News and Articles

Groundwater depletion in Punjab: Time for a major policy overhaul
The time for quick fixes is over; a comprehensive policy overhaul is urgently needed to impede the juggernaut of Punjab's groundwater depletion. Posted on 17 Jun, 2020 10:08 AM

Punjab, a small state in northwest India, derives its name from the Persian words panj (five) and ?b (water), meaning the "land of five rivers". Ironically, this state is now regularly in the news for its rapidly depleting groundwater levels.

Pumping groundwater with the energy generated from solar panels (Image: Prashanth Vishwanathan/IWMI; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Villagers in Rajasthan show resilience during national lockdown
Continuing to prepare rural communities for the most unprecedented events in Alwar. Posted on 16 Jun, 2020 09:40 AM

India’s national lockdown to curb the fast-expanding community transmission of coronavirus led to life coming to a standstill across the country. The long pause of over three months is starting to ease, and the new shift towards “normal” gives health and hygiene ultimate attention.

Repairing the school infrastructures before students return to their classrooms (Image: Sehgal Foundation)
Pollution in Ganga: Understanding culture and climate justice
Using culture as a tool to base the narratives to push the agenda of climate action. Posted on 12 Jun, 2020 10:27 AM

Climate change affects societies mainly through water – its availability, quality and quantity. Water pollution adds fuel to the fire to the effect of climate change and needs to be addressed immediately. Optimal use of water and improving the quality of available water are the need of the hour.

Blessing or Curse? It's time for you to choose! (Image: Swapnil Saundarya as part of the Save Ganga Movement (Dec, 2016) http://swapnilsaundarya.blogspot.com)
Railway stations to be categorised based on wastewater generation
Policy matters this week Posted on 11 Jun, 2020 09:08 PM

Railway stations to be classified based on wastewater generation

A wastewater treatment plant in Bengaluru (Image source: Vishwanath Srikantaiah)
Fire in Assam to have catastrophic effect on ecozones: Experts
News this week Posted on 11 Jun, 2020 09:04 PM

Fire breaks at an oil well in Assam damaging ecozones around the site

Migratory birds flock Maguri Beel, which is 500 m away from the incident site (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Battling Covid-19 in Jharkhand
While tribals in Jharkhand continue to struggle with the impacts of Covid-19, WOTR has been on the frontlines helping them cope with poverty and hunger. Posted on 11 Jun, 2020 04:07 PM

Jharkhand is a state dominated by tribal communities located in eastern part of India. Agriculture, NTFP (Non-timber forest produce) collection and daily wage laborers are the prime source of income for rural Jharkhand.

Distribution of ration to cope with the impacts of the pandemic (Image Source: WOTR)
Northeast fights Covid-19
While Northeast appears to be better off than the rest of India in the number of Covid cases, how are migrants from the North East coping? Posted on 09 Jun, 2020 11:34 PM

While Covid-19 has left many countries including India in the line of fire, the situation in India is now getting particularly alarming with the number of people infected by Covid-19 rising at a rapid pace.

Ration distribution to the migrants (Image Source: Sunbird Trust)
Need to protect the unique geological features in the Upper Ken basin
An attempt to document the geological features, water potential, and traditional wisdom around them in the Upper Ken basin. Posted on 07 Jun, 2020 12:52 PM

Kathayi, a scheduled tribe (ST) dominated village in the midst of the forested stretches of Shahnagar block in Panna district faces acute water scarcity during the 3-4 summer months. Through the government schemes, three wells and two hand pumps were installed in this 75 household village in the last 10-15 years, but most of them are dysfunctional now.

Panghata Kund in village Aloni, Panna (June 2014, after initial monsoon) (Image: Seema Ravandale)
Living through Cyclone Amphan and Covid-19: Climate change and water security
In the face of frequent cyclones and floods in the region, investment and long term planning is needed on making basic services of drinking water resilient. Posted on 07 Jun, 2020 11:33 AM

The nomenclature of cyclones and hurricanes is developed much in advance through multilateral processes in the region. The name Amphan (Sky in Thai and Akash in Bangla) was chosen from a long list of potential disasters long back.

Millions of people in India and Bangladesh lost their means of employment, food, water and homes in one go during the cyclone (Image: Srikanth Kolari/ActionAid India)
Centre approves JJM funds to Odisha and Chhattisgarh for this financial year
Policy matters this week Posted on 05 Jun, 2020 05:23 PM

Government approves Jal Jeevan Mission funds for Odisha and Chhattisgarh

Child drinks water from a tap (Image: Imal Hashemi/Taimani Films/World Bank, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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