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)
Understanding farmer suicides in India
An analysis finds that the problem of farmer suicides is concentrated in a few states and not an all-India phenomenon
Deepankar Basu
Debarshi Das
Kartik Misra
Posted on 11 Jun, 2016 10:48 AM

Farmers and the agricultural crisis (Source: India Water Portal)
Bye bye El Nino; more rains this year!
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 01 Jun, 2016 10:02 PM

Above normal rainfall for India as El Nino comes to an end
Downpour in Bihar (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
‘Bharat Mata’ weeps in dry Marathwada
Women reel under the dual onslaught of unprecedented drought and failed public policy in Marathwada. The government must wake up to this reality.
Seema Kulkarni
Posted on 30 May, 2016 09:25 AM

The image of a woman walking for miles with a pot of water on her head, another pot in one arm and a frail child clutching on to the other arm does not surprise anyone in Marathwada.
Women wait for water in Latur (Source: Roshan Rathod)
Cyclone Roanu: Wanes off India but creates havoc in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 24 May, 2016 09:44 PM

India escapes impact of cyclone Roanu while it creates havoc in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Tropical cyclone of 2013 (Source: NASA WorldView)
Identify and notify wetlands in 5-10 districts: NGT to States
Policy matter this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 24 May, 2016 10:22 AM

NGT gets tough over wetland notification
Deepor Beel in Assam (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Formulate National Plan on drought management: SC to Centre
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 17 May, 2016 05:28 PM

SC directs Centre to prepare National Disaster Plan, implement MGNREGA, Food Security Act to tackle drought
Drought affected area in Karnataka (Source: Pushkarv via Wikipedia)
Delayed by a week, monsoon to reach Kerala by June 7: IMD
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 17 May, 2016 01:57 PM

Monsoon delayed by a week, to reach Kerala by June 7: IMD
Rainfall in India (Source: Varun Duta Gupta via IWP's Flickr Photos)
Mangrove nurseries protect coasts and livelihoods
Mangrove plantations in coastal Odisha are not just protecting people from storms and cyclones, but also opening up new livelihood possibilities.
Jagannath Chatterjee
Posted on 13 May, 2016 01:40 PM

Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur are among the most vulnerable districts affected by cyclones and climate change in coastal Odisha. In the last few decades, the coasts of Odisha have witnessed three major devastating storms.
Mangrove Nursery at Naupal ( Source: Regional Centre For Development Cooperation)
Water management for climate resilient agriculture
Water management should be given number one priority in agricultural policy to prevent droughts, minimise risks due to droughts and build a climate-resilient agriculture.
S Mahendra Dev
Posted on 12 May, 2016 11:04 AM

Although agriculture is the largest source of livelihood for people in India, its share in the gross domestic product (GDP) has been declining over time with

Agriculture and climate change (Source: India Water Portal)
Drought-hit States seek more funds from Centre
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 10 May, 2016 02:21 PM

UP, Maharshtra and Karnataka seeks more funds from Centre to tackle drought
Nation suffers from one of the worst drought (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
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