Rajasthan

Is traditional wisdom key to combating climate change?
Farmers have been known to observe the movement of ants and butterflies to forecast rainfall. Do such indigenous practices hold the key to addressing climate change issues? Posted on 15 Feb, 2016 09:55 PM

Erratic rainfall, heavy storms, extreme weather and droughts are some of the major impacts of climate changes. Though it affects everyone, certain sections of society, like indigenous people who live closer to the natural environment, are in fact more vulnerable to these variations.

A woman draws water from a 'taanka' in Rajasthan (Source: Wikipedia)
Water vending machines: How equitable are they?
Water ATMs have been in use in India for a decade but who are they helping and are they fulfilling their objective, which is to provide safe and clean drinking water to the poor at a low cost? Posted on 05 Dec, 2015 02:34 PM

A water ATM, as the name implies, is a sort of a water vending machine similar to bank ATMs except that in a water ATM, money goes in to the machine in return for water. These machines, which run on a cash as well as a prepaid card or smart card system are built, owned and operated by private companies that have rights over public resources such as land and water.

Water vending machines at work (Source:Sarvajal)
Saaf Mathe Ka Samaaj: A treasure of essays on life and water
In our blind pursuit of progress, has the equation between man and nature been lost? Anupam Mishra talks about people, the environment and the mislaid empathy between the two. Posted on 19 Nov, 2015 01:04 PM

Saaf Mathe Ka Samaaj’ is a compilation of 23 essays on people, land, air and water, on issues and concerns that plague them, and the deep and direct connect between society and the environment they live in. Anupam Mishra is a simple, down to earth man and a true Gandhian.

Saaf mathe ka samaaj': Essays by Anupam Mishra (Source: Anupam Mishra)
Intersectoral water allocation and conflicts
This study on water allocation from Rajsamand Lake in Rajasthan reveals that current law & policy frameworks are underdeveloped & do not address concerns on equitable allocation of water among users. Posted on 17 Nov, 2015 05:28 PM

Besides water scarcity, allocation of water has become an important concern in India over the last few decades.

Water must be equitably distributed (Source: India Water Portal)
Srinagar's Dal Lake shrinks by 36% in the last 37 years
News this week Posted on 26 Oct, 2015 09:43 PM

Study shows half of Srinagar's water bodies have disappeared in the past century

Dal Lake in Srinagar (Source: McKay Savage via Wikipedia)
A pond comes to life
Hundreds of villagers pitched in to revive a village pond at Bapugaon, a village in Rajasthan, to make it water and food secure. Posted on 22 Sep, 2015 10:42 AM

It had not rained for awhile and the tiny cracks in the earth in Bapugaon were opening up. This little village in Chaksu tehsil of Jaipur was yet again faced with a drought in the mid 1980s. The situation was aggravated in 1986 when the river Dhund, an important water source for Bapugaon, went dry. Since then, both the quantity and quality of water started deteriorating.

More than just physical rehabilitation of a water body, says Kalyan ji of Bapugaon
Water guards of Rajasthan
Taankas are trusted allies in the harsh weather of Rajasthan, but the focus is shifting now onto personal assets rather than community resources. Posted on 20 Sep, 2015 07:29 PM

We were driving down the long desert road that runs parallel to the Indo-Pakistan border in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. There was little else to see except the surrounding sand dunes and desert grass.

A taanka in the Thar desert
Godavari, Krishna rivers are interlinked
News this week Posted on 14 Sep, 2015 10:21 PM

Godavari, Krishna rivers interlinked

Prakasam Barrage across Krishna river (Source: Subhash Chandra via Wikipedia)
Bisalpur revisited--10 years after protesters were shot, killing 5
Despite many plans, neither rural nor urban are water secure thanks to the Bisalpur Dam since it was constructed in 2007. Posted on 10 Sep, 2015 01:20 PM

Ten years ago five farmers were shot protesting the diversion of waters from Bisalpur dam to Jaipur city, located about 130 kms away.

Kisan Sewa Samiti, Chaksu struggling for drinking water allocation from Bisalpur dam (Source: CECODECON)
Rajasthan's micro saviours need macro plans
North Rajasthan is making good use of subsidies for micro irrigation and solar water pumps but can this sustain? Posted on 28 Aug, 2015 09:49 PM

As we leave behind the smooth, straight drive of NH 89 and take a dirt path that whirls around a few miles of undulating desert grassland, we end at a large patch of emerald green which looks outlandish. “The reason for such a spectacle in these harsh conditions lies close to the ground,” says Ravinder Chhabra, my local guide in Bikaner.

Farmer Sunil Bishnoi has seen a five times rise in income from his farm thanks to drip irrigation.
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