-The Hindustan Times Gurdaspur (Punjab): Punjab, known for its sprawling agricultural fields, is equally famous for burning of paddy and wheat straw by farmers after the Harvesting season. The smoke released from burning of paddy straw is extremely bad for health. "Each year, the agriculture department spreads the same message highlighting the ill-effects of straw burning in the fields, but farmers rarely pay heed to it. Burning of straw causes severe harm...

-The Telegraph Cyclone Hudhud, which made landfall in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam around 11.30am on Sunday and unleashed massive rain and gale that left behind a trail of destruction, might prove beneficial for Jharkhand's rabi crops. According to Met officials, the cyclone, which crossed Andhra coast with wind speed of 195-200kmph this afternoon, is likely to trigger heavy rain in some parts of Jharkhand on Monday and Tuesday. Even though farmers are bracing for...

-Down to Earth Close to 20 million people displaced or affected Since October 2013, when Phailin hit Odisha's coast, India has witnessed a series of extreme weather events like cyclonic storms, cloudbursts, floods, droughts and hailstorms. These events not only destroyed lives and livelihood of people, but also caused a huge economic loss to the state and national economies. In the period between October 2013 and October 2014, floods in three states-Odisha, Assam...

-The Indian Express The Indian meteorological department (IMD) website states that Kautilya's Arthashastra contains records of rainfall and its impact on revenue, as well as details about relief work. Similarly, Kalidasa's Meghdoot, written around the seventh century, mentions the date of the onset of the monsoon and traces the path of monsoon clouds. Till today, forecasts are made on the same broad lines. Farmers like me still look towards indigenous knowledge for...

-Deccan Chronicle Karimanagar: Paddy crop being cultivated in an extent of 1.61 lakh hectares is on the verge of withering due to scanty rainfall and erratic power supply. A significant amount of the crop, which is presently reaching ripening stage, is likely to be affected by low rainfall and inadequate power supply. Consequently, the yield of the crop is likely to get reduced remarkably. Despite low rainfall, farmers managed to sow...