Down to Earth Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla city has been battered following three days of heavy rainfall — there have been three major landslides in the last four days and the bodies of over 22 people have been recovered so far. Over two dozen people are missing and suspected to be buried under the debris. According to experts, the city has long crossed its carrying capacity, which is leading to regular landslides...

Carbon Copy The India Meteorological Department (IMD) this week delivered its first long-range forecast for this year’s monsoon. In terms of total rainfall observed over the season, the IMD expects this year’s monsoon to bring 96% of the Long Period Average (with a modelling error of +/-5%). The forecast, if it materialises, places monsoon performance within the “normal” range, albeit narrowly.  Despite the normal forecast, mid-way into Summer 2023, India is jittery....

People's Archive of Rural India Marudupudi Nagaraju has a three-acre mango orchard in Pomula Bheemavaram village in Andhra Pradesh. A daily wage worker of the Madiga community, this land was assigned to him around 25 years ago by the state government. It was done in a move by the state to redistribute land among the landless classes introduced under the Andhra Pradesh Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) Act, 1973. hen...

Private weather forecaster Skymet expects the upcoming June-September monsoon to be 'below normal' to the tune of 94% of the long period average (LPA), raising concerns about food grain production in the country. In January, Skymet had forecast the monsoon 2023 to be sub-par and now retains the same outlook.  "Courtesy Triple-Dip-La Nina, southwest monsoon observed above normal/normal rainfall for the last four consecutive seasons. Now, La Nina has ended. Likelihood...

Milk prices are expected to remain high this Summer due to tight demand-supply balance and high input costs, said Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das at the first bi-monthly monetary policy of 2023 on Thursday. “Milk prices could remain firm due to high input costs and seasonal factors,” said Das. The RBI’s observation comes a day after reports stated that the government was mulling import of dairy products this...