Research Papers

Is it all downhill from here for Leh?
Rapid urban growth, scarce water resources and a high risk of natural disasters pose serious challenges for Leh's urban planning and governance. Posted on 09 Jul, 2019 02:05 PM

Across South Asia, small and medium-sized towns are rapidly expanding. Urbanisation has made inroads into the entire Himalayan region. Mountain urbanisation poses a need for assessments of emerging risks and vulnerabilities in environmentally sensitive regions.

The main bazaar of Leh (Image: Christopher Michel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)
Glacier melt threatens water reserves in Satluj basin
A new study finds that 55% of the glaciers in the Satluj basin could disappear by 2050 and 97% by 2090 due to climate change. Posted on 08 Jul, 2019 12:28 PM

River Satluj, the powerhouse of the Himalayas

The Sutlej, from Bilaspur (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Urbanization, changing cropping patterns contributing to temperature rise
Study shows land use changes responsible for higher temperatures Posted on 03 Jul, 2019 02:51 PM

New Delhi, July 3 (India Science Wire): Warming induced by changes in land use and land cover is contributing to rise in temperature in Eastern India, according to a new study. 

Image credit: Sourabh Phadke from India Water Portal on Flickr
Digging deeper to cope with droughts
A study finds that farmers in south India continue to rely on borewells rather than investing in water conservation structures or demand management strategies to cope with droughts. Posted on 01 Jul, 2019 09:14 PM

India is witnessing the second driest pre-monsoon season in the last 65 years. As the country eagerly eyes the monsoon clouds, the delay so far has now widened the rain deficit to 43%.

Coping with droughts, a challenge for farmers (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Women hold the key to water for food security and nutrition
Study reveals women are central to both food production and preparation, as well as to domestic water provisioning. Posted on 01 Jul, 2019 12:34 PM

The water sector remains male dominated at different scales, from engineers and technocrats responsible for designing irrigation systems, to upper caste and upper class men who decide on the location of canals, borewells, tanks, and other water systems at the grassroots level.

A woman from the Ahir tribe at Chapredi village, east of Bhuj with cotton husks. (Image: Meena Kadri, Flickr Commons, CC BY-ND 2.0
Temperatures in India becoming more extreme
A study found that intensification of croplands through replacement of forests can impact long term temperature trends. Posted on 26 Jun, 2019 03:51 PM

The frequency and severity of heatwaves have risen considerably in India. Our cities are facing periods of ‘extreme’ weather as urbanization continues to modify the landscape.

The stretch below the Koyna dam in Satara district looks parched at the end of the summer of 2014 as the reservoirs went dry (Image: Ashwin Arun Yadav, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
From water to agriculture, well-being and beyond
While WOTR’s work has contributed to improving SDG outcomes, what are the learnings from the efforts made by the organisation to map and identify the pathways that have brought about this change? Posted on 17 Jun, 2019 06:20 PM

Sustainable development, still an unfinished agenda

WOTR’s holistic approach integrates environmental, social and development challenges. (Image Source: WOTR)
India, in the eye of a storm!
The incidence and intensity of tropical cyclonic storms during monsoons is increasing in India. Can historical analysis help understand and cope with them better? Posted on 16 Jun, 2019 07:51 PM

A cyclonic storm that hit India in 2016 (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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)
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)
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