Correct estimation of soil loss at catchment level helps the land and water resources planners to identify priority areas for soil conservation measures. Soil erosion is one of the major hazards affected by the climate change, particularly the increasing intensity of rainfall resulted in increasing erosion, apart from other factors like landuse change. Changes in climate have an adverse effect with increasing rainfall. It has caused increasing concern for modeling the future rainfall and projecting future soil erosion.

With the National Democratic Alliance government completing two years in office later this month, one of its prominent pre-poll promises, of cleaning the Ganga, is likely to be officially launched

Water evaporating from the ocean sustains precipitation on land. This ocean-to-land moisture transport leaves an imprint on sea surface salinity (SSS). Thus, the question arises of whether variations in SSS can provide insight into terrestrial precipitation. This study provides evidence that springtime SSS in the subtropical North Atlantic ocean can be used as a predictor of terrestrial precipitation during the subsequent summer monsoon in Africa.

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The groundwater table has gone down from one metre to three metres in some parts of the State with the peaking of summer.

A rainwater harvesting pit - File photo. A rainwater harvesting pit

Study finds that spurt in coal use in Asian countries could weaken monsoon systems

Samvatsar (Ahmednagar): People in Samvatsar and surrounding drought-hit villages in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar have been forced to illegally dig wells in the dry Godavari riverbed for water.

Next forecast in June; eases fears over farm and and economic growth after two straight droughts

Many urban areas experience both fluvial and pluvial floods, because locations next to rivers are preferred settlement areas and the predominantly sealed urban surface prevents infiltration and facilitates surface inundation. The latter problem is enhanced in cities with insufficient or non-existent sewer systems. While there are a number of approaches to analyse either a fluvial or pluvial flood hazard, studies of a combined fluvial and pluvial flood hazard are hardly available.

There has been no significant change in the knowledge-base and institutional structure for managing water systems since colonial rule. This makes the recent efforts of the Ministry of Water Resources for restructuring the Central Water Commission and the Central Ground Water Board significant. This article argues that the effort should be backed by interdisciplinary studies that see surface water and groundwater as ecologically connected.

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