Surface Water

Featured Articles
October 11, 2022
Visualizing the Vrishabhavathi river to keep it alive
In an effort to inform the general public, especially citizen activists, policymakers, researchers, and students, about the current status of the Vrishabhavathi river, Paani.Earth has created the necessary maps, data, analysis, and information to drive conservation awareness and action around the river.
Vrishabhavathi river (Image Source: Paani.Earth)
August 9, 2022
MGNREGS becoming the quintessential scheme for tribal agriculture
Ensuring irrigation through farm ponds in tribal Chhattisgarh
Many tribal farmers opted for individual farm ponds under MGNREGA ensuring protective irrigation. (Image: Meenakshi Singh)
November 8, 2020
Breaking down data silos in the water sector
The National Hydrology Project has created a national platform for water data and is working to enhance the technical capacities of agencies dealing with water resources management.
Breakthrough cloud computing facilities and remote sensing applications have helped showthe filling pattern of a water body (tank or reservoir) through freely available satellite imagery at an interval of five days. (Image: Maithan dam, Wikimedia Commons)
December 26, 2019
Centre holds green signal to Kalasa-Banduri project
Policy matters this week
The Mandovi river disputed between Karnataka and Goa (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
December 19, 2019
Parliamentary committee expresses disappointment over slow pace of Namami Gange
Policy matters this week
The Ganga at Varanasi (Source: India Water Portal Flickr Photos)
December 19, 2019
Only one out of five river basins in the country resilient to climate change: Study
News this week
Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Changing coast affects livelihood
While sundry development and infrastructure projects beautify the Chennai coastline, fishermen are left to fend for themselves.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 07 Jan, 2017 07:05 AM

Going by the statistics from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Tamil Nadu’s coastline is densely populated with 573 fishing villages along 13 coastal districts. The story is slightly different around the urban and peri-urban coastline, thanks to the ongoing gentrification of the coastline in most parts of urban India.
Chennai coast on a busy day.
The sea mouths crisis
The opening of sea mouths in the Chilika is increasing the salinity of the lake, affecting the fish population and the livelihood of the fishing communities.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 06 Jan, 2017 11:21 PM

Lingaraj Jena is a worried man. At 86, he is one of the older fishermen in Berhampura village, an island on the Chilika lake in Odisha. Though he no longer goes for fishing due to old age, he is worried about the opening of new sea mouths; he knows it is not good news for the fishing communities he is a part of that depend on the Chilika for their livelihood.
A view of the Chilika in the evening.
Ecologists challenge Bharti's remark on Ken-Betwa
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 05 Jan, 2017 11:20 AM

No final approval for Ken-Betwa river link as claimed by Centre
The Ken-Betwa river link shown on a map. (Source: Shannon via Wikipedia)
Worst drought in 115 years hits Kerala
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 02 Jan, 2017 10:33 PM

Kerala hit by worst drought in 115 years
Parched land during drought in India. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
When riverbed becomes real estate
The banks of Yamuna have witnessed many forced evictions of illegal settlers over the years. The officials, however, turn a blind eye to encroachment by massive infrastructures.
Chicu Lokgariwar
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 02 Jan, 2017 08:17 PM

Shalu’s household was evicted from Koyla Basti of the Yamuna pushta (embankment), a massive slum cluster on the banks of the Yamuna river in the year 2004. Earthmoving machines bulldozed thousands of homes at the site which was to host the Commonwealth Games of 2010.
Forced evictions before the Commonwealth Games. (Source: Housing and Land Rights Network)
Rivers: Not just clean them, revive them
The increasing pollution and the decrease in river water flow have made revival of rivers a non-negotiable need today. The solution is in cleaning the rivers--not in parts but as a whole.
K G Vyas
Posted on 29 Dec, 2016 02:05 PM

A river is a natural stream of fresh water fed by rain or melting snow during the monsoon. On its onward journey, many tributaries join in and the river and its tributaries form the drainage basin. The river collects the available runoff and groundwater discharge and flows into an ocean or a landlocked water body at the end of its journey.
River Krishna at Wai (Source: India Water Portal)
Hyderabad water bodies unfit for even irrigation
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 25 Dec, 2016 07:19 PM

Most of Hyderabad water bodies reduced to cesspools
Himayat Sagar lake in Hyderabad (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
NGT takes note of Chambal river e-flow
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 25 Dec, 2016 06:54 PM

NGT seeks MP, Rajasthan's opinion on maintaining e-flow in Chambal river
Chambal river near Kota (Source: Wikimedia commons)
Saving the Ganga, one step at a time
A walk along the Ganga is all it takes to get a better perspective on the river and its deteriorating ecosystem. Here’s an attempt at it.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 21 Dec, 2016 09:11 AM

An aerospace engineer from IIT, Kharagpur, Siddharth Agarwal could have been drawing a fancy salary like any other 25-year-old if he hadn’t followed his passion.
Siddharth Agarwal (Photo credit-Siddharth Agarwal)
Open letter to Uma Bharti, Minister for Water Resources
What are the gaps in the recent gazette notification on river Ganga rejuvenation? Dr Brij Gopal, coordinator, Centre for Inland Waters in South Asia writes an open letter for public discussion.
Brij Gopal
Posted on 20 Dec, 2016 08:03 PM

Hon’ble Madam,
 
Namaskar,  
Chhatris on the banks of the Betwa river. (Source: Vadaykeviv Wikimedia Commons)
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