Feature Article

Life in the remote Indian village of Meerwada used to grind to a standstill as darkness descended. The arrival of solar power last year has changed all that. Meerwada, on a dirt track rutted by rains and outside the reach of the national grid, struck lucky when U.S. solar firm SunEdison picked it to test out business models and covered the hefty initial expense of installing high tech solar panels in the heart of the village.

The present study has been carried out to assess groundwater quality in parts of Hindon–Yamuna interfluve region of western Uttar Pradesh. Fifty-five groundwater samples were collected from hand pumps in post-monsoon 2005 and pre-monsoon 2006 period, respectively, covering an area of about 1,345 km2. Physical and chemical parameters of groundwater such as electrical conductivity, pH, total dissolved solid, Na, K, Ca, Mg, HCO3, Cl, and SO4 were determined.

The Western Ghats is distinct for its inter-woven network of protected, reserved and community conserved forest areas comprising wildlife corridors spanning long distances, cutting across boundaries that segment it into states. The area has for long been, under constant pressure from unplanned and unrestrained "developmental activities" like mining, thermal power plants, industries, commercial tourism and construction projects, notwithstanding the fragility of its ecosystem.

This paper attempts to explain the wildlife science-based tiger conservation pathway that integrates the keystone-umbrella species concept, landscape ecology and geographic information systems as major components to effectively devise wild tiger conservation priorities for the Bangladesh Sundarbans.

Community-based conservation reverses top-down, centre driven conservation by focusing on the people who bear the costs of conservation. In the broadest sense then, community-based conservation includes natural resource or biodiversity protection by, for, and with local communities. Nepal has joined hands with international communities and embarked on the modern era of biodiversity conservation since the 1970s.

The water may be supplied to the consumers either- (1) by continuous system or (ii) intermittent system. In the continuous system, water is available to the consumers for all 24 hours a day. Whereas, the intermittent system supplies water only during the peak hours of water demand, which is fixed hours in the morning and evening period of the day.

Being the first Concentrated Solar Power plant based on tower technology in Asia, the proposed 10-MW plant that is being constructed at Bikaner is well in line with the ambitious goals of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).

Beijing will promote new energy sources but wants to control 'blind expansion' in the wind and solar industries, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said in a speech in March 2012.

Yvo de Boer was the Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) during the tumultuous Copenhagen Summit in 2009. In 2010 he joined KPMG as global adviser on climate and sustainability. Recently he was in India, and in conversation with Keshav Chaturvedi, he discussed the issue of renewable energy and its importance as a climate change mitigation measure.

Phil Marker heads the Climate Change and Energy Unit of the UK Department for International Development and British High Commission, India. This unit is responsible for promoting collaboration between the UK and India on climate change and energy issues including programmes addressing energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate resilience, water and technology innovation in India.