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Winter pollution crisis in Indian megacities: What the CSE report says

The blanket of haze that shrouds most big cities in India has grown denser as air quality continues to dip. Last winter was no different with pollution levels soaring way above permissible limits and posing major risks to public health. A recent analysis of winter pollution during 2024-25 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlights alarming pollution trends in India’s megacities, with Delhi leading with the worst air quality. Even megacities outside the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have seen escalating air quality challenges, despite relatively favourable climatic conditions. One significant trend across cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru is the increase in localised pollution. The report analysed PM2.5 data from October 1st to January 31st over the past four winters. As cities and their residents grapple with the debilitating symptoms of pollution-related illnesses, these findings call for stringent measures and targeted action to tackle poor air quality.

Delhi Tops Winter Pollution Charts In 2024-25: How Polluted Is Your City?

Hyderabad: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has released six individual reports analysing the winter air pollution trends (2024-2025) in six megacities of India, including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Among these, Delhi remains the worst as the city saw the highest concentration of pollution during winter. While Kolkata's long-term seasonal PM2.5 trend was lower, it recorded the same number of 'poor' air quality days as Delhi. Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru saw the fastest worsening of localised pollution levels in winter. As per the report, the megacities of the west and south may have comparatively lower citywide averages compared to Delhi and Kolkata, but in each city, pollution build-up at different locations is substantial, being as much as 60 per cent higher than respective citywide averages. This analysis compares PM2.5 concentrations during winter with the help of data from 115 air quality monitoring stations across six cities. Since these cities have more than one ambient air quality monitoring station, the analysis used city-wide averages. Days of 'poor' air quality According to CSE, Delhi remains the most polluted megacity, registering eight days of ‘severe+’ AQI, 12 days of ‘severe’ AQI, 68 days of ‘very poor’ AQI, 15 days of 'poor' AQI, and no ‘good’ AQI days this winter (2024-25). Kolkata witnessed only one day of 'very poor' AQI as well as 15 days of ‘poor’ AQI, the same as Delhi. Among the megacities, Chennai had only one day of ‘poor’ AQI, while Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad recorded zero ‘poor’ AQI days. In terms of cleaner air, Mumbai had only 19 days of ‘good’ AQI, followed by Kolkata with just 11, the lowest among megacities (excluding Delhi). In contrast, Hyderabad (21 days), Bengaluru (44 days) and Chennai (55 days) recorded a higher number of ‘good’ AQI days. The CSE report suggests that the National Clean Air Programme must ensure that all cities in different climatic zones take appropriate action to prevent winter spikes and meet clean air standards. Additionally, cities with very high pollution levels need to take more stringent and advanced action to counter the effect of meteorology. Action on vehicles, industry, power plants, waste burning, construction and use of solid fuels in households needs to be upscaled with speed, the report suggested.

