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  At least 132 people have been killed and more than 480 injured after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, triggering widespread building collapses and prompting the government to declare a national disaster. The earthquake struck at 7:34am local time on Monday at a depth of about 103 kilometres, according to Colombia’s geological service. The epicentre was near San José del Palmar in Chocó province, but the tremor was felt across a large part of the country and in neighbouring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams continue searching collapsed buildings for survivors. Pereira, located about 55 kilometres from the epicentre, has suffered some of the worst damage. Local authorities reported at least 40...

August 11, 2026: More than five decades ago, Australian pilot Don Adams took on an ambitious restoration project on a severely degraded coral island at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. His efforts on Lady Elliot Island helped lay the foundation for a long-term ecological recovery that continues today. When Adams first arrived on the island in 1969, Lady Elliot looked very different from the tropical destination it is now. Decades of guano mining had stripped much of its nutrient-rich soil and vegetation, while introduced goats prevented new plants from becoming established. Adams secured a tourism lease from the Australian government and began restoring the damaged island. Among the challenges he faced was a severe lack of freshwater. He transported drums of water by aircr...

  Gurugram: Illegal ramps, encroachments on green belts and footpaths, and unauthorised structures are worsening waterlogging and traffic congestion across Gurugram, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has warned. The civic body has issued a public notice against unauthorised ramps constructed over public roads and streets, saying they reduce the effective width of carriageways, obstruct traffic movement and, in several cases, contribute to waterlogging. The warning comes after Gurugram received 97 mm of rainfall on August 7, which flooded several arterial roads and low lying areas and once again exposed the city’s drainage problems. MCG and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority have identified 155 waterlogging hotspots across the city this monsoon. Zone ...

A former coal mine in northwestern Spain has been transformed from a massive industrial pit into a large artificial lake offering an example of how degraded mining landscapes can be rehabilitated after extraction ends. The As Pontes mine in Galicia was developed in the 1940s for the extraction of lignite, or brown coal. Over nearly six decades, around 260 million tonnes of lignite were extracted, leaving behind an open pit more than 300 metres deep. The mine was closely linked to a large coal fired power plant operated by Endesa. However, stricter European Union air pollution regulations eventually led to the permanent closure of the mine in 2007. Rather than leaving the enormous excavation abandoned authorities and engineers undertook a major environmental rehabilitation project....

  In Odisha Malkangiri district an indigenous crop called Roselle, locally known as Bhenda Dal is helping tribal communities strengthen food security and adapt to increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. Roselle, scientifically known as Hibiscus sabdariffa, has traditionally been cultivated by tribal communities in the region. The crop can grow on rainfed uplands and hill slopes with limited water and few external inputs, making it particularly suitable for areas where agriculture depends heavily on monsoon rainfall. The crop is widely grown in the Swabhiman Anchal region of Chitrakonda block, where farming is predominantly rainfed. Its ability to withstand moisture stress makes it a useful option for farmers facing irregular rainfall, prolonged dry periods and rising t...

Switzerland Rhone Glacier has lost more than four metres of ice in just one month as successive heatwaves and low winter snowfall accelerate melting in the Alps. According to Switzerland’s Glacier Monitoring Service (GLAMOS), the glacier has been melting at an average rate of around 10 centimetres per day since mid June. Scientists say unusually high temperatures in May, June and July, combined with below-average snowfall during winter, have left the glacier without its usual protective layer of snow. Matthias Huss a glaciologist at ETH Zurich and head of GLAMOS said the glacier is being affected by melting both from above and below. Meltwater flowing beneath the ice has carved large cavities, weakening the glacier from within and contributing to collapses. Measurements taken duri...

August 10, 2026: The world mangrove forests appear to be showing signs of recovery after decades of widespread destruction according to a recent study examining four decades of global data. Researchers found that since 2010, mangrove forests have expanded by more than 2,000 square kilometres. For the first time since satellite monitoring began in 1984, the rate at which mangroves are expanding has surpassed the rate at which they are declining. Mangroves are important coastal ecosystems that provide shelter and breeding grounds for numerous species while also helping protect communities from flooding, erosion, storms, cyclones and tsunamis. They are also highly effective carbon stores. Research indicates that mangrove forests can hold roughly four times more carbon than other land...

  Southern California: Nearly a century ago, a massive engineering project set out to solve one of Southern California’s biggest challenges: a growing population and a limited local water supply. The Colorado River Aqueduct, stretching about 242 miles (389 kilometres), was built to transport water from the Colorado River across mountains and vast stretches of desert to communities in Southern California. Construction of the aqueduct began in 1933 and was completed in 1941. Financed through a $220 million bond approved in 1931, the project was also an important source of employment during the Great Depression. Around 30,000 people worked on the eight-year construction effort, with the workforce reaching as many as 10,000 at a time. Why Southern California needed more water ...

  Srinagar, August 10, 2026: Water chestnuts harvested from Kashmir’s lakes may be accumulating heavy metals from polluted water, raising concerns over food safety and the deteriorating condition of the Valley’s freshwater ecosystems, according to a study published in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature portfolio. Researchers examined water sediments and water chestnut (Trapa natans) plants from four major freshwater bodies Dal Lake, Hokersar Wetland, Manasbal Lake and Wular Lake. The study analysed several heavy metals, including potentially toxic cadmium and chromium and found a clear variation in contamination across the water bodies. Dal Lake records highest contamination Among the four sites Dal Lake recorded the highest overall heavy metal contamination, followed ...

A new study has raised concerns over Maharashtra’s changing climate, finding that compound drought and heatwave events are becoming more frequent and severe including during the monsoon season. Published in the International Journal of Climatology, the study analysed district level data from 1960 to 2025 and identified 1990 as a major turning point. Since then, Maharashtra has witnessed a significant increase in both the frequency and intensity of compound drought and heatwave (CDHW) events. The findings suggest that these extreme events are no longer largely restricted to the pre-monsoon summer months. The monsoon season has emerged as the period showing the strongest intensification, with several parts of the state now experiencing frequent combinations of rainfall deficits and unu...