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)
Forgotten water bearers of Guwahati
Most of the ponds in Guwahati are in a sorry state now. They need to be preserved, not just as heritage sites, but also as drinking water providers and collectors of surface runoff. Posted on 19 Sep, 2016 06:04 PM

Guwahati, one of the fastest growing cities in India, is thousands of years old. Once known as Pragjyotishpura or the city of eastern light, Guwahati has many ancient stories attached to it. This beautiful city finds mention in epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas.

Jorpukhuri near Ugratara temple.
When Osaka comes to Lucknow
The UP government is on a mission to replicate Osaka's riverfront in Lucknow. This spells doom for the families dependent on the Gomti for sustenance. Posted on 14 Sep, 2016 10:14 AM

Raghunath Lakhpat is a terrified man. He can only watch warily as the land on either side of his modest home is being dug up by huge earthmovers. “We are stuck in the middle. Sooner or later, we will have to leave. But where will we go? What will we eat?” he asks helplessly.

Earth movers cluster on the riverbed of the Gomti, engaged in channelizing the river
When in drought, save the livestock
What is the impact of drought on farmers and their livestock? Expert Sajal Kulkarni speaks to India Water Portal. Posted on 12 Sep, 2016 06:31 PM

The Marathwada and Vidarbha region of Maharashtra have been witnessing drought and drinking water crises for a long time. A drought situation always makes headlines for its impact on human lives, but rarely for the effect it has on the livelihoods of these farmers. Livestock are their lifeline and extreme climatic variations are bound to affect them adversely.

Sajal Kulkarni
Majuli, world’s largest river island
News this week Posted on 11 Sep, 2016 08:34 PM

Guinness World Records names Assam’s Majuli world’s largest river island

The Majuli river island in Assam. (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
Power crisis: Time to go green
Hydro energy is a leading source of power in India. With severe water crisis looming large, isn't it time for us to look at renewable energy options? Posted on 08 Sep, 2016 06:33 PM

Despite the severe water management crisis India is going through, hydro energy continues to be the second leading source of power, next only to thermal-based energy in the country. Hydropower generates over 16 percent of India’s electricity.

Tehri, a hydropower dam in Uttarakhand (Source: Mayank Gupta, Wikimedia Commons)
Water for everyone
How can we regulate water resources in an equitable way? Expert Pradeep Purandare speaks to India Water Portal. Posted on 08 Sep, 2016 05:55 PM

The management of water resources in India has always been a challenge. From the British era till now, the various governments that ruled India have grappled with the fundamental issue of water equity. 

Pradeep Purandare
Saving the catchment area
The Somb-Thapana catchment is a stark contrast to the polluted Yamuna. Knowledge from the Thames and the local communities revived the water. Posted on 07 Sep, 2016 09:39 PM

River Yamuna, the largest tributary of river Ganga, is the most threatened river system in the country. It faces over abstraction of water and increasing pollution load (municipal and industrial) throughout its course.

Thapana stream in Mandoli village shows dense vegetation in riparian zone and fish flocking the stream.
Water brings two villages alive
Easy access to water is one way to transform a village and help it prosper. Two Uttarakhand villages show us how. Posted on 07 Sep, 2016 11:23 AM

It had been a chaotic morning. With so many people bustling around the small house, Avani was looking forward to celebrating her only son's second birthday. Graciously, her husband agreed to have the celebration at Avani’s mother’s place this time. Her mother made all the arrangements for the pooja and prasadam while Avani was to take care of the guests.

Dangsari village in Uttarakhand.
Slum dwellers in Delhi to get individual water connections
News this week Posted on 06 Sep, 2016 09:19 AM

DJB to give individual water connections in slums

Access to drinking water, a basic human right. (Source: IWP flicker photos)
SC urges Karnataka to share water with TN
Policy matters this week Posted on 06 Sep, 2016 09:18 AM

Release water to Tamil Nadu: SC to Karnataka

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
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