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)
Integrated water management for rural/urban India: Common effluent treatment plant can conserve fresh water in industrial estates
Contamination of surface and groundwater resources is rampant in rural/urban India with wastewater entering fresh water bodies or seeping into groundwater. An integrated approach is needed to manage the water and wastewater treatment so that water supply is kept clean and wastewater is recycled for beneficial use in agriculture and industry. This paper will present a study that was completed for the Hammond Sanitary District in Indiana where 38 million gallons per day (MGD) will be recycled after secondary treatment for beneficial use by land owners in Northwest Indiana.
Vasudevan Rajaram and John R Sheaffer
Posted on 17 Mar, 2012 11:02 AM

Authors : Vasudevan Rajaram and John R. Sheaffer
Improving farmers’ access to agricultural insurance in India - A World Bank working paper
This working paper by the World Bank provides a detailed overview of The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and the entire policy process involved in the change over from the NAIS to the modified NAIS and beyond. India’s crop insurance program is the world’s largest with 25 million farmers insured. However, issues in design, particularly related to delays in claims settlement, have led to 95 million farmer households not being covered, despite significant government subsidy.
Niraj Verma
Olivier Mahul
Posted on 12 Mar, 2012 11:08 PM

To address this and other problems, the Government of India is piloting a modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme, a market-based scheme with involvement from the private sector.
Implementation of the interlinking of rivers project (ILRP): Bangladesh raises concerns
The Indian Supreme Court’s (SC) recent verdict to implement the Interlinking of Rivers Project (ILRP) has added an additional element to the list of unresolved issues between India and Bangladesh with regard to water resources management in shared rivers. The people of Bangladesh have expressed their disappointment in various news media over the proposed Tipaimukh dam, lack of Teesta water sharing treaty, and the failure to implement the Ganges Treaty over the last 15 years. This new development (or re-surfacing of the old concept from 2002) on Inter-linking of River Project (ILRP) in India is a matter of concern.
Md Khalequzzaman
Posted on 12 Mar, 2012 11:50 AM

Author : Md. Khalequzzaman, P.D.
Climate change - Perspectives from India - A document published by UNDP, India
This document published by the UNDP includes a collection of articles and captures and disseminates some perspectives on climate change from the Indian context. Starting from an argument on a new climate deal to highlighting the importance of the small-scale industrial sector within climate change debates, some of India’s best known environmentalists, economists and policy makers have put forward their concerns and convictions in this collection.
Jyoti Parikh
NC Saxena
Pradipto Ghosh
Preeti Soni
Sunita Narain
Posted on 10 Mar, 2012 06:08 PM

The document argues that climate change is no more an environmental concern. It has emerged as the biggest developmental challenge for the planet. Its economic impacts, particularly on the poor, make it a major governance issue as well. The debates and discussions building up for the next conference of parties (CoP) in Copenhagen and beyond are an indicator of this.
Lessons for rural water supply - Assessing progress towards sustainable service delivery - India - IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, The Hague
This report by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre describes the findings of a study that was conducted in India as a part of a 13 country study that aimed at reviewing and better understanding the trends within rural water supply and identifying factors that appeared to contribute to or constrain the delivery of sustainable services at scale. The study also aimed at identifying organisational incentives and barriers that shaped the way in which sector institutions approached rural water services.
James A J
Posted on 10 Mar, 2012 04:24 PM

The study looked beyond a simple description of the situation towards broader processes of decentralisation and political leadership, in an attempt to unpack what has gone right or, as in many cases, what has gone wrong, within the rural water sub-sector.
A critical assessment of climate change impacts, vulnerability and policy in India - Paper published in Present Environment and Sustainable Development
This paper published in the Present Environment and Sustainable Development critically analyses the impacts and vulnerability of Indian economy to climate change and analyses India’s efforts in addressing and reducing the vulnerability of its natural and socioeconomic systems to climate change and enhancing the adaptive capacity of the same under uncertainty.
Vijaya Gupta
Posted on 09 Mar, 2012 05:40 PM

There is considerable disagreement on the extent of the changes in the variables of climate.
Drafting a new National water policy, 2012 without consulting the farmers would be meaningless
The efforts of Union Ministry of Water Resources and Central Water Commission to initiate a new National Water Policy is welcome.
After going through the draft of National Water Policy 2012 (draft NWP 2012) and summary record of various consultations related to it, the following comments / suggestions, particularly related to participatory irrigation management aspects, are offered for consideration:
Phanish Sinha
Posted on 04 Mar, 2012 11:02 PM

Author : Phanish Sinha
Utilisation of human urine as a source of nutrients for banana and maize cultivation - A compilation of research papers
These papers describe the findings of experiments conducted in the fields in Nagasandra village, Doddaballapura Tq, Bangalore district for one year that studied the usefulness and impact of anthropogenic liquid waste (human urine) as a source of plant nutrient for banana and maize cultivation and evaluated the impact of the use of human urine on crop quality and yield.
S Bhaskar
Sridevi G
Srinivasamurthy C A
S Viswanath
Posted on 01 Mar, 2012 02:24 PM

Source separated anthropogenic liquid waste (Human urine) - A potential plant nutrient for banana cultivation
Water resource accounting as a tool for urban water management - An illustration in NCT- Delhi - Journal of Indian Water Works Association
This paper published in the Journal of Indian Water Works Association demonstrates how urban water management can be based on policies with the goals of effective water allocation, and its quality and quantity management, by making use of a water resource accounting framework and focuses on illustrating how urban water management can be achieved through water accounting through a case study of NCT-Delhi.
N Ramakrishna
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 10:41 PM

The paper discusses the natural resources accounting in the context of national/regional policy first, and then places water resource accounting within it. Subsequently, the methodology as well as study framework adopted for resource accounting are discussed.
Diverting rivers for linking, a catastrophic idea: Questioning the state impetus to river inter-linking despite uncertain economic, social and ecological benefits
The economic feasibility of river interlinking is still debatable, while studies show that it will cause social and ecological harm. Despite this, states are still taking this program forward. Gopal Krishna examines this phenomenon.
Gopal Krishna
ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 12:12 PM

Author: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
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