In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
THE world's earliest civilisations began on the banks of rivers. With time, this became an accepted phenomenon as water was essential to sustain human habitat. Unfortunately, water has been overused and abused across the world irrespective of the economic status of the region. Take, for instance, Europe. Around 60 per …
in recent years, the rainfall pattern in midsummer in the densely populated Tokyo and Yokohama in Japan has changed from gentle to tropical squall-type rainfall, involving sudden, violent winds with torrential downpours. Researchers at Tokyo University's Centre for Climate System Research believe it is due to the "heat island phenomenon", …
the Upper and Lower lakes and the Van Vihar national of Bhopal constitute the Bhoj wetlands. This region has been recognised by the ministry of environment and forests as a wetland of national importance, but today it finds itself in the centre of a controversy. For years this area has …
ACCORDING to Australian researchers, few Australian rivers remain wild while most are suffering the ill effects of agriculture, industry and human settlement. Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) say that only three regions contain rivers in pristine condition: Tasmania, the Prince Regent area in the west Kimberley and Arnhem …
you have to lose something to gain something. This phrase is well-suited especially for the sleepless nights exchanged for parties, shopping, family visits and extra hours of work to make up for off-days. In fact, sleep deprivation has become almost normal among residents in urban areas, with people getting used …
Forests are the planet's largest and most important ecosystems. They exert a profound influence on the structure and function of the human habitat locally and globally
The relentless drive towards blanket modernisation is proving to be the death knell for six tribes that inhabit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The islands are home to the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawas, the Sentinelse, the Nicobarese and the Shompens. According to Kalpavriksh, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), a …
the Aravalli range, stretching from Palanpur in Gujarat to Delhi, divides Rajasthan into three distinct climatic regions. The Udaipur zone of the range is estimated to be around 300 million years old. It is, therefore, not surprising that the range is a unique amphitheatre of biological diversity. But with the …
the Delhi Development Authority's ( dda ) plan for channelising the Yamuna and reclaiming the riverbed has run into trouble. The National Capital Region Planning Board ( ncrpb ) has raised serious objections to the scheme which is lying with the urban ministry. The ncrpb has said that urbanisation of …
FOR thousands of years, Spanish storks have been migrating to African countries like Senegal and Ethiopia from Europe. Now, a third of Spain's 22,000 white storks prefer to stay back during the winters and feed on garbage s dumps. This is a radical change in their habit, says ornithologist Ezequiel …
Beijing has adopted a resolution to protect trees which are facing a threat from urban expansion programmes. This is for the first time that a legislative method has been used by the Beijing administration to protect its environment. Till now, the effort was restricted to publicity campaigns and imposition of …
GOA's forest department recently organised a workshop to discuss its research priorities, and debated in detail the location and preservation of natural reserves. "Problems of the ill-effects of mining, grazing, urbanisation and pollution required to be studied in detail," said a statement issued at the workshop. Till today, Goa does …
There has been an alarming rise in noise pollution in most Indian cities. This can be attributed to the increase in number of vehicles, urbanisation and industrialisation. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), New Delhi, has set standards for ambient noise levels in residential, commercial and industrial areas and in …
Today environmental pollution has assumed serious proportions and become a big problem because the built-in balance has been disturbed by the industrialization and the philosophy of conquest of nature through exploration and exploitation of natural resources by man to the advantage of mankind. This report contains the Environmental status of …
The transportation modes in Indian cities are multifarious with varying capacity and widely varying sizes and speeds. The objectives of this study are: to evolve alternative urban transport development policies and strategies at national, sate and city levels covering infrastructure development, traffic management, control and enforcement, public transport development and …
rapid urbanisation and development pressures plague China today. Ironically, the pressure to increase farm productivity to meet the present and future food needs is threatening the future of arable areas in the northwest. Scientists believe that by the end of this year China could lose more than 2,000 sq km …
with the broad consensus over the need to address the world's burgeoning urban crisis, much was expected of Habitat ii, the second un Conference on Human Settlements held June 3-14 in Turkey's very own
IT is definitely a small world that we live in today, and Damocles' sword never shone so ruthlessly before. This fact has been highlighted by the startling revelations in the recently released The State of World Population, 1996. Within 10 years, more than half the people of the global village …
