Political

Playing the soil health card
Is the soil health card scheme introduced to improve the economic condition of the farmers by bettering the health of the soil effective? Posted on 01 Aug, 2017 11:49 AM

Decades of skating over environmental concerns have clearly cost us dear. The folly of pursuing better crop yields using chemical fertilisers in an indiscriminate manner has been surfacing lately. “Decades of agricultural abuse using fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides have taken its toll on us.

The electrical conductivity of a diluted soil sample is being tested as a measure of soil salinity. (Image:CSIRO, Wikimedia Commons; CC Attribution 3.0 Unported)
How a poor labourer became a rich farmer
A video tells the story of a poor farmer who, through effective water conservation methods, became rich and a role model to other villagers. Posted on 27 Jul, 2017 07:59 PM

Vasant Baburao Parkale, a 52-year-old farmer, has become a role model for many farmers in the drought-prone Marathwada region. His determination and the will to excel in life have helped him to transform his dreams into reality.

Vasantrao Parkale (Source: India Water Portal)
Is your child’s shit affecting your health?
Considering children’s faeces can be more harmful than that of adults in some cases, better management is needed to avoid diseases. Posted on 27 Jul, 2017 02:21 PM

It was September 2008. It took me almost two-and-a-half hours to reach G-plot, one of the remotest islands among the deltoid labyrinth of Sundarbans. My colleague, a native of G-plot, was waiting to receive me at the jetty.

The management of children's faeces is not given importance resulting in many diseases. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Accessing clean water easily
An innovation makes it possible to treat water even before it leaves a hand pump or a borewell, giving easy access to safe water in remote areas. Posted on 26 Jul, 2017 12:20 PM

The United Nations, in its sustainable development goals (SDGs), has earmarked 2030 as the year by which universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all is to be achieved.

Faecal contamination of water is a big issue in rural areas. (Source: Taraltec)
Maharashtra mandates drip irrigation for sugarcane
Policy matters this week Posted on 25 Jul, 2017 04:32 PM

Maharashtra cabinet decides on drip irrigation for sugarcane cultivation 

A sugarcane farm (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Only a few large dams have disaster plans: CAG report
News this week Posted on 25 Jul, 2017 04:07 PM

Out of 4,862 large dams in the country, only 349 have disaster plans in place: CAG report

Floodwaters unsettle Muzaffarpur. (Source: IWP FLickr photos)
What ails Indian farmers
A study finds faulty agricultural policies and practices and not just indebtedness to blame for rising suicides among farmers. Posted on 24 Jul, 2017 08:03 PM

Over the last few months, we saw protests by distressed farmers of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and other states over farming crisis and farmer suicides.

Loans are not the only reason for farmers' distress. (Source: India Water Portal)
‘Recycling is the answer to India’s water woes’
Water expert Dr Sharad Jain believes that unless India adopts recycling of water in an organised manner, the country will soon become water scarce. Posted on 22 Jul, 2017 09:55 AM

The per capita availability of water in India is going down progressively and the situation may become precarious unless the country takes measures like the recycling of water in an organised manner, warns Dr Sharad Jain, director gener

Recycling of water is the way forward. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
The Little Rann of Kutch
The Little Rann of Kutch is under threat. The video tells us how investing in nature can reverse this impending crisis. Posted on 19 Jul, 2017 03:13 PM

How often does one get to experience a terrain that is as dramatically transformative as The Little Rann of Kutch? With changing seasons, it adorns itself with different landscapes, thus, completely shifting shape, its functions and appeal. 

The Little Rann of Kutch (Image source: India Water Portal)
SC strict over wetland preservation
Policy matters this week Posted on 18 Jul, 2017 01:02 PM

Supreme Court pulls Centre over preservation of wetlands

Deepor Beel in Assam (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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