The story of how a village got its first toilet.

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G Nandakumar is a young farmer in Diguvapalem, a remote hamlet and a chronically drought-prone area in southern Andhra. In 2019, I met him on a school hiking trip, as part of our Geography classes. 'Nandu,' fondly addressed as so, was keen to upgrade his village by pursing some sustainable environmental practices, like organic farming. However, he lacked the resources to execute his vision. So, as a young student, I was very inspired by his ideas and wanted to help...

“Such a beautiful place, to be with friends”. Fans of the Harry Potter film series will remember this line, uttered in one of the most heart-breaking scenes of the saga by arguably the most beloved character of them all, Dobby the house-elf. As the adorable elf breathes his last in the arms of his friend and hero, Harry Potter, he inadvertently invites viewers to marvel at the vast, expansive beach that then becomes his gravesite.

Twelve years after...

In summers this year, some European rivers had dried substantially, causing drought in many parts of the region. It revealed to their surface, some ancient stones with intricate engravings on them. Their markings used to indicate the water-level of these rivers, which served as a common forecasting tool for famines. Such stones were called hunger stones. One such is disclosed at the banks of the Elbe River. Dated to 1616 AD, its rock is etched with a warning in German...

A novel carbon-capturing method involving old basalt rocks—this proposal won a gold medal for India at the International Earth Science Olympiad 2022.

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Global warming is a burning issue affecting the earth. Discussed in all forums at the international and regional levels, this issue is a worry worldwide because its impact is devastating. Various methods are being proposed to effectively combat this problem...

Water is colourless. But when we observe any large water body, it appears blue. When it has a lot of impurities (or nutrients), it can vary from red, green, white, grey, brown, black to anything that is weird and filthy. Read about some important terms related to different colours of water that we come across in common parlance or which researchers use to understand better this elixir of life.

Bluewater: ‘Why is water blue in colour?’—humans must have raised this question since time immemorial. But in 1921, this query was resolved when Sir CV Raman raised and answered it successfully...

The World Water Woe is real. There is crisis everywhere because our water resources are limited. A lot of water is wasted when we use it carelessly. Therefore, we should conserve it by handling it judiciously.

Watch this inspiring movie Drop by Drop featuring the little heroes of class 3, reminding us about the importance of saving water by following the right practices. These practices focus upon three simple ways of preserving water before, and not after, its consumption. For example...

Does food grow only in pristine farmlands of rural areas or is it available around us in cities as well? Let us try and forage for some food right here, in our neighbourhood parks.

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It was a Sunday, therefore, a holiday and for that reason a day for some fun and exciting activity. Hence, Babbi was quickly getting ready to receive her friend Neenu and go play in the nearby park. Neenu’s mom would also come along as she was close friends with Babbi’s mom and the two of them often planned many engagements for their kids…

What are Micro-Plastics?

Micro-plastics have not been defined in particular. They are just tiny particles that result from the disintegration of bigger plastic materials. However, most researchers say that any plastic smaller than 5 millimetres in size is a micro-plastic. Hence, these are really, really teeny-tiny!

Plastics are made up of polymers, which are derived from fossil fuels. A whole lot of chemicals are added to the polymers—close to 10,000—to ensure that a given plastic has the desired properties...

What we decide to do today is bound to have an impact on our tomorrow. Therefore, it is up to us to determine the kind of world we want to develop for our future and leave behind for our next generation. We are already witnessing manifold consequences of rising global warming and climate change in the form of extreme weather events. Think about droughts, floods, forest fires, and many such catastrophes.

We all are aware that increasing carbon emissions are largely responsible for disturbing our climate...

A desire for a magazine that focuses on well-identified environmental concerns and concrete tangible solutions.

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It is our collective responsibility to maintain our earth as a habitable place for our present and future. Today, more than ever before, we are facing environmental challenges that can spiral into major crises unless we take urgent corrective measures. We have to strive to execute our actions points and Gobar Times provides us a wonderful platform to achieve them...

What’s the best time to eat a fruit or a veggie? Which season and for what reason?

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Babbi had barely woken up and was rubbing her eyes, when she heard her mom faintly. She was calling out the names of pulses, fruits, and vegetables in the kitchen. Her dad was sitting in the next room making a list of fresh food to buy from the market.

Babbi chipped in drowsily, “Papa, please get some mangoes. It's been ages since we had those,” she requested. Her dad paused and smiled...

The Yamuna River is the largest tributary of the Ganga. It travels barely a distance of 22 km through Delhi. However, this region contributes to about 80 per cent of its total pollution load. Currently, this stretch discharges waste water from almost 22 drains into the river. Untreated effluents, containing toxins and chemicals, released from houses and industries creates froth (white foam) on the river’s surface. Algae, in addition, prevents sunlight from venturing into the depths of this river. Plus, low water level in the river causes concentration of these pollutants…