West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh were among the six states that received rainfall exceeding their long-term averages between March 1 and March 12, 2020. Holi, famously known as the festival of colours, is celebrated in the month of March every year. Typically the day involves playing with dry and wet colours to mark the beginning of the spring season. In 2020, however, things were different. Instead of a bright, sunny day that we are used to during Holi, we woke up to a morning that was cold and breezy. In some parts of the country, there was even fog! Winter had not ended.  

Delhi made bus rides free for women in October 2019 and it has been a mixed experience so far. Since the initiative was launched, women ridership has gone up from 30 per cent to 45 per cent but it has also left the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) worried about its mounting losses. The cash-strapped bus operator feels the losses will translate into poor bus service. This is worrying since 15 per cent of bus trips get cancelled every day due to poor maintenance. While the Delhi government plans to extend free bus services to students and senior citizens, many are wondering if the city can afford to make public transport free.

The cultivation of rice has occupied the pride of place in Kerala’s agriculture. Unending lush green paddy fields are a sight for sore eyes. But Paddy cultivation is declining in Kerala at an alarming rate. In the past 30 years, the state lost more than 70 per cent of its paddy fields. Rice producing districts like Wayanad once had 160 varieties of paddy. 55 of these varieties are now extinct. But there are people in the state who are trying to preserve this paddy biodiversity.  

Earth’s climate worsened in the last year, said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). WMO’s Statement on the State of the Global Climate (2019) revealed 2019 was the second-hottest year on record. The mercury was 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels in 2019. 2016 remains the hottest year recorded but the rise in temperature then was due to El-Nino 2010-2019 was the hottest decade on record. Since 1980 each decade has been hotter than the previous.

Use the sun's energy to brighten up your house with colourful lights

Scientists have mapped how increasing temperatures will impact the population and distribution of the disease spreading mosquitoes in the world

Stop behaving like humans. Set a final deadline for our human eradication programme.