Droughts and Floods

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December 12, 2022 Study looks at behavioral biases in crop insurance adoption
Adoption rate of crop insurance low in India despite government efforts (Image: PxHere, CC0 Public Domain)
October 30, 2022 This book by Dr. Mitul Baruah presents a fascinating, ethnographic account of the challenges faced by communities living in Majuli, India, one of the largest river islands in the world, which has experienced immense socio-environmental transformations over the years, processes that are emblematic of the Brahmaputra Valley as a whole. This is an excerpt from the book.
Floods are recurrent phenomena in Assam (Image: Mitul Baruah)
September 13, 2022 Heavy rains and floods have battered Bengaluru yet again. Uncontrolled and unregulated development and concretisation of the city that pays no heed to the ecology and hydrology of the region needs to stop!
Urban flooding in Bangalore (Image Source: Thejas via Wikimedia Commons)
August 21, 2022 Floods are not feared, but rather welcomed by the Mishing communities from Majuli island in Assam as they bring bountiful fish- a rich source of food, nutrition and livelihood for the community.
The Majuli island, a haven for fish (Image Source: Usha Dewani, India Water Portal)
August 10, 2022 The irrigation at all costs mindset and narrow policies for drought protection during the colonial rule ignored rainfed agriculture and local practices that sustained agriculture in the Bombay Deccan. This continues even today.
Recurrent droughts and the struggle for survival (Image Source: Gaurav Bhosale 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)
Cyclone Amphan wreaks havoc in West Bengal
News this week Posted on 27 May, 2020 08:33 AM

Cyclone Amphan causes widespread destruction in West Bengal

A cyclonic storm that hit India in 2016 (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Webinar series by India-UK Water Centre
IUKWC is hosting a brand new series of webinars, brought to you by members of our Open Network of water scientists.
Posted on 22 May, 2020 02:12 PM

Each webinar will be approximately 1 hour in length and will focus on a range of topics.

To register, please click here.

Webinar 1:

Covid-19: Managing the disaster in rural India
There is a need to rethink our disaster management policies and the top-down approach that it follows. Posted on 17 May, 2020 09:45 PM

With an attempt to contain the spread of deadly Covid-19, Indian government had announced a complete nation-wide lockdown from March 25 onwards. For the first time, the provisions of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, were invoked since the law came into being after the 2004 tsunami.

Drought in Marathwada (Image: Flickr Commons)
Ensuring food security in times of Covid-19
A study conducted in 47 districts indicates that over half of the surveyed households are eating less during lockdown. Posted on 15 May, 2020 02:37 PM

The study, ‘Covid-19 induced lockdown - How is hinterland coping’, based on a large survey undertaken by a consortium of civil society organisations undertook a rapid assessment of the impact of series of lockdowns on rural poor households.

The prolonged lockdown has increased the dependence of farmers on food supply through the public distribution system as well as the need to grow a good crop in kharif season. (Image: UNESCO)
Horticulture pile-up, yet farmers stare at losses in Kachchh
Robust arid region horticulture in the water-scarce arid region of Kachchh, but without improved value-addition for increased shelf-life, farmers faced with a crisis. Posted on 10 May, 2020 04:05 PM

Kachchh: A desert oasis under peril

Date palm plantation in Kachchh (Image: Prayaas: The Movement of Grassroot Changes)
Coping with Covid-19: Options before small and marginal farmers of rainfed regions
There is a need to have basic institutional structures such as market, credit, insurance, research, extension service etc., in place in rainfed regions. Posted on 09 May, 2020 03:11 PM

The global crisis due to Covid-19 has hit India after coursing through western Europe. India’s response to curtail the spread of the disease was quite decisive.

Village institutions take a lead in Covid-19 response
Institutions are a key arsenal in rural India's pandemic fight. Posted on 07 May, 2020 09:23 PM

Covid-19 will have major implications in rural areas where the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), a non-profit organisation has been working towards conservation of natural resources through collective action of local communities. Experience indicates that the complete lockdown to contain the spread of the disease has resulted in loss of rural incomes.

In the light of disrupted food supply systems, especially for fresh produce, the village institution arranged for harvesting and sale of produce. (Image: FES)
Using music to build water positive villages
A campaign tries to make watershed development work a citizens movement. Posted on 24 Mar, 2020 10:19 AM

An inspiration called Kumbharwadi in the rain-shadow region of Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra is one of the many successful stories of water stressed villages that were transformed by Paani Ka Teeka’s knowledge partner – Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), a Pune based non-profit.

Kumbharwadi in 1998 - A bleak scenario

Women drawing water from a village well. Prior to watershed development and integrated water management, scarcity of water was a way of life for the people of Kumbharwadi (Image: WOTR)
A national action plan to ensure sustainable and responsible business on the anvil
Policy matters this week Posted on 23 Mar, 2020 12:19 PM

Centre to finalise National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights

An industrial area in Chhattisgarh (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Outreach of current disaster-related apps in India poor
Technology and crowdsourced data need to play a greater role in disaster management in India. Posted on 17 Mar, 2020 11:17 AM

With the rise in frequency and intensity of unexpected disasters, the need for effective communication technologies such as the use of social and mobile tools seems to be growing for responding to disaster situations in emergency, rescue and relief efforts.

Floods in Uttarakhand in 2013 severely damaged hundreds of villages across Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Tehri regions (Image: Oxfam International, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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