There is an air of despair among bird watchers and officials at the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan. The rains have played truant so far and the swamps are dry. Without aquatic life, that is food for the migratory birds, many of the winged visitors may not show up this winter, which is bad news for tourism. Last year’s monsoon was good for the region, with more than 800 mm of rainfall recorded.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the nature trail at her official residence in New Delhi would be developed as a biodiversity park. Dikshit said this after launching the Delhi plantation drive from her official 3, Motilal Nehru Place residence where a number of school children planted different species of saplings.

It is an abode of scenic beauty, squeezed between the seas and the lush forested hills, offering glistening sands and swaying coconut palms for a mesmeric visual delight. But all is not well in this paradise called ‘Goa’. Seven beaches of Goa, where many popular tourist resorts were located, are reeling under the threat of sea erosion, said State Water Resources Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues.

It’s a hard to believe sight. The lakes of Udaipur that had bestowed on this city the epithet of Venice of the East have become so dry that instead of boats, SUVs are being used to ferry guests across. What is less visible but more worrying for many in this historically rich city is its impact on tourism. Udaipur, where 40 percent of 2.5 million people directly or indirectly earn a livelihood from tourism, has five major lakes - Lake Pichola, Udai Sagar Lake, Fateh Sagar Lake, Rajsamand Lake and...