Droughts and Floods

Featured Articles
December 12, 2022
Why farmers are not adopting crop insurance in India?
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
Slow disaster: Political ecology of hazards and everyday life in the Brahmaputra valley, Assam
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
Chaos in a concrete jungle
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 – a boon than a bane!
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
Taming water - Irrigation and drought protection in colonial India and the present
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
Floods in Assam - a boon or a bane for fish diversity?
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)
How can forecasting of extreme rainfall events be improved?
Greater precision in forecast of extreme events is critical.
Raghu Murtugudde
India Science Wire
Posted on 05 Jul, 2019 12:00 AM

Mumbai, July 5 (India Science Wire): On July 2, the Maharashtra government decided to close private and public schools in Mumbai based on IMD’s rainfall forecast which predicted "intermittent rain in city and suburbs, with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places for the next 24 hours." The 24-hour period from 8:30 am of July 1 to July 2 saw a total of 375 mm of rain and it
Villages under water which gushed in as Cyclone Aila struck south 24 Parganas. Image credit: Anil Gulati from IWP Flickr. Image used for representational purposes only.
Combating water crisis needs people's participation: PM Modi
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 03 Jul, 2019 01:06 AM

Prime Minister Modi pitches for a collective effort to overcome water crisis in the country
A rainwater harvesting set up in a school in Chickmangalur district (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Government launches Jal Shakti Abhiyan to tackle water crisis
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 02 Jul, 2019 04:59 PM

Centre launches Jal Shakti Abhiyan
Jal Shakti Abhiyan launched to battle water crisis (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Economics of land degradation: India’s new environment targets
What are India's plans for managing its natural resources, undertaking sustainable land management and combating droughts?
Arjuna Srinidhi
Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR)
Posted on 28 Jun, 2019 09:38 AM

Managing natural resources, the sustainable way
Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar with representatives of UNCCD, IUCN and other panelists at the June 17th meeting. (Photo: DD News Hindi)
Temperatures in India becoming more extreme
A study found that intensification of croplands through replacement of forests can impact long term temperature trends.
Shouraseni Sen Roy
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)
High Court takes note of acute water crisis in Chennai
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 26 Jun, 2019 11:36 AM

High Court raps Tamil Nadu government over water crisis in Chennai
Chennai reels under acute water crisis (Source: India Water Portal on Flickr)
Slow monsoon causes countrywide rainfall deficit of 44 percent
In the news this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 26 Jun, 2019 10:53 AM

Monsoon makes slowest progress across India in 12 years (source: Times of India)
Image used for representational purposes only. Image source: India Water Portal on Flickr
Twenty-six states under threat of desertification
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 18 Jun, 2019 08:23 PM

The threat of desertification increases in 26 of 29 states
Increasing desertification, a challenge India needs to tackle. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Piped water to all rural households by 2024: Government
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 18 Jun, 2019 08:04 PM

Government to launch rural piped water scheme
Ten thousand litres overhead tank to supply piped water (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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?
Arjuna Srinidhi
Marcella D’Souza
Crispino Lobo
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)
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