/regions/western-himalayas
Western Himalayas
The Last Builder of Naulas in Chatola, Nainital
Posted on 03 Jan, 2016 05:57 PMNo temple is as venerated in Uttarakhand as the little unassuming naulas. These small hut-like structures dot the mountains and hold within them a great treasure--water. Usually made of stone masonry with pyramid-like slate roofs, every naula respresents within it a residing spirit which can range from a simple stone piece to an ornately carved statue.
![Ratan Singh Bisht is one of the few people today who constructs naulas](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/ratan_ji_2.jpg?itok=EwQaVryw)
Springs are more than just a source of water for humans
Posted on 02 Dec, 2015 09:04 PM"If you do good work on the ground, policy will happen", says Himanshu Kulkarni of ACWADAM. This has proven to be in true at least in the case of springs.
![Springs not only provide humans with water but anchor entire ecosystems.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/banethi_spring.jpg?itok=HtPq6KL-)
China operationalises one of the biggest dams on the Brahmaputra
Posted on 20 Oct, 2015 07:01 PMChina's Zangmu Hydropower Project, one of the biggest dams on Brahmaputra, is operational
![Brahmaputra river in Tibet (Source: Luca Galuzzi via Wikipedia)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/img_0839_yarlong_tsangpo.jpg?itok=ILmR5yaj)
Media workshop on climate change adaptation in Assam
Posted on 22 Sep, 2015 03:59 PMAbout the Event:
Shimla school goes from students bathing every other day to swimming daily!
Posted on 07 Sep, 2015 10:26 PMMathew Jacob, estate supervisor at Bishop Cotton School (BCS) in Shimla, remembers when he took his students walking in single file to the nearby stream to wash and bathe
![Four storage tanks are linked to 1350 sqm of rooftop area at Bishop Cotton School in Shimla.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/2012-02-20_14.36.30.jpg?itok=cIzSZ3Z4)
Sunderbans and Siachen glacier to become trans-boundary protected area
Posted on 31 Aug, 2015 10:25 PMSunderbans and Siachen glacier proposed to be recognised as a trans-boundary protected area
![Farm fields in the Sunderbans (Source: India Water Portal Flickr Photo)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/3603694941_cd511a01ae_z.jpg?itok=WavujP-B)
Mantra for the Char Dham: Don't Panic!
Posted on 13 Jul, 2015 07:36 AM'To be or not to be' may well be the new mantra for people undertaking the Himalayan Char Dham pilgrimage this year.
![Pilgrims enroute to Kedarnath (Image: Sundaram + Annam)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/2949747652_373ffe442d_z.jpg?itok=41zvSHqe)
Who's to blame for Shimla's water shortage?
Posted on 30 Jun, 2015 09:03 AMMost tourists visiting Shimla won’t know that they are walking on a water tank when they wait to get their pictures taken or go horse riding on Ridge road but they will know that the city faces water shortage -- their hotel bathrooms have messages asking them to use water judiciously.
![The Ridge houses Shimla's first underground water tank](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/dsc04664.jpg?itok=bW-oMV7W)
Barefoot hydrogeologists: The next generation
Posted on 18 Jun, 2015 02:55 PMI first met Kunti and Priya at a meeting of the Springs Initiative, which is a network of organisations and individuals working across India to restore their springs.
![Kunti and Priya discuss their plans with Budani](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/planning.jpg?itok=wKwX3eYY)
Water, science and us
Posted on 02 Mar, 2015 10:11 PMGroundwater isn't understood very well, especially in hilly areas where springs seem to appear and vanish of their own accord. However, as science tells us, there's no effect without a cause, and understanding the reason why water flows where it does can ensure optimal use of this natural resource to support life and livelihood.
![Testing is one of the components of workshop.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/cartoon-elephant-spraying-water.jpg?itok=VT1IiWYY)