat. These are the findings of a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study reinforces previous findings that persistent warm and...

-Down to Earth blog Overburdened drainage, frenzied and unregulated construction, no regard to the natural topography and hydro-geomorphology all make urban floods a man-made disaster The recent floods in Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh have taken by surprise both governments and people. In Patna, severe water logging has brought the city to a halt, with hospitals and residential areas filled with waist-deep water. Transport services have been disrupted, with many trains cancelled. There is...