Common Property Resources

Featured Articles
August 21, 2022
Floods – a boon than a bane!
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
Water management in the times of Gonds of Central India
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
Managing water commons through fishing cooperatives
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
Equipping communities to plan land and water conservation initiatives
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
In wake of climate change, prioritise and invest in water security and clean drinking water
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 approach to minimizing risks for businesses
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
Assessing the land use change and its impact on water resources: A study on the Mula and Mutha rivers catchment area in Pune
Analysing the changes in land uses between 1989 and 2009, this paper assesses the impact on water balance in Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of the city of Pune
K Schneider
P D Wagner
S Kumar
Posted on 17 Feb, 2013 09:11 PM

Land use changes  hydrologic system and have potentially large impacts on water resources. An assessment in an area with seasonally limited water availability and which is subject to rapid socio- economic development and population growth will provide an exemplary view on the local impacts of major recent developments in India. In this backdrop this paper analyzes past land use changes between 1989 and 2009 and their impacts on the water balance in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of Pune. The aim of the paper is:

  • assess the land use changes between 1989/1990 and 2009/2010
  • analyze the impacts of these changes on the long-term water balance components in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of the city of Pune.

Twelve-week distance learning program on policies and practices for natural resource management, TERI, March 14 to May 31, 2013 - Register by March 7, 2013
Posted on 07 Feb, 2013 03:24 PM

TERI Logo
Process of formation of Jajmau Area Water Partnership in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh – Problems and solutions
Industrial effluents and sewage water are being diverted to the river Ganga by the cities and towns through which it passes. Nestled on the banks of Ganga, Kanpur, a highly urbanized and industrial city is polluting it most. Apart from the Government of India’s recently constituted National Ganga River Basin Authority, civil societies and NGOs too are putting rigorous efforts to make Ganga pollution free. Though the city has several big and small industries, the leather industries located in Jajmau, the oldest part of the city add to the problem of pollution in the river to a large extent.
Veena Khanduri
India Water Partnership
Posted on 13 Jan, 2013 12:01 PM

Industrial effluents and sewage water are being diverted to the river Ganga by the cities and towns through which it passes. Nestled on the banks of Ganga, Kanpur, a highly urbanized and industrial city is polluting it most. Apart from the Government of India’s recently constituted National Ganga River Basin Authority, civil societies and NGOs too are putting rigorous efforts to make Ganga pollution free. Though the city has several big and small industries, the leather industries located in Jajmau, the oldest part of the city add to the problem of pollution in the river to a large extent.

Traditional diversion-based phad irrigation systems help mitigate risk of crop failure in the drought-prone farmer suicide belt of Vidarbha, Maharashtra
Communities have across diverse ecological and sociopolitical contexts devised myriad ways over time to harvest and manage water in order to sustain their lives and practise agriculture.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 11 Jan, 2013 11:56 AM

Many of these systems (1) continue to function and are often more sustainable, cost-effective and successfully managed by local institutions. Phads are one such community-based and managed diversion irrigation management system (2) prevailing in the north-western part of Maharashtra and date back to the early 16th century as per historical accounts. The system is prevalent in the Tapi basin on rivers the Panjhra, Mosam and Aram in Dhule and Nashik districts (3).

Phads or diversion-based irrigation systems, are being revived and promoted in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra by Dilasa, a Yavatmal-based voluntary development organisation (Video courtesy: Dilasa)

Transformation of a landscape from a desert to replenished watershed in Kaluchi Thakarwadi, Maharashtra- Special edition on "Combating desertification" by Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) India
The sprawling economic development and constant consumption of land resources in an unsustainable manner has come with a big price- degradation of land. The major causes for this can be attributed to industrial pollution, over grazing by animals, deforestation and careless management of forests and it rich and diverse resources and excessive mining. The impact is severe on ecologically fragile and dryland areas which often drives small farmers out from agriculture.
Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) India
Posted on 08 Jan, 2013 09:21 PM


Powerless by choice: Updates from the Eco - Earth Care Optimised magazine's January 2013 issue
Powerless by choice: Updates from the Eco - Earth Care Optimised magazine's January 2013 issue
Eco - Earth Care Optimised
Posted on 01 Jan, 2013 05:54 PM

Powerless by choice
‘Water conflicts: Quest for creative solutions’ : Video of the conversation between Anupam Mishra, Ramaswamy Iyer, Vivek Bharti and Rohini Nilekani
This event was an interactive conversation on water based conflicts, a platform for the participants to share their varied experiences and explore solutions that were sustainable .The members in this talk were Ramaswamy Iyer of Centre for Policy Research, Vivek Bharti of Pepsi Co and Anupam Mishra of Gandhi Peace Foundation, with Rohini Nilekani, Arghyam acting as the moderator
PeaceTalksCfP
Posted on 31 Dec, 2012 12:51 PM

Future workshop: Resource governance in the 21st Century, HBF and CSE, New Delhi, January 14-17, 2013 - Apply by December 10, 2012
Posted on 10 Dec, 2012 09:45 PM

Heinrich Böll Foundation Logo 

Privatising the Commons- A book review in Economic and Political Weekly
This article provides a review of the book "Communities, Commons and Corporations"
Kannan Kasturi
Posted on 15 Oct, 2012 07:35 PM

Published in the Economic and Political Weekly, this article sheds light on the issue of privatising the natural resources, which are commonly shared by the rural people. These resources include  forests, pasturelands, wastelands, coasts, lakes and rivers.
Draft - Scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers (recognition of forest rights) amendments rules 2012- Document by Ministry of Tribal Affairs
This document sheds light on the rules related to the rights of the Scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Posted on 29 Aug, 2012 09:27 PM

This document by Ministry of Tribal Affairs sheds light on the rules related to the rights of the Scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
Subscribe to Common Property Resources