Environment

In 2008, Nepal recorded 97 deaths; since then, annual fatalities have ranged between 6 and 32. But experts caution that the real numbers, especially in remote areas with limited surveillance, are likely higher.

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.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has ordered a time-bound scientific study of photocatalytic “smog-eating” coatings, including titanium dioxide-based surfaces, hoping they may offer a drawbridge between policy and technological innovation to reduce harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and volatile hydrocarbons.

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

Climate change intensifies the vulnerability of ecologically sensitive areas, where faulty clearances often open the door for further degradation.

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.