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)
Rice that withstands drought
Scientists develop a new variety of rice that needs very little water and can withstand drought. Posted on 19 May, 2017 05:30 PM

A group of Indian, Chinese, and Canadian scientists has developed transgenic rice that gives high yield even under severe water deficit. The new rice variety has been developed by transferring a gene from a common plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, into a variety of Indian rice called samba mahsuri.

A case of vanishing greens
The changing landscape from rapid development makes agriculture difficult for farmers in peri-urban Hyderabad. Posted on 12 May, 2017 06:48 PM

Kokapet, one of the study villages for the project ‘Ensuring Water Security in Metropolitan Hyderabad’, was the first village that we visited for field work. Even though we refer to them as ‘villages’, there was very little that we found village-like here.

A farmer at work. (Source: SaciWATERs)
Disappearing lakes and politics of corruption
Communities have as much part to play in protecting natural resources as the people in power. This case of a disappearing lake proves it. Posted on 11 May, 2017 12:32 PM

Mallampet is a village in Quthbullapur Mandal. It is located about 5–6 km from the municipal boundaries of the Hyderabad city. Like many other villages, Mallampet too has witnessed the disappearance of its lakes, but not all of them are from natural causes. A close study of the political nexus has revealed the interesting case of lake encroachment.

Ennore oil spill: Flora, fauna recover slowly
News this week Posted on 08 May, 2017 10:03 PM

Oil spill in Ennore has highly impacted the zone between Ennore and Marina beach

Oil sludge being manually removed from the rocky coast. (Image courtesy: The Indian Express)
Now, Narmada is also a living entity
Policy matters this week Posted on 08 May, 2017 08:19 PM

Following Ganga and Yamuna, Narmada river also gets living entity status

Narmada river (Source: Wikipedia commons)
In the name of development
The indigenous community of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been systematically alienated from their land by the colonial and post-colonial policies. A new book chronicles the change. Posted on 06 May, 2017 08:12 PM

Pankaj Sekhsaria’s recent book Islands in flux--The Andaman and Nicobar Story is a collection of around 20 years of his writings on the environmental and conservation concerns faced by the indigenous tribal communities of the region.

The forests and the tribal communities of the islands are being decimated. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Karnataka's drought solution: Dig 1 km deep borewells
News this week Posted on 02 May, 2017 08:36 AM

Ambitious solution to curb Karnataka's drought

A borewell in Chitradurga, Karnataka (Source: IWP flickr photos)
2017 will have normal rains: IMD
News this week Posted on 25 Apr, 2017 01:29 AM

Normal monsoon expected this year: IMD

Rainfall in India (Source: India Water Portal via Varun Duta Gupta)
Centre gears up to tackle water shortage
Policy matter this week Posted on 18 Apr, 2017 11:50 AM

Government releases fund for water conservation under MGNREGS

Drought in India (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Muck tale: How Cooum lost its holy status
A group of heritage enthusiasts trail the Cooum to come up with astounding details of a holy river that has become a sewage carrier. Posted on 17 Apr, 2017 08:17 PM

One of the shortest rivers to drain into the Bay of Bengal, the Cooum is now a local synonym for an open sewer and is generally considered to be beyond the realms of redemption.

The Cooum as it flows through Chennai today.
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