Yellow-wattled Lapwing

The yellow-wattled lapwing is almost of the same size as the more common and noisy red-wattled lapwing, but can identified from its black-capped head, brownish-gray throat and chest. 

Its abdomen parts are white below the throat and chest. Sexes are alike.

As the name suggests, it also has a yellow wattle (portions of flesh) surrounding the base of its beak.

It inhabits dry grassland and open country and has food habits similar to that of the red-wattled lapwing, picking up insects and grass-hoppers with its long beak. However, in comparison, it has no preference to be in the vicinity of water bodies and is much quieter. 

Drought in Maharashtra

The deficient rainfall last year has lead to a severe drought in the state of Maharashtra. The rivers and dams all over central and southern Maharashtra are in dire straits, with several of them running dry and many more with almost no usable levels of water. We are once again witness to the harm that is the result of deforestation and indiscriminate use of water for cash crops like sugarcane.

Water deficiency can be overcome by adopting rain water harvesting and recycling on a large scale. Techniques for recycling domestic waste water, especially water from the kitchen, are available and can be implemented at very low costs for reducing fresh water consumption. 

However, this can only be achieved by making water conservation requirements mandatory and binding for all domestic, commercial and industrial organizations, and with the active intervention of the authorities.

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