Biodiversity conservation is an absolute imperative today, but is India serious about it? Notwithstanding the alacrity that the country has shown in ratifying and supporting international biodiversity conventions or in enacting domestic laws and regulations, India’s record in conservation and use of its bioresources has been quite dismal – finds an investigative analysis done by Down To Earth magazine.

With nine MLAs, three MPs, and one mayor all belonging to the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party, citizens in Agra are asking when will the water supply position in the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium zone improve and the environmental conditions change for the better.

As Sri Krishna-Radha devotees in Braj Mandal celebrate the birthday of Yamuna recently their hearts are filled with disgust and frustration to see the plight of the river which is the lifeline of millions of people from Delhi to Agra.

A quarter-century of environmental activism, and a series of judicial interventions by the apex court, have not fundamentally changed the ecological conditions in the Taj Trapezium Zone, spread over 10,400 sq km. The pollution level continues to remain alarming, affecting both humans and stone.

The winter season has drawn to a close, but it has left alarm bells clanging. A new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment, of winter air pollution trends in Delhi-NCR, says that while there had been a minor drop in the seasonal level compared to previous winters, the level is still extremely high, and far from meeting the safety standards. To get full access to this report, "Subscribe Now", in just Re.1/- for the next 24 hours.

“What does this intense heatwave that has hit large parts of India so early this summer really mean? It means that this is the age of climate change; it also means that how we deal with our water in the coming days will determine whether we would survive such extreme climatic conditions,” says Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment. To get full access to this story, "Subscribe Now", in just Re.1 for the next 24 hours...