Common Property Resources

Featured Articles
August 21, 2022 Floods are not feared, but rather welcomed by the Mishing communities from Majuli island in Assam as they bring bountiful fish- a rich source of food, nutrition and livelihood for the community.
The Majuli island, a haven for fish (Image Source: Usha Dewani, India Water Portal)
January 13, 2022 The water structures constructed during the Gond period continue to survive the test of time and provide evidence of the water wisdom of our ancestors.
Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)
September 1, 2021 The experience of the Foundation for Ecological Security in tribal Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Fish harvesting by Changariya fishing cooperative, Mandla, Madhya Pradesh (Image: Foundation for Ecological Security)
August 19, 2021 Use of digital tools for implementing natural resources management at scale in rural India
Digital planning tools like CLART can go a long way in achieving better land-use outcomes (Image: Foundation for Ecological Security)
December 4, 2019 To adapt well & build resilience, climate change strategies need to factor in efforts towards water security, writes Vanita Suneja, Regional Advocacy Manager (South Asia), WaterAid.
Image credit: WaterAid/Prashanth Vishwanathan
December 2, 2019 Water stewardship is an approach predicated on the concept that water is a shared resource and so water risks are also shared risks that everyone in a catchment will face
Picture credit: Romit Sen
Citizens participate in mapping Bengaluru’s groundwater
A partnership between Biome, ACWADAM and WIPRO brought stakeholders together to map Sarjapur's aquifer. Posted on 14 Sep, 2017 11:34 AM

The problem of Bengaluru’s water is well known.

Talapariges, the small traditional water bodies of Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr photo by Mallikarjuna Hosapalya)
Wetlands wait to be saved
No wetlands have been notified in Delhi-NCR since the wetlands rules were brought out in 2010. Meanwhile, draft wetlands rules are set to decentralise its management to states. Posted on 14 Sep, 2017 10:52 AM

In the afternoons these days, Basai wears a deserted look. Known as a bird’s delight and privileged by the protected status of a national park, the wetland is located just eight kilometres from Sultanpur bird sanctuary in Gurugram in Haryana. No birds can be spotted foraging the soil of the Basai wetland or its waters.

Sun sets on a water body inside Keoladeo National Park. (Image: Swati Sidhu, Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-4.0)
Let the river flow
A video tells us why it is important to study the Ken river and its flow properly before implementing any project on it so the ecosystem and biodiversity are not harmed. Posted on 04 Sep, 2017 05:08 AM

One of the tributaries of the Yamuna, the Ken, is a major river of the Bundelkhand region of central India and flows through two states, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. River Ken regulates groundwater recharge and provides vegetation found on its banks.

Ken river gorge (Source: By Syed Zohaibullah, www.commons.wikimedia.org)
Regional Conference: Peri-urban ecosystems for enhancing urban resilience
The conference will examine various themes including urbanization, managing the peri-urban spaces, etc. and governance issues exacerbating due to the inevitable drift of cities into peri-urban areas.
Posted on 27 Aug, 2017 05:46 PM

A Regional Conference on “Peri-Urban Ecosystems for Enhancing Urban Resilience” is being organized by Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG), Gorakhpur and ICLEI –Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia in collaboration with ACCCRN.NET, UNICEF India and School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi India with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, on 18th and 19th Sep

Mangroves: The green coast guard
Mangroves in the country are under threat from rapid development. A video tells us how investing in nature can reverse this ecological crisis. Posted on 23 Aug, 2017 07:09 PM

In our effort to make space for infrastructural developments, India's green cover is declining at an alarming rate. The overall mangrove cover in the country stands at 4,740 sq. km., which is 0.14 sq. km of India’s overall geographical area. 

Mangrove nursery (Source: India Water Portal)
Budgeting every water cup
Marathwada village comes up with a novel idea to tackle water scarcity—water budget for each household. The result is for everyone to see. Posted on 17 Aug, 2017 04:10 PM

Till about a year ago, 52-year-old Kisan Jite would often wake up to his wife Sarla and other village women squabbling over who would fill their buckets first from the only well in Golegaon village.

The gram panchayat office of the Golegaon village where all the action takes place. (Source: 101Reporters)
Why East Kolkata Wetlands needs to be protected
East Kolkata Wetlands that provides many ecosystem services needs to be preserved to meet the SDGs and to mitigate the effect of global warming. Posted on 17 Aug, 2017 12:27 PM

Increasingly in both academic and social sectors, sustainable development goals (SDGs) are being quoted often and set as targets.

Five-star hotels under construction backdrop the Dhapa vegetable patch.
Bad times at Baddi
Unless industries clean up their act and authorities take it up seriously, Baddi’s water will continue to be polluted causing hardship to its residents. Posted on 09 Aug, 2017 05:59 AM

When Satya Devi was a child, the open well near her house in the village of Malku Majra was the water source for the household. She reminisces, “The water was clean and soft. The well would never go dry.

The state pollution control board insists that none of the factories in the area allow any pollutants to be discharged into the environment. The state of the surface water bodies, however, belies this statement.
To some, floods can be good news
A large part of the Kanwar Lake has been converted to permanent agriculture compromising its ecological diversity. A video tells us why it is important to restore it. Posted on 02 Aug, 2017 05:52 AM

Floods are generally considered destructive but in some cases, overflowing rivers have the potential to create wetlands. These wetlands can serve as agreeable landscapes that turn resourceful due to the multiple functions it can host. The Kanwar Lake in Bihar is a striking example of this shared, altering landscapes. 

Red-naped Ibis at the Kanwar Lake (Source: Wikipedia)
How a poor labourer became a rich farmer
A video tells the story of a poor farmer who, through effective water conservation methods, became rich and a role model to other villagers. Posted on 27 Jul, 2017 07:59 PM

Vasant Baburao Parkale, a 52-year-old farmer, has become a role model for many farmers in the drought-prone Marathwada region. His determination and the will to excel in life have helped him to transform his dreams into reality.

Vasantrao Parkale (Source: India Water Portal)
×