Himachal Pradesh

Get drenched in the Himalayas!
Bhagsunag Falls in McLeod Ganj, Sahastradhara in Dehradun, and Kempty Falls near Mussoorie have long histories. We give you the the full lowdown, tips on what to do and how to get there. Posted on 05 Mar, 2015 12:32 PM

Culture, recreation, and geology are some of the reasons people cite for visiting the Himalayas. You can literally get drenched in these topics in some of the waterfalls that the Northern Himalayas are home to. Read on to get the full scoop on places you can (and should!) visit. For the geeks among you, we have also explored a bit of the history and science behind it.

Bhagsunag in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala
Bihar Government bans plastic packaged water bottles in all its departments
Policy matters this week Posted on 09 Feb, 2015 01:35 PM

Bihar's government offices to soon become free of plastic bottles

Plastic water bottles (Source: Pixabay.com)
Water news: A recap of 2014
Water made big news in 2014 with the formation of the new Water Ministry, initiation of the Swachh Bharat Mission, disasters due to erratic weather, and several scientific achievements. Posted on 05 Jan, 2015 09:58 PM

New Water Ministry, Clean Ganga Portal, Ganga Manthan: Goverment makes efforts towards rejuvenating the Ganga

Sunset at Gadmukhteshwar
Barefoot scientists a.k.a local farmers
Solutions to deal with the ill-effects of climate change extend beyond formal scientific knowledge. Local communities combat these using their Indigenous knowledge. Posted on 09 Oct, 2014 09:38 PM

Effects of climate change have aggravated the vulnerability of agricultural systems in all the parts of the country but people have found their own solutions and methods to deal with it. These have come from age-old knowledge practices of local farmers and communities, who depend on natural resources and who interact with the local ecosystems on a day-to-day basis.

Farmer couple ploughing their field
A case against small hydropower
Small hydel projects are often hailed as sustainable models of power production but they spark an equal number of contentious issues much like the bigger projects. Posted on 28 Sep, 2014 07:34 PM

As Hari Singh led me towards his fields, I wondered if he was trying to play a joke on me. Large rocks were scattered in the area and there was no sight of any arable land, neither was there any clue of the irrigation channel which Singh claimed ran through his farm.

The Mani Mahesh hydel project near Saho village.
Kuhl, kohli and a lost tradition
Kuhls, the community-owned irrigation channels of Himachal Pradesh, have lost their importance over time. Is it because the state has begun managing them causing a disconnect with the people? Posted on 22 Aug, 2014 03:02 PM

Ranjit Singh is elated that someone has come to his village enquiring about his work. He says not many people recognise the worth of traditional occupations like his. “This is especially true of government officials and policy makers who feel everything old is useless”, he points out.

Ranjit is the kohli of Mjately village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

Kuhls carry glacial melt to fields for irrigation
Himachal Pradesh's forests make way for Renuka Dam
Policy matters this week Posted on 19 Aug, 2014 01:31 PM

Forest clearance granted to the proposed Renuka Dam

Forest cover of Himachal Pradesh
Irrigation systems of Himachal threatened by hydropower projects
Small hydro-power projects thought to be least damaging threaten the very existence of Kuhls, the source of water for irrigation. It's no wonder that young Kohlis prefer government jobs to farming. Posted on 27 Jul, 2014 11:04 AM

Pro-dam lobby has long praised the small or micro hydropower projects, especially run-of-the-river units as least damaging. But both the developer/s of such projects and the government seem to have overlooked an important aspect: its impact on Kuhls, the traditional irrigation system of Himachal Pradesh.

Kuhl, Awa khud, Kandbari (Nivedita Khandekar)
Holi-Bajoli hydropower project shifts banks
A group of women in Himachal protest the shifting of a hydel project from the right bank to the left of the Ravi river. While it may seem like a simple 'side' issue, the truth is far more complex. Posted on 21 Jul, 2014 04:59 AM

I could just about see a small makeshift shelter with a yellow canopy. As I made my way through the small stream and climbed uphill, I saw a JCB machine trying to clear a path. Further up the road, female voices speaking the local dialect started to emerge. A small hearth surrounded by utensils and jars of tea, sugar and lentils greeted me at the entrance.

Himachal women protest Holi-Bajoli hydel plant
Small hydels: Are they really clean, green and safe?
As the number of hydro projects in the serene state of Himachal Pradesh grow, it is time to analyse how safe they really are. Posted on 11 Jul, 2014 06:10 PM

Now in a dismantled state, the 4.8 MW Aleo II hydro project, situated between Aleo and Prini in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh made it to the news recently, but for the wrong reasons. The reservoir of the newly built Aleo II hydro project on the Aleo nallah, a tributary of the Beas river, collapsed during its very first trial run on January 12, 2014.

Aleo II Hydro Project, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
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