Conservation - Reducing Water Usage

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November 25, 2022 These maps at the watershed scales have been made to not only ensure inclusion of different freshwater ecosystems, their connectivity and hydrological processes, but can also provide a spatial context for conservation decisions.
A stream at Anini, Arunachal Pradesh (Image Source: Roshni Arora)
September 21, 2022 The unique design and functioning of the Chakla bavdi in Chanderi Madhya Pradesh is another example of the water wisdom of our ancestors, which needs to be conserved and passed on to the future generations.
Chakla Bavdi at Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh (Image Source: Shirole, S. 2022. Architectural eloquence: Water harvesting structure in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh (India). Ancient Asia, 13: 9, pp. 1–13)
June 21, 2022 While springs in Kashmir have still retained their good quality and have a great potential to be used for drinking water, threats to them are growing. Their protection and sustainable management is crucial.
Verinag spring in Anantanag district of Kashmir (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
January 13, 2022 State of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture: The synthesis report 2021
Sustainable agricultural practices lead to water saving, soil conservation, sustainable land management, conservation of natural resources, ecosystem and climate change benefits. (Image: Maheshwara, Pixahive)
November 9, 2021 Building resilient agricultural system through groundwater management interventions in degraded landscapes of Bundelkhand region
Charkhari talab in Bundelkhand (Image: IWP Flickr)
September 1, 2021 Best practices for holistic urban water management in Chennai Metropolitan Area
These bright plastic jugs are ubiquitous in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. (Image: McKay Savage, Flickr Commons; CC BY 2.0)
Water in TN's reservoirs dips
News this week Posted on 04 Apr, 2017 05:58 AM

Just seven to eight percent water left in TN’s reservoirs

TN farmers in the midst of a crisis. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
A sip of seawater
Desalination is considered a solution to increasing water shortage in the world. A few functional desalination plants in Tamil Nadu, however, show a different picture. Posted on 11 Mar, 2017 09:15 PM

Population growth estimates suggest that India will be supporting over 1.5 billion inhabitants by 2050 if the present growth rate of 1.9 percent per year continues.

A view of the Nemmeli desalination plant in Chennai. (Image courtesy: Business Today)
Water worried no more
The residents of Yavatmal come together to solve their drinking water problem. With crowdfunding to aid their effort, the result is inspiring. Posted on 10 Mar, 2017 01:44 PM

Located 10 km from the Yavatmal city in Maharashtra, the Nilona reservoir has been the primary drinking water source for its residents since 1972. As in many other parts of the country, the 1990s saw the city growing and the population increasing. The Yavatmal residents, who had not experienced water shortage till then, started facing acute drinking water shortage.

Nilona dam, Yavatmal
Election update: Its hills vs plains in Manipur
The land of gems will have a new government soon. We look at what leading political parties have to say about issues related to natural resources. Posted on 04 Mar, 2017 05:33 PM

The key issue in the Manipur Assembly election is the ongoing economic blockade in the state, which, in turn, is attributed to the present government’s decision to

A Manipuri family. (Source: Coffee Table Book, Government of Manipur)
Solar water pumps for efficient irrigation
Solar pumps are cost-effective, environment-friendly and have good potential in places with high water table. Sehgal Foundation, that piloted 14 solar pumps in two districts of Bihar, shows how. Posted on 18 Feb, 2017 09:19 PM

Irrigation system in India is often about big dams and hundreds of kilometres of canals that incur huge capital expenditure. Hence, policies at the central and the state level are mostly tilted in favour of big projects and often neglect micro-level solutions.

Zero tillage machine mounted on a tractor.
Wetlands in deep water
On the World Wetlands Day, save a thought for India’s Ramsar sites, most of them at various stages of deterioration. Posted on 02 Feb, 2017 11:14 AM

February 2 is observed as the World Wetlands Day. The day marks the date of adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971. This year, the theme of the World Wetlands Day is Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Deepor Beel in Assam (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
No man's land
The state of the poromboke lands in Chennai signifies the deteriorating nature of its ecology. Saving them is important not just to preserve a tradition but also to safeguard growing urban spaces. Posted on 18 Jan, 2017 09:39 PM

From its rather benign origins connoting a type of land classification, the term poromboke has transformed into something grotesque over the years. This term had been in use since the Cholas denoting stretches of land reserved for shared communal use which cannot be bought or sold.

The Ennore creek choked by fly ash. (Screen grab from the Chennai poromboke paadal)
State of rivers goes south
Rivers turn muck in many stretches in south India calling for action before they dry up completely. Posted on 14 Jan, 2017 05:40 PM

At a time when the government’s attention is steered towards the concerns of the northern rivers like the Ganga and the Yamuna, it is seldom that the polluted rivers of the south India come up for discussion.

Water-borne litter in Salem, Tamil Nadu. (Source: Parvathisri, Wikimedia Commons)
NGT cancels illegal salt pans in Sambhar Lake
Policy matters this week Posted on 13 Dec, 2016 07:19 AM

Good news for Sambhar Salt Lake

Sambhar Lake, India's largest salt lake. (Source: IWP's Flickr photos)
Cyclone Vardah hits TN
News this week Posted on 13 Dec, 2016 07:11 AM

Cyclone Vardah makes landfall in TN, causes massive damage

Tropical cyclone of 2013. (Source: NASA WorldView)
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