Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands

Featured Articles
December 4, 2022
Small scale inland open water fisheries of India
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
Categorising watersheds for freshwater ecosystem conservation in India
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
Improving community resilience in ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction in India
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
Slow disaster: Political ecology of hazards and everyday life in the Brahmaputra valley, Assam
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
Deteriorating landscapes and threatened ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir
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
Himalayan lakes can potentially become long-term sinks of microplastics
Study looks at microplastic types in lakes of Ladakh
(Vinay Goel, Wikimedia Commons)
Videos
An overview on wetlands in India
My disappearing land- Majuli
Tragic tale of Erai
Deepor Beel faces moderate contamination and ecological risk, says study
First of its kind assessment of heavy metal pollution and potential ecological risk for surficial sediments of Deepor Beel through indexing.
Siddhant Dash
Smitom Swapna Borah
Ajay S Kalamdhad
Posted on 15 Jul, 2021 07:15 PM

Lakes and wetlands play pivotal roles in providing nutrients to living organisms.
Deepor Beel sits in the heart of the Indian city of Guwahati (Image: Hirakjyoti Bayan CC BY-SA 4.0)
East Kolkata Wetlands – fast turning death traps for aquatic ecosystems?
Freshwater ecosystems in India are known to harbour rich biodiversity, but their health is being increasingly challenged in recent years. And the East Kolkata Wetlands are no exception!
Biswajit Bera
Sumana Bhattacharjee
Pravat Kumar Shit
Nairita Sengupta
Soumik Saha
Posted on 24 Jun, 2021 10:43 AM

While freshwater ecosystems in India are known to harbour rich biodiversity, their health is being increasingly challenged in recent years. And the East Kolkata Wetlands, one of the important Ramsar sites in India, and the largest wastewater fed aquaculture systems in the world that provide fish and support paddy and vegetable cultivation, are no exception.
Fishermen use wastewater from Kolkata to rear fish (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Not all heroes wear capes, some fight amongst us
Meet these real-life heroes, who with their consistent and tireless efforts created an impact and turned their local areas into examples to follow.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 04 Jun, 2021 06:40 PM

The entire world is going through an environmental crisis which calls for a transformational change. It is time we take responsibility and work together as a community to find bold, creative and innovative solutions to restore our planet.

Meet the water warriors who made a significant change in their own unique way (Image Source: Environment Club)
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Ramsar sites in India
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has designated 49 wetlands in India to be protected from degradation. These FAQs answer all your queries regarding the Ramsar sites in India.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 07 May, 2021 05:49 PM

What is Ramsar Convention and what is its mission?
Deepor Beel is a freshwater lake in Assam (Source: IWP Flickr links)
Centre notifies fly ash utilisation draft rules
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 29 Apr, 2021 10:42 AM

Draft rules call for 100 percent utilisation of fly ash in three to five years
An NTPC thermal plant (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Gomti’s tributaries are in a dismal state: Report
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 15 Apr, 2021 10:06 PM

Gomti’s tributaries are in a dismal state, thanks to groundwater exploitation
Gomti river in Lucknow (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Conservation of water commons through community fishery
The village institution collectively framed rules for the governance and management of these water commons
Foundation for Ecological Security
Posted on 08 Apr, 2021 02:00 PM

Located in the Bichhiya block of Mandla district, Madhya Pradesh, Changariya is a small village comprising 265 households.
The efforts have resulted in the revival of the ponds. (Image: FES)
Over two crore children in India experiencing extremely high water vulnerability: UNICEF
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 01 Apr, 2021 11:00 AM

UNICEF’s analysis reveals over two crore children in India facing extremely high water vulnerability
Girl fetching water from handpump (Source: Flickr photos via IWP)
Sheroes: A tribute to women who value water
Beating odds, women water warriors deepen their work on water
Indira Khurana
Romit Sen
Posted on 22 Mar, 2021 10:19 PM

Every year, March 22 is celebrated as World Water Day. The theme for this year is ‘valuing water’. This indicates the higher level of thinking that is percolating agencies like the UN.
Rural women believe in the power of ‘water continuity’ or having sustained and intergenerational access to water resources (Image: Romit Sen)
Urban lake governance and sustainability
Applying the social-ecological system framework
Amita Bhaduri
Simi Mehta
Posted on 21 Mar, 2021 10:38 AM

"Lakes in Indian cities have seen a pitfall in terms of quality.
Governing and sustaining an urban lake entails improvements in its social and ecological characteristics. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)Wiki
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