Pavagada’s solar economy has reproduced caste inequalities in the few “green” jobs it has created, casting a worrying shadow over the villagers' socio-economic aspirations. Supported by
@pulitzercenter
,
@lopes13_flavia
and I write for
@MorningContext
.
#Thread
Parks in Bengaluru remain shut in the afternoons, depriving outdoor workers of necessary respite. Most of the workers belonged to marginalised castes, researchers found while assessing disproportionate heat burden. My story for
@MongabayIndia
The closure of public parks in Bengaluru during the afternoons is increasing the heat stress faced by outdoor workers, who use the park for resting during the hottest parts of the day. Story by
@pragathi_r24
.
A settlement housing daily wage workers near Brookefield was inundated last week. The residents allege that in the 20 years they have been living there, this is the first flooding instance and held an adjacent Brigade tech park responsible for this
Peninsular Rock Agama, the once commonly found lizard species in Bengaluru, has been driven to the outskirts due to artificial night light and diminishing rocky surfaces - researchers at
@CES_IISc
find
In 2022, the Maharashtra government and the Adani group signed a MoU for five pumped storage projects, worth Rs.60,000 crore. When operational, these projects will affect nearly 150 acres of biodiversity-rich and ecosensitive regions of the Western Ghats (Representative image)
Landless agricultural labourers from Nadia, WB are exiting agriculture due to low wages and climate variabilities. While urban jobs offer stable income and momentary reprieve from climate-risk areas, they continue to be trapped by expenses, lack of upward mobility in the city
Comprising of pourakarmikas and construction workers, the residents said they were housed temporarily in a community hall, but were unaware if there was a permanent solution in place
Sacrality once drove the conservation of sacred groves in Kerala. Now, waning beliefs, migration and expanding infrastructure is jeopardising these biodiversity hotspots. In my first for
@csmonitor
, I write-
Are waste-to-energy plants a sustainable fix to Bengaluru’s waste and energy needs?
For
@citizenmatters
, I write about their env feasibility and economic viability. Supported by
@AGNambiar
, the article was produced for
@earthjournalism
's Renewable Energy Reporting project.
They had moved back last Saturday to salvage their belongings but were forced to move back to the community hall after the rains on Sept 4 flooded their homes again (pic on the left)
From Eastern Ukraine, they are being asked to travel to the West where evacuations are underway which is a minimum of a 20hr journey on road by bus. They have no means to travel amid an active warzone
@PMOIndia
@DrSJaishankar
@MEAIndia
Students from
#Kharkiv
National medical University are currently stranded in the city, running on low food supplies and have reportedly heard bombing close to their hostel.
@PMOIndia
@MEAindia
@DrSJaishankar
what is being done to bring these students back?
Last night,
#bengalururains
wreaked havoc in the slums near Munekolalu and Bellandur. Over 1,500 families affected by torrential rains, corrupt practices of state authorities. Working class is always the worst affected by both climate change, and poor+haphazard urban planning.
Before the
#Parsa
open cast mining project was put on indefinite hold by the Chattisgarh state government earlier this month, it was a point of contention for many
With
@furquansid
, I write for
@frontline_india
| Research
@LandConflicts
Coal mining in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand forests has been riddled with allegations of forgery, court cases, legal violations and political power play.
@pragathi_r24
traces its long history of resistance for
@frontline_india
| Research
@LandConflicts
Students from
#Kharkiv
National medical University are currently stranded in the city, running on low food supplies and have reportedly heard bombing close to their hostel.
@PMOIndia
@MEAindia
@DrSJaishankar
what is being done to bring these students back?
#NEW
: Researchers at
@bitmesra
have developed an algorithm to better predict areas in Central India that are vulnerable to forest fires, which when deployed across the country, can bolster regional fire preparedness. I write for
@AGU_Eos
As the death toll in Kuno National Park touches 10, here's a story I wrote for
@thexylom
on bureaucracy and flawed conservation science that clouds the reintroduction project
In my latest for
@carboncopyinfo
, I write about how marine heatwaves are monitored in India, and the importance of early warning systems in the face of increasing risks that MHWs pose.
🌊By this month's end, about half the world’s oceanic area is likely to exhibit
#heatwave
conditions
🚨Marine heatwaves are likely to have a devastating impact on the ocean’s ecosystems+biodiversity, fisheries sector & allied livelihoods
✍️🏾
@pragathi_r24
The recent gelatin blasts in
#Chikkaballapur
&
#Shivamogga
, which left 14 dead, are just a tip of the illegal stone quarrying in
#Karnataka
. Bengaluru’s insatiable appetite for construction is driving illegal quarrying in the state, writes
@pragathi_r24
The
@BAFBLR
Hasiru Apartment contest received over 200 entries from apartments implementing environmentally and ecologically sensitive solutions.
@meerak
to moderate the panel discussions
@citizenmatters
Can megaherbivores act as a nature-based solution against the spread of invasive species? With inputs from Ankila Hiremath,
@ninad_mungi
and
@ecoalok
, I write for
@RGSustain1
Higher infection, low rates of relief and job loss showcase that informal workers aren't even remotely more resilient or protected, when compared to last year
Illustration:
@kruthika_ns
Inputs from
@aicctukar
I teach environmental science and my students often ask me how society is connected to science! Loved this piece by
@WaghreAbhijit
'Evaporation provides a temporary escape from the wretchedness of India’s caste society, only to fall back after condensation'
A party with national prominence such as the BJP totes a venomous religiosity, that has berated the independence and self-reliance of women since the time of its inception, writes
@pragathi_r24
.
