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Nadisutra: Sailing into Patna
Fishermen and others along the way recount how the river has drastically changed over the years -- the flow of water, the amount of fish and much more. Posted on 11 Jan, 2015 04:26 PM

The river is much bigger now, the clear waters of the Karnali-ghaghra, which comes all the way from Tibet and Nepal, mingling with the sand and silt laden Sharda to become turbid as well after a stretch. Right from the confluence onward, the abundance of dolphins seems to increase very noticeably.

River Ganga in Patna
Water wars: Not what you think!
India has a role to play in trans-boundary water interactions in the South Asian region. Cooperation, not war, could be resulting outcomes. Posted on 09 Jan, 2015 09:31 AM

Since the 1990s, it has often been predicted that all the conflicts over this century will be over water and that they will be fought in the South Asian region, which is undergoing a rapid growth in population coupled with a gradual decrease in water resources.

The Brahmaputra river (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Science-based changes to cope with water crisis
A business-as-usual approach isn't enough to bridge the gap between water supply and demand. So what must water management policies focus on to cope with the water crisis in India? Posted on 09 Jan, 2015 08:35 AM

India has almost 17% of the world's population and 4% of the global water resources – a situation that threatens to push it towards a water crisis in the coming years. To add to this, are other reasons such as:

Girls carrying water (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Porous pavements to save concrete jungles!
Cities may not be able to lessen their 'concrete footprint', which prevents groundwater from entering the soil but maybe more city spaces can use porous surfacing to deal with this problem. Posted on 08 Jan, 2015 10:20 PM

Despite its shrinking greens, Delhi has significant tree diversity. Pradip Krishen, a naturalist, author and filmmaker, identifies around 250 tree species in the concrete jungle, in his book titled ‘Trees of Delhi’ published in 2007. But these trees do not have the breathing room they need as the Public Works Department's (PWD) pavement tiling projects enclose trees completely in concrete.

Porous tiles act as flood absorbers in the city
Tare Ganga Par'
The Government of India has commissioned a consortium of IITs to clean up the Ganga. How are they going about it? Dr. Tare, head of this consortium, speaks exclusively to the India Water Portal. Posted on 07 Jan, 2015 09:46 AM

A consortium of the seven Indian Institutes of Technology has been formed and charged with the preparation of a basin-wide management plan to restore the Ganga. What have they proposed for the river?

In an exclusive interview with the India Water Portal, Dr. Tare explained the IIT consortium's vision for the Ganga and the steps that they are taking to achieve it.

Sunset on the Ganga at Garhmukteshwar
Rajasthan village united by water
Baadi near Jodhpur turned its weakness into strength to halt distress migration and reduce its dependence on rains. Posted on 06 Jan, 2015 10:34 PM

Big sandstone hills cover the landscape dotted by little grass, while the land below is covered with Israeli babool (akesia tortlis), an invasive species which does not let any other vegetation grow. Amidst this, Baadi village with its lush green fields full of cabbage, pepper and groundnut seems out of place.

Baadi's lush fields amidst barren landscape
Water news: A recap of 2014
Water made big news in 2014 with the formation of the new Water Ministry, initiation of the Swachh Bharat Mission, disasters due to erratic weather, and several scientific achievements. Posted on 05 Jan, 2015 09:58 PM

New Water Ministry, Clean Ganga Portal, Ganga Manthan: Goverment makes efforts towards rejuvenating the Ganga

Sunset at Gadmukhteshwar
From wasteland to wonderland
Aravali Institute of Management in Jodhpur shows how high soil salinity, which eats into cement structures, can be dealt with through harvesting water and using native plant species. Posted on 04 Jan, 2015 09:32 PM

As you drive from Jodhpur to Jaipur, the barren and desolate terrain underscores the harsh environment. The land is bleached due to high soil salinity, and there are no water sources in sight. This guarantees that there is no vegetation other than weeds like Israeli babool (akesia tortlis). 

Around 15 lakes helped deal with soil salinity
My disappearing land: Majuli
Majuli, a large river island in the Brahmaputra that is also a cradle of Assamese culture, is slowly shrinking due to the river's wrath, and the lives of the people ebbs and flows with it. Posted on 02 Jan, 2015 07:50 PM

The Brahmaputra, one of the mightiest rivers in the world, has many stories to tell as it journeys from Tibet through India and finally finds its way to the Bay of Bengal. Sadly, many of these tales are not happy. Known for its disastrous flooding, the monsoon season is play time for the river.

House on stilts (Chang ghar) in Majuli
A push to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Policy matters this week Posted on 30 Dec, 2014 04:58 PM

States get a free hand towards the implementation of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

A child collects garbage at Yamuna ghat in Delhi
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