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    Zambia and Zimbabwe have decided to move forward with the long-delayed Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme on the Zambezi River, brushing aside growing concerns that climate change and declining river flows could undermine the project’s viability. The two governments have jointly committed $440 million as seed capital, signalling renewed political backing for the $4.5 billion project. The decision was taken at a December 29, 2025 meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Zambezi River Authority, the bi-national body responsible for managing water resources on the shared river. Each country will contribute $220 million, representing about 10 per cent of the total project cost. Officials say the funding is aimed at improving the project’s bankability and attracting priv...

    Large quantities of onions, raw chips, vegetables and other goods have been washing up on beaches along England’s south and south-east coast since late December, puzzling residents and tourists. The unusual sight is the result of shipping containers falling into the sea during severe winter storms in the English Channel, according to ocean scientists. Over Christmas, at least 16 containers fell from the cargo ship Baltic Klipper during rough seas, sending vegetables, bananas and insulation foam into the water. In the new year, Storm Goretti caused a further 24 containers to be lost from two other vessels, with onions and chips appearing in large numbers along the Sussex coastline. How Storms and Ocean Currents Carry Cargo to Shore For oceanographers, the washed...

    Water supply was disrupted across several parts of Delhi on Wednesday after high ammonia levels were detected in the Yamuna river at the Wazirabad pond, officials from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said. The pollution spike affected operations at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants, leading to a reduction in water production by 25% to 50%. The DJB said residents may experience low water pressure until the situation improves. Water tankers will be provided on demand, and the public has been advised to use water judiciously during this period. Water Treatment Plants Operating at Reduced Capacity Officials said both the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants draw raw water directly from the Yamuna through the Wazirabad pond and supply treated ...

    A three-day state-level waste collection and segregation drive is being carried out with the objective of achieving “zero waste to landfill” by preventing waste from reaching dumping yards and promoting its conversion into usable resources. The initiative is being organised as a public festival to encourage citizens to move away from indiscriminate dumping and adopt responsible waste disposal practices. The drive, which began earlier this week, will continue until January 23. Authorities said the campaign focuses on segregation at source to ensure that different categories of waste can be processed efficiently. Segregated Waste Collected Across All Wards on First Day On the first day of the drive, unused and discarded materials were collected after being segreg...

    Scientists have uncovered the largest dinosaur footprints ever recorded, preserved along a remote stretch of coastline in Western Australia. The massive tracks, dating back around 130 million years to the Early Cretaceous period, are so large that a grown adult could stand inside a single footprint. The discovery comes from the Dampier Peninsula’s Broome Sandstone formation, an intertidal fossil site that has emerged as one of the most significant dinosaur track records anywhere in the world. Researchers say the site not only reveals extraordinary dinosaur sizes but also provides rare insight into species that left no skeletal remains behind. Fossil Tracksites Reveal Unmatched Dinosaur Diversity The findings are based on more than a decade of fieldwork along a ...

    Global agriculture has crossed a critical threshold where water use has exceeded sustainable limits, pushing food systems into what the United Nations now calls a state of “global water bankruptcy.” A new report warns that decades of over-extraction, land degradation, and climate stress have transformed what was once considered a temporary water crisis into a long-term structural emergency threatening food security, livelihoods, and economic stability worldwide. Released on January 20, 2026, by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, the report states that rivers, aquifers, lakes, wetlands, soils, and glaciers in many regions have been damaged beyond realistic prospects of full recovery. Agriculture, which consumes nearly 70 percent...

    Building islands in open seas is not a new concept, but the scale and speed at which China has created artificial islands in the South China Sea over the past decade is unprecedented. Through massive dredging operations, submerged coral reefs have been transformed into permanent landforms, altering one of the world’s most ecologically sensitive marine regions. While these projects are often discussed in the context of geopolitics and shipping routes, their environmental consequences remain far less visible. The Spratly Islands lie at the heart of one of the richest marine ecosystems on Earth. Over thousands of years, coral reefs here formed complex underwater landscapes that supported diverse marine life. In just a few years, dredging vessels removed sand, coral, and...

    Delhi witnessed its warmest January day in seven years on Thursday, with the maximum temperature touching 27.1 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung weather station, according to the India Meteorological Department. The last time the national capital recorded a higher maximum temperature in January was in 2019, when it reached 28.7 degrees Celsius. The temperature recorded at Safdarjung was 6.8 degrees above the seasonal average and nearly three degrees higher than Wednesday’s reading. Ayanagar also reported unusually warm conditions, with the maximum temperature settling at 25.4 degrees Celsius, which was 5.4 degrees above normal. Despite the warmer daytime conditions, the city continued to experience cold mornings. Safdarjung recorded the lowest minimum temperature ...

    A four-lane national highway with Assam’s first elevated wildlife corridor is set to cut through Kaziranga National Park, a project the Centre says will improve connectivity in Upper Assam while safeguarding the movement of wild animals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the ₹6,950-crore project on 18 January, describing it as a development initiative designed to keep the forest ecosystem intact. The highway will upgrade the existing two-lane National Highway-715 into a four-lane road, with long stretches elevated over key wildlife corridors used by rhinos, elephants and tigers. According to government releases, the project spans 86 kilometres between Kaliabor and Numaligarh. It includes widening 30 kilometres of the existing highway, buil...

    A recent circular issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has triggered concern among conservationists, legal experts and tribal rights activists, who warn that the decision could open India’s forests to commercial plantations while weakening long-standing safeguards meant to protect biodiversity and forest-dependent communities. Issued in the first week of January 2026, the circular allows private and non-government entities to undertake afforestation and plantation activities on forest land without paying Net Present Value (NPV) or undertaking compensatory afforestation, requirements that are otherwise mandatory when forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes. Critics argue that the move blurs the distinction between eco...