Aarti Kelkar Khambete

‘Fleas’ flee the Pashan lake in Pune!

Restoration efforts focusing on desilting and re-contouring of Pashan lake have added to the deterioration of the lake habitat, threatening survival of organisms such as water fleas, warn freshwater biologists Mihir Kulkarni and Sameer Padhye.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 5 months ago

Pashan lake, threatened by urbanisation, doomed by restoration (Image Source: India Water Portal)

Tools and opportunities for climate action

While the shift to a low carbon world is essential, it is crucial that it is just and equitable and that it presents everyone with equal access to tools and opportunities to make a difference. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 5 months ago

Solve Ninjas at work (Image Source: Reap Benefit)

Dietary diversity – key to tackle malnutrition among children

The recent NFHS-5 data finds that stunting and wasting among under five children in the country is on the rise. Why is this so? What could be the way out? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 6 months ago

Millets for dietary diversity (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 6 months ago

Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)

Data - as a driver of change

Data can act as a powerful tool to tackle climate change through catalysing climate innovation and influencing decisionmaking. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 6 months ago

Data as apowerful tool to tackle climate change (Image Source: José Manuel Suárez, Wikimedia Commons)

Agricultural distress in peri urban Gurugram

Urbanisation and climate change are not only destroying sustainable agricultural practices in the peri urban village of Budhera near Gurugram, but also eating up the social fabric of the village. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 6 months ago

Aerial view of the Najafgarh drain. (Image: Sumita Roy Dutta, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0)

Periurban waterscapes of Hyderabad

The growth of high rise buildings that hold the promise of assured water supply in Hyderabad has led to increasing water stress in periurban areas, from where water is sourced. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 6 months ago

Parched periurban areas cry for attention (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)

Shared language for climate action

How can climate change communication reach the unreached to build awareness and propel action? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 6 months ago

Shared language for climate change (Image Source: McKay Savage on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons)

Gender mainstreaming in groundwater management

It is crucial to acknowledge the role of gender based power relations while addressing key barriers that women face while participating in water management efforts. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 7 months ago

Gender in groundwater management (Image Source: www.kudumbshree.org, kudumbashree via Wikimedia Commons)

Climate finance, a critical lever to tackle climate change!

Dealing with climate change calls for better access to finance for multiple connected sectors across energy, agriculture and transport. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 7 months ago

Access to finance crucial for dealing with climate change (Image Source: Good Energies)

Climate change and community resilience: Insights from South Asia

This book by ICIMOD and SANDEE draws on stories from seven countries in South Asia to highlight how communities are building resilience to climate change.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 7 months ago

Joining hands to cope with climate change (Image Source: Usha Dewani Das)

Counted, but not served?

Water remains inaccessible to the urban poor in the city of Mumbai as it continues to focus on developing new infrastructure to meet its very high per capita water needs. Why is this so? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 7 months ago

Thirsty cities and the invisible poor (Image Source: Aathavan Jaffna via Wikimedia Commons)

Leaving no one behind!

Will it be possible to ensure equity and justice while balancing climate action goals with economic progress? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 7 months ago

Taking everyone along while achieving a balance between economic growth and climate goals is crucial (Image Source: Good Energies)

India in the grip of floods - yet again!

Floods are becoming the most frequently occurring extreme events leading to high deaths in India. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 7 months ago

The floods in Kerala in 2018 (Image: Ranjith Siji, Wikimedia Commons: CC BY-SA 4.0)

Mangroves - Wetlands or forests?

Mangroves were treated and managed as forests in colonial times, although they are much similar to wetlands. This led to extensive degradation of mangrove ecosystems in India. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 8 months ago

Mangrove forest at Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu (Image Source: Shankaran Murugan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Will Darjeeling’s thirst be quenched?

Poor access and mismanagement of the available water resources continue to plague Darjeeling. Can there be a way out? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 8 months ago

Darjeeling, in the grip of a water crisis (Image Source: Bernard Gagnon via Wikimedia Commons)

Water can kill!

Mass fish deaths can pose a challenge to the environment, biodiversity and fisherfolk who depend on them for their livelihoods. Why do they happen? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 8 months ago

Algal blooms in a pond in Tamil Nadu (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Equity and justice in groundwater access: connecting the dots

Groundwater law and community practices need to go hand in hand to achieve equity and justice in groundwater access in India, argues this recent study. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 8 months ago

Equity and justice in groundwater access, an urgent need (Image Source: India Water Portal)

Balancing water security with saving biodiversity in the river Beas

Will it be possible to achieve tradeoffs between meeting water needs of people and retaining river waters to sustain the rare and beautiful, but endangered Indus River Dolphin in the Beas river? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 8 months ago

Beas river at Kullu, Himachal Pradesh (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Does a drop per crop help groundwater extraction to stop?

This World Bank study from Andhra Pradesh found that drip irrigation did not limit groundwater exploitation. Farmers who had saved water continued to draw groundwater and sell it to farmers who were water constrained. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 2 years 9 months ago

Groundwater depletion, a growing problem in India (Image Source: India Water Portal)