Month: September 2025

NEW DELHI – A potent and unusual combination of weather systems has been identified as the cause of the catastrophic rainfall, floods, and landslides that have ravaged northern India in recent weeks. A report by Down To Earth details how an abnormally high number of western disturbances during the monsoon season, coupled with a peculiar northward push of moisture-laden winds from the Arabian Sea, created a "concoction" of weather that has led to a rainfall catastrophe. According to the analysis, the normal monsoon rains have been exacerbated by the frequent presence of western disturbances. These are non-monsoonal storms that typically originate over the Mediterranean region and bring winter and spring rainfall to the Indian subcontinent. However, data from the India Meteorological Depa...

SRINAGAR – The flood situation in most parts of the Kashmir valley has eased as water levels in the River Jhelum and other water bodies receded below the danger mark on Friday, following a significant improvement in the weather. According to officials, there has been very little rainfall across the valley in the past 24 hours. The receding water levels have brought a sigh of relief to residents after days of heavy rainfall had triggered a flood threat. The water level in the Jhelum at Sangam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district and in Srinagar’s Ram Munshibagh is now below the danger mark. While some areas are still experiencing water levels above the danger mark, they are receding, and officials are maintaining close monitoring. All tributaries of the Jhelum are also flowing below d...

ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Friday that it has postponed by-elections for nine constituencies across the country, citing the devastating floods that have damaged infrastructure and displaced voters. The decision affects five National Assembly and four Punjab Assembly seats, with a new schedule to be announced once the situation normalizes. According to a report by Dawn, the ECP's decision comes as the floods have damaged public and private infrastructure, including schools and government buildings designated as polling stations and for storing election records. The civil administration and law enforcement agencies are heavily engaged in ongoing rescue and relief operations, making them unavailable for election-related duties. The Punjab government ...

NEW DELHI – Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, September 5, 2025, visited a flood relief camp in Shastri Park, northeast Delhi, and criticized what he described as delays in the government’s relief efforts for flood-affected residents. Kejriwal, a former chief minister, urged the Delhi government to provide adequate relief materials, including food and tents, to those displaced by the recent floods. Speaking to reporters at the camp, Kejriwal highlighted the hardships faced by the affected families. "I can see that people are facing issues. They are not getting food on time. There are mosquitoes everywhere. It has been raining, but tents were only put up yesterday," he said. "This is a natural calamity. We urge the government to provide facilities to people. It is th...

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court on Thursday, September 4, 2025, raised a serious concern about widespread illegal logging in the Himalayas, citing repeated flash floods and huge numbers of tree logs seen flowing in swollen rivers. The court warned that if the situation continues, India will be left with "no forests." A bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran voiced deep anguish over the recent floods in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. The court highlighted media visuals of countless logs being swept away by floodwaters, suggesting that illegal felling of trees in the ecologically fragile Himalayan forests is rampant amidst the natural disasters. “This is a very serious issue. Logs are seen flowing with the floodwaters....

CHANDIGARH – The water level at the Bhakra Dam has risen by nearly three feet in just 24 hours, reaching 1676.72 feet, just 3.28 feet shy of its 1680-foot danger mark. This alarming rise, fueled by heavy rains in its catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, has prompted authorities to issue flood alerts for downstream districts along the Sutlej river, including Ropar, Nawanshahr, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar. The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is currently managing the dam's outflow, with 56,000 cusecs of water being released downstream through its turbines and spillway gates, while inflows stood at 1.07 lakh cusecs. An official from the BBMB, who requested anonymity, noted that while the dam can safely hold water 10 feet above the danger level, the rapid influx is a c...

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has partnered with World Resources Institute (WRI) India to survey and identify major waste burning hotspots in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This initiative aims to pinpoint the specific locations where municipal solid waste (MSW) is being burned, which is a significant contributor to the region's severe air pollution. The Invisible Problem According to CAQM scientist Vikas Singh, while the overall impact of MSW burning on PM2.5 emissions is known, the exact locations of these burning sites, aside from landfill dumps, remain a mystery. The survey aims to fill this data gap, which will enable authorities to develop a targeted mitigation plan. The long-term strategy involves improving door-to-door waste collection and imp...

A new study has found that climate change could cause venomous snakes to migrate and expand their habitats into northern and northeastern India, regions not traditionally known for these species. This shift could significantly increase the risk of snakebites, which are already a major public health issue in the country. The "Big Four" on the Move Researchers from Dibru-Saikhowa Conservation Society, Assam Agricultural University, and Pukyong National University in South Korea focused their study on the "Big Four" venomous snakes: common krait, Russell's viper, echis carinatus, and Indian cobra. These four species are responsible for the majority of human snakebite cases in India. The study projects that rising temperatures and humidity could make states like Haryana, Rajasthan, an...

BARCELONA – In a surprising discovery, researchers from the University of Barcelona have found that fibrous balls of dried seagrass, known as "Neptune balls," are naturally trapping and removing large amounts of plastic waste from the Mediterranean Sea. These bundles, formed by the seagrass species Posidonia oceanica, are acting as an unexpected ally in the fight against ocean pollution. Nature's Accidental Filters The study, published in Scientific Reports, found that these Neptune balls can contain up to 1,500 plastic fragments per kilogram. The balls are formed when the seagrass sheds its leaves, and ocean currents roll the fibers into dense spheres. This rolling process captures and physically locks in tiny plastic fragments, microplastics, and other debris that would otherwise r...