In 2015, Venkatesh and his fellow villagers from the SC community gave up their land for the solar park for a job and annual rent. 7 years later, it's a different story as the new green economy has reproduced old inequalities.
Panel 1 discusses on the impact of high-rise dense housing on Bengaluru's environment, with inputs from Suhail
@CREDAIBengaluru
, Shreya Nath
@atree_org
and Vikaram Rai
@BAFBLR
The commodification of labour largely ignores the social and domestic life of labourers, and treats them as mere cogs in the machine.
My article in
@citizenmatters
with inputs from
@aicctukar
For
@citizenmatters
, I write this story supported by
@kcbudhraja
and
@TRF
as part of their journalists' training program on Just Transitions and climate inequalities.
"While the Indian embassy is making plans to evacuate students from border checkpoints near Hungary and Romania, the stranded people in the worst-affected Kharkiv are worried"
@Indian_Rivers
The construction will fragment the wildlife corridors which enable wild animals to move across ecosystems. The
@MahaForest
’s working plan attributes ‘loss of contiguity of forest areas’ and an ‘extensive road network’ for the depletion of populations of wild animals.
The Ghats were chosen primarily because of the elevation difference conducive for constructing reservoirs for the PSPs. “Such a fluctuation is not found in nature and can potentially have significant impacts on the fish and other aquatic flora and fauna,” experts caution.
Here is how caste-based residential segregation in Bangalore fuels economic marginalisation
Inputs from
@amitbasole
@nav_bharathi
and Isaac Arul Selva, Slum Jagattu
Can climate finance be made accessible to cities through climate action plans? How can this be utilised to bolster resilience?
I speak to
@WRICitiesIndia
's Shrimoyee Bhattacharya for
@citizenmatters
India's informal sector constitutes more than 70% of the labour force, most of whom do not have proof of employment with their contactors. How do we seek redressal or gauge economic impact when their labour goes unaccounted for?
On July 26, Chhattisgarh legislative assembly yesterday unanimously passed a resolution calling for the canceling of coal blocks in the contested Hasdeo Arand region
“The new economy is developing within India’s labour market, which means it is plagued by the same systemic inequalities," says
@shouvik1979
. The skilled and high-income jobs continue to be dominated by dominant castes in this new economy as well, he adds.
Activists have raised concerns about the multiple discrepancies in the Environment Impact assessment and swift environment clearances awarded to the projects, despite mounting ecological concerns.
“The mountain areas are vulnerable to disasters like landslides, erosion, floods, etc. One of the projects is located in KWSZ, which is a seismic zone IV,’ said Himanshu Thakkar, of
@Indian_Rivers
Unequal landholdings meant large landowners amassed annual rent while those from marginalised communities accrued negligible benefits. They were compelled to do the same menial tasks in the
#solarpark
now, illustrating how it failed to blur caste lines.
Pragathi R presented her work on ‘An exploration of public transport in Bangalore’ which focusses on the sufficiency of public transportation in the city.
As per data obtained from the office of Rakesh Singh, Urban Development Dept, GoK, while 6 WTE plants based on a PPP model have been sanctioned since 2020, none of them is operational.
PC: Anusha Bellapu
"In these dark times when truth becomes a casualty and social justice a mockery, free and fearless media is the only hope to restore social sanity and to rekindle human consciousness"-
@TeestaSetalvad
on conferring the
#GauriLankesh
award to Ravish Kumar
Hello! A co-author and I are looking into the domestic violence against the members of the LGBTQ community. This survey is to collect authentic evidence of the violence, and to understand how deep-rooted and widespread the issue is. Please share.
The pandemic merely accentuated the social and political apathy towards the homeless
Contributions from
@prashanthns
and Rajani, from the Urban Homeless Project
@TheTanveerAhmed
of
@JDS_KAstate
says we need stronger, greater planning for water management; especially for the amount of rainfall that the city receives
Good to see bus stops in Bengaluru packed with people today. Today is a 'travel free' day on BMTC buses to mark 25 years of the inception of BMTC. People can travel anywhere in Bengaluru for free.
Only 2,000 out of 12,000 people in Pavagada secured jobs in the park.
#JustTransition
is committed to improving social & economic conditions of local communities, ensuring it does not replicate the exploitative trajectory of fossil fuels. This hasn't happened in Pavagada
@TheTanveerAhmed
says ward committees should draft a 5-year comprehensive plan for the ward. "While governments change, the vision for these plans shouldn't"
@_harish_prakash
says as one moves away from the city centre, artificial light at night decreases and the nights are darker, making it a conducive habitat for the lizard
@CES_IISc
@KSSeshadri
: “The absence of rocks explains the absence of the Rock Agama, and because there is a higher proportion of rocks in the city outskirts, the lizards are more commonly found there”
Progressive leftism seen in Kerala as they upheld liberalism and equality in the wake of rightist extremism. Another example of why liberals should rule a democratic country, and not a conservative who panders to religion over judiciary.
#SabrimalaForAll
#WomensWall
@prriya_nayaak
@trancevoyager
Had a random woman in BMTC ask why hands were so thin and "child-like". Should've made it clear she wasn't the one feeding me.