India’s crop insurance leaves vulnerable farmers exposed

fter years of low rainfall devastating soya bean crops on his central Indian farm, Dileep Patidar last year planted the pulse urad as it needs less water and he counted on the government’s crop insurance scheme to cover him if it did not work out. But the gamble failed and he lost nearly half his crop. Then the insurance money never came. “I last received an insurance payout in 2019, and I’ve lost crops to low rainfall almost every year since then,” said 49-year-old Patidar, who farms five hectares in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. The Indian government runs the world’s largest agriculture crop insurance scheme, subsidising insurance to reduce farmers’ premiums. But an analysis by the Indian think tank, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said farmers living in climate-vulnerable districts like Mandsaur faced higher premiums, had lower levels of insurance cover and received lower payouts compared to farmers in lower-risk districts. This undermines the purpose of a scheme that could be a crucial tool in building farmers’ resilience, the analysis said. Climate change is increasingly impacting India’s crops, with more than 4 million hectares affected by extreme weather events in 2024, nearly double the previous year, according to India’s Atlas of Disasters, maintained by Centre for Science and Environment. Just under half - 46 per cent - of India’s 1.4 billion people are employed in agriculture, a sector that supports 70 per cent of rural households and generates 16 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to Indian government data. Patidar’s monsoon crops were insured, but he is frustrated at still waiting for a payout while he said farmers in neighbouring villages had already been compensated. “I checked my bank passbook and saw that around 10,000 rupees ($115) was deducted for the insurance premium, but to what end?” he asked. Launched in 2016, the farm insurance scheme aims to protect farmers’ incomes by aiming to insure 50 per cent of all agricultural land by 2020, but by 2021 only 30 per cent was insured, according to the latest official data. Centre for Science and Environment Programme Director Amit Khurana said India’s crop insurance scheme could be a vital safety net for climate-vulnerable farmers. But, he said, “farmers must perceive a benefit in adopting it which means those vulnerable have to pay less, if at all, for better support”. However, this is not currently the case. Centre for Science and Environment analysed 2023 monsoon crop insurance data for 21.5 million farmers in agricultural districts classified by the government as vulnerable to very high and high climate change risk. Farmers in very high-risk districts pay 70 per cent more in premiums than those in lower-risk districts and 60 per cent more than those in high-risk districts, the analysis showed. Despite paying more, farmers in the most vulnerable districts also received 20 per cent less money in insurance payouts. “From farmers’ perspective, the main challenge with the insurance scheme remains the lack of transparency,” said Donthi Narasimha Reddy, a public policy expert in the southern state of Telangana. Farmers often talk about not receiving any pay out after losing their crops, or the amount being too little to help, Reddy said. As well as sharing the financial burdens of premiums, state governments should look to technology to make the insurance work better for farmers, said Khurana from Centre for Science and Environment. He cited the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, which in 2018 became the first in India to introduce a digital crop survey, utilising satellite and other tech to track crop yields. This process complimented the much-criticised physical crop surveys. “High-quality yield data, combined with robust weather data from our expansive system of weather monitoring stations enhanced transparency and trust in the system,” said D. Venugopal, deputy director of the state’s crop insurance department. Citing state government data, Venugopal said greater transparency had helped Andhra Pradesh reduce the amount farmers paid for the insurance to about 4 per cent of the total premium from a national average of around 10 per cent. The federal and state governments pay the rest. The Indian federal government piloted digital crop surveys in 12 states in 2023 and is now planning to launch them in all districts by March 2026. Using technology including mobile apps, global positioning, artificial intelligence and machine learning, the government wants to enhance the precision of crop yield estimates.

A Single Traffic Jam Is Costing Delhiites Rs 44 Lakhs; Here’s How

You wake up early, have your chai, and leave home thinking, “Aaj toh jaldi pahunch jaungi.” But, the moment you hit the road, reality strikes—you’re stuck in a never-ending traffic jam. And if it’s VIP movement day in Delhi? Forget reaching anywhere on time; just set up a home office in your car. We all know traffic jams waste time, but have you ever wondered how much they actually cost us? A single traffic jam in central Delhi can burn through ₹44 lakh worth of fuel, waste 46,000 litres of petrol, and release 107 metric tons of CO₂ into the air. When Time Becomes More Expensive Than Rent On an average workday, Delhites lose over 100,000 man-hours in traffic. That’s like watching Sholay back-to-back 5000 times (and still having time left to question Gabbar’s life choices). A survey by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that commuters in Delhi and Bengaluru spend nearly 1.5 hours extra per day in traffic compared to global cities like New York and London. In Bengaluru, traffic congestion in areas like Silk Board Junction is so legendary that people joke about carrying a spare phone charger, a water bottle, and a backup career plan. ₹44 Lakh Down The Drain Let’s talk about money. In just one major traffic jam, Delhi commuters wasted fuel worth ₹44 lakh—that’s enough to fund 440,000 auto rides (assuming your auto driver doesn’t reject you first). A 2022 study by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi found that traffic congestion leads to a 7-9% increase in fuel consumption, meaning you’re paying more for fuel while getting nowhere. And it’s not just Delhi—Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata suffer the same fate. In Bengaluru, the average vehicle speed during peak hours is 18 km/h, which means walking with a sense of purpose might actually be faster. Delhi’s Worst Traffic Nightmare If you think your daily commute is bad, spare a thought for those crawling through Aurobindo Marg near the South Extension metro station. This 1.75-km stretch is so jam-packed that it feels like time itself slows down. Office-goers, shoppers, and desperate honkers all merge into a chaotic symphony of frustration. The culprit? Narrow roads, endless parking chaos, and a steady stream of vehicles heading towards Gurgaon. No matter how early you leave, this route ensures you’re fashionably late—whether you like it or not. And if you thought escaping from Noida or Ghaziabad would be better, welcome to NH-3, where a 30-minute ride often turns into a two-hour existential crisis. With bumper-to-bumper traffic and roads that resemble a giant, unmoving snake of vehicles, it’s a daily test of patience and fuel endurance. The worst part? All that idling translates into thousands of litres of wasted petrol and a fresh layer of pollution over the city. Delhi’s traffic jams don’t just steal time—they steal sanity. Breathing In The ‘Essence’ Of Delhi Ever feel like you’re inhaling more smoke than oxygen in Delhi? That’s because you probably are. Monday’s traffic jam alone released 107 metric tons of CO₂ into the air—equivalent to what 23,000 trees absorb in a year. According to a report by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), traffic-related emissions contribute to 30-40% of Delhi’s air pollution. Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s air quality is also deteriorating, with its own toxic mix of stalled vehicles, potholes, and frustration-filled sighs.

