Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand braces itself for dry days
More than 1000 villages of the state are expected to be affected by a severe water crisis. Posted on 20 Apr, 2018 08:09 PM

Lokesh Verma, a farmer from Nainital’s Chanfi village, says this is the third year in a row that he is bearing losses in agriculture. “I have lost around Rs 2 lakh and there’s a debt of Rs 70,000 to pay off. I grow strawberries, guavas and peas in my 15 bighas of land, but there is not enough water in the hills to irrigate crops properly,” he says.

Lokesh Verma at his farm. (Pic courtesy: 101Reporters)
Dam of consequences
Despite controversies around the Pancheshwar dam proposal and the panic it is creating among the villages around, the project is progressing fast. Posted on 14 Feb, 2018 05:27 AM

River Mahakali snakes its way through the hills and valleys of Nepal and Uttaranchal, collecting its water from the numerous streams it receives on the way. Also known as Sharda in India, the river forms the international boundary between India and Nepal.

The project is expected to submerge 11,600 hectares of mountain area.
Protest in Chennai to save the Ennore Creek
News this week Posted on 09 Jan, 2018 08:59 AM

Saving the Ennore Creek: Chennai fisherfolk stage Jal Satyagraha

The Ennore creek smothered on all sides by thermal power plants. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Toilet use in Uttarakhand: A mountainous issue
A study from remote villages in rural Uttarakhand finds that toilet use is influenced by geography, accessibility, availability of infrastructure and occupation of villagers. Posted on 23 Nov, 2017 02:36 PM

“Sometimes I go for open defecation, sometimes I use the toilet. It’s not like I always have to use the toilet. When I go for work here and there, I defecate in the jungle,” says Renu from one of the remote villages in Tehri Garwal district of Uttarakhand when asked why she does not use latrines every day.

Tanks and canals form the water supply system in a remote Uttarakhand village. (Image source: Chicu Lokgariwar)
Maharashtra to pay Rs 100 crore for river restoration
Policy matters this week Posted on 20 Nov, 2017 01:54 PM

SC orders Maharashtra government to pay Rs 100 crore for restoration of Ulhas and Waldhuni rivers

A filthy river in Maharashtra. (Source: IWP photos via Rohit Sharma and Arpita Bhagat)
Refresher Course on “Hydrology of Floods”
Science Academies Sponsored Refresher Course on “Hydrology of Floods” organised by G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand
Posted on 30 Oct, 2017 01:41 PM
Science Academies' Refresher Course on

"Hydrology of Floods "

Catch them young
An initiative in Uttarakhand aims to inculcate knowledge of water management in school children. Posted on 04 Sep, 2017 10:29 PM

The children of Shri Ram Vidya Mandir in Dotiyal in Almora district of Uttarakhand were hushed as they entered the hall. Within 15 minutes, they were all giggling in anticipation of the fun of learning something new. This is one of the schools where students are taught the basics of hydrogeology and water quality.

Children gather around Ashvath Singh as he demonstrates hydrogeology.
Pancheshwar dam public hearing continues
Policy matters this week Posted on 30 Aug, 2017 05:56 AM

Public hearing for Pancheshwar dam continues while ignoring people's concern

We don't want dams, dams destroy mountains,' reads a slogan painted on a wall in Uttarakhand (Image Source: GJ Lingaraj)
Ganga and Yamuna not living human entities anymore
Policy matters this week Posted on 11 Jul, 2017 12:09 PM

SC stays order granting human status to Ganga and Yamuna rivers

Ganga river at Sangam, Allahabad (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Why rivers don’t flow anymore
In a two-part series, we look at the health of rivers across India. Here’s a comprehensive assessment of the rivers of the north and the east. Posted on 07 Jun, 2017 11:13 AM

Rivers in India are always in the news whether it’s the interstate water sharing disputes, dams, sand mining or the recent order of the Uttarakhand high court declaring Ganga and Yamuna as living entities. Seven major river systems, over 400 rivers and numerous streams have sustained lives and livelihoods in India for centuries.

A villager washes utensils in the black water coming out of the coal mines at Kodkel in Raigarh district, Chattisgarh.
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