Majuli, world’s largest river island

Guinness World Records names Assam’s Majuli world’s largest river island

The Guinness World Records has declared Majuli riverine island of Assam as the largest river island in the world. The island which has a total area of 880 km² covers 144 villages with a tribal population of over 160,000 and over 100 varieties of rice are found in these riverine island. In 100 years, however, the island has lost nearly one-third of its land area due to frequent flooding of the Brahmaputra river and erosion. Majuli has recently been recognised as the 35^th district of Assam.

Protests in Karnataka after the Cauvery water verdict

People of Karnataka, especially farmers have staged protests showing their disapproval towards the Supreme Court order to the state government to release 15,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 10 days. Following the order, the state observed bandh and the protestors blocked the vehicular traffic on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway. In view of the distress situation in the state, the Karnataka government has filed a special petition in the Supreme Court seeking modification of the verdict.

Asia-Pacific is the global hotspot of water insecurity, finds ADB Report

The report on water development in Asia-Pacific, released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has tagged the region as the global hotspot for water insecurity. The region is already home to 60 percent of the world’s population. It has been predicted that the population will rise three times by 2050, placing an enormous pressure on finite water resources. However, the report suggests application of a combination of improved water productivity and water management to meet the increasing demand.

In August alone, 60 farmers ends up life in Telangana

More than 60 farmers have committed suicide in Telangana in the month of August due to the dry spell that has destroyed crops across 38 mandals in the state. As per the activists, the farmers who took their lives were going through a lot of financial difficulties which compounded with the delayed compensation for last year’s drought. The activists have called for immediate assessment of damaged crops and disbursement of input subsidy to the farmers.  

Chennai left with just 15 percent of wetlands since 1980: Study

According to a study conducted by the CareEarth Trust, Chennai is left with only 15 percent of its wetlands. In the 1980s, the built-up area of the city was just 20 percent while 80 percent of the city comprised wetlands. The IT boom, however, led to the loss of wetlands due to large scale construction work in the southern part of the city. The study has also found that currently, the water bodies of the southern and western suburbs are the most hit with urbanisation.

This is a roundup of important news from September 4 - 10, 2016. Also read last week's policy matters.