Research Papers

Community conservation of forests is successful when women participate
Van Panchayats have only been successful in conserving their forests with the enthusiastic participation of women. This is how to increase women's leadership in forest conservation. Posted on 24 Oct, 2015 04:34 PM

When I first spoke with Bhagoti Devi, I attempted to break the ice by telling her how warmly our mutual acquaintances spoke of her. She was nonchalant. "Of course they will recommend you speak to me”, she said. “After all, it took a lot of hard work to have such a thick forest standing here.”

These two neighbouring oak trees, one untouched and the other over-lopped, are both managed by the women of one family and illustrate the impact that women have on forests
Household water filter use in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad's rural areas have better access to expensive RO filters than more affordable gravity non-electric filters. What are the factors and implications affecting this choice of water filters? Posted on 21 Oct, 2015 12:09 PM

76 million people lack access to safe drinking water in India thus increasing their risk to mortality from water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid, and cholera. The poor are much more likely to be affected by unsafe drinking water than those who are financially better off.

Safe drinking water, a scarce resource (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Implementing watershed development projects in Andhra Pradesh: Lessons learnt
Since 1994, govt. supported watershed development projects have undergone significant change resulting in innovative protocols and developments. What else is in store for them? Posted on 16 Oct, 2015 06:25 PM

Government supported watershed development projects in India underwent a paradigm shift in 1994 with the advent of guidelines for the Watershed Development Programme as well as a number of pathbreaking guidelines that introduced innovative protocols that placed a strong emphasis on community participation. Development fun

Watershed development, the need of the hour (Source: India Water Portal)
Kerala's waters polluted by perchlorate
A study found high concentration of perchlorate in groundwater samples as compared to surface water samples in Kerala with Ernakulum district showing the highest contamination. Posted on 14 Oct, 2015 09:59 PM

Perchlorate is a chemical that is extensively used in the arms and ammunition industry.

Water contamination and health
Half of Amritsar's drinking water samples contaminated
An alarmingly high level of contamination of the 1,317 drinking water samples in places visited regularly by residents calls for public awareness, immediate attention, and action by the authorities. Posted on 14 Oct, 2015 03:49 PM

According to a United Nations Children’s Fund Resource report, 70% of India’s water supply is polluted with sewage effluents. It also ranks very low at 120 among the 122 nations in terms of quality of water available to its citizens.

Safe drinking water, a scarce resource (Source: India Water Portal)
India's urban water systems: Challenges and way forward
Stages of urban development, sources of water, and the nature of aquifers all pose different challenges for water demand and availability in urban spaces in India. Posted on 13 Oct, 2015 07:03 PM

Current evidence shows that the number of people living in urban areas in India is expected to more than double and grow to around 800 million by 2050, which will pose unprecedented challenges for water management in the country. The paper titled 'Urban water systems in India: Typologies and hypothesis' published in the

Water, a valuable resource (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Dengue blurs the line between rich and poor
Although dengue has been around in India in for over two centuries, the pattern of the disease has changed remarkably over the last two decades. Posted on 05 Oct, 2015 02:23 PM

Shantabai, a domestic worker in a number of buildings in Pune says, "See didi, nowadays you can find dengue-causing mosquitoes even in posh buildings but people there do not allow Corporation workers to come and spray inside. Even Bollywood actors are being told to take care".

The dengue-causing Aedes aegypti mosquito (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The connection between gender and safe sanitation in rural India
Sanitation issues among women and girls are influenced by inequitable gender norms that put them at greater risk of experiencing violence and multiple health vulnerabilities. Posted on 02 Oct, 2015 04:28 PM

Sanitation coverage in India continues to display marked disparities in access to safe toilet facilities between urban and rural populations across economic and social groups despite some impressive gains made.

Health and sanitation, the linkages (Source: India Water Portal)
Community involvement key to successful water quality interventions
Faulty perceptions of water treatment and a false sense of protection from locally available water sources increased the risk of children to diarrhoeal diseases in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Posted on 20 Sep, 2015 10:07 PM

Recent evidence shows that as high as 95% of diarrheal deaths among children under the age of 5 can be prevented by water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) related interventions that include handwashing, proper excreta disposal and most importantly improved water quality.

Water quality and health impacts (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Local water storage in the Hindu Kush Himalayas
How can the massive quantities of rain falling during the four-month monsoon period be stored so that it can be used over the entire year in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region? Posted on 07 Sep, 2015 10:11 PM

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region (HKH) is the source of 10 major rivers and is often referred to as the water tower of Asia. However, communities living in this region and downstream face frequent seasonal water scarcity and flooding due to high variations in rainfall.

Kuhls carry glacial melt to fields for irrigation (Source: India Water Portal)
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