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)
Channel Mandakini to its original course: GSI
News this week: GSI recommends channeling Mandakini river to its original course; Sohra experiences one of the driest year; HC orders close down of 12 units in Mundra SEZ, Gujarat.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 21 Jan, 2014 03:29 PM

GSI report suggests channeling Mandakini river
Uttarakhand floods (Source: The Hindu)
Water News: 2013 in review
Beginning with the Kumbh Mela and moving on to natural disasters like the floods in Uttarakhand and the cyclone in eastern India, water made big news throughout 2013.
Ravleen Kaur
Swati Bansal
Posted on 06 Jan, 2014 12:16 PM

Kumbh Mela left its trash behind
Shiva statue, Kedarnath (Source: ibtimes.co.uk)
Damming Bhutan affects India
Could there be a repeat of the 2004 dam breach caused by the bursting of the Tsatichu lake that resulted in flooding areas of Assam?
Anjana Mahanta
Posted on 06 Jan, 2014 08:54 AM

Hydropower development in Bhutan has gained considerable ground as a sector capable of contributing to the development of the country. In 2012, Bhutan earned $177 million through energy export. However, these developmental activities are also prone to natural hazards like landslides since the region lies in a high risk earthquake prone zone and also registers heavy rainfall.
Manas river flowing through wildlife sanctuary
The indefinite fast continues
River activist Shashi Shekhar has restarted his fast to protest embankments on the Adhwara Samuh rivers in North Bihar. Will the authorities relent this time around?
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 06 Jan, 2014 08:50 AM

Noted activist Shashi Shekhar has been on an indefinite fast since December 10th, protesting the construction of embankments on the Jheem Jamura river. These rivers are a part of the Adhwara Samuh rivers in North Bihar, which originate from the foothills of Nepal.
Activist Shashi Shekhar (Source: Water-Vagabond)
Environment Minister Moily takes controversial decisions
Policy Matters this week: Moily takes controversial decisions on the Western Ghats, UP declares eco-sensitive zone around sanctuaries and the UN appreciates Odisha's disaster management efforts.
Ravleen Kaur
Posted on 29 Dec, 2013 06:54 PM

New Environment Minister brings in new polices
Environment Minister Moily (Source: Livenewz)
Drinking water quality worst in Kerala: Report
News this week: NSSO says drinking water quality worst in Kerala, migratory birds desert flooded wetland and villagers protest against hydel project in Uttarakhand.
Ravleen Kaur
Posted on 29 Dec, 2013 04:50 PM

Kerala scores worst in access to potable water: NSSO
House wells not safe? (Source: Wikimedia)
Batting for the environment
Jaideep Hardikar, recipient of 2013 Prem Bhatia Award for excellence in environmental reporting, talks about his journey and how failure pushed him to take the road less traveled.
Makarand Purohit
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 22 Dec, 2013 04:46 PM

By his own account, Jaideep Hardikar, is simply a chronicler of the times around him. His foray into writing and reporting was neither easy nor his first choice. Like many children of his time, he dreamt of being a cricketer but stumbled into journalism and in it, found his true calling. 
Jaideep Hardikar, 2013 Prem Bhatia Award recipient
Applications invited for the post of ''Geophysist cum Hydrogeologist', Centre for Ground Water Recharge (CGWR), Raipur, Chhattisgarh
CGWR proposes to carry out groundwater site selection , hydrogeological mapping for tubewell drilling and implemented in Odisha .
Posted on 21 Dec, 2013 07:32 PM

For further details on CGWR , please click here.

For more information on the vacancy, download the brochure from below.

 
Free online course 'Water in a Thirsty World (WITW)', Open2Study, January 13 - February 11, 2014
A course that will take you on the journey of water - how it began, and its availability today in light of global warming and urbanization.
Posted on 21 Dec, 2013 08:50 AM

To know more about the open platform 'Open2Study', click here.

For more information on this online course, please click here.

To register for the same, click here.
Call for applications for 'Training workshop for journalists in Northeast India', Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP), Assam, February 17 - 23, 2014
The objective is to improve creative thinking and effective communication on adaptation to climate change in a local context.
Posted on 17 Dec, 2013 09:51 AM

For more information on the organisers, Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP), please click here.

To apply online for the training workshop, click here.
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