Bihar

Creating community leaders to tackle disaster
Under UNICEF’s initiative to mitigate disaster risk, community leaders are created to make villages disaster ready. Posted on 25 Jun, 2018 05:01 PM

Tired from the Baidyanath dhamyatra (pilgrimage) in the nearby town of Deoghar, Nunlal Kamath is stealing a quick nap on a charpoy outside his house. His house is right on the western bank of Kosi, north Bihar’s river of sorrow, in a particularly flood-prone area where there are no high grounds or flood platforms nearby.  

Village disaster management committee has built sand and boulder spurs to deflect floods at spots where bank erosion takes place. (Pic courtesy: GEAG)
Sand mining in Rajasthan: SC refuses to lift ban
Policy matters this week Posted on 16 Jan, 2018 10:41 AM

SC refuses to lift ban on sand mining in Rajasthan 

Illegal mining affects the natural course of the river. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
JalKalp: Water sands impurities
A new biosand filter is revolutionising water purification in rural India with increased filtration, better portability and affordability. Posted on 13 Nov, 2017 12:11 PM

Urmila Devi lives in Chaitabazaar village which is barely five kilometres from the eastern bank of the Burhi Gandak river. It is located in a particularly flood-prone area of East Champaran in north Bihar. The drinking water quality in this area is poor. The recurrent floods only make it worse.

The drinking water in Chaitbazaar village is dark in colour because of high levels of iron and has a peculiar stench from bacteriological contamination. (Image: Sehgal Foundation)
Maharashtra mandates reuse of wastewater
Policy matters this week Posted on 07 Nov, 2017 07:15 PM

Reuse of wastewater becomes mandatory in Maharashtra

Wastewater gets discharged into a drain. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Bihar canal collapses before inauguration
News this week Posted on 27 Sep, 2017 11:47 AM

Bhagalpur canal in Bihar collapses during trial run

Bhagalpur canal after collapse. (Source: Press Trust of India)
Flood and after: Water recedes, worries mount
Increasing epidemic scare, loss of livelihood and no place to defecate. There seems no end to the miseries of the flood affected in Assam and Bihar even when the water recedes. Posted on 12 Sep, 2017 12:39 PM

In August this year, the states of Bihar and Assam witnessed the worst flooding in a long time. The water level is slowly receding now but it is not giving much respite to people as the aftermath of the devastating floods has brought upon miseries of its own. 

A boy stands in front of houses destroyed by flood in Karimganj district, Assam.
UP's religious smart city plan gets rejected
Policy matters this week Posted on 22 Aug, 2017 09:55 PM

Committee rejects UP's plan for a religious hi-tech smart city 

Ganga at Garhmukteshwar (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Flood situation improves in Bihar and West Bengal
News this week Posted on 22 Aug, 2017 09:34 PM

Bihar floods: Fear of epidemic looms large

Army engaged in rescue operations. (Photo by Pranab Kumar)
Maintain 15-20 pc environmental flow in rivers: NGT
Policy matters this week Posted on 16 Aug, 2017 05:53 AM

NGT has ordered states to maintain environmental flow of 15-20 percent in rivers

Ganga river at Kaudiyala (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
To some, floods can be good news
A large part of the Kanwar Lake has been converted to permanent agriculture compromising its ecological diversity. A video tells us why it is important to restore it. Posted on 02 Aug, 2017 05:52 AM

Floods are generally considered destructive but in some cases, overflowing rivers have the potential to create wetlands. These wetlands can serve as agreeable landscapes that turn resourceful due to the multiple functions it can host. The Kanwar Lake in Bihar is a striking example of this shared, altering landscapes. 

Red-naped Ibis at the Kanwar Lake (Source: Wikipedia)
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