‘An independent judiciary needs a free media’: Justice S Muralidhar at the Media Foundation Awards

Jatinder Kaur Tur of The Caravan won this year’s Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Media Person of the Year at the Media Foundation Awards. The event, held at the India International Centre, New Delhi, on Friday, also saw the introduction of two new journalism awards – the Kamla Mankekar Award for Journalism on Gender and the Vishwa Nath-Delhi Press Award for Fearless Journalism. Priyanka Tupe from BehanBox won the inaugural Kamla Mankekar Award while Rokibuz Zaman of Scroll received the Vishwa Nath Delhi Press Award. Divya Arya from BBC Hindi received an honorable mention for two of her video series हम, भारत के मुसलमान and हिंदू धर्म: मेरा मर्म. The event also featured the 11th BG Verghese Memorial Lecture, delivered by Justice S Muralidhar. In his hour-long address, he spoke about the deteriorating press freedom in India, noting that “internet shutdowns have become routine.” He presented statistics illustrating India's decline in the World Press Freedom Index, where the country currently ranks 159. “A truly free media needs an independent judiciary, and an independent judiciary needs a free media,” he remarked, highlighting the judiciary’s weakening role in safeguarding free speech. He also pointed out how criticism of the government is increasingly being labeled as “anti-national”, citing instances such as the crackdown following the BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question, and subsequent raids, the use of Pegasus spyware on journalists, and the recent ban on Vikatan, a Tamil magazine, over a cartoon depicting Modi and Trump. Taking a dig at the mainstream media, he described it as not just “noisy” but a “chaotic cacophony.” He added, “Worse, there is a virtual news war out there on the Internet. Fact-checkers have a tough time keeping track of fake news and dealing with troll armies that deploy social media handles and bots – some of them created by the IT cells of political parties.” “The big challenge is to keep the news free,” he further stressed and underlined that there was a need to keep news away from corporate sponsorships. The Chameli Devi Jain Award, instituted in 1980, honours women journalists who demonstrate excellence and courage in reporting. Named after freedom fighter and social reformer Chameli Devi Jain, it has been awarded since 1982 to some of India’s most respected journalists, including Greeshma Kuthar, Ritika Chopra, Neerja Chowdhury, Sevanti Ninan, Patricia Mukhim, Pamela Philipose, Sunita Narain, and Nirupama Subramanian. The Kamla Mankekar Award is named after Kamla Mankekar, a pioneering post-Independence journalist committed to gender justice. The Vishwa Nath-Delhi Press Award is dedicated to Vishwa Nath, founder of Delhi Press (which publishes The Caravan, Sarita, Champak, Grihshobha, among others), known for his fearless journalism and defiance of institutional power. Awardees were selected based on five submitted stories, evaluated by a jury comprising journalists Rajesh John, Seema Mustafa (Editor-in-Chief, The Citizen) and Supriya Sharma (Executive Editor, Scroll). The foundation received 57 entries for the Chameli Devi Award, 54 for the Kamla Manekar Award and 44 for the Vishwa Nath-Delhi Press Award.

