Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands

Featured Articles
December 4, 2022 What is the status of inland fisheries in India? Read these situational analysis reports to know about inland fisheries, the life of the fisherfolk, governance and tenure in inland fisheries and threats to the sustainability of inland fisheries.
Fishing in an irrigation canal in Kerala (Image Source: Martin Pilkinton via Wikimedia Commons)
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)
August 27, 2022 Study looks at microplastic types in lakes of Ladakh
(Vinay Goel, Wikimedia Commons)
Good monsoon expected this year
News this week Posted on 18 Apr, 2016 09:20 PM

Good southwest monsoon expected this year as El Nino declines

Downpour in Bihar (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Draft of new Wetland Rules 2016 is out
Policy matters this week Posted on 12 Apr, 2016 12:37 PM

Environmentalists unhappy with the draft of new Wetland Rules 2016

Deepor Beel in Assam (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
NGT slams Railways for using groundwater illegally
Policy matters this week Posted on 05 Apr, 2016 09:47 AM

Railways using groundwater 'indiscriminately and illegally': NGT

Indian Railways (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Courting catastrophe: Unplanned urbanisation and flooding
Urban floods and pervasive environmental pollution are living testimonies of unplanned and hurried urbanisation. With cities already stretched to their limits, how much more can they endure? Posted on 21 Mar, 2016 08:40 AM

South India's rivers are rain-fed unlike those in the North, which are glacier-fed due to the contrasting topography and climate. Unlike the Himalayan system, many of India’s peninsular rivers dry up during the hotter half of the year, leaving lips and fields equally parched.

Houses constructed on the fringes of the Ambattur eri in Chennai
Small scale fishworkers fishing for jobs elsewhere
Fishers livelihoods are being directly threatened by mechanised fishing methods and ecologically destructive fishing practices. Posted on 19 Mar, 2016 01:31 PM

Chinna, 35, harvests fish and is engaged on a piece rate basis by the local contractor who has rights to fishing in the village tank in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. At times, Chinna also uses family labour to complete his work.

Traditional fishers livelihoods are directly threatened by mechanised fishing methods (Source: Vikas Sahayog Kendra, Palamau)
Rajya Sabha approves the National Waterways Bill 2015
Policy matters this week Posted on 15 Mar, 2016 12:27 PM

Rajya Sabha gives a go ahead to the National Waterways Bill

Navigating rivers through simple boats (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal creates rift between Punjab-Haryana
News this week Posted on 15 Mar, 2016 12:10 PM

Punjab-Haryana at crossroads over the controversial Sutlej-Yamuna canal

Sutlej river in Punjab (Source: Harpreet Riat via Wikipedia)
More than 90% of Bangalore's lakes are polluted or encroached
A study by IISc on the city's water bodies argues that poor governance, lack of a sense of belonging, and poor implementation of regulatory norms has caused this situation. Posted on 11 Mar, 2016 10:48 AM

India has had very little to celebrate on World Wetlands Day this year as it has lost its wetlands at an alarming rate of 38% in just a decade (1991-2001).

Rachenahalli Lake in Bengaluru (Source: Sumetee Pahwa Gajjar)
Villagers in Puri, Odisha return to agriculture after a 32 year hiatus
Roadways construction affected the natural water drainage and blocked canals since 1980. Recent restoration works has infused life back into two villages in Madhuban Gram Panchayat. Posted on 09 Mar, 2016 10:43 AM

Water logging has been a persistent problem for farmers in the coastal areas of Puri, Odisha. Construction of national highways has affected the natural water drainage system and has changed the lands of thousands of farmers since 1980.

Canal restoration in Puri district (Source: Regional Centre for Development Cooperation)
World Culture Festival poses threat to the Yamuna
News this week Posted on 07 Mar, 2016 10:11 PM

Activists oppose Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival along the Yamuna flood plains

Yamuna river in New Delhi (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
×