Rivers of India: Conservation, Management, and Challenges - India Water Portal

Rivers (Rivers and Lakes)

Hydropower expansion in Northeast India is compounding flash floods, dry spells, and rural crises instead of buffering riverine communities against climate change. (Image: Rawpixel)

When clean energy meets climate risk: The hydropower paradox along the Brahmaputra

07 Sep 2026

5 min read

Hidden mercury hotspots and toxic risks beneath Sabarmati Riverfront's concrete banks. (Image: Tarun, Wikimedia Commons)

Mercury in the shadows: The hidden story behind India's Sabarmati riverfront

29 Jul 2026

8 min read

The Yamuna River no longer reliably delivers essential ecosystem services

Can the Yamuna survive land-use change? Unchecked urban growth pushes Delhi's river to the brink

10 Jul 2026

8 min read

Communities in AP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka braved the summer heat to stand up for river stewardship.

Walking with rivers: How communities across India are reconnecting with freshwater ecosystems

Pallavi Srivastava

26 Jun 2026

6 min read

A complex eight-habitat ecosystem was replaced with a rigid concrete channel that prioritizes urban aesthetics over hydrological health.

Gomti Riverfront project: The hidden environmental price of Lucknow’s waterfront makeover

23 May 2026

8 min read

Shailaja Deshpande, Founder Director Jeevitnadi.

In conversation with Shailaja Deshpande, Jeevitnadi: Rethinking Pune’s Riverfront Development

Aarti Kelkar Khambete

24 Apr 2026

9 min read

Untreated wastewater from drains creates localized pollution hotspots

Mapping pollution: Why Patna’s drains hold the key to cleaning the Ganga

11 Apr 2026

6 min read

Gomukh, the glacier considered to be the primary source of the Ganges in the Indian Himalayas.

Rethinking a river in crisis: A book review of the Heads and Tails of the Ganga

Aarti Kelkar Khambete

03 Apr 2026

9 min read

The Mahanadi at Chhattisgarh.

India’s sinking river deltas signal rising flood risks for millions along the coast

Aarti Kelkar Khambete

27 Feb 2026

6 min read

The Turtle Sanctuary, located on the banks of the Ganges River in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, is a biodiversity hotspot. It is the country's only freshwater turtle sanctuary, relocated from Varanasi, and serves as a breeding ground for rare turtles.

Unchecked sand mining activity in Mirzapur, puts rare turtle habitat at risk along the Ganga river

Brijendra Dubey

20 Feb 2026

9 min read

Kharun river at Mahadev Ghat, Raipur

Kharun River Basin: Machine learning warns of rising floods and falling water security

18 Feb 2026

6 min read

The future of this micro-economy is intimately tied to the ecological health and cultural centrality of the river itself. Efforts to clean the Godavari, regulate effluent, and maintain safe, accessible ghats are not just environmental or heritage projects – they are, in a very real sense, livelihood protection measures.

How the Godavari at Panchavati sustains Nashik’s sacred economy of priests, pilgrims, and vendors

07 Jan 2026

12 min read

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