People and Organisations

The sacred springs of Sikkim
Devithans are shrouded in rituals and myths but serve as an important institution to preserve springs. While religious sentiments sometimes get in the way, development around them continues. Posted on 16 Jul, 2015 09:31 AM

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase". - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Devithan at Kolbung village, Namthang
Living rivers, dying rivers: Ganga and the river systems of Bihar
The first lecture was on the Ganges by Rama Rauta and K C Sivaramakrishnan, and the third on the river systems of Bihar--Kosi and Bagmati--by Dr. Dinesh Mishra. Posted on 10 Jul, 2015 11:11 AM

Introduction: The Ganges

The first discussion was on June 4 2011, in which Rama Rauta and K C Sivaramakrishnan shared their experiences of working with the government and people’s organisations to save the Ganga.

Kosi river, Bihar (Source:Wikipedia)
Sikkim conserves its Tsomgo lake
Residents who live near the lake, representatives from the Taxi Drivers’ & Shopkeepers' Association, Tourism Department, and the Police Department have worked together towards a common goal. Posted on 09 Jul, 2015 11:10 AM

There are about 227 lakes and wetlands in Sikkim, many of which are revered by the people as holy.

Tourists at Tsomgo Lake, Sikkim
Stained teeth, weak bones and untimely death -- all caused by contaminated water
Tale of Tapatjuri' is the story of a nondescript village in Nagaon district of Assam gripped by fluorosis -- to a degree that could scare many. Posted on 02 Jul, 2015 01:48 PM

"When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a normal person, but when I get up, I realize that I cannot walk properly. I feel like running but I cannot", laments Md. Manik Uddin. This isn't unique to just Manik. Many others of Tapatjuri village in Nagaon, Assam feel the same.

Children at Tapatjuri affected by skeletal fluorosis
First Sikkim, now Meghalaya springs hope!
6000 villages in Meghalaya depend on springs and spring-fed rivers for household water needs. Their drying up threatens water security and future growth. Now, there is some hope. Posted on 29 May, 2015 07:26 PM

Meghalaya boasts one of the rainiest places on the planet at Cherrapunjee, receiving over 11,000 mm of annual rainfall. Yet, despite all the rain, water availability remains a problem for many rural and urban communities across the State. Natural springs that have provided drinking water for generations are in crisis.

Green but water-scarce
Reminiscence by the waterside: Book review of Jeevan Leela
A collection of Kaka Kalelkar's thoughts, and snippets from his visits to rivers, ponds, tanks, pools and lakes across the country make one want to travel to these water wonders. Posted on 29 May, 2015 06:53 PM

Water touches our lives in many ways. Our childhood memories are often entwined with the rivers that we have crossed, lakes that we have seen and the ponds that we may have jumped in. In his Bharat Darshan, the author Kaka Kalelkar travels across the length and breadth of the country and takes us to many such places we may have visited but have probably forgotten about.

 Where does a river begin? Does it have an end? Why does it never stop, why does it never rest?
Abandoned dams; abandoned people
The National Green Tribunal allowed the ongoing construction on the Kanhar dam to continue despite its many illegalities. Four people who know the situation best explain why we should be disappointed. Posted on 19 May, 2015 04:07 PM

Kanhar, 1976; Polavaram 1941. These are just two of the several dam projects that were proposed decades ago but are yet to see the light of day.

We don't want dams, dams destroy  mountains' reads a slogan painted on a wall in Uttarakhand (Image Source: GJ Lingaraj)
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
A hard look at the strategy of fighting open defecation
Does reducing open defecation have any significant improvement in health outcomes? Sumeet Patil of NEERMAN discusses this in an interview with India Water Portal. Posted on 05 Mar, 2015 10:31 PM

With over 620 million defecating in the open in India, do we need a new approach to curb this practice? The force of habit is such that even households with toilets have around forty percent of adults defecating in the open. But, does curbing open defecation necessarily lead to significant improvements in child health outcomes like diarrhoea, anaemia, parasite infection and growth?

School sanitation at Mysore
Water, science and us
The science behind groundwater isn't well understood but how can this be changed so that people manage their water better? Posted on 02 Mar, 2015 10:11 PM

Groundwater isn't understood very well, especially in hilly areas where springs seem to appear and vanish of their own accord. However, as science tells us, there's no effect without a cause, and understanding the reason why water flows where it does can ensure optimal use of this natural resource to support life and livelihood. 

Testing is one of the components of workshop.
×