Disaster risk reduction

Bhutan releases Tala dam water after heavy Himalayan rains, worsening floods. West Bengal warns of sudden rises in Torsha, Sankosh, Jaldhaka rivers, impacting Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.

This was the first major disaster to strike since the Trump administration suspended US foreign aid to Afghanistan in January. While Washington released statements of sympathy, it has made no formal pledge of direct financial assistance to quake relief.

The joint study, led by Jahangirnagar University’s departments of Zoology and Environmental Science, documents the presence of microplastics not only in river water and sediments but also inside insect bodies.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told reporters she was confident the state was “fully geared to fight pollution,” referencing the Centre’s approval of the cloud seeding plan.

Dhaka is warming faster than the rest of the country, and the consequences for public health, productivity, and well-being are growing.

But beyond the immediate destruction, most prominently over Dehradun on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, new reports and expert commentary point to deeper systemic failures – in climate monitoring, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure planning – that are making the Himalayan state increasingly vulnerable.

For Delhi’s nearly 30 million residents, the coming weeks will test whether the city’s multi-pronged strategies can meaningfully reduce the haze that has become synonymous with its winters.

At the heart of the campaign were the fishermen and residents of the Negombo lagoon region – people for whom the wetland is more than land or water; it’s the lifeblood of their daily existence.