Be it inundating floods or pulverising landslides, the frequency with which the states of Kerala and Uttarakhand have been contributing to news headlines in the last few years is astonishing. Here, at Gaon Cafe, Madhavan Rajeevan, former secretary in the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences explains what makes these states prone to disasters.

Is disease the reason why so many Indian cities have seen a decrease in the population of the house sparrow? Can feeding birds spread disease in the avian world? Experts are divided on the issue.