Biodiversity

Featured Articles
December 4, 2022 What is the status of inland fisheries in India? Read these situational analysis reports to know about inland fisheries, the life of the fisherfolk, governance and tenure in inland fisheries and threats to the sustainability of inland fisheries.
Fishing in an irrigation canal in Kerala (Image Source: Martin Pilkinton via Wikimedia Commons)
August 2, 2022 The frequency and intensity of floods is on the rise in Assam spelling doom for fish biodiversity.
Life during floods in Assam (Image Source: Kausika Bordoloi via Wikimedia Commons)
June 27, 2022 Heavy metal pollution is poisoning the East Kolkata wetlands, affecting fish and posing a threat to the health of humans who depend on this fish for their food. Urgent action is needed!
Fishermen use wastewater in Kolkata to rear fish (Image Source: India Water Portal)
June 15, 2022 The River Front Development project planned by the PMC is nothing but a cosmetic makeover for the already choked Mula Mutha river in Pune, argues Dr Gurudas Nulkar while speaking to the India Water Portal.
The highly polluted and encroached Mula Mutha river in Pune (Image: Alexey Komarov via Wikimedia Commons)
June 4, 2022 Freshwater ecosystems in India are in peril. We invite comments on this vision document by TNC-India, FES and Ooloi labs that highlights future actions needed to save them.
Freshwater ecosystems, in peril! (Image Source: The Nature Conservancy, India)
May 10, 2022 Freshwater ecosystems are not mere sources of water, they are treasure troves of biodiversity. Know more about the fascinating and diverse animal species that inhabit freshwater habitats in India.
Freshwater ecosystems, treasure troves of biodiversity (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Najafgarh seeks attention
There is an urgent need to restore Najafgarh basin if the recurrent flooding and water shortage in Delhi and Gurugram have to be avoided in the future. Posted on 17 Oct, 2017 05:07 AM

Here’s some news for nature lovers. A dirty drain in Delhi could well be on its way to becoming a bird sanctuary. The Najafgarh drain or nallah that flows through the northwest part of Gurugram is becoming a new habitat for the strikingly tall Greater flamingos, a rosy-white pink billed migratory bird as it passes through southwest Delhi.  

Aerial view of the Najafgarh drain. (Image: Sumita Roy Dutta, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0)
Threatened by urbanisation, doomed by restoration
It is not just mindless urbanisation, but flawed restoration efforts by authorities too are responsible for the gradual deterioration of Pashan lake in Pune. Posted on 06 Oct, 2017 06:26 AM

Pashan lake, the pride of Pune, is dying! Water hyacinth continues to invade the lake and pollution levels in the lake are high, threatening its once rich biodiversity. How did this happen?

Pashan lake cries for help. (Image Source: Dharmaraj Patil)
The fight for the doomed land
Here's a video that tells the story of the struggle of the people displaced by the Hirakud dam and their right over the land. Posted on 04 Oct, 2017 05:36 AM

On January 13, 1957, the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the Hirakud dam, calling it the temple of modern India. It has submerged more than 360 villages (1,23,000 acres of land) and displaced 26,561 families.

Hirakud Dam (Source: India Water Portal)
Western Ghats: The green gold of India
Increase in human activities in the Western Ghats is threatening the biodiversity. A video tells us why investing in nature is the need of the hour. Posted on 25 Sep, 2017 05:19 PM

The Western Ghats is one of the eight hotspots of biological diversity in the world and is spread across six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The forests in the Western Ghats are the water towers of peninsular India.

Western Ghats as seen from Gobichettipalayam. (Source: www.wikipedia.org)
Centre shows red flag to green court
The NGT that has made some landmark judgements to safeguard the environment, will lose its teeth soon if the government has its way. Posted on 21 Sep, 2017 04:28 PM

India is a pioneer among developing countries in establishing a “green court” to deal with environment-related litigations. Established through an Act by the government of India, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a quasi-judicial body has ensured speedy justice on several green cases.

The National Green Tribunal has given a number of notable judgements. (Image source: SANDRP)
Sardar Sarovar dam to submerge 40,000 families
Policy matters this week Posted on 19 Sep, 2017 08:44 PM

PM Modi inaugurates the controversial Sardar Sarovar Project

Sardar Sarovar dam (Source: Shahakshay, Wikipedia)
Ousteri lake needs help!
A large part of Ousteri lake has been converted into commercial, non-agricultural purposes. A video tells us why it is important to restore it. Posted on 19 Sep, 2017 12:04 PM

Ousteri lake is the largest water body in the Puducherry region.

Ousteri lake (Source: Screenshot from the film Ousteri Lake)
A fishing holiday for marine health
Can seasonal fishing ban improve fish production and biodiversity? A video has the answers. Posted on 15 Sep, 2017 02:29 PM

"The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not enough for everyone's greed”--Mahatma Gandhi 

A fisherman shows juvenile fishes. (Source: India water portal)
Wetlands wait to be saved
No wetlands have been notified in Delhi-NCR since the wetlands rules were brought out in 2010. Meanwhile, draft wetlands rules are set to decentralise its management to states. Posted on 14 Sep, 2017 10:52 AM

In the afternoons these days, Basai wears a deserted look. Known as a bird’s delight and privileged by the protected status of a national park, the wetland is located just eight kilometres from Sultanpur bird sanctuary in Gurugram in Haryana. No birds can be spotted foraging the soil of the Basai wetland or its waters.

Sun sets on a water body inside Keoladeo National Park. (Image: Swati Sidhu, Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-4.0)
Let the river flow
A video tells us why it is important to study the Ken river and its flow properly before implementing any project on it so the ecosystem and biodiversity are not harmed. Posted on 04 Sep, 2017 05:08 AM

One of the tributaries of the Yamuna, the Ken, is a major river of the Bundelkhand region of central India and flows through two states, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. River Ken regulates groundwater recharge and provides vegetation found on its banks.

Ken river gorge (Source: By Syed Zohaibullah, www.commons.wikimedia.org)
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