Success Stories and Case Studies

Ice Stupas: Water conservation in the land of the Buddha
As Ladakh faces water scarcity, the Ice Stupa project aims to overcome this in an innovative manner--through the making of vertical ice mountains. Posted on 30 Sep, 2015 10:03 AM

Living in the mountains

Ice Stupa: Made from artificial glaciers, they store wasting winter water that melts & feeds farms when water is scarce (Source: The Ice Stupa Project)
A pond comes to life
Hundreds of villagers pitched in to revive a village pond at Bapugaon, a village in Rajasthan, to make it water and food secure. Posted on 22 Sep, 2015 10:42 AM

It had not rained for awhile and the tiny cracks in the earth in Bapugaon were opening up. This little village in Chaksu tehsil of Jaipur was yet again faced with a drought in the mid 1980s. The situation was aggravated in 1986 when the river Dhund, an important water source for Bapugaon, went dry. Since then, both the quantity and quality of water started deteriorating.

More than just physical rehabilitation of a water body, says Kalyan ji of Bapugaon
Piped water scheme changes the lives of Odisha villagers
Bandhabhuin village went from having 1 handpump for 400 people to 7, toilet facilities in 55% of the houses and had an overall improvement in its social and economic fabric. Posted on 19 Sep, 2015 05:55 PM

In India, about Rs.70,000 crore 

Anup Munda showing his functional toilet at Bandha Bhuin
Shimla school goes from students bathing every other day to swimming daily!
Bishop Cotton School in Shimla tides over water scarcity by harvesting rainwater, setting an example for other residential schools located in hilly regions. Posted on 07 Sep, 2015 10:26 PM

Mathew Jacob, estate supervisor at Bishop Cotton School (BCS) in Shimla, remembers when he took his students walking in single file to the nearby stream to wash and bathe

Four storage tanks are linked to 1350 sqm of rooftop area at Bishop Cotton School in Shimla.
Can India become groundwater secure?
Understanding scientific principles and spreading this knowledge among communities to design their water solutions could be an answer to tackling both groundwater crises and flood situations. Posted on 24 Aug, 2015 09:59 PM

Over the last few months, rains--whether they flooded India enough or not--have certainly flooded the news.

Depleting groundwater levels in the country (Source:Wikipedia)
Catching rain in the land of "too much water"
Rainwater harvesting in a school in Jorhat, Assam helps address water quality issues, improves attendance and serves as an example for others in the area to fight arsenic and fluoride contamination. Posted on 23 Aug, 2015 08:16 PM

Even in the remotest village of Assam, you would often find one saying ‘paanir nisina daam’ (meaning as cheap as water) or ‘paanir nisina xorol’ (as simple as water) over a good bargain or an easy task. Water is, almost always, associated with simplicity and abundance.

But those were the good old days.

Children drinking rainwater collected in tanks at Melamati Government Junior Basic School, Jorhat (Assam).
Why did Urmila have to suffer?
Although fluoride contamination was identified in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh a decade ago. children of some villages still continue to fall victim to skeletal and dental fluorosis causing bone deformities. Posted on 27 Jul, 2015 08:11 PM

Urmila can neither walk upright, nor run about, nor do her chores easily. She is loved in her parents' house and they do not grudge her the extra care she requires. In rural India, this state of affairs does not last long for a girl, especially since she's only six years old. 

Children dance during the inaugration of the safe water supply system in Kalapani, Madhya Pradesh
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
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
How Bandu Singh recovered hope
Endemic fluorosis exists in 31 villages of Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh. This is the story of how one village is reclaiming its health and dignity. Posted on 08 Jul, 2015 09:27 PM

Bandu Singh, a lean old man aged around 60, has spent his entire life living in a small mud house in Kaalapani, a small village located in Manawar block of Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh. Kaalapani has a population of 849 people of which 99.41% (as per Census 2011) are listed as belonging to Schedule Tribes (ST).  

The area

Bandu Singh and his family at their home in Kaalapani, Madhya Pradesh
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