Sustainability - Question of Cities

‘If the forest and animals exist, so will we. Otherwise,
it’s all over.’

In the fierce debates over protecting the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, its core area and buffer zone, the voices of the Adivasis, its oldest residents, are rarely heard. They or their ancestors were here before it was designated a protected…

Fault lines beneath the Himalayan green: Caste, codes, disappearing wisdom

In Shimla, Kullu, Joshimath, disaster is less a surprise than the consequence of “development.” An estimated one lakh hectares of farmland in…

When high-rises occupy Mumbai’s salt pans, where will the water go?

Often forgotten as a crucial part of the city’s estuary formation, Mumbai’s salt pan lands are under threat. Nearly 256 acres were…

Who owns the city’s ecology? Lessons from Amita Baviskar’s Uncivil City

As Delhi’s air turns foul, reading or revisiting Uncivil City: Ecology, Equity and the Commons in Delhi is timely. It not only…

Kashmir’s rivers run dry: How mining threatens farmers
and ecosystems

Mining has stripped Kashmir’s riverbeds, eroding groundwater recharge, drying springs, shrinking trout habitats, and endangering the fragile Himalayan ecosystems. As extraction from…

‘Ecology is a city’s natural buffer. We don’t see its tipping point, its warning.’

As large swathes of natural ecology in our cities are sacrificed for development and construction, not only do we lose the trees…

The Himalayan disasters point to reckless construction, not merely climate change

As Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab struggle to recover from the widespread devastation this monsoon, it is futile to only…

Dehradun: Infrastructure development or the
ghost of greed?

The aggressive push for infrastructure projects – specifically the Char Dham Yatra road, Dehradun’s airport expansion, and an elevated corridor to Mussoorie – threaten the fragile ecology of the Himalayan region. Despite studies advising caution, the government pushes ahead with…

Will nature send an invoice to booming Goa?

Eco-sensitive zones, private forests, paddy fields, orchards, natural greens, sacred groves, khazan lands, kulaghars, plateaus – all of Goa’s undulating land and…

Why are we pushed into unsustainable high-density living?

While not negating the benefits of density such as higher productivity, shorter commutes, and lower carbon footprint, the downsides of the high…