One of the main reasons given for nationalising the coalmines of India was to protect workers from accidents. What followed was large scale destruction of the environment. Now, the danger is not just from accidents that kill. For the residents of coal tow

10,000 trees in 66 years, an octogenarian revives greenery in a village in Bihar

At first the rivers and the people were both unfettered. Then the politicians came between them

Criminals followed corrupt politicians into grabbing contracts related to earthworks. Today, they fund political parties and virtually run the state

Officials are now promoting a new paradigm for flood control. They are pushing for a huge dam in Nepal. Does it provide scope for further corruption?

• The embankments of Kamla Balan have been breached on several occasions. In 1963, when the river burst its embankments near Ramghat, it submerged villages such as Kharbar, Gangapur,

...and what they mean for...

It would be foolhardy to try and enslave the rivers of Bihar. The Ganga, the Kosi, the Baghmati, the Gandak and the Kamla Balan

In 1855, the British government decided to embank the Damodar river in order to prevent flooding. With the construction of watertight embankments on the Damodar, the flood control picture started