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Mumbai came to a standstill on Tuesday after relentless rains battered the city, forcing authorities to issue strict safety measures. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited the disaster control room at Mantralaya to monitor the situation as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded red and orange alerts across multiple districts from August 18 to 20. Offices and Schools Closed, Travel Curbed The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced an immediate closure of all government and semi-government offices in the city. Private sector employees, except those engaged in essential services, have been advised to work from home until conditions improve. The civic body has also urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, citing the high risk of flooding and severe traffi...

  With Donald Trump latest tariffs deepening cracks in global trade, leaders of the BRICS bloc are rallying to defend multilateralism. Brazil President Lula has called on fellow BRICS heads to confront the erosion of international rules, warning that US protectionism threatens developing economies. His appeal comes at a time when the Global South faces overlapping crises of climate change, debt and economic instability but also fresh opportunities for cooperation. For decades countries of the South have sought to unite against shared struggles from colonial exploitation to unequal global governance. Yet that unity has always been fragile, tested by shifting alliances, domestic politics and the pull of stronger northern economies. From Bandung to Climate Talks The first gre...

Cracked earth, failed crops, empty reservoirs these stark images are no longer rare. Every year, droughts intensify across continents, threatening food security, ecosystems, and livelihoods. Unlike storms or floods, drought creeps in silently, often noticed only when the damage is irreversible. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that the global land area under dry conditions has more than doubled since 1900. Nowhere is the impact clearer than in Africa, where extreme droughts left 23 million people facing severe hunger in 2023. Drought Hotspots and Escalating Impacts The Horn of Africa has become one of the world’s most critical drought hotspots. Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya endured five consecutive failed rainy seasons by early 2023 the re...

Heavy monsoon showers have pushed most major dams in Maharashtra to 90–100% capacity, but authorities have clarified that no major water release is planned for now. Despite active monsoon conditions and widespread rainfall, irrigation officials say storage levels remain under control and precautionary steps are being taken. Khadakwasla, Ujani dams closely monitored At the Khadakwasla dam complex, live storage has touched 90%. “Except Khadakwasla itself, all other dams in the complex have crossed 90% storage. At present, we do not intend to release water, though a controlled discharge from Khadakwasla may happen if inflows increase tomorrow,” said Shweta Kurde, executive engineer. Meanwhile, the Ujani dam has surpassed its full capacity, recording more than 100% storage and expecte...

Climate change is no longer a distant threat it is here and hitting Africa’s smallholder farmers the hardest. These farmers, who form the backbone of food and nutrition security across the continent, are battling what experts describe as a “perfect storm” of climate shocks. Simultaneous heatwaves, droughts, floods, and unpredictable rainfall patterns are devastating harvests and pushing millions closer to hunger. According to global projections, staple crop yields could decline by as much as 24% by 2100, even with adaptation efforts. For smallholders reliant on rain-fed systems, the fight for survival has become a multi-front battle. Without savings, reserves, or backup food supplies, many are left with no safety net. When rains fail or pests spread, farmers face floods or droughts that...

In a breakthrough that could transform wildfire preparedness, researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and their collaborators have unveiled FuelVision an artificial intelligence system that uses satellite imagery to rapidly identify wildfire fuel sources with remarkable accuracy. The system, detailed in the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation demonstrated 77% mapping accuracy in validation tests using data from two of California’s most destructive wildfires in 2021 the Dixie and Caldor fires. Unlike traditional models that depend heavily on expert input and can take longer to process, FuelVision is designed to work autonomously, generating wildfire fuel maps quickly using readily available satellite data. “We’ve built a tool that let...

Fashion is getting a sustainable makeover, and the surprising hero is the tomato. Pritesh Mistry a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Mumbai, has developed an alternative to animal leather by transforming tomato waste into Bioleather, a plant-based material now finding its way into shoes, bags, and even car interiors. The Bio Company (TBC), founded by Mistry has already drawn international recognition, winning the Best Innovation in Textile Award at the PETA Vegan Fashion Awards in 2021. Unlike conventional synthetic leather, Bioleather is free of polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), making it a fully biodegradable and cruelty-free material. Tackling Food Waste and Pollution Together India produces nearly 44 million tons of tomatoes each year, but 30–35% of this ends up wast...

Scientists are raising alarms over the possibility of a 1,000-foot mega-tsunami threatening the U.S. Pacific Coast. A new study from Virginia Tech led by geoscientist Tina Dura, points to the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) a 600-mile fault line stretching from Northern California to Vancouver Island as a critical risk area. The CSZ is under constant tectonic pressure as the Juan de Fuca Plate slides beneath the North American Plate. Researchers estimate a 15% chance of a magnitude 8.0 or higher earthquake occurring here in the next 50 years, potentially setting off a catastrophic chain reaction. Cascadia’s Hidden Threat The last major earthquake on the CSZ struck in 1700, generating a tsunami that reached Japan. If a similar event occurred today, the outcome could be devastating d...

Residents of Uninav Heights a housing society in Raj Nagar Extension, are grappling with fears of contaminated water supply after the basement of a neighboring under-construction project got flooded. The society, home to nearly 4,000 people, shares a boundary wall with the stalled Red Apple complex whose waterlogged basement is believed to have tainted Uninav Heights underground water tanks. Although the rainwater subsided by Sunday residents say the risk of contamination continues raising serious health concerns. Residents Report Illness Linked to Water Supply According to Fanish Kumar Rai president of the Uninav Heights Apartment Owners Association, the issue has persisted for almost four years but has worsened since the 2024 monsoon due to broken and clogged drains nearby. Thes...

The Banni grasslands of Gujarat stretching over 2,300 square kilometers, are more than just a biodiversity hotspot they are proving to be one of India most effective carbon sinks. A new study has found that these saline tropical grasslands store an estimated 27.69 million tonnes of soil organic carbon, making them critical in the fight against climate change. Unlike many arid and semi-arid savannas, the Banni region developed from inherently saline soils formed by riverine sand deposits over millennia. This unique soil texture dense and compact with silt and clay has long remained undisturbed, giving it an extraordinary capacity to lock away carbon. Restoration Boosts Carbon Storage The study, conducted over nine years with sampling in 2014, 2017, and 2023, compared different land...