Political

Surya Ganga: A film review
The film Surya Ganga makes a case for a shift in India’s energy policy towards renewable sources. Posted on 14 Jun, 2019 10:42 AM

Surya Ganga, a film directed by Valli Bindana takes an all embracing view of the energy sector, especially the social and environmental consequences of big energy projects in India. The film was released in India recently.

Ganga's riverflow near Dhari Devi temple in Uttarakhand (Image: SuryaGanga Facebook Page)
Climate change real, warns Pangi tribe
The effects of climate change are felt by the indigenous communities residing in the Himalayan region. How are they coping with these changes? Posted on 13 Jun, 2019 02:14 PM

Mountain ecosystems are highly sensitive due to ecological fragility, geomorphologic instability but are blessed with vast eco biodiversity.

Chandrabhaga river through Pangi valley, Himachal Pradesh (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Ensure adequate water to Delhi: HC to Haryana
Policy matters this week Posted on 12 Jun, 2019 12:24 PM

HC orders Haryana government to supply adequate water to Delhi and monitor Yamuna through live Google maps

Yamuna river in Delhi (Source: Sudhanshu Malhotra via IWP Flickr Photos)
UNICEF lauds SBM for reducing groundwater contamination
News this week Posted on 12 Jun, 2019 12:09 PM

Swachh Bharat Mission reduced groundwater contamination: UNICEF

SBM reduced groundwater contamination in many villages. (Source: IWP via Flickr photos)
Skymet Weather releases kharif crop estimate 2019
With over 50 percent of the cultivable area being rain-fed, the farm economy could be in a precarious situation with the ongoing rain deficiency. Posted on 11 Jun, 2019 04:25 PM

India’s leading weather and agriculture risk monitoring company has released a Kharif Report, sharing the prediction for the upcoming monsoon and its impact on the production of kharif crops.

Cotton production in the country is expected to go up by 10 percent as compared to last year. (Image: Kimberly Vardeman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)
Air pollution surges to emergency levels in India
Measures to deal with air pollution inadequate and poorly implemented in India due to lack of political will. Posted on 11 Jun, 2019 03:53 PM

Urban India needs to take air pollution more seriously than it does now. The Centre for Science and Environment’s report, State of India's Environment 2019 has come up with startling facts on the state of air in the country.

Narratives from Korba in Chhattisgarh is proof that breathing the dust laden air near the power plant is injurious to health. (Image: Ishan Tankha)
Food security with flood, drought-resistant rice crops
New drought and flood tolerant rice varieties can ease water constraints and ensure food security, study says. Posted on 07 Jun, 2019 11:23 AM

In recent years, cycles of extreme drought and severe flooding have affected the country’s water availability and crop production. The trend can be attributed to climate change. Scientists have been exploring drought and flood tolerant crop varieties to offset stress conditions that significantly constrain rice production.

Determining the long-term effects of the flood-tolerant rice variety Swarna-Sub1. (Image: Centre for Effective Global Action)
GHG emissions, water footprints of dietary patterns
Rice-based diets had higher emissions but wheat-based diets used more water, says study. Posted on 07 Jun, 2019 10:40 AM

India's food system produces large environmental impacts but these vary by diets. The per capita environmental impacts of diets in India are currently lower than those of many high-income countries due, in part, to habitually low consumption of animal source foods.

As India continues in its nutrition transition, people currently consuming the rice and low diversity pattern will be likely to adopt more diverse diets (Image: Senthil T S K, Wikimedia Commons)
Caste and farmer’s access to quality information
A study finds that farmers from socially-marginalised castes continue to be disadvantaged in accessing agricultural extension services. Posted on 06 Jun, 2019 05:07 PM

Increase in agricultural productivity is not only dependent on material inputs, but also on farmer’s access to relevant information on crop production and farm management practices. This information is provided through agricultural extension services in India.

Access to information helps improve crop output among farmers. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
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