Water, People, and Culture - India Water Portal

People and Culture

Modern infrastructure, like this power pylon, now stands over the rice fields, a sign of the pressures facing traditional farming.

Kashmir’s rice fields are disappearing, and so are its farming traditions

08 Nov 2025

9 min read

Farming on the riverbanks of Betwa River

Where sand shifts and rivers flow, life adapts across India’s changing lands

08 Nov 2025

7 min read

As the sun sets over the Bagmati, the ghats of Bihar come alive with women singing, children playing, and the riverbank turning into a carnival of faith and joy.

People and Culture

Chhath puja: When rivers become temples of light and faith

Sharat Chandra prasad

04 Nov 2025

6 min read

The terraced fields of Kashmir hold drying bundles of rice. The sun casts shadows on the mountains, while the valley glows with the season’s work.

Harud: When Autumn turns Kashmir’s fields to gold

28 Oct 2025

5 min read

The land that remained unsubmerged after the dam was built has now transformed into an island, becoming a key tourist attraction of Dumboor Lake.

Dumboor lake: When fields sank and farmers became fishers in Tripura

10 Oct 2025

8 min read

Fishermen of Kabartal taking tourists around in the remaining waters of the lake.

Rivers and Lakes

Who has the right to Kabartal? Bihar’s Kanwar lake is shrinking under caste-based influence

22 Sep 2025

7 min read

Amit Godse, a Pune based bee conservationist

Buzzing Back To Life: An interview with Amit Godse, India’s bee rescuer

Aarti Kelkar Khambete

19 Sep 2025

10 min read

Boats line the banks of the Jhelum River as workers prepare to collect sand, a common practice in Kashmir despite restrictions on riverbed mining.

Rivers and Lakes

Kashmir’s Rivers Run Dry: How Mining Threatens Farmers and Ecosystems

07 Sep 2025

6 min read

Flash floods in Uttarakhand

Cloudbursts, landslides, and floods: Why Uttarakhand’s fragile Himalayas are breaking under pressure

30 Aug 2025

5 min read

Ziro valley's rice farming

Fish, fields, and feminism: How Apatani women sustain Ziro’s aquaculture in Arunachal Pradesh

22 Aug 2025

5 min read

Arun Sahni displays his first catch of the day on the banks of the Bagmati River in Hayaghat, Darbhanga, Bihar. The early morning light reflects off the water as he begins another day of traditional fishing.

People and Culture

On the banks of Bagmati River: Bihar’s forgotten fisherfolk

Sharat Chandra prasad

30 Jun 2025

9 min read

Tiny, sticky mahua flowers cling to Kunti’s hands — a sweet reward from the forest.

People and Culture

Gathering Mahua: A seasonal flower, a perennial lifeline for the adivasis in Central India

Balkishan Kaumarya

10 May 2025

7 min read

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