Ground-level ozone: Delhi, neighbours lead the way

A new report by Central Pollution Control Board, which analysed ground-level ozone in 10 metropolitan cities in 2023 and 2024, informed National Green Tribunal that Delhi-NCR and Mumbai Metropolitan Region reported higher exceedances of ozone concentration compared to other regions. Last Aug, NGT took suo motu cognisance of a media report based on Centre for Science and Environment's report on the rising ground-level ozone pollution across major cities in India. It had sought a report from CPCB and the Union environment ministry on this matter. Since ozone levels mostly remain high during the daytime, ozone standards have been prescribed for eight hours at 100 micrograms per cubic metre and one hour at 180 micrograms per cubic metre. In a report dated Jan 20, which was shared recently, CPCB said it analysed 178 monitoring stations across 10 cities, including 57 in Delhi-NCR, and found that the number of stations surpassing the safe standard of ozone levels increased in the summer (April to July) of 2024 compared to the corresponding period in 2023. CPCB reported that in the summer of 2024, out of 57 stations in Delhi-NCR, 49 surpassed the hourly standard of 180 micrograms per cubic metre. This includes eight stations where the exceedance level was over 5%. However, 37 stations were found to have crossed the hourly standard in the summer of 2023, and the exceedance level was above 5% at just three stations. Since CSE's report highlighted that ground-level ozone had become a year-long problem and night-time ground-level ozone continues to persist, CPCB revealed that in 2023, 50 stations in Delhi-NCR exceeded the eight-hour standard of 100 micrograms per cubic metre. Of these, 15 stations recorded ozone levels that were more than 5% above the permissible limit. The report added that ozone concentration was higher than the standard at 36 stations during the night-time in 2023. CPCB told NGT that the major sources of ozone precursors — nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds — were the burning of coal, gasoline, and oil in motor vehicles, industrial activities, waste burning, gasoline combustion and marketing, wood combustion and the evaporation of liquid fuels and solvents.

Why has Hyderabad been classified as the Urban Heat Island?

A few years ago, people in Hyderabad talked about the chill they used to feel in January. Now, most of them complain that they feel bad that they can’t even get a chance to wear a good sweater during the winter. Well, the rise in temperature in Hyderabad in recent past years has made the city, an Urban Heat Island(UHI)— a phenomenon where urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than their surrounding rural regions. In its Socio Economic Outlook 2025 report which was released on 19 March, even Telangana government has accepted this phenomenon which is causing the increase the temperature. UHI is caused by several factors such as human activities, concentrated infrastructure, reduced green cover, heat absorption by urban materials, reduced surface water, lack of airflow, increased energy consumption and pollution. “Telangana generally experiences a tropical climate, characterised by its geographical location in a semi-arid region with predominantly hot and dry conditions. Hence, the state’s urban areas are vulnerable to the UHI effect,” reads the Socio-Economic report. What are the findings Telangana government mentioned in it’s report after the ‘Urban Heat Stress Tracker- Hyderabad’ Document published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlighted the growing intensity of UHI effects in Hyderabad and other urban areas of Telangana. The report states a 1°C increase in temperature for March-April 2024 compared to the 2014-23 average, with humidity levels rising by 10 percent over the last two decades. This added moisture in the air, has led to an increase in the city’s heat index, making it feel 1.5°C hotter on average. The report states that Hyderabad is not cooling down at night as effectively as it used to, with the gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures shrinking by 13 percent. “In the last ten summers (2014-23) the nighttime cooling has reduced to 11.5°C. But between 2001-10, the temperature used to decrease by average 13.2°C,” reads the report. “Hot nights are as dangerous as midday peak temperatures. People get little chance to recover from daytime heat slaughter if temperatures remain high overnight, exerting prolonged stress on the body. A study published in the Lancet Planetary Health by a group from Japan, Germany and the U.S., noted that the risk of death from excessively hot nights would increase nearly six-fold. This prediction is much higher than the mortality risk from daily average warming suggested by climate change models,” points the report. It also points that Hyderabad’s core is 0.7°C cooler than its outskirts during the day, it becomes 1.9°C hotter at night, trapping heat within concrete structures. Reasons Concrete expansion has more than doubled, from 20.6 percent in 2003 to 44 percent in 2023, contributing to rising urban heat stress. Hyderabad experiences 30-90 days each summer when temperatures exceed 37°C, making heat waves more frequent and severe. Although green cover has increased from 8.9 percent in 2003 to 26.5 percent in 2023, it has not been enough to offset nighttime warming and humidity-driven heat stress. “There is direct co-relation between increase in built stress. Built up area has increased from 20.6 per cent in 2003 to 44.0 percent in 2023. Green cover has increased from 8.9 percent in 2003 to 26.5 percent in 2023 to 44.0 percent in 2023. Green cover has increase in green cover shows impact on daytime temperatures but has no impact on nighttime temperature and increasing heat index in the city,” reads the report. Despite a 0.9°C drop in average summer temperatures compared to 2001-10, the study warns that Hyderabad is becoming thermally more uncomfortable due to rising relative humidity. The heat index, which measures how hot it feels based on temperature and humidity, has increased despite cooler air temperatures. “High humidity limits the body’s ability to cool itself through sweating, increasing the risk of heat stress and heat-related illnesses,” the report states.

