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)
How a poor labourer became a rich farmer
A video tells the story of a poor farmer who, through effective water conservation methods, became rich and a role model to other villagers. Posted on 27 Jul, 2017 07:59 PM

Vasant Baburao Parkale, a 52-year-old farmer, has become a role model for many farmers in the drought-prone Marathwada region. His determination and the will to excel in life have helped him to transform his dreams into reality.

Vasantrao Parkale (Source: India Water Portal)
Only a few large dams have disaster plans: CAG report
News this week Posted on 25 Jul, 2017 04:07 PM

Out of 4,862 large dams in the country, only 349 have disaster plans in place: CAG report

Floodwaters unsettle Muzaffarpur. (Source: IWP FLickr photos)
Wild species get extinct in Keoladeo
Changes in habitat is one of the reasons why many wild species have disappeared from the national park, say researchers. Posted on 20 Jul, 2017 08:23 PM

Over a span of five decades, eight mammal species have become locally extinct in Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, a study has revealed. 

Habitat keeps changing in the park leading to local extinction of wild species. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
The Little Rann of Kutch
The Little Rann of Kutch is under threat. The video tells us how investing in nature can reverse this impending crisis. Posted on 19 Jul, 2017 03:13 PM

How often does one get to experience a terrain that is as dramatically transformative as The Little Rann of Kutch? With changing seasons, it adorns itself with different landscapes, thus, completely shifting shape, its functions and appeal. 

The Little Rann of Kutch (Image source: India Water Portal)
Renuka raises crucial questions
Nobody is clear about the need for a dam in Renuka valley. Despite this, the people of the valley are being displaced without adequate compensation. Posted on 18 Jul, 2017 05:48 AM

When I meet Puran Chand, an activist in the forefront of the anti-Renuka dam struggle, he dictates from the two much-thumbed pages of his notebook the several objections he has against the government’s plan for the rehabilitation of people displaced by the Renuka dam.

The opening of the header tunnel for Renuka dam has already been constructed.
Urbanisation: Pushing farmers out of fields
Various push and pull factors of urbanisation are driving the farmers in peri-urban Hyderabad out of their fields. Posted on 17 Jul, 2017 02:46 PM

A dominant characteristic of a peri-urban site is its transition out of an agrarian economy due to industrialisation and urbanisation. This usually manifests in the form of agricultural land either left barren or sold for developmental activities and farmers and agricultural labourers looking for an alternative source of livelihood.

Agriculture is slowly vanishing from peri-urban areas. (Source: SaciWATERS)
Floating national park calls for help
Loktak lake is more than just a waterbody and treating it as a reservoir doesn't do justice to this natural wonder. A video tells you why. Posted on 13 Jul, 2017 05:43 AM

In a country as diverse as India where the mountain meets the ocean and deserts blend into forests, one hallmark of beauty that is often left out of the travel catalogues is the outstanding Loktak lake in Manipur. 

Loktak lake (Source: India Water Portal)
Locals create hurdle for the Ken-Betwa river link
News this week Posted on 11 Jul, 2017 11:36 AM

Panna locals stand against Ken-Betwa river link

A map of Ken-Betwa river link. (Source: Shannon via Wikipedia)
Managing willows in Wular lake
The flood in the Kashmir valley in 2015 was the result of the destruction of wetlands. A video tells us what we can do to save the valley. Posted on 10 Jul, 2017 05:07 AM

The devastating flood in 2015 in the Kashmir valley affected more than 2.5 lakh houses and displaced about 5.5 lakh people. The economic loss was massive.  

Many researchers and experts believe that careful conservation and protection of the lakes, ponds and wetlands in the Kashmir valley could have reduced the scale of the devastation to a large extent. 

Wular lake seen from Saderkote Park. (Source: Wikipedia)
Uttarakhand against living person status to rivers
Policy matters this week Posted on 04 Jul, 2017 02:04 PM

Uttarakhand challenges living person status to Ganga and Yamuna rivers, moves SC

Ganga river at Kachla, Uttar Pradesh (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
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