Many rivers in India are shared resources, flowing through or between more than one province and more than one country. The combined effect of climatic stochasticity, rapid population growth and inefficient water infrastructure is increasing stress on river basin ecosystems.

Soil moisture is an important component of the hydrological

The groundwater resources of India play a major role in the irrigated agriculture. Therefore, expansion of these resources to increase agricultural production received high priority in the development programmes of the country. The area under irrigation by groundwater through wells is continuously increasing. On the contrary, contribution of canals and other sources is decreasing.

Dense plants are taking over grasslands in many areas; researchers in the U.S. Southwest are studying how they tap into water supplies--and how to keep them in check.

The Kosi river in north Bihar plains, eastern India presents a challenge in terms of long and recurring flood hazard. Despite a long history of flood control management in the basin for more than 5 decades, the river continues to bring a lot of misery through extensive flooding. This paper revisits the flooding problem in the Kosi river basin and presents an in-depth analysis of flood hydrology.

The recent Kosi megaflood, caused by a breach in the Kosi embankment in Nepal on August 18, 2008 and a sudden change in the course of the Kosi River, was one of the most significant and damaging flood events ever to hit Bihar. The Kosi disaster also ranks as one of the greatest disasters in India.