India's farm insurance proves costly for most vulnerable

After years of low rainfall devastating soya bean crops on his central Indian farm, Dileep Patidar last year planted the pulse urad as it needs less water and he counted on the government's crop insurance scheme to cover him if it did not work out. But the gamble failed and he lost nearly half his crop. Then the insurance money never came. "I last received an insurance payout in 2019, and I've lost crops to low rainfall almost every year since then," said 49-year-old Patidar, who farms five hectares in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. The Indian government runs the world's largest agriculture crop insurance scheme, subsidising insurance to reduce farmers' premiums. But an analysis by the Indian think tank, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said farmers living in climate-vulnerable districts like Mandsaur faced higher premiums, had lower levels of insurance cover and received lower payouts compared to farmers in lower-risk districts. Climate change is increasingly impacting India's crops, with more than 4 million hectares affected by extreme weather events in 2024, nearly double the previous year, according to India's Atlas of Disasters, maintained by CSE.

India's farm insurance proves costly for most vulnerable

What’s the context? As climate change ravages India's crops, world's largest government insurance scheme leaves vulnerable farmers exposed. India's crop insurance leaves vulnerable farmers exposed Farmers in high-risk areas pay more for less Effective crop insurance can boost farmers' resilience NEW DELHI - After years of low rainfall devastating soya bean crops on his central Indian farm, Dileep Patidar last year planted the pulse urad as it needs less water and he counted on the government's crop insurance scheme to cover him if it did not work out. But the gamble failed and he lost nearly half his crop. Then the insurance money never came. "I last received an insurance payout in 2019, and I've lost crops to low rainfall almost every year since then," said 49-year-old Patidar, who farms five hectares in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. The Indian government runs the world's largest agriculture crop insurance scheme, subsidising insurance to reduce farmers' premiums. But an analysis by the Indian think tank, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said farmers living in climate-vulnerable districts like Mandsaur faced higher premiums, had lower levels of insurance cover and received lower payouts compared to farmers in lower-risk districts. This undermines the purpose of a scheme that could be a crucial tool in building farmers' resilience, the analysis said. Climate change is increasingly impacting India's crops, with more than 4 million hectares affected by extreme weather events in 2024, nearly double the previous year, according to India's Atlas of Disasters, maintained by CSE. Just under half - 46% - of India's 1.4 billion people are employed in agriculture, a sector that supports 70% of rural households and generates 16% of the country's GDP, according to Indian government data. Patidar's monsoon crops were insured, but he is frustrated at still waiting for a payout while he said farmers in neighbouring villages had already been compensated. "I checked my bank passbook and saw that around 10,000 rupees ($115) was deducted for the insurance premium, but to what end?" he asked. Launched in 2016, the farm insurance scheme aims to protect farmers' incomes by aiming to insure 50% of all agricultural land by 2020, but by 2021 only 30% was insured, according to the latest official data. CSE Programme Director Amit Khurana said India's crop insurance scheme could be a vital safety net for climate-vulnerable farmers. But, he said, "farmers must perceive a benefit in adopting it which means those vulnerable have to pay less, if at all, for better support". However, this is not currently the case. CSE analysed 2023 monsoon crop insurance data for 21.5 million farmers in agricultural districts classified by the government as vulnerable to very high and high climate change risk. Farmers in very high-risk districts pay 70% more in premiums than those in lower-risk districts and 60% more than those in high-risk districts, the analysis showed. Despite paying more, farmers in the most vulnerable districts also received 20% less money in insurance payouts.

