Political

Mining Bill passed in Rajya Sabha
Policy matters this week Posted on 23 Mar, 2015 09:12 PM

Rajya Sabha passes the Mining Bill

Inside Dalli Rajarah mines
Water Man of India wins 2015 Stockholm Water Prize
News this week Posted on 23 Mar, 2015 09:04 PM

Rajendra Singh is the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate

The Water Man of India (Source: SIWI)
Punjab's groundwater crisis: A bye product of the govt's short sighted policies?
As long as electricity is improperly priced and farmers get the MSP for rice, they will not take up maize cultivation. This will lead to further deterioration of groundwater. Posted on 23 Mar, 2015 05:26 PM

Punjab has made great progress in grain production following the technological revolution in agriculture in the 1960s. The state achieved this through subsidised use of high yielding variety seeds, fertilisers and irrigation.

Farmer in Punjab (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Cursed by greed: The Falgu river
The Falgu river, supposedly cursed by Sita to run below the ground, is today threatened by encroachment and pollution. Can she be saved by her defenders? Posted on 23 Mar, 2015 04:32 PM

The story of the Falgu is one of greed. Unlike most other rivers, the Falgu is not just a victim of greed, but also an oppressor -- she oppressed none other than Sita herself as she flowed through Gaya in Bihar.

The story

People gather around a chua in the Falgu
More than just 'a' day for water
The theme for World Water Day 2015 is 'Water and Sustainable Development'. The stories compiled here highlight the efforts of people and organisations who focus on this theme everyday. Posted on 22 Mar, 2015 10:48 AM

Come March and it's that time of the year again -- spring cleaning! On March 22, 2015, this takes on a slightly different meaning to some as it becomes a day to spring clean our attitudes towards water for yet another year. World Water Day looms large and with it, the current year's focus.

World Water Day 2015
Invite to the workshop on Participatory Groundwater Management (PGWM), People's Science Insititute, Guwahati, Assam
PSI is planning to organize a workshop in the northeastern region to promote the practice of PGWM and enhance the sustainable and equitable use of local GW resources.
Posted on 21 Mar, 2015 03:56 PM

People’s Science Institute is organizing a northeast regional workshop to discuss PGWM concepts and practice with representatives of the departments of Land Resources, Forests, Agriculture, Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation, SLNAs, CGWB, members of PRIs and civil society organizations, researchers and educators

A speed limit on river use
"People tend to ask what (revenue in dollars) water for environmental flows is going to generate. That's not the question you should be asking", says Professor Jay O'Keeffe in an interview with IWP. Posted on 21 Mar, 2015 01:08 PM

Professor Jay O'Keeffe is well-known to all those who are interested in the concept of environmental flow releases. The Professor has been involved in this, all over the world, since the seventies.

The Ganga at sunset
Invite to the 9th training workshop on Participatory Groundwater Management (PGWM), People’s Science Institute, Dehradoon, Uttarakhand
The aim of this training workshop is to train local development workers and community based activists/organizations in the concept of PGWM.
Posted on 20 Mar, 2015 10:22 PM

People’s Science Institute is organizing its ninth 15 days training workshop on participatory groundwater management under Arghyam’s sponsorship from June 9-23, 2015 in Dehra Doon.

Righting an insanitary wrong
Indian citizens are campaigning for a justiciable right to water and sanitation. Mamata Dash of WaterAid speaks to IWP about the right and its importance. Posted on 20 Mar, 2015 10:25 AM

SOPPECOM and Water Aid have been working for the last three years on the right to water and sanitation. They have engaged in consultations with people across the nation, and used these discussions to articulate their campaign demands. The campaign has also come up with a wealth of resources on the topic but what does this right to sanitation entail? Mamata Dash explains.

A ragpicker sorts through garbage
Can Madurai's dying tanks be revived?
Yes, say the authors, but not before these tanks are recognized in a manner befitting their past glory: as prized resources that provided water to the city even though it had no perennial rivers. Posted on 19 Mar, 2015 09:34 PM

Madurai, Tamil Nadu's second largest city, is now filled with buildings and roads which are eating into its age old network of tanks and canals. This change did not happen overnight. It began in the late 19th century by the British when they merged several hamlets to establish their headquarters in the region.

A tank on the outskirts of Madurai, Tamil Nadu
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