scorecardresearch
Friday, September 5, 2025
TopicNatural disasters

Topic: Natural disasters

Odisha police still retain carrier pigeons as backstop when disasters sever communication

Dating from days of British colonial rule when police stations used birds to communicate with each other, Odisha’s carrier pigeon service employs over 100 Belgian Homer pigeons.

War, climate change push number of internally displaced people to record high of 71.1 million

IDMC said the figure represented a 20% increase since 2021. The war in Ukraine triggered nearly 17 million displacements last year, while 32.6 million were displaced due to disasters.

Climate change is leading to more lightning strikes. Policymakers need to take note to save lives

Lightning strikes account for 35% of all natural hazard deaths in India but aren't seen as a priority at district-level where awareness & more government funding can save lives.

‘Catastrophe insurance’ becomes more urgent after Joshimath. Fiscal transfers can’t rebuild lives

No specific natural disaster policy is sold in India. It is part of regular fire insurance that covers damage to the property from flooding, cyclone, etc.

Why the world’s cascade of disasters is not a coincidence

Anyone who’s tried to put in a claim knows insurance isn’t charity. If it becomes too expensive to cover losses for natural disasters, insurers will pull back toward areas that are profitable.

3 killed, 1 missing after cloudburst hits Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi

Police and State Disaster Response Fund personnel immediately launched rescue operations and succeeded in rescuing most of the people trapped in slush after the incident Sunday night.

Rescue operations in Chamoli to continue till last victim reached, says NDRF commandant

The NDRF commandant also said the muck-clearing exercise at Tapovan tunnel may take months, if not a year.

Opposition MLAs face wrath of Indian voters after natural disasters, not ruling party’s: Study

Researchers from US and South Korea used data from 4,313 assembly constituencies over the years 1977-2007 to estimate the effects of droughts and heavy rainfall on Indian elections.

If India starts acting on the yearly floods in Bihar and Assam, that would be true nationalism

Attention deficit of the public, policy dyslexia and lack of political will lie at the roots of the recurring tragedy of flooding in Assam and Bihar.

Needs are often greater long after a disaster. That’s when you can best help

Research says that supporting recovery efforts tied to disasters that occurred a year ago or waiting to give can be the best way to go.

On Camera

Give Trump a Nobel already. He has united Modi, Xi and Putin

Both India and the US should realise that whether it is trade or security, strategy or diplomacy, relationships cannot be one-sided.

GST 2.0: India streamlines indirect tax regime amid Trump tariffs & what it means for consumers

Goods and Services Tax Council paves way for a broad two-slab structure of 5% and 18% with a demerit rate of 40% for super luxury and 'sin' goods.

HAL team to visit US this month for talks on joint production of GE 414 engines

The engines are meant for Tejas Mk 2 and the first tranche of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

For Indian Mercedes, Asim Munir’s dumper truck in mirror is closer than it appears

From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.