India's farm insurance proves costly for most vulnerable

NEW DELHI, - After years of low rainfall devastating soya bean crops on his central Indian farm, Dileep Patidar last year planted the pulse urad as it needs less water and he counted on the government's crop insurance scheme to cover him if it did not work out. But the gamble failed and he lost nearly half his crop. Then the insurance money never came. "I last received an insurance payout in 2019, and I've lost crops to low rainfall almost every year since then," said 49-year-old Patidar, who farms five hectares in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. The Indian government runs the world's largest agriculture crop insurance scheme, subsidising insurance to reduce farmers' premiums. But an analysis by the Indian think tank, the Centre for Science and Environment , said farmers living in climate-vulnerable districts like Mandsaur faced higher premiums, had lower levels of insurance cover and received lower payouts compared to farmers in lower-risk districts. This undermines the purpose of a scheme that could be a crucial tool in building farmers' resilience, the analysis said. Climate change is increasingly impacting India's crops, with more than 4 million hectares affected by extreme weather events in 2024, nearly double the previous year, according to India's Atlas of Disasters, maintained by CSE. Just under half - 46% - of India's 1.4 billion people are employed in agriculture, a sector that supports 70% of rural households and generates 16% of the country's GDP, according to Indian government data. Patidar's monsoon crops were insured, but he is frustrated at still waiting for a payout while he said farmers in neighbouring villages had already been compensated. "I checked my bank passbook and saw that around 10,000 rupees was deducted for the insurance premium, but to what end?" he asked. Launched in 2016, the farm insurance scheme aims to protect farmers' incomes by aiming to insure 50% of all agricultural land by 2020, but by 2021 only 30% was insured, according to the latest official data. CSE Programme Director Amit Khurana said India's crop insurance scheme could be a vital safety net for climate-vulnerable farmers. But, he said, "farmers must perceive a benefit in adopting it which means those vulnerable have to pay less, if at all, for better support". However, this is not currently the case. CSE analysed 2023 monsoon crop insurance data for 21.5 million farmers in agricultural districts classified by the government as vulnerable to very high and high climate change risk. Farmers in very high-risk districts pay 70% more in premiums than those in lower-risk districts and 60% more than those in high-risk districts, the analysis showed. Despite paying more, farmers in the most vulnerable districts also received 20% less money in insurance payouts. "From farmers' perspective, the main challenge with the insurance scheme remains the lack of transparency," said Donthi Narasimha Reddy, a public policy expert in the southern state of Telangana. Farmers often talk about not receiving any pay out after losing their crops, or the amount being too little to help, Reddy said.

India's farm insurance proves costly for most vulnerable

After years of low rainfall devastating soya bean crops on his central Indian farm, Dileep Patidar last year planted the pulse urad as it needs less water and he counted on the government's crop insurance scheme to cover him if it did not work out. The Indian government runs the world's largest agriculture crop insurance scheme, subsidising insurance to reduce farmers' premiums But an analysis by the Indian think tank, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said farmers living in climate-vulnerable districts like Mandsaur faced higher premiums, had lower levels of insurance cover and received lower payouts compared to farmers in lower-risk districts. This undermines the purpose of a scheme that could be a crucial tool in building farmers' resilience, the analysis said. Climate change is increasingly impacting India's crops, with more than 4 million hectares affected by extreme weather events in 2024, nearly double the previous year, according to India's Atlas of Disasters, maintained by CSE. Just under half - 46 per cent- of India's 1.4 billion people are employed in agriculture, a sector that supports 70 per cent of rural households and generates 16 per cent of the country's GDP, according to Indian government data. Patidar's monsoon crops were insured, but he is frustrated at still waiting for a payout while he said farmers in neighbouring villages had already been compensated. "I checked my bank passbook and saw that around 10,000 rupees ($115) was deducted for the insurance premium, but to what end?" he asked. Launched in 2016, the farm insurance scheme aims to protect farmers' incomes by aiming to insure 50 per cent of all agricultural land by 2020, but by 2021 only 30 per cent was insured, according to the latest ofcial data. CSE Programme Director Amit Khurana said India's crop insurance scheme could be a vital safety net for climate-vulnerable farmers. But, he said, "farmers must perceive a benet in adopting it which means those vulnerable have to pay less, if at all, for better support". However, this is not currently the case. CSE analysed 2023 monsoon crop insurance data for 21.5 million farmers in agricultural districts classied by the government as vulnerable to very high and high climate change risk. insurance payouts. "From farmers' perspective, the main challenge with the insurance scheme remains the lack of transparency," said Donthi Narasimha Reddy, a public policy expert in the southern state of Telangana. Farmers often talk about not receiving any pay out after losing their crops, or the amount being too little to help, Reddy said. insurance payouts. "From farmers' perspective, the main challenge with the insurance scheme remains the lack of transparency," said Donthi Narasimha Reddy, a public policy expert in the southern state of Telangana. Farmers often talk about not receiving any pay out after losing their crops, or the amount being too little to help, Reddy said.

