Climate change is impacting the world. It is the poorest who suffer the most. Yet often rural Indians are leading the way in sustainable advances and trialling schemes that – if rolled out on a macro scale – can create real change in the environment.
Environment
How one woman became the water guardian of a Gujarat village
Payal Ben Vikram Bhai Patel, a ‘bhujal jankar’ in Bhunav, Gujarat, is transforming her village through grassroots water conservation efforts. Overcoming challenges, she educates and empowers her community to secure a sustainable water future.
Hanging solar fences mitigate human-elephant conflicts in Kerala
As traditional methods of beating drums, digging trenches and building concrete walls proved ineffective in reducing human-animal interactions, Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department has installed hanging solar fences that deter elephants from entering villages.
Ex-poacher turns messiah for the Royal Bengal tiger
An ex-poacher’s conservation efforts help mitigate the human-animal conflict in the Sundarbans.
Women come to mangrove rescue in the Sundarbans
An all-woman group creates a mangrove forest in the Sundarbans to save it from climate disasters.
Combating desertification and drought in Chhattisgarh
This initiative of Transform Rural India and Hindustan Unilever Foundation is working to restore land and water ecosystems in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh by layering scientific principles while planning and executing local development plans.
Flood-prone Assam village sees hope with terra water filters
In the flood-prone Barak valley of southern Assam, where monsoon floods often leave villagers without clean drinking water, terra filters installed by a non-governmental organisation have become a lifeline.
Can India curb its agricultural greenhouse gas emissions?
With a majority of farmers practising traditional agriculture which results in considerable greenhouse gas emissions, it’s time to switch to eco-friendly farming that ensures food security and prevents environmental degradation.
Meet India’s youth climate activists with rural roots
This World Environment Day, Village Square speaks to youth activists with rural roots who are working towards climate literacy, climate change mitigation, flora and fauna conservation, river protection and preserving traditional knowledge in sensitive ecosystems.
‘Even small ponds make a big difference’
It’s not just us but also our water bodies that are parched today. And community-driven water conservation is the need of the hour for rural empowerment and environmental sustainability, says Maulik Sisodia, executive director, Tarun Bharat Sangh.