Salem is one of the largest cities in Tamil Nadu, India. More than 1 million people live here. Piyush Manush is the convener of the Salem Citizen's Forum (SCF). SCF is an informal group, involved in protecting Salem's environment. The lake was built by the British for irrigating nearby farmlands. The lake is spread across 58 acres and used to be a major water body of the city. But gradually it became a dumpsite for Salem's municipal solid waste. In 2010 SCF took over the work of cleaning the lake. But first, they had to get rid of the garbage and then desilt the waterbody.
Mosquitos are truly dangerous. They spread diseases.
They are reponsible for outbreaks of malaria, dengue, yellow fever and filariasis.
The managment of silt washed down by the Himalyan rivers are key to mitigating flood risk in vulnerable regions across India
There are different methods to manage silt load. Soil conservation methods like crop rotation, use of organic matter, contour cultivation and restricted land use are some of the recommended methods of silt managment, especially in the catchment areas of rivers.
What tigers eat and the space they occupy protects the health of their entire ecosystem.
A one-to-one conversation with the moon helps Piu understand why the celestial object is so important for our planet
Carrying water by trains could be an emergency measure. Chennai has a strong tradition of water harvesting. But the problem is that most of these structures are either defunct or poorly maintained. Chennai which had 19 major lakes covering an area of 1130 hectares. But these waterbodies have been heavily encroached upon reducing their spread to just about 645 hectares. Its time that we understand the importance of water harvesting.
The coastal state of Maharashtra has three major rivers and several lakes, making it one of the few states in India having a vast water bank. However, most of its water bodies, including the Godavari, Krishna and Tapti rivers, are so polluted that they look like nullahs or drains. Heard about the Jayanthi and Gomati nullahs of Kolhapur? Well, according to water conservationist Rajendra Singh, they were once a water source but today we call them nullahs.
