-Livemint.com Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, whose report on Western Ghats was rejected by the Kerala government, on what caused the Kerala floods and how the rebuilding process should be carried out Ernakulam (Kerala): Submitted seven years ago on 31 August 2011, ecologist Madhav Gadgil’s report on the biodiverse Western Ghats—a portion of which falls in Kerala—had warned that the combination of massive ecological destruction and extreme weather events trigger disaster. His words proved...

-The Hindu Floods often wash away rich, weathered soil. Rehabilitation programmes must consider this loss As the rains abate in Kerala and parts of Kodagu district in Karnataka, the loss of lives and the devastation of infrastructure and crops is apparent. However, as rebuilding is planned, what is often ignored is the soil that has been washed away. While roads and houses will be rebuilt, and crop losses compensated partially through insurance,...

-Firstpost.com India's two Northeastern states, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, have been put on a flood high alert after upper riparian state China alerted India on Thursday about the rising Water levels in Tsangpo river. Tsangpo, which enters India through Arunachal Pradesh is known as the Siang river in the state. Further downstream, Siang river joins Lohit and Dibang rivers to form the Brahmaputra in Assam. Thus, a spate in the Chinese river...

-TheWire.in Organised by the All India Kisan Sabha, the farmers' and workers' demands range from an upward revision of minimum wages to remunerative prices for peasants. New Delhi: On August 29, Vijoo Krishnan, joint secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), was nervous. He reached the Ramlila Maidan in the evening and found it almost entirely submerged under Water due to consistent rainfall and poor drainage mechanisms. “I thought to myself,...

-The Hindu There should be space for greater storage of Water in reservoirs before the onset of monsoon In the aftermath of any tragedy, people struggle to comprehend what happened and how to cope. Kerala is no different. With the floodWaters finally receding, a number of experts and politicians have stated various possible reasons for the tragedy. Some have cited ill-thought-out development plans that have affected the sustainability of the Western Ghats,...