Nepal Himalayas

Experts say cold desert regions need special attention
Desertification at high altitudes increasing due to melting of glaciers, causing concern and a push to devise preventive adapation strategies. Posted on 06 Sep, 2019 10:38 AM

Greater Noida, September 5 (India Science Wire): Degradation of land, which leads to the process of desertification, is not limited to arid and semi-arid areas but is also visible in high altitude regions that get very little rainfall and are known as cold deserts.

A view of cold desert in Ladakh (Photo: Annu Anand)
Hydropower in the Himalayas: Potential and risks
Study highlights significant hydropower opportunities in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Posted on 21 Aug, 2019 11:01 PM

Worldwide, the demand for energy has risen significantly and quickly, leading to serious impacts on environmental sustainability and hindering global efforts to mitigate climate change. Hydropower, a leading renewable option has the additional benefits of water storage for agriculture and other uses.

Hydel project near Kullu (Image: Nadir Hashmi, Flickr Commons)
Could the water towers of Asia be drying up soon?
As climate change and urbanisation threaten water security in the HKH region, there is an urgent need for good water governance. Posted on 24 Mar, 2019 11:03 AM

The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) cover 3500 kms across eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
Wetlands disappearing three times faster than forests
News this week Posted on 02 Oct, 2018 11:43 AM

World is losing the wetlands at a rate of 0.78 percent a year: Ramsar Convention

Deepor Beel in Assam (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Hyderabad water bodies unfit for even irrigation
News this week Posted on 25 Dec, 2016 07:19 PM

Most of Hyderabad water bodies reduced to cesspools

Himayat Sagar lake in Hyderabad (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Groundwater: It's not a source, it’s a resource
Nawraj Pradhan from ICIMOD explains how they are looking at the challenge of drying springs in the Kailash landscape from different angles -- ecological, cultural and physiographic. Posted on 02 Aug, 2015 08:11 AM

Springs play an important role in the daily lives of thousands of communities in the hills and mountains of the Himalayas. However, in many places once reliable springs are drying up, presenting rural communities, and women in particular, with new challenges.

A spring next to a temple in Uttarakhand is the source of the Ramganga river
Engineering witchcraft in Bihar
The Bhutahi Balan, a tributary of the Kosi may be a small river but it has caused immense devastation. Dinesh Mishra says that embankments aren't the answer to this problem. Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 07:46 PM

It's been years since Bhutahi Balan, a small tributary of the Kosi river in Madhubani, North Bihar, has been causing devastation on both its banks. Dinesh Mishra in his book 'Story of a ghost river and engineering witchcraft' objectively analyses the failure of embankments, which are raised banks to contain the river's flooding.

Devastation due to floods
Their world is hot, flat and crowded
Mountain farmers are reaping greater economic benefits but that is coming at the cost of traditional crops and natural resources. How long can this type of growth be sustained? Posted on 24 Nov, 2013 11:16 AM

Mountain farmers are facing a very volatile situation right now. Food crops are being replaced by cash crops, which return better dividends. Due to this, their overall economy has gotten much better. As a whole, more of them are migrating from rural to urban areas.

Terraced farming is the norm in mountain states
Money alone won't do for the mountain states
Exclusive policies, preservation of traditional practices and efficient trade linkages can help mountain farmers reap a good harvest. Posted on 24 Nov, 2013 11:14 AM

Can we really address the special needs of mountain states by allocating them more money? Isn't it essential that we leave the 'one size fits all' approach and recognise the exclusive challenges and opportunities which mountain farmers face as compared to farmers in the plains? 

Traditional crops need institutional support.
Call for Proposal 'SERVIR-Himalaya Small Grants Programme', ICIMOD
Aim is to help utilize geospatial tools and services to improve decision-making related to sustainable mountain development with a special focus on climate adaptation, vulnerability or mitigation.
Posted on 04 Nov, 2013 11:42 AM

For further information on the organisation, The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), please click here.

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