Climate Change & Civil Society
Case Studies
The volunteer group that became a model for citizen-led environmental action in Chennai
How "Chitlapakkam Rising" combined science, community, and collaboration to reduce flood risk
How 'Chitlapakkam Rising' combined technical expertise with sustained community organising — from weekly clean-up drives to a government-funded cut-and-cover drain — to keep the locality flood-free during Cyclone Michau…
The Flood that changed a suburb in Chennai
How local residents became climate responders in Medavakkam
How repeated flooding around Medavakkam Periya Eri turned residents like Arjun Shankar into citizen climate responders — leading postcard campaigns, citizen audits, and RTIs to push for lake restoration and flood mitiga…
Strengthening Climate Resilience among Fisherwomen in Kanyakumari
How the Organisation for Community Development (OCD) is building climate resilient
coastal communities in the district
OCD, led by Executive Secretary S Daniboy Virgit, has worked for decades among Kanyakumari's indigenous Mukkuvar fishing communities — organising thousands of fisherwomen into self-help groups, protecting nearly 100 hec…
Jadav Payeng, often called the “Forest Man of India,” spent roughly four decades planting trees on a barren sandbar along the Brahmaputra River in Assam
What began as a personal effort to restore damaged land slowly grew into a vast green expanse of about 1,360 acres, now known as Molai Forest
Jadav Payeng, often called the "Forest Man of India," spent roughly four decades planting trees on a barren sandbar along the Brahmaputra River in Assam. What began as a personal effort to restore damaged land grew into…
A Community in Crisis Combats Drought with Resilient Solutions
How women leaders in Sri Lanka’s Monaragala district build resilient solutions against drought and land degradation
In villages facing five months of annual drought, the Uva Wellassa Women's Organisation introduced soil ridges, native reforestation with Kumbuk and Mee trees, drip irrigation, and organic farming — transforming hardshi…
Heatwaves and a Hospital Ward
How a government hospital in Chhattisgarh adapt to climate-linked health emergencies
Dr. Ashishan Kumar Minj, Chief Surgeon at Durg district hospital, describes a dedicated "loo prabandhan" ward with ice-making equipment and immersion baths — infrastructure built specifically to manage the rising surge …
Women holding communities together
How a NGO in Chhattisgarh pursue grassroots activism and address the invisible gendered burden of climate vulnerability
Nidhi Chandrakar, women's NGO founder and grassroots social worker, describes how climate disruptions intensify responsibilities placed on women — and how seed ball initiatives, organic craft programmes, and social empo…
When the fields burn before harvest
How a farming family in India’s Chhattisgarh state address rising temperatures, crop loss, and the uncertainty of survival in climate-sensitive agriculture
In a village near Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, farmer Rameshwari Kamdi and her husband describe how extreme heat has devastated their crops, burning bhindi, onions, and seasonal vegetables before harvest despite daily wateri…