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
Water management solutions where users have a say
Private provision of water services is most successful where the operation and maintenance contracts are offered by the local water users.
Parth J. Shah
Posted on 17 Apr, 2019 10:10 PM

India has, over the last 50 years, spent approximately $50 billion on developing water resources and another estimated $7.5 billion on drinking water, with little to show for the money (Devraj 2002).
Canal irrigation has led to altered crop choice, organisation and techniques of production. (Image: India Water Portal)
In conversation with nature
This study from Bihar shows that official flood prediction systems are often inadequate to understand the true impact of the floods on the population. Local gendered knowledge can help fill this gap.
Amitangshu Acharya
Anjal Prakash
Posted on 15 Apr, 2019 05:42 PM

“There is a special type of black ant that is visible just before (and during) the onset of heavy rains.
Shape of clouds can be an important indicator of weather. Source: Robert Hensley/Wikimedia Commons
Flourishing water markets in Darjeeling
Better governance and equitable as well as sustainable use of water resources are essential to solving the deepening water crisis in Darjeeling.
Ashish Chhetri
Posted on 15 Apr, 2019 02:36 PM

"Darjeeling today has a thriving water business, with a fleet of 105 trucks plying three or four trips a day from April to June, carrying 5500 to 6500 litres of water on each run"
Private water tankers, a common sight in urban areas. (Source: India Water Portal)
DDA allows waste dumping on Yamuna floodplains
Policy matter this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 04 Apr, 2019 06:42 AM

DDA allocates 42.5 acre plot on Yamuna floodplains for waste dumping
Yamuna river in New Delhi (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
How mining ruined lives and livelihoods
Illegal stone quarries have changed the face of Birbhum district where villagers are finding it difficult to survive due to contaminated water and pollution.
Gurvinder Singh
Posted on 03 Apr, 2019 10:13 AM

Koley Kisku, a primary school student at Ranipur village at Rampurhat block in Birbhum district of West Bengal suffers from a thyroid gland related ailment that has partially affected his ability to speak. His school mates say that the 11-year-old could speak normally till a few years ago but he began to lose his voice.
Labourers crush stones at illegal stone quarries. (Pic: Gurvinder Singh)
What’s forest governance without local hand
Multilayered governance and involvement of forest dwellers in the decision making processes can go a long way in managing our forests better.
Sharachchandra Lele
Posted on 02 Apr, 2019 11:42 AM

The recent news on the forced eviction of more than 1,000,000 tribal and other forest-dwelling households from 16 states by a Supreme Court order has again brought the long-debated issue of the role of the state and

Mangar Bani, a green patch between Faridabad and Gurgaon (Image: Pradip Krishen, Facebook)
SC sets aside NGT order on Lower Subansiri hydel project
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 27 Mar, 2019 03:37 PM

Lower Subansiri hydel project: SC seeks review of NGT's order granting nod to the project
Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh (Source: Kakul baruah via Wikimedia Commons)
Could the water towers of Asia be drying up soon?
As climate change and urbanisation threaten water security in the HKH region, there is an urgent need for good water governance.
Christopher A. Scott et al
Posted on 24 Mar, 2019 11:03 AM

The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) cover 3500 kms across eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
Number crunching helps farmers manage water
Calculating water availability and crop budgeting can prevent over-extraction of groundwater and mounting farm debt.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 23 Mar, 2019 11:45 PM

At 42 years, Bhagwat Ghagare seems young. But he is old enough to have seen his village prosper and decline many times. Farming had traditionally been small and distress migration rampant at Kumbharwadi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.
The weather station at Randullabad that helps farmers plan their crops. (Photo by Manu Moudgil)
Dumping waste effectively
Three environment-friendly ways of disposing of human waste have proven effective in various districts of Chhattisgarh.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 16 Mar, 2019 03:51 PM

According to the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) website, access to toilets has improved in India and 28 out of 36 states and Union Territories are now open defecation free (ODF). While that’s good news, managing faecal sludge in ODF states in an eco-friendly way continues to be a big challenge. 
Evapotranspiration community toilet at Shankarnagar, Kumhari (Source: India Water Portal)
Subscribe to Common Property Resources
×