Governance

Featured Articles
November 6, 2022
Protecting children from climate change impact not child's play
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
Employment guarantee during Covid-19
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
Lack of data professionals in the impact sector
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
Creating jobs while managing air quality
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
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)
July 10, 2022
Slow onset climate-induced disasters leaving migrants at greater risk of human trafficking
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)
Maharashtra tops India in farmers' suicide during 2014
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 20 Jul, 2015 10:21 PM

Maharashtra recorded highest number of farmers' suicides during 2014
A farmer working on his field
Harness the sun to drought proof agriculture in Bihar
Are solar pumps a drought mitigation strategy for farmers in Bihar? This research paper looks into the interplay between droughts, subsequent distress and government interventions.
Avinash Kishore
Pramod Kumar Joshi
Divya Pandey
Posted on 19 Jul, 2015 09:22 PM

Since 1999, Bihar has borne the brunt of four droughts. Rainfall scarcity has affected farmers, depleted groundwater levels significantly, and led to an increase in the number of poor people in the state. What measures has the government taken to mitigate the impact?
Solar panels in a farm (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The sacred springs of Sikkim
Devithans are shrouded in rituals and myths but serve as an important institution to preserve springs. While religious sentiments sometimes get in the way, development around them continues.
Usha Dewani Das
Posted on 16 Jul, 2015 09:31 AM

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase". - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Devithan at Kolbung village, Namthang
Maharashtra's plan to seed clouds may sprout nothing
Altering cropping patterns and improving water management processes are better ways for the state to deal with drought than experimenting with inconclusive science.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 15 Jul, 2015 10:19 PM

History tells of various methods by which people called upon the rains -- music, dance and religious rituals. The government of Maharashtra, however, plans to try out cloud seeding.
A Cessna 210 with cloud seeding equipment (Source: Wikipedia)
Heavy rains disrupt life in North India
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 14 Jul, 2015 09:49 AM

Monsoons in the North affect people and wildlife
Monsoon affects life in North India
NGT quashes environment clearance to 10 irrigation projects in Maharashtra and Karnataka
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 13 Jul, 2015 09:57 PM

NGT cancels MoEF's go ahead to 10 irrigation projects 
Irrigation Canal taking off from the Bhima Dam (Source: Nvvchar on Wikipedia)
Mantra for the Char Dham: Don't Panic!
The monsoons regularly lead to road blocks and panicking pilgrims being airlifted out of Garhwal. Can this repeated narrative change especially since the Char Dham isn't an ancient practice at all?
Chicu Lokgariwar
Posted on 13 Jul, 2015 07:36 AM

'To be or not to be' may well be the new mantra for people undertaking the Himalayan Char Dham pilgrimage this year.
Pilgrims enroute to Kedarnath (Image: Sundaram + Annam)
What are the odds of a dam burst?
The recent earthquake in Nepal has pointed fingers yet again at the much neglected area of dam safety. Will that push India to put in place a comprehensive law that addresses this?
Latha Anantha
Posted on 11 Jul, 2015 10:48 AM

One of history’s worst dam bursts took place in Gujarat in 1979 when the four-kilometer long Machhu Dam II on the Machhu River collapsed. This led to a deluge in the industrial city of Morbi located five kilometers downstream as well as surrounding rural areas destroying thousands of homes and lives. While this was a tragedy, it was by no means an isolated one.
Sardar Sarovar Dam (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Living rivers, dying rivers: Ganga and the river systems of Bihar
The first lecture was on the Ganges by Rama Rauta and K C Sivaramakrishnan, and the third on the river systems of Bihar--Kosi and Bagmati--by Dr. Dinesh Mishra.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 10 Jul, 2015 11:11 AM

Introduction: The Ganges

The first discussion was on June 4 2011, in which Rama Rauta and K C Sivaramakrishnan shared their experiences of working with the government and people’s organisations to save the Ganga.
Kosi river, Bihar (Source:Wikipedia)
Sikkim conserves its Tsomgo lake
Residents who live near the lake, representatives from the Taxi Drivers’ & Shopkeepers' Association, Tourism Department, and the Police Department have worked together towards a common goal.
Usha Dewani Das
Posted on 09 Jul, 2015 11:10 AM

There are about 227 lakes and wetlands in Sikkim, many of which are revered by the people as holy.
Tourists at Tsomgo Lake, Sikkim
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