-The Business Standard Experts say too early to estimate final output The sowing of kharif crops is on at breakneck speed in most parts, but analysts say much of the final output will depend on the weather in the next month. The current weak monsoon phase in most of the northern parts of the country is adding to the worry. Experts believe if the rains go for a prolonged break in...

-Outlook The legendary environmentalist and Chipko visionary on the recent floods in Uttarakhand In the more than eight decades of his existence, legendary environmentalist and Chipko visionary Sunderlal Bahuguna has never been witness to the kind of devastation that Uttarakhand has seen recently. In an interview, he explains why the government can no longer ignore the environmental concerns of the locals. * Tell us about your escape. We heard that you had...

-PTI Dehradun: The blame game over Uttarakhand deluge escalated on Sunday with the Meteorological department saying it had issued "timely" warnings of heavy rains and landslides but the state government claimed these were not "specific". The assertions by the MeT department and the state government, two weeks after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides that ravaged Uttarakhand, came amid questions whether the administration ignored the warnings and whether large-scale deaths in the...

-The Times of India JORHAT: Heavy and incessant rainfall in hills of Arunachal Pradesh has triggered the second wave of flood in Assam. More than 25 villages in Dhemaji district bordering Arunachal Pradesh have been hit by flood till Wednesday. No casualty has been reported yet. The villages have been affected by the rising waters of the Jiadhol and Gai rivers since Tuesday night. The water level of both the rivers swelled and...

-The Hindu This year, the monsoon has been in rumbustious form. It swept in to Kerala on June 1 and then headed off north with surprising rapidity. So much so that the rain-bearing cloud systems covered the whole country by June 16, a process that is typically completed only by around the middle of next month. Moreover, it has rained copiously. Consequently, about three-quarters of the country have received much...