Society, Culture, Religion and History

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October 8, 2023
India's rivers: From conservation movements to legal personhood
While the current push for legal personhood for rivers is facing obstacles and is stalled, it holds potential as a viable long-term strategy for the preservation of India's rivers
River quality deteriorates as demand for hydropower to support economic growth continues to expand. (Image: Yogendra Singh Negi, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
June 16, 2023
Majuli Island: A tapestry of resilience and environmental harmony
Majuli serves as a symbol of both the delicate balance between human activity and the environment and the tenacity of its residents
Addressing various aspects of women's lives to enhance their social, economic, and political status (Image: Rebuild India Fund)
January 13, 2022
Water management in the times of Gonds of Central India
The water structures constructed during the Gond period continue to survive the test of time and provide evidence of the water wisdom of our ancestors.
Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)
January 2, 2021
The fast disappearing traditional water harvesting structures of Rajasthan
Lack of community ownership and local governance are spelling doom for the once royal and resilient traditional water harvesting structures of Rajasthan.
Toorji Ka Jhalara, Jodhpur (Image Source: Rituja Mitra)
December 7, 2020
Not in the interest of women farmers!
The new farm related bills will spell doom for women workers who form the bulk of small and marginal sections of Indian agriculture, warns Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).
Farm women, overworked and underpaid (Image Source: India Water Portal)
December 11, 2019
Scientists intervene to save dry toilets
Dry toilets have long been hailed as a sustainable solution to the sanitation and waste management crisis facing India today, but have been overshadowed by more modern toilet designs.
A traditional dry toilet. Image: India Science Wire
Village steps up water revival effort
A temple trust revives an ancient stepwell, comes to the rescue of a water-starved village.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 04 Jul, 2018 02:33 PM

Long before piped water supply became the norm, groundwater got extracted for use and rivers neglected, stepwells served as a major source of water for people.
Stepwell in front of Khedamata temple at Modi village. (Source: India Water Portal)
The politics of groundwater
To make access to water adequate and equitable, the focus must shift from water sources to water resources. Science, community participation and cooperation, are key to addressing our water woes.
Dr. Himanshu Kulkarni
Uma Aslekar
Posted on 04 Jul, 2018 12:15 PM

A growing demand for water implies the need for an improved understanding of our resources, and the ability to manage that demand in an equitable and sustainable way.

Wells, not dams, have been the temples of modern India
Creating community leaders to tackle disaster
Under UNICEF’s initiative to mitigate disaster risk, community leaders are created to make villages disaster ready.
Amita Bhaduri
Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group
Posted on 25 Jun, 2018 05:01 PM

Tired from the Baidyanath dhamyatra (pilgrimage) in the nearby town of Deoghar, Nunlal Kamath is stealing a quick nap on a charpoy outside his house. His house is right on the western bank of Kosi, north Bihar’s river of sorrow, in a particularly flood-prone area where there are no high grounds or flood platforms nearby.  
Village disaster management committee has built sand and boulder spurs to deflect floods at spots where bank erosion takes place. (Pic courtesy: GEAG)
Teesta: Stuck between conflict and cooperation
The ongoing conflict between India and Bangladesh over the Teesta is political with little to do with the river itself. Is there any hope for the river?
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 20 Jun, 2018 10:25 AM

River Teesta originates at Tso Lamo, Sikkim, flows through West Bengal and then enters the Rangpur division in Bangladesh.
The Teesta, upstream of the Gajaldoba barrage in West Bengal. (Image Source: Gauri Noolkar-Oak)
Indore retains its cleanest city tag
Indore became the cleanest city in India for the second time in a row, thanks to the untiring efforts of its municipal corporation and residents. A video tells the success story.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 17 Jun, 2018 06:26 PM

Indore has retained its cleanest city tag in the clean India survey 2018. Before it was praised for its cleanliness drive in 2017, the city was just like any other urban city in India dealing with its mounting garbage problem.
Clean road near Pardesipura, Indore. (Source: India Water Portal)
Wetland turns treasure trove of herbs
Medicinal herbs, edible greens and fruits thrive in and around Chennai’s Sembakkam lake, reveals a study.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 11 Jun, 2018 11:31 AM

The districts of Tiruvallur, Chennai and Kanchipuram once boasted of a landscape densely dotted with wetlands and a lifestyle that was closely linked to the survival of these water bodies.
Sembakkam lake currently spans across a 100 acres in South Chennai. (Picture courtesy: Care Earth Trust)
Hangul needs better protection
Look beyond protected areas for conservation of endangered hangul in Kashmir, says a study.
S. Suresh Ramanan
Posted on 01 Jun, 2018 04:56 PM

For the long-term conservation of critically endangered red deer or hangul in Kashmir, it is necessary to take up conservation efforts beyond protected areas, a new study has suggested.
Efforts are underway to conserve hanguls. (Photo courtesy: Intesar Suhail, ISW)
Will boats float on Yamuna?
Yamuna water taxi project could cut down the travel time and congestion on Delhi roads. But does the river have enough water for it?
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 23 May, 2018 11:38 AM

Here's some good news for the people of Delhi. If the Centre is to be believed, Delhi is going the Kochi way and Yamuna waters will keep the traffic burden off the road much like Kochi’s backwaters and rivers.
Yamuna in Delhi (Image: Wikimedia commons)
Village swims in desperation
Livelihood and education affected, villagers of a marooned land look for solutions.
Gurvinder Singh
Posted on 18 May, 2018 10:45 AM

“Our village is also called the swimmers’ village because almost all of us including small children know how to swim. To learn swimming is not a luxury but a necessity for us.
A girl oars a boat to go to college. (Pic courtesy: Gurvinder Singh)
Disappearing waters of The Himalayas
A photo exhibition focuses on the changing lifestyles of local communities in the Himalayas with changes in their environment.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 14 May, 2018 12:01 PM

Delhi’s Jor Bagh metro station is the site of an ongoing photographic exhibition with thought-provoking images and narratives exploring escalating water crises Indian and Nepal Himalayas face.
The photograph titled 'Nainital: Changing landscape in the Himalayas'. Image: Toby Smith, Pani-Pahar series
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