The situation came to a head last week with the gruesome daylight lynching of 39-year-old scrap dealer Chand Mia, also known as Sohag, in front of the Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital in Dhaka.
The situation is especially dire in urban centres like Peshawar, where air quality has plummeted due to traffic emissions, unregulated construction, and deforestation.
Kabul, Afghanistan’s sprawling capital, finds itself on the edge of an unprecedented crisis: according to a recent Mercy Corps report, the city’s underground water reserves could be entirely depleted by 2030.
Launched in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025, the ‘Seeding Strength’ campaign highlights the transformative role of agricultural cooperatives in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal.
Way back in 2007, the land at Kuberpur, functioned as a typical landfill site. Thousands of tons of solid waste collected daily by the municipal corporation were dumped here. Over the years, this dumpsite dutifully served the city, but gradually it became a centre of distress itself.
As Nepal's climate continues to warm, the silent danger of venomous snakes in unexpected places is becoming a growing concern. The challenge ahead lies not only in monitoring their movement but in adapting healthcare systems to meet the threat slithering steadily uphill.
The UN appeal comes at a moment when humanitarian funding is already stretched by multiple crises. While CERF has provided rapid support, broader donor commitments remain insufficient relative to the scale of projected need.
South Asia’s lead crisis is not inevitable. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that decisive regulation, industrial formalisation and community-level interventions can sharply reduce exposure.
The UN appeal comes at a moment when humanitarian funding is already stretched by multiple crises. While CERF has provided rapid support, broader donor commitments remain insufficient relative to the scale of projected need.
For chronically loss-making enterprises that no longer serve clear strategic national interests, the study suggests eventual privatisation or orderly closure.