Generally rare and quite local, the little Smew diving duck, known scientifically as Mergellus Albellus, was spotted in the Bandipora district of North Kashmir Wular Lake of Jammu and Kashmir after 116 years.
In Himachal Pradesh, where the BJP-led state government has set its sights on repeating the mission, disgruntled apple growers took to the streets yesterday over the government's "callous approach" to their long-overdue demands.
They were nothing more than proof of the impact of this phenomenon induced by human activity and of the urgency to act before it is too late, experts and various United Nations agencies linked to the environment and development point out.