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)
Crafts bloom in the parched Thar desert!
Communities from the harshest part of the country, the Thar desert, cope with drought, through their art.
Rituja Mitra
Posted on 19 Dec, 2020 11:58 AM

The parched land of great Indian Thar desert stands out invariably for its hue and colours. And the communities from one of the harshest regions in the country continue to show their remarkable pliability to calibrate with the demographic difficulties and still bring out the most from the available resources!
Art, to deal with drought (Image Source: Rituja Mitra)
Madhya Pradesh’s recurring droughts: Measuring, responding and reducing the vulnerabilities
Drought vulnerability in agriculture has been recognised as a key development issue in the state.
Shweta Prajapati
Posted on 02 Dec, 2020 10:40 AM

Climate change has been a popular buzzword for the last two decades in the international policy arena, stimulating multitude of ideas and a few action commitments at different levels of governments.
Rugged, rocky terrain of Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh (Image: Shweta Prajapati)
Reviving traditional tanks to control floods in Chennai
A study finds that desilting and reviving traditional tanks in Chennai can greatly help in mitigating the impacts of frequent floods in the city.
N. Nithila Devi
B. Sridharan
V. M. Bindhu
B. Narasimhan
S. Murty Bhallamudi
C. M. Bhatt
Tune Usha
D. Thirumalai Vasan
Soumendra Nath Kuiry
Posted on 01 Dec, 2020 04:11 PM

Climate change is leading to rise in extreme events world over, and developing countries such as India have been experiencing not only higher death rates but also greater economic impacts due to natural hazards.
A small tank near Thalambedu in Kanchipuram (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Embankments in Bihar: The inapt and futile defence against floods
Embankments in Bihar have failed miserably against flood protection. Take a look on these frequently asked questions (FAQs) on why they failed and what are the possible solutions to floods in Bihar?
Swati Bansal
Posted on 19 Oct, 2020 06:05 PM

What is the history of floods in Bihar and why is it prone to floods?
An embankment in Madhubani after a week of repairing (Source: Santosh Yadav via IWP Flickr albums)
Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan a low impact, high expenditure scheme: CAG
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 23 Sep, 2020 01:29 PM

Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan had a low impact in making Maharashtra drought free: CAG
Deepening work in progress under the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan (Source: Ravindra Pomane)
Overexploitation of groundwater highest in Punjab: Government
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 23 Sep, 2020 01:23 PM

Punjab no.1 in overexploitation of groundwater 
Overexploitation of groundwater highest in Punjab (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
MNREGA helps a village in Bihar become flood proof
United action of locals, wisdom of the village head and MNREGA help to deal with waterlogging in a village in Bihar.
Umesh Kumar Ray
Posted on 20 Sep, 2020 07:08 AM

Harpur Bochha is a village in Vidyapatinagar block of Samastipur district of Bihar. The village, which has a population of about 11.5 thousand people and  2349 houses, remained inundated with rain and floodwater throughout the year followed by waterlogging.
MNREGA comes to the rescue of Harpur Bochha (Source: Umesh Kumar Ray)
Webinar on 'Ecological disruptions in Kosi Basin: Political economy and community perspective'
An experience and knowledge sharing webinar on 'Ecological disruptions in Kosi Basin: Political economy and community perspective'
Posted on 15 Sep, 2020 10:55 AM

18th September 2020 11am – 1pm

Australia Aid, The Asia Foundation, GEAG
Satyagrah by the river calls for action against erosion
River erosion, so intense, that the whole village is in danger. As the government’s help seems a distant dream, locals carry out Satyagrah to expose their plight to the authorities.
Umesh Kumar Ray
Posted on 12 Sep, 2020 08:42 AM

Since last week, people of Birjain village have been protesting against erosion by the river bank. They are demanding that the government should put in efforts to prevent river erosion and save their houses, otherwise they will continue with their Satyagrah and perform Jal Samadhi (suicide by drowning). Sattore, a flood-prone Panchayat has about 3000 houses.
Satyagrah by the river (Image source: Umesh K Ray)
All hopes lost for the flood-hit in Bihar
People in Bihar are struggling with the floods for a month now, while the government has turned a blind eye to their plight.
Umesh Kumar Ray
Posted on 11 Sep, 2020 08:06 AM

“We went through a lot of trouble over the month. By God’s grace, we are still surviving."
Havoc of floods in Saharsa (Source: Umesh K Ray)
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