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 Bulbul devastates West Bengal and Odisha
News this week Posted on 13 Nov, 2019 10:45 AM

Cyclone Bulbul causes devastation in West Bengal and Odisha

A cyclonic storm that hit India in 2016. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
India has a groundwater problem
Despite being the lifeline of India’s water supplies, groundwater is overlooked by policy makers and users alike. Posted on 04 Nov, 2019 12:23 PM

A majority of India’s water problems are those relating to groundwater—water that is found beneath the earth’s surface. This is because we are the largest user of groundwater in the world, and therefore highly dependent on it.

An irrigation well at Randullabad, Maharashtra. Image source: India Water Portal on Flickr. Image used for representational purposes only.
Mapping Pune’s aquifers
Groundwater use has doubled in Pune. Comprehensive mapping of groundwater resources and better management and governance is the need of the hour. Posted on 25 Oct, 2019 01:13 PM

Pune continues to face a water crisis every summer despite having sufficient water, thanks to its geographical location and plentiful natural water assets. While enough of its water needs are taken care of by water supply from the Khadakwasla dam, the use of groundwater to meet the needs of the population continues to increase.

Groundwater, an exploited resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Arrival of northeast monsoon & retreat of southwest monsoon coincides this year; Salt lake and several metro cities shrinking at alarming pace
News this week Posted on 23 Oct, 2019 01:36 PM

Soon a national framework for e-flows in all major rivers

Yamuna river in Delhi (Source: Sudhanshu Malhotra via IWP Flickr Photos)
Manipur’s floating lake at risk
A study using remote sensing techniques assesses significant changes in land use in Loktak lake. Posted on 18 Oct, 2019 12:37 PM

Loktak, the largest freshwater lake in North East India is also known as the ‘floating lake’ for the numerous phumdis or masses of vegetation it supports. The phumdis float around on the lake’s surface due to decay from the bottom.

A home on Loktak lake in Moirang, Manipur (Image: Sharada Prasad CS, Wikipedia Commons)
Pune groundwater extraction doubles in last decade; Uranium found in Telengana groundwater; Lower Subansiri project gets a boost
News this week Posted on 16 Oct, 2019 02:13 PM

Study finds Pune's groundwater extraction doubles in 9 years

Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh (Source: Kakul Baruah via Wikimedia Commons)
Monsoon withdrawal delayed; more extreme weather events the new trend
News this week Posted on 02 Oct, 2019 11:01 AM

Monsoon’s withdrawal likely to begin around October 10: IMD

Image used for representational purposes only. Image source: India Water Portal on Flickr
River as a cultural mosaic
A dialogue that highlights the cultural essence of rivers Posted on 02 Oct, 2019 10:41 AM

"River conversations are critical to re-evaluate histories, reconnect civilisations, cultures and peoples, ideas and regions and open streams of thought for a future with exciting possibilities," says Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Associate Professor and Vice Dean, Jindal School of Journalism and Communication who has conceptualized a new series of quarterly river conv

Yamuna near Taj Mahal (Image: Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
India’s target to combat land degradation and desertification
While India has increased its target of restoring degraded land from 21 million ha to 26 million ha, what is the scale of the challenge and what do the new targets mean? Posted on 01 Oct, 2019 05:44 PM

India finally announced that it would increase its targets of restoring degraded lands from 21 million hectares to 26 million hectares[1].

Combating desertification and land degradation in semi-arid regions of Maharashtra, India (Image Source: WOTR)
From droughts to floods: India’s tryst with climate extremes
Deconstructing the traditional narrow engineering based policy discourses around floods and droughts and connecting them to social and cultural realities is the need of the hour in India. Posted on 01 Oct, 2019 11:54 AM

India has witnessed extreme weather conditions this year. While parts of the north and south have battled drought like conditions this summer, the northeast and western coastal areas witnessed heavy rains and floods.

Water talk Series at Mumbai (Image Source:Tata Insitute of Social Sciences)
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