Hyderabad now hotter, Socio-Economic Outlook 2025 reveals

Hyderabad recorded temperatures about 1°C higher than the previous decade’s average in April 2024, indicating a rising trend of heat stress linked to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. The Socio-Economic Outlook 2025, tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday, explained that UHI occurs when urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than nearby rural regions. This is caused by factors such as human activities, concentrated infrastructure, reduced green cover, heat-absorbing urban materials, limited surface water, poor airflow, increased energy consumption, and pollution. Telangana’s tropical climate, marked by hot and dry conditions, makes its urban areas especially vulnerable to the UHI effect. The Urban Heat Stress Tracker-Hyderabad report, published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlights the growing intensity of UHI effects in Hyderabad and other urban areas in Telangana. The state government has introduced strategies to tackle the environmental and socio-economic challenges posed by urbanisation and climate change. Telangana’s Clean and Green Energy Policy 2025 aims to promote renewable energy adoption, energy efficiency, and sustainable urban development. The policy focuses on creating cooler, greener, and more climate-resilient cities. According to the Outlook report, these measures are expected to address the UHI effect directly or indirectly and improve urban climate resilience.

India warming: Surface air temperature up by 0.7°C, says Jitendra Singh

The surface air temperature of India rose 0.7 degree Celsius during 1901–2018 and the sea surface temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean went up by 1°C between 1951 and 2015, minister for earth sciences Jitendra Singh has told Parliament, sharing the changes being brought by a warming planet. The minister also told Parliament on March 19 that global warming has led to increased monsoon variability and extreme climatic conditions. Surface air temperature refers to the temperature of the air near the earth's surface, typically measured at a height of 2 meters above the ground and is the temperature reported in daily weather reports. Sea surface temperature refers to the temperature of the uppermost layer of the ocean, typically measured in the top few millimeters (mm) to meters, and is a crucial indicator of ocean health and climate change. Concerns are mounting as for the first time, 2024 breached the 1.5 degree Celsius global warming threshold across the world. The minister said global warming has led to increased monsoon variability and extreme climatic conditions. Central and northern India and the western Himalayas have experienced a rise in extreme precipitation events. Northwest and central India have experienced moderate droughts and expansion in semiarid regions, the minister said. Coastal regions are at an increased risk of cyclone related disasters, Singh said. The Himalayan region has shown elevation-dependent warming, changes in western disturbances, snowfall patterns, retreating glaciers, and a rise in short-lived precipitation extremes, etc. “Based on published scientific studies, the sea level in the Indian Ocean was observed to be rising at a rate of about 1.7 mm per year during the last century (1900–2000) and even more rapidly in the north Indian Ocean at the rate of about 3.3 mm per year since 1993-2015,” the minister said. He was responding to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sambit Patra on the changes in the weather cycle due to climate change and the adverse effects of global warming on India. Responding to a similar question by BJP MP Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala, the minister said the Indian Ocean has been warming rapidly over the past few decades. He added that the decaying phase of El Niño is the most influential mode contributing to more than 70–80 percent of observed heatwave days in the Indian Ocean basin. The earth sciences ministry, citing National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) add, said 730 people died due to heatwaves in 2022, while the deaths in 2021 and 2020 were 374 and 530, respectively. India recorded the earliest heatwaves and warm nights this year, according to the Centre for Science and Environment. On February 25, Goa and Maharashtra recorded India’s first heatwave of the year, a first time for winter season (January–February). February 2025 was the hottest February in 125 years by the India Meteorological Department.

