Reportage
Kinnaur landslide: Villagers up the ante in the battle against hydropower projects
Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh is known as the powerhub of the state with several hydropower projects operational or proposed. It has been hit by several landslides, the last such incident happened yesterday August 11. Villagers blame the hydropower dams and have reignited their protests against these projects.
Shivani Gupta
Gaon Connection, Animall app come together to inform dairy farmers in Rajasthan about animal diseases, increasing incomes
A collaboration between Gaon Connection and Animall – an online cattle trading platform raised an awareness campaign aimed at informing animal rearers in Rajasthan to take measures to increase their incomes and protect their animals against common diseases.
englishteam
World Elephant Day: Why are elephants important to the ecosystem?
To highlight the importance of elephants, World Elephant Day is marked every year on August 12 to spread awareness about the threats that these largest living land animals face due to exploitation, loss of habitat and poaching. Details here.
Gaon Connection
UP floods ground report: 406 villages inundated in Mirzapur as Ganga flows above danger mark
It’s been four days since Mirzapur is witnessing massive flooding due to the Ganga river flowing above the danger mark. The rising waters of the Ganges and the Karnavati rivers have cut-off over 400 villages in the district, as the affected villagers are reeling under food shortage and migrating in search of a safer ground.
Brijendra Dubey
Punjab: Week after schools reopen, 27 students test positive for COVID19
It’s not just in India that the schools have opened or are about to reopen after a year of suspension in the coming days, classroom in the US have begun to have the school children back amidst the fear of a surge in COVID19 cases. Details here.
Gaon Connection
A plant-based hydrogel to help farmers tackle water scarcity in the face of climate change
An eco-friendly hydrogel made from plant cellulose has been developed by scientists of Tripura University with support from the Ministry of Environment. The hydrogel that has the ability to absorb, hold and release water when required by the crops, hopes to help farmers mitigate the problem of water scarcity in agriculture.
Divendra Singh
Immune system generates better response if doses of Covishield and Covaxin are mixed: ICMR
There’s growing clamour about mixing of COVID19 vaccines for generating better response against COVID19 infection. A new study has suggested that mixing Covishield and Covaxin enables better protection against Coronavirus. The government is also considering a mix of Covishield with Russia’s Sputnik V. Details here.
Gaon Connection
UP floods ground report: Villagers claim never seen such destruction; over 460 villages affected in 21 districts
Over 100,000 people in 466 villages across 21 districts in Uttar Pradesh are affected by ‘unprecedented’ floods in the state. The destruction in pachnada, the site of the confluence of five rivers, in Auraiya district is unnerving. Gaon Connection travelled to marooned villages to find collapsed houses and displaced people living under tarpaulin, facing shortage of food and safe drinking water.
Arvind Shukla
Flight to extinction: 35 butterfly species in India on the verge of disappearing
Pollination is essential to 75% of the world’s agriculture, says FAO. If butterflies disappear from the planet, many plant species, from apples to coffee, unable to reproduce, will decline.
Umashankar Mishra
Traditional polyhouses get a makeover with retractable roofs
Horticulture farmers to get help from new retractable-roof polyhouses with state-of-the-art technology developed by scientists of CSIR-CMERI, to help them grow both seasonal and non seasonal produce with greater success.