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A notification to ensure ecological flow of rivers
Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta talks about the highs and lows of the new river Ganga notification and how environmentalists can use it to make an impact. Posted on 12 Dec, 2016 11:27 PM

I have objected so many times to the change in the name of Ministry of Water Resources to the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. It shows where the priority of the government lies. It says that all the rivers need to be developed except the Ganga which needs to be rejuvenated.

Boys wait to collect coins thrown into the Ganga at Kanchla, Uttar Pradesh.
Breathing life into Baitarani
The river basin of Baitarani is facing many challenges in these changing times. Initiatives are on to protect it. Posted on 12 Dec, 2016 12:13 PM

Pranab Choudhury has been actively engaged with the causes of the poor and the environment for more than a decade.

Pranab Choudhury
For a flood-free Chennai
Chennai’s topography, along with civic apathy, official lethargy and a complete disregard for its natural floodplains see the city reeling under severe waterlogging every year. Posted on 07 Dec, 2016 09:07 PM

Chennai’s drainage system--both natural and man-made--is unparalleled. Three rivers flow through the city--the Kosasthalaiyar to the north, the Cooum cutting right through the centre and the Adyar to the south; around 16 major drains criss-cross the metro in addition to the mammoth Buckingham canal along the coast.

Home to over 300 species of birds, the Pallikaranai marsh is being increasingly threatened by rapid urbanisation. (Image: IWP Flickr)
Remembering Amma’s generosity
Apart from her charisma, Jayalalithaa will be remembered for her untiring efforts to make food and water available for the people. Posted on 07 Dec, 2016 06:12 AM

One of Tamil Nadu’s most populist leaders and a big inspiration to women across the state and beyond, J. Jayalalithaa has left an indelible mark on the people as well as the politics of the state. Though detractors objected to the ‘Amma’ prefix in most of her schemes, the people of Tamil Nadu did not seem to mind, given that many of their basic needs stood satisfied to a great extent.

Amma rose to popularity with her many welfare schemes for the poor.
Mining of rare earth minerals poisons land and water
Potential threats of environmental deterioration continue to be ignored in Kollam partly due to the difficulty in regulating an industry that produces resources of high strategic importance. Posted on 06 Dec, 2016 12:49 PM

Mining and processing of heavy and rare earth minerals can produce a tremendously negative impact on the land and environment in the area, the magnitude and intensity of which depends on the kind of chemicals and processes used, the efforts taken in the management of waste as well as on environmental fragility of the location.

Sand mining and environmental pollution (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
A cut above the rest
A community reserve in Punjab has precious lessons in conservation for other wetlands which are facing ecological crisis. Posted on 05 Dec, 2016 09:41 PM

Deot Masih’s family has been extracting lotus root from the marshy land in his village near Gurdaspur for several decades. Delicate and crunchy, the edible roots are in high demand going as far as Srinagar in the north and Delhi in the south. Similar is the case with chestnut grown in this swamp.

Keshopur, a favourite of native and migratory birds in Punjab.
Rift over Indus Water Treaty continues
Policy this week Posted on 04 Dec, 2016 08:45 PM

Conflict between India and Pakistan over Indus Water Treaty continues

Indus river (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Ganga clean-up programme has failed: IIT consortium
News this week Posted on 04 Dec, 2016 08:31 PM

Ganga clean-up fails, thanks to multiple authorities and no monitoring

Man searched for coins in polluted water of Ganga river at Allahabad (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Traditional ways to water security
Reviving traditional water bodies, and not environmentally-unsustainable mega projects which are expensive, is the most viable solution to deal with water scarcity in parched lands like Bundelkhand. Posted on 04 Dec, 2016 08:15 PM

Although droughts are not new in India, we are seeing more of it of late.

A traditional pond in the fort city of Charkhari, Bundelkhand. (Source: India Water Portal)
Wai celebrates Krishnabai Utsav
Celebrated over eight days, a festival pays homage to the Krishna river which is dammed, stagnant and polluted but still holds hope for many. Posted on 29 Nov, 2016 01:22 PM

The Krishnabai Utsav, a festival celebrating and revering the river Krishna as it flows through Wai, begins tomorrow in the town of

The river Krishna at Wai (Source: Makarand Shende)
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