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)
Rashtrita Jal Chetna Yatra: Efforts of Tarun Bharat Sangh and Rajendar Singh in addressing water related concerns across the country
A detailed write up about the aims, aspirations and achievements of the Rashtriya Jal Chetna Yatra Posted on 20 Aug, 2009 02:20 PM

Tarun Bharat Sangh and Rajendar Singh started a massive campaign to spread awareness of traditional water harvesting structures in order to restore the water resources of arid Rajasthan. The aim was to popularize the use of such traditional structures across the country.

Chennai metropolitan area's water woes: CMWSSB's plans for the future
Steps outlined by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board to meet the water demands of Chennai city Posted on 19 Aug, 2009 04:01 PM

CMWSSB or Metro Water was established in 1978 and serves 180 sq kms of area and 5.5 million population.

Rainwater harvesting basics: Filtering the water before storage and use
Filtering rainwater before storage is essentially to remove organic material and silt so that the water stays clean longer. Posted on 19 Aug, 2009 03:29 PM

Overview

Rainwater is amongst the purest water one can get distilled as it is by the sun. However, in a rainwater harvesting system, the water comes in contact with several surfaces, such as the roof or gutters. Its flow becomes possibly mixed with leaves or dust.

Toolkit on rainwater harvesting: Basics, overview and related technologies
Learn the basics of rainwater catchment systems, components, collection for domestic water supply and the socio-economic as well as health aspects Posted on 18 Aug, 2009 04:25 PM

Rainwater harvesting is an option which has been adopted in many areas of the world where conventional water supply systems have failed to meet the needs of the people. Examples of RWH systems can be found in all the great civilisations throughout history.

Here's an eToolkit on rainwater harvesting that tells you all that you need to know to harvest rain successfully.

Rainwater harvesting basics: All you need to know about recharge pits
A recharge pit allows the rainwater to replenish groundwater by recharging the underground aquifers. It can be built to recharge a borewell or just to help the water infiltration in an area. Posted on 18 Aug, 2009 04:09 PM

1) Overview:

How to construct a rainwater tank: A comprehensive design and performance guide
The guide gives a detailed overview about the design aspects, different types of systems, costing, performance, water quality and regulatory issues of rainwater tanks Posted on 18 Aug, 2009 04:06 PM

Water Sensitive Urban Design in the Sydney Region has come out with a comprehensive brochure which details out the system overview, design, costing and water quality issues in the construction of rainwater tanks

Click here to download the guide

Karnataka's water resources: Excerpts from the Karnataka State of the Environment Report
The chapter on water resources in the report deals with the environmental problems linked to water resources pertaining to availability, distribution, management, utilization and sustenance Posted on 14 Aug, 2009 02:48 PM

It deals with the (a) inequities in sectoral distribution and inadequacy in availability of water (b)  inefficiency in use of water in domestic and agricultural sector (c) depleting ground water resource (d) inadequate treatment of watersheds (e) deteriorating surface and groundwater quality (f) degradation of traditional and community owned tanks and (g) siltation in river basins and command a

BCIL surveys the citizens of Bangalore to learn about their water conservation practices
Water survey of the citizens of Bangalore conducted by Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd. Posted on 14 Aug, 2009 12:25 PM

Here's a list of resources relating to the water survey conducted in the city of Bangalore

Baseline report: Sachetana Drinking Water project of the Government of Karnataka (2006-2011)
The project envisions a set of interventions including household rainwater harvesting for clusters of villages in Karnataka that are particularly severely affected by fluoride Posted on 14 Aug, 2009 11:28 AM

The Sachetana Drinking Water project of the Government of Karnataka covers 15 villages in each of the taluks of Bagepalli (Chikkaballapur), Mundargi (Gadag), Sira (Tumkur) and Pavagada (Tumkur).

The baseline survey covers a representative portion of the villages and families of the above and contains the following information:

Economic issues in the management of water resources in the drought prone Pune district of Maharashtra State
This study by the Subhash B Bhagwat, deals with economic issues in the management of water resources in the drought prone Pune district of Maharashtra. Posted on 13 Aug, 2009 05:41 PM

This study by the Subhash B Bhagwat, the Visiting Fulbright Scholar to ACWADAM deals with economic issues in the management of water resources in the drought prone Pune district of Maharashtra. The situation in Pune city is intimately connected to the situation in Pune district. Likewise, the state and national policies and conditions ultimately determine what happens in individual districts or towns. Even then there is plenty of room for cities and districts to influence their own fate with respect to water and the related issues. Therefore, this report focuses on the district of Pune and Pune City but only in the context of and in conjunction with the state of Maharashtra and to some extent India itself.

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