Ecology and Environment

Featured Articles
December 16, 2022
Healthy soil critical to human health and for achieving SDGs
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
Categorising watersheds for freshwater ecosystem conservation in India
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
Improving community resilience in ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction in India
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
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)
October 6, 2022
Deteriorating landscapes and threatened ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir
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
Ichamati: River of poetry is dying a slow death
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)
Goa wins Mahadayi water dispute
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 22 Aug, 2018 09:12 AM

Mahadayi water dispute: Goa to get maximum share of water
Mahadayi river in Goa (Source: Amol.Gaitonde via Wikimedia commons)
Delhi stands up for its trees
As Delhi gears up for expansion, concerns regarding the environment and the poor continue to be overlooked.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 20 Aug, 2018 11:28 AM

Recently, Delhi saw an urban Chipko movement of sorts with the people coming out in large numbers with a single agenda—save the last of the trees left in the city. In the famous Chipko movement of 1973, local communities in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand emblematically embraced trees to demand an end to deforestation through forest exploiting contractors.
People of Delhi came out in large numbers recently and kick-started a movement to save trees. (Image: Delhi Trees SOS)
Desertification: Not just a North Indian problem
A new study finds that manmade activities such as deforestation and mining are to blame for the rise in desertification in the south of India.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 16 Aug, 2018 10:30 AM

India is highly vulnerable to desertification.
Increasing desertification is a challenge India needs to tackle. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Potable water supply target not met: CAG
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 15 Aug, 2018 10:43 AM

National Rural Drinking Water Programme: Targets remain unachieved
Rural India walks far to get water. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Maharashtra’s plastic ban: Another missed opportunity?
The blanket ban on plastic has missed an opportunity to show how government and citizens can work together to deal with the plastic menace.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 09 Aug, 2018 11:03 AM

The recent plastic ban in Maharashtra has opened a can of worms and has raised many uncomfortable questions—about the setting of rules with clarity and foresight, better research to understand the challenges in implementing them and the role of citizens in making it a success.
Increasing plastic waste is a problem in Maharashtra. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
The Mahanadi tussle: Why Chhattisgarh and Odisha spar
A video provides an overview of the water conflict between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 08 Aug, 2018 05:08 PM

The interstate dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi's water is an ongoing one and it looks like both the state governments have no interest in finding a long-term solution.
The Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi (Source: India Water Portal)
Toxins on our plate
There is a need for better regulation and monitoring to bring toxin-free food to the Indian market.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 08 Aug, 2018 03:45 PM

“The recent scare due to the detection of formalin-laced fish across Goa, Kerala, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Meghalaya points to a link between water quality and food safety. Fish traders find it cost-effective to use formalin, a carcinogen, instead of ice to prevent the decomposition of fish during transportation to distant markets.
The quality of food products and their safety are mostly decided at the primary production stage itself which is unregulated. (Image: Masahiro Ihara, Flickr Commons CC BY 2.0)
Antibiotic-resistant genes in Kerala mangroves
Researchers believe there could be serious consequences if antibiotic-resistant genes move from harmless microbes to pathogens.
Umashankar Mishra
Posted on 06 Aug, 2018 04:11 PM

Antibiotic resistance is increasing in various microbial populations. A new study by Indian researchers has revealed that antibiotic-resistant genes are present in microorganisms of mangrove regions in Kerala also.
Mangrove forest located in the coastal regions of Kerala. (Pic courtesy: India Science Wire)
NGT anguished over pollution in Ganga, Yamuna rivers
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 31 Jul, 2018 12:56 PM

NGT slams NMCG and DJB over pollution in Ganga and Yamuna rivers
The Ganga river (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
The mystery of the monsoon
While scientists try to understand this unique phenomenon, the moody and often mysterious monsoon continues to challenge us to explore its different facets.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 30 Jul, 2018 07:38 PM

Monsoon, the season of rains, has a unique place in the heart of the people of India. This passionate burst of showers has been extensively documented, observed and studied by travellers, poets, scientists, farmers and more.

Extremely vital for agriculture and survival in India, the monsoon continues to be a mystery. But why?
Monsoon remains a mystery even now. (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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