Conflicts

“The Dalits of this country get access to water on the goodwill of the dominant caste. Water to untouchables is still miles away,” says Goldy M George, a Dalit activist and an expert on Dalit rights.

Since the 1990s, it has often been predicted that all the conflicts over this century will be over water and that they will be fought in the South Asian region, which is undergoing a rapid growth in population coupled with a gradual decrease in water resources.

India has almost 17% of the world's population and 4% of the global water resources – a situation that threatens to push it towards a water crisis in the coming years. To add to this, are other reasons such as:

The Forum has instituted an internship programme for students in its present phase of work. In the past many students – both from India and abroad – had approached the Forum to work as interns on water and more specifically on water conflict issues.

Social sector likely to get less funds in Union Budget 2015-16

The Koel Karo Jan Sanghatana was awarded the first Bhagirath Award during the India Rivers Week 2014 for protecting the Koel and the Karo rivers.

TSR Subramanian Committee submits report on environmental laws to the Environment Ministry

A decade ago, Jamwadi village in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, was a famous tourist attraction due to its beautiful lake. Now, there is no lake to speak of thanks to the Raymond factory in Yavatmal. Wastewaster from the factory flows untreated into the lake, which is located 15 kms away.

'Sabarmati ke Sant, tune kar diya kamaal'. Oh Saint of Sabarmati, you have done wonders' goes the popular song. Today, it is the Sabarmati herself who is supposed to be the subject of  a miracle.

As Hari Singh led me towards his fields, I wondered if he was trying to play a joke on me. Large rocks were scattered in the area and there was no sight of any arable land, neither was there any clue of the irrigation channel which Singh claimed ran through his farm.