-Hindustan Times One of them was its large area of impact. The maximum temperature in December was 17.5 degree C over northwest India, the lowest since 1971, according to an analysis by India Meteorological Department (IMD). The severe cold spell which northwest India experienced in the latter half of December (December 15 to 30) was unprecedented due to several reasons. One of them was its large area of impact. The maximum temperature...

-Financial Express There is an irony being played out in Delhi. While the national capital is reeling under one of its worst spells of air pollution, the Delhi government is bringing out a series of advertisements claiming that the pollution levels are down by 25%. The advertisements mention that the levels of PM 2.5—particulate matter of size less than 2.5 microns—have reduced from 154 microgrammes per cubic meter (µg/m3) during 2012-2014 to...

Sporadic natural events like floods and droughts have made headlines in recent times. An official report, which was released in April this year, among other things, shows that extreme weather events have taken a huge toll on both human and cattle lives, personal property and crops grown by farmers and farm workers. A chapter on extreme weather events and natural disasters in the report entitled EnviStats India 2019, Vol. I: Environment...

-TheWire.in Millions have been displaced, while a loss of crop and reduced yield are expected across the state. For the past few months, Bihar has been making headlines for many reasons. Disease outbreak, mob lynching or the state’s political affairs have seen it receive plenty of media coverage. But the state is now in the news for concurrently facing two natural disasters: drought and flood. This is not the first time that Bihar...

-The Hindu In a democracy, it is important for government agencies to disseminate data in a timely manner After a delayed start, the Southwest Monsoon recently wreaked havoc in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and other parts of India. In such a situation, a data journalist would have ideally looked for weekly comparisons of rainfall data across the affected States to determine when the rains began to intensify; historical data to determine how the...