Research Papers
Judicious management of groundwater through participatory hydrological monitoring – A manual by APWELL
Posted on 23 Oct, 2010 06:56 PMParticipatory hydrological monitoring improves the users’ understanding of local groundwater resource characteristics and helps local communities to form a community opinion to support appropriate measures for managing the available resources equitably.
Right to drinking water in India - A working paper by Centre for Economic and Social Studies
Posted on 21 Oct, 2010 10:31 PMThis working paper by Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad deals with the issue of right to drinking water, an issue that has assumed greater significance in India in recent years. Declarations by the United Nations and other international organisations, and judic
Tank irrigation in semi-arid tropical India: Economic evaluation and alternatives for improvement - A report by ICRISAT
Posted on 20 Oct, 2010 10:03 PMThis report by ICRISAT deals with a survey of thirty-two tanks and farm data from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra states to assess the economic performance of irrigation tanks in semi arid tropics of India. It uses district-wise data on climatic and institutional variables to analyze the factors affecting tank-irrigation density. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of irrigation tanks is determined primarily by physical factors—hard rock substratum, post-monsoon rains, low moisture-holding capacity of soils and by population density.
Mitigating the potential unintended impacts of water harvesting - A WHiRL Research Report
Posted on 20 Oct, 2010 07:28 AMThis report under the WHiRL research project by the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) identifies the potential unintended impacts of water harvesting so that, if at all possible they are avoided altogether, but if these do occur, they are recognised at an early stage and steps are taken to mitigate their affects. It highlights evidence that is emerging about water harvesting in semi-arid areas, on how water if used inappropriately, can lead to inequitable access to water resources and, in the extreme, to unreliable drinking water supplies.
India’s water economy: Bracing for a turbulent future
Posted on 19 Oct, 2010 07:15 PMThis report by the World Bank examines the evolution of the management of India’s waters, describes the achievements of the past, and the looming set of challenges. The report draws heavily on a set of twelve background documents by eminent Indian practitioners and policy analysts, and addresses two basic questions -
- What are the major water development and management challenges facing India?
- What are the critical measures to be taken to address these?
Limits of law in counter-hegemonic globalization: The Indian Supreme Court and the Narmada valley struggle
Posted on 18 Oct, 2010 08:10 PMThis working paper by the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University offers an analysis of the role of law in the Narmada valley struggle, especially that which was waged by one of India’s most prominent social movements in recent years, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), with a specific focus on India’s Supreme Court. The NBA rose in reaction to the Indian government’s plan to construct a large number of dams along the Narmada river, contesting the relief and rehabilitation provided for displaced families at first, and subsequently challenging the dams themselves as being destructive.
Water resources - Mid-term appraisal of the eleventh five year plan - Report by the Planning Commission
Posted on 25 Sep, 2010 04:57 PMThe Eleventh Plan (2007-08 to 2011-12) sought to build on the gains achieved in the Tenth Plan and shift the economy to a path of faster and more inclusive growth. The Mid Term Appraisal (MTA) report for the Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012 by the Planning Commission reviews the experience in the first three years of the Plan and seeks to identify areas where corrective steps may be needed.
The Eleventh Plan recognises the special challenges of water resources management facing India and the likelihood that these will grow over time due to the rising population and industrialisation.
This chapter discusses the major features of the water problem facing the country followed by a review of the performance of the schemes dealing with water in the Eleventh Plan. The chapter also proposes an alternative approach to be elaborated into an operational strategy to be implemented in the Twelfth Five Year Plan.
Aquifers: The hosts of groundwater – A presentation by ACWADAM
Posted on 25 Sep, 2010 08:44 AMThis presentation by ACWADAM on aquifers states that a systematic approach to groundwater studies is required to understand how water exists in each type of rock or sediment for which hydrogeological mapping of aquifers becomes significant in every watershed programme. The necessity of studying the scientific aspects of groundwater such as its properties and distribution below the earth’s surface is highlighted.
The Himalayas – A presentation by ACWADAM
Posted on 24 Sep, 2010 10:38 PMThis presentation by ACWADAM deals with the Himalayan mountain system, the planet's highest, and home to the world's highest peaks. It specifically deals with the various divisions, the kind of structures present and the presence of groundwater in the massive mountain system.
Processes that shape the earth: II – A presentation by ACWADAM
Posted on 24 Sep, 2010 08:14 PMThe presentation deals with weathering, erosion and deposition of rocks -
- The process of breaking down and alteration of rocks and formation of new materials from them is known as weathering of rocks.
- The group of processes whereby the materials of the earth’s crust are moved from one place to another by running water (including rainfall), waves and current, glacier ice and wind is known as erosion.
- The processes whereby the material being carried during the process of erosion is deposited either through physical processes (such as drop in the velocity of flowing water) or precipitation of dissolved material under a set of conditions for instance, the deposition of limestones from water rich in calcium carbonate is known as deposition.