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IMPHAL, MANIPUR – In a significant boost to wildlife conservation efforts, the Manipur Zoological Garden, in collaboration with the India Turtle Conservation Program (ITCP), has successfully hatched 28 Asian giant tortoise hatchlings through artificial incubation. This marks the first successful experiment of its kind for this critically endangered species in mainland Asia. This achievement has initiated a dedicated conservation breeding program to increase the species' population and eventually reintroduce them into the wild. The Asian giant tortoise (Manouria emys phayrei) is the largest tortoise in mainland Asia and is native to five northeastern states of India: Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland. A Coordinated Effort for a Rare Reptile The successful incubation ...

Jammu, India – The city of Jammu has been hit by a catastrophic flood situation after a record-breaking 380mm of rainfall in a single day, the highest since the MeT center began recording data in 1974. This unprecedented downpour, nearly a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours (Jammu's average for August is 403.1mm), has triggered flash floods, landslides, and widespread devastation across the Jammu and Kashmir region. Tragedy at Vaishno Devi and Doda The incessant rain has led to a series of tragedies, with the death toll rising in multiple incidents. A massive landslide on Tuesday near the Vaishno Devi shrine claimed at least 32 lives, with more than 20 people injured. Authorities had already suspended the pilgrimage on one of the routes due to the dangerous weather conditions...

Intense monsoon rains and subsequent flooding have caused significant damage to the historic Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan Punjab province. The Gurdwara, a key Sikh shrine located near the international border, and the connecting Kartarpur Corridor were seen almost completely submerged in floodwaters. Gurdwara Submerged, Religious Relics Safe Visuals from the site showed the historic Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev, surrounded by floodwater from the overflowing Ravi River. The floodwaters, in some areas reaching up to five to seven feet, inundated the langar hall, parikrama, and sarovars within the complex. Fortunately, sources from the Gurdwara confirmed that the holy saroop of Guru Granth Sahib, which is on the second floo...

Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh — In a major victory for urban resilience, Gorakhpur has successfully transformed its approach to monsoon flooding, dramatically cutting flood response times from 10-12 hours to under two. A new Urban Flood Management System (UFMS), a collaboration between the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation and tech firm Canarys Automations, is at the heart of this change, serving as a potential blueprint for other flood-prone Indian cities. For years, residents like Ratna Devi from Ashoknagar faced the same "dreadful story" of monsoon waters flooding their homes, causing widespread destruction and disruption. Gorakhpur's saucer-shaped geography and outdated drainage systems made it particularly vulnerable to waterlogging, a problem exacerbated by rapid urbanization. A Syste...

Blue carbon which is organic carbon captured and stored in coastal and marine ecosystems like mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses, holds significant potential for climate mitigation. These ecosystems are highly effective carbon sinks, storing up to four times more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests. Despite this, blue carbon credits are largely underutilized in voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), including in India, primarily because land-based projects are often easier and cheaper to implement. The Potential of Blue Carbon in India's VCM India possesses vast blue carbon resources, with a coastline of over 7,500 kilometers and some of the world's largest mangrove ecosystems, such as the Sundarbans. This makes the country well-positioned to become a global leader in issui...

New Delhi: A groundbreaking study led by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has revealed how rapidly and significantly human activities can impact cloud formation, a critical component of the global climate system. The research, which treated the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 as a unique "natural experiment," provides new evidence on the direct link between human-caused emissions and aerosol behavior. Published in the ACS ES&T Air Journal, the study focused on the coastal regions of India between March and July 2020. Researchers found that as human emissions were curtailed during the lockdown and then slowly rebounded, the concentration of cloud-forming aerosols, known as "Cloud Condensation Nuclei" (CCN), surged by an astonishing 80% to 250%. The study's lead resea...

In a startling reversal of its legendary status, Cherrapunji, historically one of the wettest places on Earth, is on course for its driest monsoon season ever recorded. The iconic town, located at the Sohra weather station, has received a mere 3,500 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 20 a shocking 50% less than its normal average for the period. This unprecedented deficit is a grim reflection of a larger trend affecting the entire state of Meghalaya which is currently suffering from a rainfall deficit of 43%, the highest in the country. Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that six of the state's 11 districts are experiencing deficient rains, while two are facing a "large deficient" classification, with 60% to 99% less rainfall than normal. The worst-affected ...

A new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore has found that nearly 64% of the water discharged from the Gangotri Glacier system which feeds the Ganga river comes from the melting of fallen snow. The study highlights how climate change is altering the hydrology of one of India’s most crucial glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region. The analysis conducted with scientists from US universities and Nepal International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), shows that glacier melt contributes 21% while rainfall runoff accounts for 11% and baseflow another 4%. Climate Change Shifting Glacier Patterns Researchers observed a marked shift in the timing of peak discharge. Before 1990, the highest flow occurred in August but since then, it has...

New Delhi: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is set to consider a major restructuring of tax rates in its upcoming meeting on September 3 and 4. The plan includes moving all food and textile products into the 5% slab, lowering taxes on cement and popular services, and reducing levies on individual health and life insurance. According to sources, the levy on cement may be slashed from 28% to 18% a relief that the construction and infrastructure sectors have been demanding for years. The move could lower costs for end consumers, but the government expects the cement industry to pass on the benefits rather than hold prices high. The council is also reviewing services such as salons and beauty parlours. While small neighbourhood salons are already exempt, mid- and high-end service...

    Overnight rains left Mumbai submerged, schools shut, and residents stuck indoors. But the chaos wasn’t limited to the financial capital. Just days earlier, Gurugram, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai faced similar scenes of waterlogged streets and stranded commuters. From luxury neighborhoods to crowded markets, Indian cities seem to have one weakness in common: even moderate rainfall can turn urban roads into rivers. For residents like Nikunj Sabharwal in Juhu, Mumbai, monsoon means more than getting wet it’s a daily struggle. “I commute along SV Road to Andheri West regularly. During the rains, parts of this road become chest-deep waterways. I’ve seen NDRF boats evacuating people when flooding gets out of hand. Honestly, the Koli fishermen from nearby Versova could...