Research Papers

Safe drinking water in rural India: What do numbers hide?
While drinking water coverage in rural India has improved, has it also improved reliability and safety of drinking water? This CEEW brief explores and analyses the available data to find out. Posted on 21 Dec, 2022 02:14 PM

Recent data shows that drinking water coverage has improved considerably in India with 89 percent of the rural population having access to an improved water source within a round trip of 30 minutes.

Adequate and safe drinking water, a valuable resource in rural India (Image Source: McKay Savage via Wikimedia Commons)
River Sharavathi - under siege from microplastics
A study finds that microplastic pollution in the river Sharavathi originating in the Western Ghats is growing. Urgent efforts to protect this biodiversity hotspot are needed. Posted on 16 Dec, 2022 01:32 PM

Rivers worldover are choking on plastic and transferring more than two million tonnes per year of microplastics (MPs) into the marine environment informs this paper titled 'Assessment of pollution and risks associated with microplastics in the riverine sediments of the Western Ghats: a heritage site in southern I

The pristine river Sharavathi (Image Source: Ashwin Kumar via Wikimedia Commons)
Healthy soil critical to human health and for achieving SDGs
Soil research must focus both on technology development and implementation Posted on 16 Dec, 2022 11:46 AM

Although India attained self-sufficiency in food production, realising zero hunger, good health, and no poverty remains a challenge.

The ability of soils to support soil functions or services is decreasing (Image: Katrin Park/International Food Policy Research Institute)
Why farmers are not adopting crop insurance in India?
Study looks at behavioral biases in crop insurance adoption Posted on 12 Dec, 2022 10:58 AM

Farmers in India continue to face production risks due to climate abnormalities, resulting in low productivity and fluctuating agricultural incomes.

Adoption rate of crop insurance low in India despite government efforts (Image: PxHere, CC0 Public Domain)
Assessing the health of river Ganga
How are dams affecting the river Ganga? What are phytoplankton and how can they help assess health of rivers? What is the connection between dams, barrages, river flows and phytoplankton growth? Read this recent study to know more. Posted on 08 Dec, 2022 07:07 PM

Dams can bind and gag rivers 

Structures such as locks, dams, barrages, and weirs are known to drastically reduce the longitudinal connectivity of rivers, impact downstream flow, and alter riverine ecosystems.

The polluted Ganges (Image Source: Lane Rasberry via Wikimedia Commons)
Small scale inland open water fisheries of India
What is the status of inland fisheries in India? Read these situational analysis reports to know about inland fisheries, the life of the fisherfolk, governance and tenure in inland fisheries and threats to the sustainability of inland fisheries. Posted on 04 Dec, 2022 11:24 AM

What are inland waters 

Fishing in an irrigation canal in Kerala (Image Source: Martin Pilkinton via Wikimedia Commons)
The Cauvery - dammed and fractured
Inspite of the realisation that minimum flows are essential for rivers to maintain their health and biodiversity, water released from various dams in India continues to disregard minimum environmental flow requirements. Posted on 23 Nov, 2022 03:58 PM

India is a dammed country. According to the National Registry for Large Dams (NRLD), in 2016 a total of 4877 dams were built in India and 313 dams were still under construction.

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
Improving community resilience in ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction in India
Adoption of hybrid solutions - grey and green structures appropriate for resilience building Posted on 16 Nov, 2022 10:40 PM

Since 2019, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in-collaboration with Partners for Resilience (PfR) have developed and implemented scalable Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) models, working a

Healthy wetland ecosystems help in reducing disaster risks and managing climate risks (Image: Pxhere)
Wheat sowing dates influences yields in Eastern Gangetic Plains
Study indicates that better management of the annual cropping calendar can pay dividends for food security Posted on 01 Nov, 2022 08:56 AM

Wheat is a principal crop staple in South Asia with current cultivation extending across 36.1 million ha; around 73% of this area is in India where wheat provides approximately 21% of the aggregate food energy and 17% o

Greater adjustments to the annual cropping calendar are anticipated to increase wheat yield potential by an average of 0.84 t/ha (Image: Pixnio)
Assessing Udaipur’s groundwater reserves
A study using geospatial techniques suggests the need to regulate groundwater abstraction for long-term sustainability of groundwater use Posted on 29 Oct, 2022 03:04 PM

Population increase has placed ever-increasing demands on the available groundwater resources, particularly for intensive agricultural activities.

here are various methodologies involved in evaluating groundwater reserves. (Image: Needpix)
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