News and Articles

Leave no household behind
Access to basic entitlements is a critical safety net for vulnerable communities. Posted on 17 Nov, 2020 08:14 AM

In the early weeks of the lockdown, we, at Hindustan Unilever Foundation, had a rather humbling epiphany. We had all the data we needed on the households that we work with in our water conservation programmes: their landholding, crop choices, yields from each season, source of water, number of water conservation structures built, amount of water saved, and so on.

Basic entitlements, a safety net for vulnerable communities (Image Source: India Water Portal Flickr photos)
Springs that sustain millions
Springs, the greenest source of water, and the strongest bulwark against climate change in the mountains are in dire need of protection. Posted on 16 Nov, 2020 01:07 PM

For a long time, villagers of Thanakasoga in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh knew about the depletion of their drinking water sources and the thirstier future they faced. “We depend on bawdis and natural springs, from where we fetched water. By 2012, our springs were dying and could hardly cater to the local demand.

Springshed management has brought the much-required difference in people's lives, as the discharge of the springs increased (Image: Kedarnathsmritivan; Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0))
A sanitation veteran leads from the front
Gyanchand Mishra has leveraged help from the urban local body and the Project Nirmal team to improve the city's sanitation chain. Posted on 11 Nov, 2020 04:00 PM

Gyanchand Mishra is 65, the veteran of many a sanitation campaign that, he says, has ended successfully. Mixing politics and activism, his long association with sanitation resulted in Dhenkanal’s first ODF Ward-3.

As a result of Gyanchand Mishra's efforts, Ward 3 of Dhenkanal became ODF in a matter of a month
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)
Embankments in Bihar: The inapt and futile defence against floods
Embankments in Bihar have failed miserably against flood protection. Take a look on these frequently asked questions (FAQs) on why they failed and what are the possible solutions to floods in Bihar? Posted on 19 Oct, 2020 06:05 PM

What is the history of floods in Bihar and why is it prone to floods?

An embankment in Madhubani after a week of repairing (Source: Santosh Yadav via IWP Flickr albums)
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
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