Ecology and Environment

Featured Articles
December 16, 2022 Soil research must focus both on technology development and implementation
The ability of soils to support soil functions or services is decreasing (Image: Katrin Park/International Food Policy Research Institute)
November 25, 2022 These maps at the watershed scales have been made to not only ensure inclusion of different freshwater ecosystems, their connectivity and hydrological processes, but can also provide a spatial context for conservation decisions.
A stream at Anini, Arunachal Pradesh (Image Source: Roshni Arora)
November 16, 2022 Adoption of hybrid solutions - grey and green structures appropriate for resilience building
Healthy wetland ecosystems help in reducing disaster risks and managing climate risks (Image: Pxhere)
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)
October 6, 2022 Rapid urbanisation and faulty land use policies are rapidly destroying forests, grasslands and wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir, India and the ecosystem value services they provide. Can these valuable ecosystems be saved?
Deteriorating ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir, India (Image Source: tkohli at Flickr via Wikimedia Commons)
July 14, 2022 The river is faced with the dual problem of flood plain encroachment and growing levels of water pollution
Illegal transverse check dams (Badhals) built on Ichamati near a village in Basirhat (Image: Prithviraj Nath @ TheWaterChronicles)
Why floodplains need to be protected
Damage to floodplains harms the riverine ecosystem, lessens groundwater recharge capacity and poses threats of flash floods. Enforcement of floodplain zoning regulation is a must to avert floods. Posted on 12 Oct, 2018 11:56 AM

The Kerala flood of 2018 was 30 percent less intense than that of 1924 deluge, the biggest in Kerala’s history. Yet it caused a huge loss of lives, property and infrastructure. Swollen rivers ruptured their banks and floodwaters gushed through houses built on the floodplains.

Real estate development has wiped out large swathes of land on the active floodplain of the rivers in Kerala; the reduction in its cross section led to massive inundation during the Kerala floods, 2018.
Centre approves projects near turtle nesting sites
Policy matters this week Posted on 10 Oct, 2018 12:09 PM

New coastal projects to ignore Olive Ridley turtles

Olive Ridley turtle (Source: Pawar Pooja via Wikipedia commons)
Global warming impacts on India to be huge
The latest report from the UN's climate change panel says that world is already witnessing the consequences of one-degree global warming. Posted on 09 Oct, 2018 04:25 PM

The latest report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), formally released on Monday, warns that global warming is occurring faster than anticipated and that it can have devastating impacts if steps are not taken to cut down emissions. 

Extreme weather events like floods indicate climate change. (Photo: IWP flickr photos)
Lower Demwe hydel project gets nod from wildlife board
Policy matters this week Posted on 02 Oct, 2018 12:11 PM

Wildlife Board clears Lower Demwe hydel project despite flaws in report

Lohit river in Arunachal Pradesh (Image Source: Shantanu via Wikipedia Commons)
Wetlands disappearing three times faster than forests
News this week Posted on 02 Oct, 2018 11:43 AM

World is losing the wetlands at a rate of 0.78 percent a year: Ramsar Convention

Deepor Beel in Assam (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Certificate programme in water science and policy
Applications are invited for in-house module in water science and policy by Shiv Nadar University.
Posted on 02 Oct, 2018 02:54 AM

Kerala floods and after
The reason behind Kerala floods is a lot more than what the CWC wants us to believe. Posted on 27 Sep, 2018 05:11 PM

Every time there is a huge flood in India with massive loss of lives and extensive physical damage, there is a hue and cry. Especially, if this takes place in an area not normally prone to such floods. Assam and Bihar, for instance, are regularly laid waste by floods and so, there is not much agitation over that anymore.

The floods in Kerala have taken nearly 400 lives and have displaced around 1.2 million people. (Image: Ranjith Siji via Wikimedia Commons)
Cyclone Daye triggers widespread rain
News this week Posted on 25 Sep, 2018 06:02 PM

Cyclone causes rain in 18 states; floods, landslides reported in North India

Monsoon affects life in North India. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Dam safety project gets additional funds
Policy matters this week Posted on 25 Sep, 2018 05:40 PM

Additional funds of over Rs 1,300 crore allocated to dam safety project

Hirakud dam, the oldest dam in India (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Is it drought after flood for Kerala?
Kerala has begun to see the result of years of environmental neglect and mindless exploitation of natural resources. Posted on 22 Sep, 2018 02:33 PM

If the devastating floods were not enough, the state of Kerala is witnessing further signs of environmental neglect and greedy exploitation of natural resources. There has been a drop in the water level, particularly in those rivers which were flooded recently. It is also reflected in the drying and caving of wells in different parts of the state.

A house flooded during the recent floods in Kerala. (Photo courtesy: Smibinozone via Wikimedia Commons)
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