The Gujarat 2001 earthquake drove home the point that cities built on river alluvium and sand are likely to suffer maximum damage from an earthquake due to high water table and the construction of dams in the upper reaches

National programme on improved chulhas put on ice

Does tourism always have to be a threat to the environment? Not anymore, claim the promoters of the globally emerging industry of ecotourism. Socially responsible and ecologically sustainable tourism, which could at the same time be profitable for the com

Kanchendzonga, or the "five big treasures of ice' in the language of the Bhotia tribe of Sikkim, is the symbol of Sikkim's cultural identity, which is closely linked to nature. It is also venerated

From social worker, to government contractor, to politician, and then to the highest political station of the state. It has been an interesting journey.

ADMIRERS He may not be sophisticated enough to view environmental problems like a trained activist, but he understands them in his own way. His solutions may sometimes look roughshod but his

"NGOs have the most important role to play"

Seventy-year-old Aitamai has lived in Sichey Basti on the outskirts of Gangtok for over 40 years now. "But I have never seen such a bad landslide," she says, referring to the one that