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)
Adapting to floods and improving lifestyles could give us some clues to finding an alternative to embankments
Dr David Molden, Director General, ICIMOD, talks to Monoj Gogoi on his visit to flood-affected Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts of Assam and Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. Posted on 29 Oct, 2015 01:46 PM

Dr Molden, you have visited Dihiri in Dhemaji district and Borsala in Lakhimpur districts. Both these villages are the worst flood affected villages of the region. You also interacted with the communities in these two villages. What was the purpose of this visit? Please share your experiences.

In conversation with Dr Molden (Source: Monoj Gogoi)
How much water should flow in the Yamuna?
Considered sacred, the Yamuna is gasping for breath today choking on the unprecedented load of sewage and industrial effluents that drain into it. Can its ecological flow be worked out? Posted on 26 Oct, 2015 05:17 PM

Rivers are the not just the lifeline of our country, but life itself. We may revere them, even worship them but we continue to pollute, choke, and poison their waters. A river, its catchment area, and its floodplains have evolved over millions of years, and once damaged, may not be easy to reclaim.

For a river to be healthy & maintain all its associated functions, free flow must be close to 50-60% of the total flow all year round (Source: Wikimedia)
After Cyclone Aila, farming nurtures food, faith in Sunderbans
In 2009, Cyclone Aila caused significant damage to livelihoods in the Sunderbans. While saline soil is subversive to agriculture in the area, integrated farming gives many the courage to start afresh. Posted on 14 Oct, 2015 09:53 PM

“Another flood like Aila should never happen again, but if it does, we have the knowledge to start working on our soil again”, remarks Binota Munda of Nebukhali village in Hingalganj block, North

Seed-banks are an effective instrument to preserve local varieties and keep people together
Dolphins in the Ganga and its tributaries nearly doubles in 3 years
News this week Posted on 12 Oct, 2015 09:30 PM

Ganga and its tributaries, except the Ramganga show increased dolphin numbers

The Gangetic Dolphin (Source: Arati Kumar Rao)
Monsoon 2015: Nearly half of Indian districts reeling under drought
News this week Posted on 05 Oct, 2015 11:38 PM

Monsoon leaves the country with 39% area still parched

Drought affected area in Karnataka (Source: Pushkarv via Wikipedia)
Reel Art: Interview with Usha Dewani-Das, 2015 CMS VATAVARAN film entry nominee
Water is one subject that is local, and touches each one’s life differently but significantly. Usha Dewani-Das shares how she brings her art into her films. Posted on 05 Oct, 2015 06:05 PM

The 8th CMS VATAVARAN Environment and Wildlife Film Festival and Forum received a total of 178 film entries from 27 countries in 8 varied categories.

 Usha Dewani-Das,doing what she loves best: Reel Art (Source: India Water Portal)
These 'River View' apartments could get you in neck deep!
The increase in construction activity in and around the Kaliasot river in Bhopal is not only causing social unrest but also poses a danger to residents in the river's vicinity. Posted on 02 Oct, 2015 03:59 PM

At a time when the Central Government has stressed the need to protect our rivers, the Kaliasot river green belt in Madhya Pradesh has witnessed haphazard growth due to illegal constructions. Not only has the flow of the river which flows from the center of Bhopal been affected, but also community lives have been impacted.

Construction work in progress within the Kaliasot river basin area (Source: Shirish Khare)
A pond comes to life
Hundreds of villagers pitched in to revive a village pond at Bapugaon, a village in Rajasthan, to make it water and food secure. Posted on 22 Sep, 2015 10:42 AM

It had not rained for awhile and the tiny cracks in the earth in Bapugaon were opening up. This little village in Chaksu tehsil of Jaipur was yet again faced with a drought in the mid 1980s. The situation was aggravated in 1986 when the river Dhund, an important water source for Bapugaon, went dry. Since then, both the quantity and quality of water started deteriorating.

More than just physical rehabilitation of a water body, says Kalyan ji of Bapugaon
Centre approves 50 more days of work under MGNREGA to tackle drought
Policy matters this week Posted on 21 Sep, 2015 10:14 PM

50 more days of work under MGNREGA in drought-hit areas

Labourers building check dams under MGNREGS (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Polavaram--solution or problem?
Dam history will be repeated with the construction of the Polavaram Dam. Unfortunately, other options that could have been looked into such as reduction of height, were ignored. Posted on 21 Sep, 2015 11:13 AM

Papi kondalu, a scenic gorge located on the lower stretches of the Godavari, will soon be engulfed within the controversial Polavaram Dam. The river serves as a visitor’s delight as it winds through the hills--the same hills that are home to primitive tribal groups such as the Kondareddys.

Papi kondalu gorge on Godavari (Source: Pranay Raj, Wikimedia Commons)
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