As Europe grapples with an unprecedented summer heatwave, the fragility of nuclear power's dependence on water cooling has been laid bare — with 13 French reactors forced offline and similar shutdowns rippling across Hungary, Romania, and beyond. The crisis has prompted a stark warning from Indian power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma , who argues that if such failures can occur in Europe's relatively cooler climate, the risks for water-stressed India are orders of magnitude higher.
For generations, the seasonal Anjani River has been more than a waterway for the Patharvat community of Waghlud Khurd. It has been their classroom, their workplace, their temple, and their source of life. But today, the riverbed that once rang with the sound of hammers and chisels has fallen quiet. A centuries-old stone craft is dying—not because the river has changed, but because the world around it has, says a guest blog published in the website of the advocacy group SANDRP (South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People).