Tram tale of two cities continues — Kolkata-Melbourne Tramjatra set to begin on March 28

In 1996, with the Jyoti Basu-led left front government at the helm, few environment and tram enthusiasts from Kolkata and Melbourne initiated the Kolkata-Melbourne Tramjatra festival; officially to celebrate the tram lineage of the two cities, but, covertly, to fan support for the Kolkata streetcars as the then-state government dropped broad hints to close down the tram network in the city. Three decades down the line, with the Trinamool government announcing its decision to close down the city’s oldest public transport system, the same group of enthusiasts, in a last ditch effort to save trams, are going to organise another round of Tramjatra from March 28-31 to highlight the key role of trams as an environment-friendly transport. The regional climate security, particularly that of Kolkata and the Sunderbans — a world heritage site — will also be highlighted in the context of saving trams during the Sunderban Tramjatra, shared Mahadeb Shi, the co-curator of the programme and a filmmaker. “We do not know whether there will be another Tramjatra in the future. If trams are no longer in the city, then what will be the meaning of another Tramjatra? Hence it can be seen as a last-ditch effort to push the agenda of trams’ survival in this climate impacted world,” quipped the environmentalist. “The Sunderban Tramjatra will provide a platform to talk about both the climate threat faced by the Sunderbans and Kolkata, and the future of the tram,” observed Shi. The activist raised questions about the government’s effort to tag trams as heritage transport in Kolkata, while it has come back strongly as an effective public transport mode in more than 400 cities; and hoped that the festival will add weight to such crucial questions. “The Sunderban Tramjatra continues to help grow the friendship between Australia and India, West Bengal and Victoria, Kolkata and Melbourne — with colourful trams, informative tickets celebrating biodiversity, and strengthening the human-to-human connection,” opined Roberto D’Andrea, co-curator of the festival and a former tram conductor from Melbourne. Roberto has been the main driver behind the movement since he jumped aboard a Kolkata tram in 1995, got struck by the similarities with the trams back home, and forged the tram friendship. “The injustice of climate change is confronting,” said Mick Douglas, another co-curating artist of the festival and a professor at RMIT University in Melbourne. “While listening and learning from the Sunderbans and Kolkata situation, we are hoping to provoke global citizens to bear witness to the challenges here, and pressure societies to act justly and promptly with informed awareness. Art can change hearts and minds where credible science has been unable to,” said Douglas. A festival tram, highlighting the spirit of the Sunderbans, will run between Shyambazar and Gariahat via Esplanade from March 28 to 30, where the rides will be free and specially prepared tickets will be shared as souvenirs, informed the organisers. D’Andrea and others will engage in discussions with the passengers aboard about the issues under the scanner. In addition, there will be on-ground events like community workshops, cultural programmes and discussions amongst citizens to be held adjacent to the Esplanade Tram Terminus — which is being turned into a festival hub. Artists from the Sunderbans will be brought in to perform cultural and musical programmes. The four-day festival will conclude with a dialogue among experts and eminent citizens, focussing on the impending climate crisis in the Sunderbans and Kolkata, as well as the possible role of trams in the process, scheduled to be held on March 31, from 4.30pm to 9pm at ICCR Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Satyajit Ray Auditorium. “We are expecting a string of experts and citizens to participate in the programme, and plan to come up with a Kolkata declaration on the agenda if possible,” pointed out Shi. According to the environmentalist, the likes of environment researcher Anumita Roychowdhury from Delhi-based environment thinktank CSE; Bhargav Maitra, a transport expert and professor from IIT Kharagpur; former MP and bureaucrat Jawhar Sircar; eminent doctor and orator Kunal Sarkar; Sunderbans expert Tuhin Ghosh from Jadavpur University; environment activist Banani Kakkar, among others, have confirmed their participation. Sanjay Vashist, director of Climate Action Network South Asia, is also likely to join the panel discussion. The Sunderban Tramjatra project is supported by the Australian government through a cultural grant administered by the Centre for Australia India Relations, and RMIT University.