Governance

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November 6, 2022 In 2020, 559 million children were affected by four to five heatwaves a year; numbers could increase four-fold by 2050, as per a report by UNICEF
Heat-related mortality is four times higher among children under 1 year of age than in persons aged 1–44 years (Image: Taqver, Wikimedia Commons)
October 22, 2022 Role of MGNREGA in the year after the 2020 lockdown: Survey findings from Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh
MGNREGA provided income support or security to vulnerable households during the pandemic (Image: UN Women)
October 14, 2022 Arthan organizes a fireside chat to highlight the need for more data talent for social impact
There is a need to integrate data science into the existing education system (Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, Public Domain Pictures)
September 9, 2022 Highlights from a new report released by iFOREST
An old coal-fired power plant has been dumping vast quantities of ash out in the open for many years. (Image: Lundrim Aliu/ World Bank; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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)
July 10, 2022 People in India fleeing disasters like drought more likely to have experienced trafficking or modern slavery than those fleeing floods or cyclones
The country's climate change assessment suggests things are only going to get worse (Image: Saurav Karmakar, India Water Portal Flickr)
State does a Nero while Kharun weeps
Despite the pitiable state of a polluted Kharun, the government is keen on developing the riverfront to attract tourists. Posted on 18 Jul, 2016 09:30 AM

At sunrise, everything is luminous but not clear. 

― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

Kharun river at Mahadev Ghat, Raipur.
Floods wreak havoc in many parts of the country
News this week Posted on 17 Jul, 2016 04:27 PM

Floods grip many parts of the country

Flooded Simen river in Brahmaputra basin (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Small farmers eye big fish in Jharkhand
Pisciculture is changing the lives of farmers by offering a good alternative to land-based agriculture. Backed by the government, it is picking up well. Posted on 16 Jul, 2016 11:44 AM

Dhanmaniya Devi had never tasted a ‘good’ fish. “All we had during my childhood were the small varieties which come to rivers during monsoon. They are rarely seen now,” says the 65-year-old villager in Sildag of Palamau district in Jharkhand. This is why when her family reared the commercial variety fish last year, she was delighted.

Fishing lines, tyre tubes as floats and make-shift wooden platforms are very commonly used.  Source: Shubham Sharma.
Ganga revival projects launched
Policy matters this week Posted on 09 Jul, 2016 10:36 PM

Centre launches 231 projects under Namami Gange

Ganga river at Gadmukteshwar (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
River conservationist is new environment minister
News this week Posted on 09 Jul, 2016 10:04 PM

Anil Madhav Dave appointed as new environment minister

Anil Madhav Dave (Source: Livemint)
Once a drain, now a sewer
Barapullah drain, which was once a major drain in Delhi, is being clogged with human waste, thanks to the rapid growth the city is undergoing. Posted on 05 Jul, 2016 09:33 PM

Originally a darya (creek), locally known as Nizammuddin darya, Barapullah is a key drain of Delhi today. Barapullah gets its name from a pul (bridge) built across it by the then emperor Jahangir's chief eunuch, Mihir Banu Agha.

Construction debris of the Barapullah flyover project chokes the nallah.
Pipara women realise pipe dream
Pipara village in the parched Bundelkhand region stands out for its uninterrupted water supply. The village has their women to thank for it. Posted on 01 Jul, 2016 12:03 PM

The cracks on the parched land of Bundelkhand are waiting for the monsoon to quench the thirst of its arid landscape. Despite the wide-spread drought here, Pipara, one of the villages in the region, stands apart as the only one that has not run completely dry. 

Women fill water from one of the taps at Pipara.
Call for nominations- Bhagirath Prayaas Samman 2016
Bhagirath Prayaas Samman aims to recognise outstanding, sustained efforts of river warriors towards protection and conservation of rivers.
Posted on 29 Jun, 2016 06:25 PM

Bhagirath Prayaas Samman was constituted in 2014 as an award to recognise efforts and initiatives for river conservation, in the first India Rivers Week jointly organised by Peace Institute, INTACH, Toxics Link, SANDRP and WWF-India. In India, numerous awards are given for excellent initiatives around water conservation, ut none on rivers.

Centre releases draft of new National Forest Policy
Policy matters this week Posted on 25 Jun, 2016 08:50 AM

Environment ministry releases the draft of India’s new National Forest Policy

A forest area in Sikkim (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Climate change: When past presents itself
A new study pins climate change as one of the reasons for the decline of Indus Valley Civilisation Posted on 24 Jun, 2016 08:40 PM

Summers get hotter, rains decline and crops fail. The conflict between people increase and migration in search of better lands and skies begin. Sounds familiar? We are not talking about Marathwada here. This is how the lives of our ancestors played out thousands of years ago.

A narrow lane flanked by houses at Bhirrana. Source: Archaeological Survey of India
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