Brahmaputra floods to worsen due to climate change

The mighty Brahmaputra river begins in a Tibetan glacier and flows through the eastern Himalayas in India’s north-east and later Bangladesh before pouring out into the Bay of Bengal.  The trans-boundary river has the world’s highest specific discharge. Devastating floods are an annual feature, bringing in their wake, death and destruction. Worse is to come, report scientists who modeled how the river will flood in the coming decade. The flood volume will increase, and so will the flood ‘peak’ or the maximum height to which a flood wave will rise. This means more areas will be inundated, spelling disaster for poor farmers in low-lying areas. Read my full report ‘Beware Assam’ in Telegraph KnowHow http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150727/jsp/knowhow/story_33765.jsp

Virtual water trade: India loses, China gains

The concept of virtual water trade is a bit complicated, I admit. Its the water used or embedded in producing a commodity, which translates into the amount of unseen or virtual water that goes out with export of the product; and or comes in through imports.

Using that yardstick, India is losing water, while China has been smarter in gaining water, through their individual food trade policies, says recent research from India. Here’s my report in Third Pole Net, based on the research from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Fourth Paradigm Institute.

http://www.thethirdpole.net/india-loses-and-china-gains-water-through-food-trade/

It says food exports are running India dry, while China is conserving its water supply by importing water-intensive crops such as soya.

What’s your view .. can India improve its virtual water footprint?