Water warriors

A lot has been written on India's vast and ancient experience in rainwater harvesting. But no concrete effort has been made to use these traditional innovations. There is no village in India which cannot meet its drinking water needs if it adopts the kundi technology developed by the people of Rajasthan's Thar desert. The technology is very simple. One can take a piece of land and artificially slope it in a way that any water falling in this catchment area runs into a well in the centre or a side of the land.

Dams induce severe floods

Each year, floods, to greater or lesser degree, affect about 7.5 million hectares in India, a little over two per cent of the country's surface area. What's more, over five times this area is considered prone to floods, caused when rivers breach their banks.

Why Hirakud dam failed to check flood

There is no sign of floods abating in Odisha. In the space of a fortnight, the number of people affected by the deluge in the Mahanadi river, the state's largest riverine system, increased from one million to 2.2 million on September 13. Two-thirds of the state's 30 districts are affected.

Flood alert in Gujarat

Even as 96 dams in Gujarat were put on high alert following heavy rainfall on the evening of September 11, many of them were full to their capacities, including the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam in Kevadia. At least 7,000 people were evacuated in August and September from different parts of the state, according to the latest reports and the Gujarat flood control department.

Rivers' fury

Narmada river in spate Photographs by: Narendra Paperwala Read also: Why floods despite dams

Rivers' fury

Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam in Kevadia is filled to its capacity Photographs by: Narendra Paperwala Read also: Why floods despite dams

Rivers' fury

Water filled Raja pada Photographs by: Irfana Qureshi from coastal Odisha and Trinath Prasad Acharya from western Odisha Read also: Why floods despite dams

Rivers' fury

People wait for relief Photographs by: Irfana Qureshi from coastal Odisha and Trinath Prasad Acharya from western Odisha Read also: Why floods despite dams

Rivers' fury

People wait for relief Photographs by: Irfana Qureshi from coastal Odisha and Trinath Prasad Acharya from western Odisha Read also: Why floods despite dams

Rivers' fury

Water filled streets in Odisha villages Photographs by: Irfana Qureshi from coastal Odisha and Trinath Prasad Acharya from western Odisha Read also: Why floods despite dams