India

Breaking down data silos in the water sector
The National Hydrology Project has created a national platform for water data and is working to enhance the technical capacities of agencies dealing with water resources management. Posted on 08 Nov, 2020 08:48 PM

In support of the Digital India Initiative, the National Hydrology Project (NHP) is translating the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Government of India’s (GoI) vision to create a “one water, one data platform” for the country.

Breakthrough cloud computing facilities and remote sensing applications have helped showthe filling pattern of a water body (tank or reservoir) through freely available satellite imagery at an interval of five days.  (Image: Maithan dam, Wikimedia Commons)
What India needs for effective waste management in times of the pandemic
The pandemic has exposed the flaws in our waste management system. Posted on 04 Nov, 2020 08:35 PM

 

Image: Roksana Helscher, Pixabay
Creating a repository for India’s water resources data
WRIS provides a comprehensive, authoritative and consistent data on India’s water resources in a standardised national GIS framework. Posted on 29 Oct, 2020 11:08 AM

Water, a scarce natural resource fundamental to life, livelihood, food security and sustainable development is required in every sector i.e. domestic, agricultural, industrial and environmental. Its source is precipitation, the usual forms being rainfall, snowfall etc. These in turn build surface and groundwater resources in the form of rivers, lakes, ponds, glaciers, groundwater etc.

Remoteness of the observation sites poses a challenge in setting up the data collection instrument (Image: Pxfuel)
India Rivers Week 2020: Is sand mining killing our rivers?
India Rivers Forum is organizing a series of dialogues (digitally) with a focus on the theme: “Is sand mining killing our rivers?”.
Posted on 24 Oct, 2020 03:19 PM

As part of India Rivers Week celebrations in 2020, India Rivers Forum is organizing a series of Dialogues (digitally) with a focus on the theme: “Is sand mining killing our rivers?”.

This includes four regional dialogues focusing on East (including North East), West, North and South India, and the final one focusing on Sand Mining as a National issue. 

Generating demand for sanitation infrastructure
How to steer conversations and processes that help boost the motivation of community leaders to encourage better sanitation behaviour? Posted on 19 Oct, 2020 02:06 PM

Radharamanpada is an unauthorised slum in Angul with 300 houses. The president of the slum sanitation committee Janaki Sahu, a 28-year-old mother of four, runs a street food stall on the main road. There are seven women in the committee of eleven, working on sanitation solution for populations that remain underserved.

Project Nirmal uses appropriate communication inputs that help generate awareness about the impact of poor containment, collection, transportation and treatment systems on the environment among all stakeholders. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Women hold the key to dietary diversity
A study finds that women's control over income and better decisionmaking power can go a long way in improving dietary diversity and tackling malnutrition in rural India. Posted on 17 Oct, 2020 04:04 PM

Evidence world over shows that small scale agricultural production does very little to deal with malnutrition and food insecurity among rural poor.

Empowering women to improve nutritional outcomes (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Architecture of community program organisations and their data systems
A simple explanation is all you need to get your head around issues related to software technology and its use in community programs. Posted on 17 Oct, 2020 12:48 PM

Samanvay Foundation has developed a knowledgebase for leaders working in nonprofit organisations, on issues related to software technology and its use in community programs. It covers strategy, management, economics, and appropriateness of software technology.

Image courtesy: Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Data, data everywhere, but where?
Involving the community in a data framework with the right incentives will have the second-order benefit of the community becoming decision makers with respect to water use. Posted on 16 Oct, 2020 09:21 AM

A few of us did an exercise where we closed our eyes and thought of the first four words that came to our minds when we thought of water data in India. Here is what we came up with:

The seamless flow of data from one program to another can be enabled if a few principles are kept in mind (Image: José Manuel Suárez, Wikimedia Commons)
Data-driven ‘water and agriculture’ planning: The big picture
If data was better organized and available for download in more ‘user-friendly’ formats, its utilization would improve manifold. Posted on 15 Oct, 2020 06:57 PM

India is fortunate to have a rich tradition of public data collection and compilation.

The quality of our public data is highly variable, yet if analyses and interpretation are done keeping in mind some of the limitations, the datasets can be a precious resource at the meso and macro level. (Image: Pixabay)
Rapid hygiene study: Hand hygiene for COVID-19 and beyond in India
A study by WaterAid India calls for building the capacity of community networks to promote and support hygiene behaviours. Posted on 15 Oct, 2020 09:33 AM

This year, Global Handwashing Day (observed annually on October 15) is particularly significant given the COVID-19 pandemic. While vaccine trials are ongoing, protective actions such as handwashing with soap is a critical first line of defence and cost-effective public health intervention.

Effect of a behaviour-change intervention on handwashing (Image: Climate Centre)
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