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)
Amritsar - the pond of nectar
Faith, service and legends - the holy city is full of tales around water. Take a dip! Posted on 16 Aug, 2013 02:27 PM

“PAWAN GURU, pani pita, mata dharti mahat” (air is teacher, water is father and earth our mother) -  thus goes the closing line of the Japji Sahib given by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev. It holds special significance for Amritsar, the holy city, which boasts of the Harmandar Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple).

The holy sarovar around the Golden Temple
Touched by very little water
Anupam Mishra talks about how the desert societies of Rajasthan have managed their scarce water resources for over 1000 years. Posted on 01 Aug, 2013 11:54 AM

Author and conservationist, Anupam Mishra has spent decades promoting water conservation and management. Through his travels across various states of India, he has been studying and teaching the time-tested techniques of rainwater harvesting.

Kunds and tankas have been used to collect water
Fall in love with Tso Moriri
A monastery, a village, rare bird species and a high altitude lake in Ladakh - this is the beautiful setting of Tso Moriri. Posted on 01 Aug, 2013 07:59 AM

This brackish lake is located 4,595 metres above sea level, an altitude to tax the lungs of the most dedicated trekker. With two wetlands - the Nuro Sumdo on the North, and the Pare Chu on the South - the lake is a breeding ground for many rare bird species. It is a day's travel from Leh and a popular destination for the avid birdwatcher.

Tso Moriri during spring time
Simple but unique idea revives a pond in Kerala
Pallichal panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district has turned a neglected pond into a clean and beautiful space that is also helping alleviate drought. Posted on 12 Jul, 2013 03:12 PM

Pallichal panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram is one of its best performing panchayats. It has received a number of awards for achieving high literacy levels, keeping up good sanitation practices and for implementing a number of agricultural and irrigation initiatives.

The revived Vetubali pond in Pallichal panchayat
Walk along the path to heaven...on earth!
This photo essay showcases the stark beauty of Sela lake, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. Posted on 04 Jul, 2013 09:54 PM

Tawang, a mystical, magical place is nestled in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh. Indians not from this region as well as foreigners need special permission to visit this restricted area. It is only accessible through a narrow mountain pass. A road snakes through this pass, which is the second highest motorable pass in the world, and at a height of 13,700 feet, reaches a crystal clear lake.

Prayer wheels,Tawang
Another Bangalore lake becomes a garbage dump
The Sarakki lake, once a year-round water recharge area is now a garbage dump. Its Lake Trust calls on the Karnataka government and people to save the lake. Posted on 27 Jun, 2013 03:48 PM

Sarakki Lake is one of the bigger stand-alone lakes in Bangalore, and was once a great year-round recharge area for Sarakki, Jaraganahalli, Puttenahalli, Chunchagatta and Kothanur. It is now a cesspool of sewage, and is polluting the air, water and land around it. India Water Portal volunteer Sucheta Ramprakash covered

Garbage fills Sarakki Lake
Rain rain go away, our cities can't keep the water at bay!
Poor urban planning and reckless construction leave India incapable of welcoming the much-needed monsoon. Posted on 17 Jun, 2013 06:32 PM

Breaking news! The monsoon is here! It hit Kerala on June 1 and with that put an end to newspapers stories on drought in India highlighted by pictures of farmers standing on cracked earth and staring up at the sunny skies. However, very soon there will be Page-1 picture spreads of water-logged cities with traffic jams and harried people titled "The city is drowning"!

Water logging on city streets
Bangaloreans come together at the ‘Save Our Lakes’ Event
Lakes recharge groundwater. Bangalore, once the ‘city of lakes’ isn’t any more and half the city will likely have to be evacuated by 2023. Can we do something about this crisis before it's too late? Posted on 17 May, 2013 10:50 AM

The Catch Every Drop campaign, which created awareness about water conservation, spun off a few other events in Bangalore. Save Our Lakes, which focused on protecting B

Save Our Lakes – Screening and interaction, The Alternative, Bangalore, 10 May 2013
An initiative as a community to bring back Bangalore’s lost lake glory.
Posted on 07 May, 2013 05:23 PM

The alternative

Life by the Maguri Beel
This photo essay showcases the richness of the Maguri Beel, a swampy area in Assam. Posted on 01 May, 2013 10:13 AM

Two rivers – the Dibru and the Lohit - flow along together and meet a third - the Brahmaputra. This vast patch of land they give birth to is a treasure trove for wildlife and the Dibru Saikhowa National Park is located right there. To its south, exists a vast expanse of swamps and marshes interspersed with sandy islands.

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