Physiography

Tiger authority to monitor Ken-Betwa river link
Policy matters this week Posted on 28 Nov, 2016 12:36 PM

Constitute a committee to monitor Ken-Betwa river link, suggests NTCA

Ken-Betwa river link shown on a map. (Source: Shannon via Wikipedia)
Flood risk to Himalayan hydropower projects: Study
News this week Posted on 28 Nov, 2016 11:57 AM

Glacial lakes pose flood risk to 441 hydel projects in Himalayan region

A glacier-fed stream in Himachal Pradesh. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
NGT raps Delhi government over air pollution
News this week Posted on 14 Nov, 2016 05:59 AM

Environment minister calls Delhi pollution 'emergency situation'

Delhi shrouded in smog. (Source: Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy/Flickr)
This year witnesses record agricultural output
News this week Posted on 24 Oct, 2016 07:17 AM

Normal monsoon leads to record agricultural output this year

A farm in India. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
No fish in water, fishermen at sea
A film on the decline of traditional, sustainable way of fishing puts forth pertinent questions on the future of the marine life and the fishermen who are dependent on it. Posted on 29 Sep, 2016 01:24 PM

What makes a good fisherman? His tools like boats and intricate nets, the ability to make deep dives or the tenacity to stand the elements? For most of the fishers, it’s about having a deep understanding of the ecosystem and the wisdom to make it work for them. The fishing community at Palk Bay is a good example for this.

Fishers of Palk Bay out for a catch. Image by: Umeed Mistry
Of broken pots and dreams
With much of Salmora lost to the insatiable Brahmaputra river, the potters of Majuli stand at a crossroad, uncertain how long they can continue their unique craft. Posted on 24 Sep, 2016 11:25 PM

Women in Salmora area of Majuli, the world’s largest riverine island and India’s first island district, practise their traditional form of pottery--the one that does not use a wheel but is hand beaten to shape and uses a viscid kind of clay. As the Brahmaputra eats away huge swathes of land year after year, the clay that these potters use is being taken away by the river. 

The desert that blooms
Rao Jodha Desert Park in Jodhpur is known for its varied flora. Its resilience and beauty make a walk in this park truly enjoyable. Posted on 31 Aug, 2016 12:41 PM

Rain has just abated but the clouds are threatening to burst again. “Not a good time to visit, what with reducing light and imminent showers,” I tell myself. “Don’t worry, it would be a light drizzle, if at all,” the person at the ticket counter assures. My guide, Sachin, a young, stout man with a winning smile, arrives from a tea break armed with binoculars and a slim guide book.

The desert park in its full glory during monsoon.
Community effort saves mangroves
When climate change threatens the existence of Sundarbans’ mangroves, villagers get together to plant millions of them to protect the fragile ecosystem. Posted on 04 Aug, 2016 09:52 AM

Come monsoon, the villages in the Sundarbans islands witness nature’s fury with floodwaters overriding all boundaries and inundating huge tracts of land. As such, the earthen embankments, stretching to 3600 kms on the 54 inhabited islands out of a total of 102 in the Sundarbans, protect scores of people from floods and tidal waves.

Mangroves of Sundarbans. (Source: Nature Environment & Wildlife Society - NEWS)
Maharashtra wetlands: Govt withdraws plea against construction ban
Policy matters this week Posted on 17 Jul, 2016 03:13 PM

Maharashtra government withdraws plea against ban on construction on wetlands  

India's wetlands under threat (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Climate change: When past presents itself
A new study pins climate change as one of the reasons for the decline of Indus Valley Civilisation Posted on 24 Jun, 2016 08:40 PM

Summers get hotter, rains decline and crops fail. The conflict between people increase and migration in search of better lands and skies begin. Sounds familiar? We are not talking about Marathwada here. This is how the lives of our ancestors played out thousands of years ago.

A narrow lane flanked by houses at Bhirrana. Source: Archaeological Survey of India
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