Wahid Bhat

1 week ago | groundreport.in | Wahid Bhat

Heatwaves and dry spells are becoming more intense and frequent in parts of Madhya Pradesh. A new scientific study says the state is entering a climate crisis, and delayed action could threaten water, farming, and rural life. In northern MP, districts like Bhind, Morena, and Gwalior are feeling the heat. Eastern regions—Sidhi, Shahdol, and Satna- are also at serious risk. These areas are seeing less rain during the monsoon and higher temperatures year-round. The signs are already visible.

3 weeks ago | groundreport.in | Wahid Bhat

As you enter the city of Bhopal through the road that connects it to the airport, a lake, literally called Bada Talaab (big lake), welcomes you. Bhopal, one of the few cities ruled by four female rulers in the past, is also known as the city of lakes. A magnificent 5 km road called the VIP Road was built in the early 1990s to save the lake under the Bhoj Wetland Project. I have driven on this road several times, mesmerised by the great immensity of the lake.

1 month ago | groundreport.in | Wahid Bhat

Every morning at 7:30, when Ashapuri High School—30 kilometers from Bhopal— starts its day, 15-year-old Deeksha Chaudhary arrives on foot. She sets out early from her home in Rasalpur village, 3 kilometers away. A bicycle, provided under a government scheme, leans rusting and unused at home. The path she takes is familiar but never easy—especially under the harsh April sun. She studies in class 10. In the heat, the concrete classrooms feel like ovens.

2 months ago | groundreport.in | Wahid Bhat

The air in Madhya Pradesh is thick with smoke from burning fields. In districts like Vidisha, Hoshangabad, Ujjain, and Indore, farmers are setting fire to their crop residue to clear land for the next harvest. This year, the state recorded 17,534 stubble-burning incidents, with Indore ranking fifth in the state, according to the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS), under the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, reported.

2 months ago | groundreport.in | Wahid Bhat

Hariram Katare, a small- scale farmer from Hiraniya village in Raisen District, which is part of Bhopal Division of Madhya Pradesh, faces the harsh realities of farming that includes lack of adequate irrigation facilities. He worships the rain gods and prays with an unwavering hope for a good monsoon. His livelihood depends entirely on the one thing beyond his control— rainwater that helps irrigate his fields. Hariram belongs to the Bhilala tribe, a group within the .