Publications

The paper explores female representations going back to the subcontinent's prehistory in Pre-Harappan Baluchistan to south Indian antiquity in a volume in honour of Lithuanian archaeologist Maria Gimbutas known for her writings on feminine representations in Neolithic Europe.

Kerala’s semi-high-speed SilverLine rail project will have a huge negative impact on the coastal environment that is already under tremendous stress.

The Court should have looked into the scientific objections more carefully and conducted a technically sound environmental impact assessment using the services of the independent experts.

Given India’s continued dependence on coal to supply 24x7 power for industrial and residential consumers at affordable prices, the country needs a unified Coal Mines Environment Authority staffed with multi-disciplinary expertise to assess and minimize the adverse environmental impacts of coal mines with an integrated approach to ensure more efficient, effective and transparent environmental governance.

The ‘Char Dham Pariyojana’ is a fundamental violation of all environmental norms and conservation strategies that need to be followed in the Himalayan mountain terrains for any constructional activities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently (Sep 2021) released its revised Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) which have been made more stringent compared to their earlier guidelines. This raises the question whether India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) notified by the MoEFCC in 2009 are adequate and whether the revised WHO AQGs are relevant for India. The natural corollary to this is to identify the policies and actions required to strengthen the science of risk assessment and develop rational estimates of mortality and morbidity attributed to air pollution amongst the population in India. These issues have been examined in the NIAS Policy Brief to recommend the way forward.

The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and environmental advantages of coal-CSP hybrid systems are presented by simulating the hybrid system in two modes at three locations in India with contrasting DNI profiles. The cost of additional energy generated due to SAFWH in booster mode is up to 51.4% less as compared to a stand-alone CSP. In the fuel saver mode, up to 40 thousand tons of coal can be annually saved with SAFWH, thus reducing CO2 emissions by 1.7% as compared to a stand-alone coal-fired plant.