News and Articles

Clean Kali: All eyes now on government
The water of East Kali is heavily polluted. It would hopefully change with the NGT taking notice of it. Posted on 03 Jun, 2017 07:58 AM

Rampura, situated in Bulandshahr district in western Uttar Pradesh, is one of the 1,200 villages on the banks of the 300-km long East Kali, a tributary of the Ganges. The river is named after goddess Kali who, according to the Hindu mythology, is fierce and fights evil by ingesting it.

The polluted Kali river. (Image source: Neer Foundation)
Can we save our farmers?
The economic condition of farmers is getting progressively worse resulting in increasing number of farmer suicides. Here's a look at possible solutions. Posted on 02 Jun, 2017 09:22 AM

The year 2009 was an exceptionally dry year for Maharashtra. There was an acute shortage of water. The farmlands went dry. The farmers, unable to pay their debts, were a worried lot. Lakshman Ambilkar of Kinni village in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra was one such farmer who could not take it anymore. He killed himself, leaving a young, distraught wife to fend for herself.

A devastated farmer Kalu Ram Nishad of Mohamara village. (Pic:India Water Portal)
Ken-Betwa river link approved
Policy matters this week Posted on 30 May, 2017 12:26 PM

Forest panel clears Ken-Betwa river link

Ken-Betwa river link shown on a map. (Source: Shannon via Wikipedia)
Nainital lake drying up, human activities to blame
News this week Posted on 30 May, 2017 11:52 AM

Nainital lake is drying up, environmentalists concerned

A view of the Nainital lake. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Their will, their way
Pune citizens come together to save their water resources, show ways to use water sustainably. Posted on 27 May, 2017 05:34 PM

Pune has a story similar to many other cities in India that grew exponentially without much warning. The unplanned development hit the water resources badly, increasing the city’s dependence on groundwater. Now, the city experiences water scarcity every year, even when the monsoons have been plentiful.

Dr Vishram Rajhans and Mr Ravindra Sinha
Wastewater from tanneries makes farm soil toxic
Wastewater from tannery industries that reach agricultural lands ruin soil health and pollute groundwater, a study finds out. Posted on 27 May, 2017 05:22 PM

The use of wastewater for irrigation in agricultural lands is a common practice across the globe. But a study by Indian researchers has found that it can also affect the quality of soil and groundwater, and consequently, human health. 

A village becomes water rich
How restoration of traditional ponds, rainwater harvesting and wastewater treatment saved a village from water scarcity. Posted on 26 May, 2017 05:05 PM

Located in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, with vast agricultural fields growing sugarcane, rice, wheat, jowar, chana and all kinds of seasonal vegetables, Dhikoli in Pilana tehsil comes across as a bustling and prosperous village.

A johad after restoration.
Shrinking wetlands leave J&K high and dry
Wetlands play a major role in the sustenance of lives and livelihoods in Kashmir. Urbanisation, however, spells doom for the "paradise on earth". Posted on 25 May, 2017 11:33 AM

When torrential downpour submerged thousands of villages and claimed about 300 lives in Jammu & Kashmir in September 2014, loss of wetlands was cited as one of the reasons that aggravated the impact of the natural disaster.

A boatman carries vegetables produced from floating gardens. (Source 101Reporters)
Living on the edge
The increasing cases of tigers straying outside the reserves are leading to man-animal conflicts. A film tries to find solutions. Posted on 23 May, 2017 01:03 PM

A tiger takes a stroll outside the reserve area, breeds on forest patches and looks out for waterholes, all under the curious eyes of visitors. This footage is from Tadoba, a popular tiger habitat in Chandrapur, Maharashtra that draws a lot of domestic and foreign tourists these days. The number of tigers in Tadoba is increasing.

Tiger in Corbett national park. (Source: Soumyajit Nandy, Flickr Commons)
Persian Gulf, Red Sea waters in Bay of Bengal
Study finds evidence of waters from the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea in the Bay of Bengal which indicates climate change. Posted on 23 May, 2017 12:33 PM

In a finding that could help better understand the future global climate scenario, scientists have found evidence that waters from the Persian Gulf as well as the Red Sea make its way into the Bay of Bengal. While the evidence of the presence of the Persian Gulf water was found at a depth range of 200 to 400 metres in the Bay, the Red Sea water was foun

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