Wednesday, March 12News That Matters

Tag: Urbanisation

Urban Expansion Drains 64.6 billion cubic Groundwater Reserves in Five Indian States

Urban Expansion Drains 64.6 billion cubic Groundwater Reserves in Five Indian States

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Fact Check
A groundbreaking hydrology model based study has established a direct link between rapid urbanisation and alarming decline in groundwater reserves across five Indian states. Published in the Hydrogeology Journal the research titled Detection and Socio-economic Attribution of Groundwater Depletion in India presents a stark warning about the scale of groundwater loss particularly in northern and northwestern India. According to the study led by Gautam Kunwar from the University of Texas Austin, India has lost approximately 64.6 billion cubic metres of groundwater over the past two decades. While irrigation remains a key driver of depletion, the study highlights that urbanisation and industrialisation are equally responsible for falling groundwater levels a factor that has often been overl...
Urbanisation Disappear Eight Dragonfly Species from Pune as 27 New Ones Discovered

Urbanisation Disappear Eight Dragonfly Species from Pune as 27 New Ones Discovered

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
A recent study has revealed a dramatic shift in Pune’s dragonfly population, with eight species vanishing while 27 new species have been discovered. Conducted by researchers and citizen scientists, the study attributes the loss of local species to land-use changes, water pollution, shifting weather patterns, and rapid urbanisation. Published in the International Journal of Tropical Insect Science the research was led by scientists from Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University and conducted between 2019 and 2022 across 52 locations in Pune. The city, which falls within the Western Ghats and Deccan Peninsula biogeographic zones, is home to a rich diversity of odonates, the insect order that includes dragonflies and damselflies. Dragonflies as Environmental Indicators ...
Unplanned Urbanisation Fuels Rising Heat Managing Blue-Green Spaces Key to Mitigation

Unplanned Urbanisation Fuels Rising Heat Managing Blue-Green Spaces Key to Mitigation

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
Urbanisation is coming at the cost of natural blue and green spaces leading to a surge in surface temperatures and exacerbating the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Researchers warn that without sustainable urban planning or urban centres especially in developing nations like India will face hazardous heat stress, threatening both human health and local ecosystems. Urbanisation and Rising Temperatures The C(UN) estimates that by 2050, 68% of the global population will live in urban areas, with 90% of this growth concentrated in Asia and Africa. As a result, the rate of urban land expansion is already twice as fast as population growth, leading to a dramatic transformation of landscapes. Studies project that by the end of the 21st century, the Land Surface Temperature (LST) could ri...