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India will experience higher than normal number of heatwaves in the next two months
The April-June summer season will be hotter than normal over most parts of India and will experience above normal day and night temperatures this year, warns the India Metereological Department.
The states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Western Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and northern parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will be experience higher number of heatwaves with the Eastern regions expected to experience the highest - upto 10-11 heatwaves during April to June this year.
Elevated temperatures can pose significant risks to the health of vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, those with preexisting health conditions. Extreme heat can also put a strain on the infrastructure such as power grids and transportation systems. The IMD has appealed to the local authorities to implement anticipatory actions based on existing guidelines and heat action plans (The Times of India)
India to receive higher than normal rainfall this year
India is expected to have above normal rainfall during the south west monsoon season this year with the exception of the Northeast, which will continue to see dry days according to the Long Range Forecast (LRF) issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on April 15, 2025.
The excessive rainfall could be because of less than normal snow cover over Eurasia and in the Northern Hemisphere. The other reasons include the lack of development of El Niño in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) in the Indian Ocean. The El Niño and IOD are associated with lower rainfall during the south west monsoon season. The south west monsoon season may yield 105 percent of the long period average (LPA) rainfall for India from June to September 2025. (Down To Earth)
Small scale fishers in India demand a framework for fair fisheries
Small scale fishers in India are demanding the formal recognition of Fishers’ rights by arguing that a legal framework would help in recognition of the existing customary rights of fishers in marine waters by the state.
These rights imply the need for formal recognition through legislation enacted by Parliament and state legislatures, effectively making them constitutional. Such legal recognition would prioritise the protection of fishing activities over coastal development projects that may be hostile to the interests of small-scale fishers.
Fishers across coastal states in India are facing a number of challenges from climate change, rising sea-levels, declining fish catch, eroding coastlines, a crumbling social security net, rising debts to the escalating demands for large scale infrastructure projects threatening their livelihoods (Mongabay, India).
Adivasis in Jharkhand fight to protect their sacred groves
Adivasis in Jharkhand are protesting against the recently completed construction of a ramp of the Siram Toli-Meccon flyover project in the Siram Toli area that will span more than two kilometres, and claims to reduce traffic congestion in the rapidly growing city. However, the end of the ramp is situated very close to the Kendriya Sarna Sthal, or central sacred grove, that holds immense social and cultural value to them.
In 2022, the state’s welfare department took up a beautification plan that included the construction of a building and a stage in the grove that encroached upon 1,300 square feet area of the grove to make space for the flyover. Now, with the ramp’s construction, the Adivasi community fears that traffic will enter Siram Toli in front of the grove and shrink the space around it.
The community fears that this would start the destruction of many such sacred groves in the state that are facing the risk of encroachment. The groves are not only a central aspect of the faith, culture and way of life of the state’s Adivasis, but also symbols of the community’s deep social and cultural ties with the environment (The Scroll).
Climate change is greening the Thar desert: Study
India's Thar Desert has become 38 percent greener over the past 20 years because of climate change and agricultural expansion, reveals a new study. Climate change is leading to increasing monsoon precipitation (a 64 percent rise) in the region leading to increased water and energy availability leading to an increase in crop yields. Thus the number of people living in the desert is now increasing.
The greening has also to do with availability of irrigation infrastructure in the region that is has helped people use groundwater to the surface outside of the monsoon season.
However, the resources need to be managed sustainably in the long run, warn the authors of the study. Attention needs to be paid to sustainable water management practices, drought-resistant crops, adaptations to rising heat and renewable energy for future development in the Thar Desert (LIVESCIENCE).
A drone based study evaluates the impact of farm ponds on farmer's incomes
A first-of-its-kind initiative that maps 103 farm ponds in Bandlapalle village in Ananatapur district of Andhra Pradesh with the help of drones is providing useful insights in the assessment and rejuvenation of water bodies across India.
Scientists of Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), have used drones to survey, map and calculate the volume of water stored in these ponds and its impact on farmers’ income. These water bodies were built in 2017-18 under the central government’s rural employment scheme, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The study found that these commons hold 27,810.30 cubic metres of water in Bandlapalle and can irrigate 25 hectares of paddy and 62 hectares of groundnut based on the calculations of water requirements for these crops. The study calculated the impact of irrigating fields using water from farm ponds and found that it translated into an additional income of Rs 500,600 for paddy and Rs 1,034,880 for groundnut for farmers in the region (Down To Earth).
This is a roundup of news updates from the April 1, 2025 to April 15, 2025. Read our policy updates here.