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)
Rejuvenating traditional water system in Maharashtra
Caught between Malguzaars and the state government, the Malguzari tanks were left to die many years ago. A lone man spearheaded their revival in 2008. Posted on 02 Aug, 2016 09:44 AM

Malguzari tanks were ponds made for water harvesting by the Malguzaars, who were zamindars or tenants in eastern Vidarbha, Maharashtra two centuries ago.These tanks provided water for irrigation and also increased the availability of fish for local consumption.

Janbhora Malguzari tank in Bhandara
Farm ponds save village from drought
Tonk Khurd’s innovative farm ponds prove that when it comes to solving water crisis, one size does not fit all. Posted on 21 Jun, 2016 09:09 AM

Vikram Patel, a 71-year-old farmer in Chidavad village of Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh is one of the first farmers to have embraced the idea of farm ponds to increase the groundwater level in his farm.

Vikram Patel near his farm pond in Chidavad.
A river comes to people
Nanduwali in east Rajasthan started flowing again when the villagers decided to work with nature and not against it. The river is now lifeline to those settled on her banks Posted on 13 Jun, 2016 08:28 PM

Gajanand Sharma is excited about the monsoon this year. He is building an anicut on the small stream that runs through his farm. “After the rain, the land will be filled with water and then I will sow wheat and reap record production in this area,” he prophesises. This forecast doesn’t come from his knowledge of astrology, but that of geology, gained over the years.

A temple and a small pond at the origin of Nanduwali.
Simhastha leaves farmers fuming
The festival has hordes of Ujjain farmers broke and the mighty Kshipra river troubled. Swift government action is needed to set things right. Posted on 12 Jun, 2016 07:38 PM

Ramesh Mali, a farmer in his late thirties, looks at his farmland nervously. It has been 13 days since the Simhastha Maha Kumbh festival, 2016, concluded. The district administration had acquired his four bigha land (approximately 0.64 hectares) for the festival. The barricades and the concrete left on his land give us the idea that the land is not fit for farming this season.

Kshipra at Mangalnath Ghat, Ujjain
Business interests and environmental crisis: A book review
While the environmental crisis threatens to impact the ecology and livelihoods in India, business interests take over sustainable solutions. Posted on 05 Jun, 2016 07:03 AM

A number of Asian countries are going through environmental crisis. Nowhere is the impact felt so seriously than in India, where the crisis threatens to affect survival. It is also impacting biodiversity, ecology and livelihoods. In this context, it becomes important to understand how nature and the current environmental crisis are being addressed in policy discourses.

Business profits and the environmental crisis (Source: India Water Portal)
Two states, a canal and a river
A solution to the problem of sharing Yamuna waters continues to elude Delhi and Haryana even as the river dries up and caste issues flare up. Posted on 17 May, 2016 11:21 AM

‘Jat’ reservation and the rampage on a canal

Munak canal to check seepage losses along the Western Yamuna Canal and to augment its supply
Israel 'hand-makes' more than 50% of its water!
Technologies are magic, and Israel has been creating such magic since 1964. India Water Portal speaks to Uri Schor, the Spokesman of the Israeli Water Authority to understand this. Posted on 10 Apr, 2016 10:11 PM

The Israeli water industry is one of the best in the world, and this is because of the country’s breakthrough in technological innovations in areas like desalination, drip irrigation and water security.

Israeli Pavilion at India Water Week 2016 (Source: Israel Embassy, New Delhi)
Water lessons from a ‘desert’ nation
Israel, a parched land, has transformed itself into a water sufficient nation thanks to an innovative approach to water management. Can India pick up a few tips? Posted on 10 Apr, 2016 09:58 PM

The water scarcity that India is facing even before the onslaught of summers, and the plight of farmer’s in Marathwada have been making headlines every single day.

Israeli Pavilion at India Water Week 2016 (Source: Israel Embassy, New Delhi)
Calculating the water footprint of buildings
Water is used at every stage of construction, especially so in the production of construction materials. Understanding how much of it has been used can lead to better conservation methods. Posted on 02 Apr, 2016 05:43 PM

Construction industry is a booming industry, with the real estate sector contributing heavily towards the country’s GDP.

What is the water footprint of a building (Source: Wikipedia)
Maharashra issues water advisory for Holi
News and policy matters this week Posted on 22 Mar, 2016 06:05 PM

Reservoir levels dip, Maharashtra urges people to celebrate dry holi

Holi being celebrated (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
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