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)
New technique to monitor coastal landforms
Better surveillance systems will help to keep a check on the excessive exploitation of coastal resources. Posted on 05 Apr, 2018 01:43 PM

Indian scientists have developed a remote sensing technique that uses satellite data to delineate between various coastal landforms like beaches, mangroves and marshes. This method can help monitor and understand impacts of natural disasters as well as human activities on coastal ecosystem.

The new system will help monitor and understand impacts of natural disasters as well as human activities on coastal ecosystem. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
India-UK Water Centre call for volunteers
India-UK Water Centre is calling for volunteers from its Open Network of Water Scientists to help support the design and implementation of its first Grassroots Field Exposure Sessions (GFES)
Posted on 02 Apr, 2018 04:34 PM

The GFES initiative aims to support the collaboration between users and researchers in the earlier stages of water science and promote the assimilation of local knowledge and users experiences into research design to develop ideas for future India-UK water research.

Anthropogenic warming and climate change
A study shows extreme rainfall events in India are linked to man-made emissions. Posted on 28 Mar, 2018 11:23 AM

Here is more evidence why we need to worry about climate change. A new study says extreme rainfall events are on the rise in India and attributes the trend to man-made emissions, what scientists call anthropogenic warming. Not just this, the trend is likely to become more prominent by mid-century, particularly in southern and central India.

Man-made emissions is one of the reasons for extreme rainfall events in India. (Photo: IWP Flickr photos; photo for representation only)
New hydrogel to help drought-hit crops
A hydrogel from cluster beans is found to increase soil moisture. It can help crops in times of drought. Posted on 28 Mar, 2018 10:54 AM

Scientists have developed a hydrogel from the gum of guar (cluster bean) that can increase soil moisture and help farmers save their crops in case of water scarcity. 

A new hydrogel comes as a boon to drought-hit crops. (Photo: IWP Flickr photos; photo for representation only)
CPCB: Delhi's groundwater most exploited
News this week Posted on 13 Mar, 2018 11:38 AM

Delhi's groundwater most ‘over exploited’ after Punjab and Rajasthan

Extraction of groundwater far exceeds recharge in many places. (Picture courtesy: The Hindu)
Farmers’ plight: Leaving land for a lesser life
One of the worst affected districts in Andhra Pradesh, Anantapur is seeing its farmers leave their villages for cities due to water scarcity. Posted on 13 Mar, 2018 06:24 AM

Scanty rainfall, depleting groundwater levels, barren farmlands and mass migration of farmers to cities for better livelihood--this is the reality of most of rural India today. Many parts of India are witnessing this growing trend of farmers leaving their lands in search of jobs in cities.

Many villages look deserted due to mass migration of villagers to cities for jobs. Houses are abandoned and are getting ruined due to nonuse. (Pic courtesy: 101Reporters)
How Kakaddara village won water cup
The video tells us the success story of Kakaddara village that won the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup-2017 by efficiently managing its water. Posted on 19 Feb, 2018 06:33 AM

Every year, thousands of villages in Maharashtra get affected by droughts. Experts say that the reasons for recurrent droughts include a lack of policy framework, technical knowledge and community participation as well as poor implementation of government programmes.

A farm pond in Kakaddara.
Dam of consequences
Despite controversies around the Pancheshwar dam proposal and the panic it is creating among the villages around, the project is progressing fast. Posted on 14 Feb, 2018 05:27 AM

River Mahakali snakes its way through the hills and valleys of Nepal and Uttaranchal, collecting its water from the numerous streams it receives on the way. Also known as Sharda in India, the river forms the international boundary between India and Nepal.

The project is expected to submerge 11,600 hectares of mountain area.
Water issues: Take account of socio-cultural question
Prof. Frederic Landy, director, French Institute of Pondicherry speaks to India Water Portal on water and socio-environmental challenges. Posted on 13 Feb, 2018 08:30 AM

As part of Bonjour India 2017-2018, the four-months-long, ongoing Indo-French journey celebrating the Indo-French partnership, water-related issues are being highlighted through research, art and debates in cities like Jaipur, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pondicherry and Kolkata.

A small canal in Chanaute, Birendranagar, Nepal. (Photo: Janak Poudel (CC BY 4.0 SA)
What budget has for farm and rural sectors
There is a sharp rise in allocations for rural and agriculture sector in this budget. Posted on 07 Feb, 2018 04:31 PM

This year’s budget was expected to be extensively farmer- and rural-sector oriented. And that is exactly what it turned out to be. The distress in the agrarian sector has intensified and its political implications were rife this year considering the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled next year.

The budget has a slew of initiatives to revive the farm sector. (Image: Azhar Feder, Wikimedia Commons-CC-BY-SA-3.0)
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