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)
Briefing papers on ‘Jal kothis’, ‘Matka filter’, 'Dug wells' and ‘Phayedemand shauchalaya’: Local innovative solutions in flood prone Bihar by Megh Pyne Abhiyan (2011)
Megh Pyne Abhiyan, supported by Arghyam, has been working towards self-reliance and access to safe drinking water and secure sanitation, in 22 panchayats of five flood-prone districts of north Bihar. Included below are four briefing papers that describe innovative localised solutions implemented by Megh Pyne Abhiyan to deal with the problems arising out of the recurrent flood situation in the state of Bihar Posted on 29 Dec, 2012 03:14 PM

The briefing papers include the following:

Event report: National workshop organised by UNDP on ‘Reducing vulnerabilities to climate change and disaster risk through Integrated Water Management', at New Delhi on 17th December 2012
A national workshop on ‘Reducing vulnerabilities to climate change and disaster risk through Integrated Water Management ‘ was organised by the United National Development Program (UNDP) at ‘The Claridges’, Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi on 17th December, 2012.It facilitated discussions and interaction among various stakeholders that included bureaucrats, technocrats, experts and NGOs.
The seminar participants deliberated on interlinked issues of climate change adaption, disaster risk reduction and water management, and how an integrated approach is required to enhance the adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities.
Posted on 25 Dec, 2012 06:56 AM

National Workshop

Climate change adaptation in water management for food security - A consultation meeting by India Water Partnership
A consultation meeting was held by the India Water Partnership on “Climate change adaptation in water management for food security: Recent developments in India”. Posted on 19 Dec, 2012 09:20 AM

The meeting held on 22nd November, 2012 at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi was followed by a discussion which included comments and suggestions of the experts and participants. The meeting was chaired by Prof. S R Hashim, President, India Water Partnership who was accompanied by Dr.

Can storm water drains help in recharging groundwater? - The case of Chennai, Tamil Nadu
In this article, Seetha Gopalakrishnan introduces us to the Rain Centre and it activities in Chennai with respect to storm water construction in the city Posted on 10 Dec, 2012 06:08 PM

One of the most conspicuous activities in the preparation for the monsoons in several cities today is dug up roads ! Crores and crores are spent on the construction of storm water drains alongside roads in cities and towns to prevent flooding during the rains.

Floods, fields and factories: Towards resolving conflicts around the Hirakud Dam
The Hirakud dam in Odisha has often been viewed as a symbol of India’s post independence developmentalism. This report explores the water conflicts surrounding the reservoir Posted on 27 Oct, 2012 08:13 PM

hirakudThis action research report by the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India maps the variegated issues contributing to the water conflicts ar

India disaster report- A document by National Institute of Disaster Management (2011)
This report is a compilation of both, natural and human induced disasters that took place in the year 2011 Posted on 15 Oct, 2012 05:14 PM

Published by the National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs and being the first of its kind, the reports hopes to stimulate better collection of data and research that can identify gaps in the management of disasters and be helpful to deal with them in the future.

River Bagmati: Bounties become a curse – A book by Dinesh Kumar Mishra
This book by Dinesh Kumar Mishra provides a compilation of all information related to the river Bagmati Posted on 14 Oct, 2012 05:20 PM

cover

Living rivers, dying rivers:Rivers of West Bengal, Orissa & Indus system
The eleventh lecture in the series titled "Living rivers, dying rivers" was on rivers of West Bengal, Orissa and the Indus system,by Dr. Kalyan Rudra, Mr. Ranjan K Panda and Prof. Shakil Romshoo. Posted on 13 Oct, 2012 11:15 PM

West Bengal rivers

The Indus river (Source: Wikipedia)
"Protests rock Cauvery basin as Karnataka releases water to Tamil Nadu in keeping with Supreme Court directive" - Roundup of the week's news (24-30 September 2012)
The newsround up this week informs of water disputes between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, news related to water pollution, and impacts of river waters on agriculture Posted on 09 Oct, 2012 04:10 PM

Protests rock Cauvery basin as Karnataka releases water to Tamil Nadu in keeping with Supreme Court directive

River and people on collision course
This book attempts to study the irrigation and flood control schemes that were taken up in the Kamla basin following independence and depicts how people have been left in a blind alley Posted on 05 Oct, 2012 05:11 PM

This bilingual book written in Hindi and English appearing side-by-side titled “Bagawat par majboor Mithila ki Kamla nadi” and “Kamla: River and the people on collision course” respectively attempts to study the irrigation and flood control schemes that were taken up in the Kamla basin following independence and depicts how people have been left in a blind alley.  

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