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)
Groundwater depletion: NGT raps green ministry on inaction
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 15 May, 2019 11:40 AM

NGT raps green ministry for failing to curb depletion of groundwater
Groundwater depletion adds to water woes. (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
Only 37 percent of world’s long rivers free flowing
A study finds out dams and reservoirs diminish diverse benefits offered by healthy rivers.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 14 May, 2019 05:02 PM

A little over a third of the world's 246 long rivers remain free-flowing, as per a study by a team of 34 international researchers, including those from McGill University in Canada and World Wildlife Fund India.
Pancheshwar dam on Mahakali river is feared to break the natural flow connectivity of river. (Image: Vimal Bhai)
Evacuation measures during cyclones in Odisha
Study indicates need for institutional capacity-building programmes in order to have high compliance with evacuation orders during cyclones.
Saudamini Das
Posted on 10 May, 2019 02:55 PM

Life is getting back to normal after an ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm Fani hit India’s eastern coastline. It ripped through several districts of Odisha and West Bengal and brought in torrential rains and winds of up to 200 km/hr.
The trail of destruction after cyclone Phailin in Odisha on October 15, 2013 (Image: EU/ECHO, Samuel Marie Fanon; Flickr Commons, CC BY-ND 2.0)
Coping with droughts: Gender matters
A study finds women are hit the hardest during droughts due to food and water scarcity, loss of income and a range of health problems resulting from it.
Basanta Sahu
Posted on 08 May, 2019 12:38 PM

Droughts are one of the most feared natural calamities impacting agriculture and food production as well as the morale of millions of farmers in India. Recent studies show that the frequency of droughts is increasing.
Women are burdened with household tasks such as collecting water. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
High proportion of antibacterial agents in Ganga: Study
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 24 Apr, 2019 02:21 PM

Ganga laden with high proportion of antibacterial agents: Study
Ganga river at Gadmukteshwar (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
IMD predicts near-normal monsoon this year
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 17 Apr, 2019 12:53 PM

India could witness near-normal monsoon this season: IMD
Normal monsoon is good news for India's economy. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
In conversation with nature
This study from Bihar shows that official flood prediction systems are often inadequate to understand the true impact of the floods on the population. Local gendered knowledge can help fill this gap.
Amitangshu Acharya
Anjal Prakash
Posted on 15 Apr, 2019 05:42 PM

“There is a special type of black ant that is visible just before (and during) the onset of heavy rains.
Shape of clouds can be an important indicator of weather. Source: Robert Hensley/Wikimedia Commons
Kerala failed to use dams for flood control: Amicus curiae
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 09 Apr, 2019 09:32 PM

Kerala government failed to use dams for flood control: Amicus curiae informs high court
The floods in Kerala took 400 lives and displaced around 1.2 million people. (Image: Ranjith Siji, Wikimedia Commons: CC BY-SA 4.0)
Water storage depletes in major river basins: CWC
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 09 Apr, 2019 09:08 PM

CWC data shows water storage in major river basins depleting
Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
River conservation efforts need to be prioritised
Healthy forests are necessary for healthy rivers and prosperous communities that depend on the river, say experts.
Water Initiatives Odisha
Posted on 05 Apr, 2019 02:06 PM

Odisha is home to 11 major rivers of which many are interstate rivers such as the Mahanadi. As climate change makes extreme rainfall events more frequent in the state, there is an urgent need to better manage the rivers and their basins.
Engagement with indigenous communities in protecting natural forests and rivers is vital (Image: Priya Ranjan Sahoo)
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