Month: August 2025

Afghanistan is facing a deepening child malnutrition emergency, with nearly 10 million people suffering from acute food insecurity and humanitarian agencies warning of a looming catastrophe if immediate action isn't taken. The World Food Program (WFP) has called for USD 539 million in urgent funding to support vulnerable families, many of whom are on the brink of starvation. The crisis has escalated rapidly following major cuts to international food aid. One of the most critical blows came in April when the U.S. ceased its food assistance to Afghanistan, despite the country’s longstanding dependency on such support to manage poverty and conflict-related displacement. WFP officials say the aid shortfall is already taking a toll on children. Hospitals and health clinics across Afghanis...

A new study has revealed that fire-scorched Amazon forests in Brazil remain significantly warmer for decades, severely weakening thei Environmental Research Letters by researchers from Columbia University’s Climate School, the study shows that fire-affected tropical forests stay, on average, 2.6°C warmer than untouched forests, with this elevated heat persisting for up to 30 years. The research focused on southern and eastern Amazon regions and found that even after three decades, these forests showed only a 1.2°C temperature drop. “Burned forests exhibited substantially altered thermal regimes even after 15 years of recovery,” said lead author Savannah Cooley, now a NASA scientist. “Regeneration is much more at risk it’s slower or not happening at all.” The team noted that fire dama...

Torrential rains continue to batter Uttar Pradesh, plunging several regions into crisis as rivers breach danger levels and floodwaters rise across key districts. With severe waterlogging reported in cities like Ayodhya, Kanpur, and Varanasi, the state government has ordered all schools government and private from classes 1 to 12 to remain closed as a precautionary measure. In Ayodhya, localities like Jalwanpura were submerged in knee-deep water after the Saryu River overflowed its banks. In Varanasi, the Ganga’s water level has been rising steadily since Saturday, prompting officials to ban all boat operations temporarily. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has swung into action, deploying ministers to personally monitor relief work in 12 flood-hit districts. He directed officials to mai...

As monsoon rains continue to lash Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga River in Varanasi has surged to alarming levels, submerging key ghats and prompting a flood alert across the city. Among the affected areas is the iconic Namo Ghat, now partially underwater, as authorities race to manage the growing crisis. In response to the worsening conditions, all schools in Varanasi have been ordered shut on August 5 and 6 across all educational boards and classes up to 12th grade. The order, issued by the District School Superintendent following the District Magistrate’s directive, aims to ensure student safety as floodwaters rise. Uttar Pradesh Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna visited flood-hit sites to monitor relief efforts and ensure timely distribution of aid. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also conven...

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a five-day monsoon alert for Uttarakhand, the state has ramped up preparations to tackle potential rain-related disasters. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed all district administrations to stay on high alert and ensure essential services remain uninterrupted amid forecasts of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Key districts including Dehradun, Nainital, and surrounding hilly regions have been identified as particularly vulnerable. CM Dhami urged officers to work in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to ensure public safety, especially for communities living near riverbanks and landslide-prone areas. He also stressed the need for prompt communication...

A recent study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has uncovered a surprising truth about the Ganga River more than 50% of its water quietly vanishes as it flows from the Himalayas into the plains, largely unnoticed by the public or policymakers. Led by Professor Abhayanand S. Maurya, the research team examined the Ganga’s summer hydrology and found that contrary to popular belief, it is not glacial melt but groundwater discharge that plays the dominant role in sustaining the river’s flow during the dry season. The findings challenge longstanding assumptions and carry critical implications for water resource planning, especially in the context of climate change and increasing water stress across the Gangetic plains. Surprisingly, despite growing conc...

The Amazon rainforest often called the lungs of the Earth, is facing a hidden crisis that lingers long after the flames are gone. A new study by researchers from Columbia University’s Climate School published in Environmental Research Letters, reveals that parts of the Amazon scorched by fire can remain significantly hotter for decades threatening their recovery and weakening their ability to store carbon and withstand climate stress. According to the study, burned areas of the forest remain, on average, 2.6°C warmer than untouched or selectively logged forests. Even 30 years after a fire the temperature decrease in these areas is just 1.2°C, leaving them persistently hotter than normal. The elevated heat levels stretch across the entire canopy, from 5 to 40 metres, disrupting critical ...

As global negotiators reconvene in Geneva to shape the world first legally binding plastics treaty a new Lancet report has sounded the alarm on the growing health risks from plastic pollution especially microplastics warning that urgent, evidence-based action is the only way to avert a public health and planetary disaster. The report, published just before the latest round of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) discussions, lays out how plastics once hailed for their versatility have now become a global health hazard. “Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age,” the authors noted, citing health-related economic losses of over $1.5 trillion annually. And these losses hit the poorest and most vulnerable communities the hardest. Dr. Philip Landrigan, a leadi...

A few steps away from the chaos of Mount Poonamallee Road traffic, Porur in Chennai now hosts the city’s first sponge park Dr MS Swaminathan Wetland Eco Park. Once a marshland turned dumping ground and parking lot, the 16.63-acre site has been transformed into a thriving eco-space that not only reduces urban flooding but reconnects residents with nature. Developed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) in collaboration with Sponge Collaborative, the sponge park slows down, filters, and stores stormwater instead of draining it away quickly like conventional flood-control systems. This nature-based solution is designed to recharge groundwater, create a safe flood buffer, and act as a community green space. “When we came here initially, the land was degraded, with garb...

In Gaza war doesn’t end with bombs. It continues in poisoned wells, toxic rubble, and dying fields. The Strip’s destruction has gone beyond buildings it's unraveling the very ecosystems that sustain life. Today Gaza faces not just a humanitarian crisis, but an environmental collapse that could affect the region for generations. Water scarcity, sewage overflow, unbreathable air, and poisoned soil are now daily realities for millions. The death of water By early 2025, more than 85% of Gaza’s wells, desalination plants, and pumping stations were either destroyed or not functioning. All five sewage treatment plants stopped working by late 2024. Raw sewage now flows through city streets and into the Mediterranean, contaminating coastal waters and raising cholera risks. Gaza’s only natura...