Deep Aquifers

Featured Articles
July 11, 2022
Greening of barren lands – the local way
The Chauka system of Rajasthan can not only provide a sustainable way to manage water resources in water stressed regions, but also support livelihoods through development of pastures.
Can greening of barren lands happen? (Image Source: India Water Portal Flickr photos)
July 29, 2021
Demystifying groundwater for collective action
Experiences from participatory groundwater management efforts in Maharashtra
Unless work on managing the demand is undertaken, the notion of ‘infinite’ groundwater will be hard to address. (Image: Rucha Deshmukh, ACWADAM)
December 4, 2019
Looking back into history to understand droughts
The 2015­-2018 drought, the longest, but less severe of droughts experienced by India raises alarm on the negative effects of future droughts on water security in the country.
India will see more droughts in the future. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
October 25, 2019
Mapping Pune’s aquifers
Groundwater use has doubled in Pune. Comprehensive mapping of groundwater resources and better management and governance is the need of the hour.
Groundwater, an exploited resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
October 1, 2019
From droughts to floods: India’s tryst with climate extremes
Deconstructing the traditional narrow engineering based policy discourses around floods and droughts and connecting them to social and cultural realities is the need of the hour in India.
Water talk Series at Mumbai (Image Source:Tata Insitute of Social Sciences)
September 30, 2019
The Water Future Conference in Bangalore: Towards a Sustainable Water Future
The recently concluded 4 day conference in Bangalore looked at the current state of global water resource challenges & future pathways to achieve the SDGs, while ensuring equity in access to all.
Charles Vorosmarty, Chair, COMPASS Initiative, Water Future at the opening plenary on advanced water system assessments to address water security challenges of the 21st century.
Mazhapolima: Recharging open wells in Kerala
The science behind Mazhapolima is perhaps best suited for Kerala’s context but it has truly created opportunities for people to participate in a movement. Here's a look at how it has worked there.
Ayan Biswas
Posted on 16 Feb, 2015 10:10 PM

Mazhapolima is an open well recharge programme based on rainwater harvesting in Kerala.
Mazhapolima Wells (Source:IWP)
Kerala's groundwater contamination source revealed
A study conducted in a village in Kozhikode district of Kerala highlights the need for standards while locating wells to prevent groundwater contamination.
P. U. Megha
P. Kavya
S. Murugan
P. S. Harikumar
Posted on 16 Feb, 2015 09:41 PM

Open wells are one of the most important sources of drinking water, especially in Kerala’s coastal belt. Sadly, recent studies show that as much as 70% of these have been declared unfit due to faecal contamination.

Groundwater quality in Kodiyathur village, Kerala
A view of an open well
The dark life of the Kelo
Senior journalist Shiv Rajpoot, who has traveled across the Kelo river in Chhattisgarh twice by foot, shares the story of its transformation.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 15 Jan, 2015 11:52 PM

"The Kelo river has never been like this but in the last two decades, the economic growth in the region has spoiled the purity of the river", says eminent journalist  Shiv Rajpoot from Raigarh, who is also known as "Kelo man". He has twice traveled by foot, the 90 km stretch of the Kelo from its origin to its end.

The objectives of his two visits were to study and document:
Shiv Rajpoot during his Kelo Yatra, 2008
Droughts in Maharashtra: Lack of management or vagaries of climate change?
None of our policies seem to be designed keeping in mind the farmer and his convenience, says Suneel Joshi, State Coordinator for Jal Biradari, in an interview with India Water Portal.
Aarti Kelkar -Khambete
Posted on 18 Dec, 2014 08:24 AM

Recent news has been flooded with reports of the severe drought situation in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. Even more shocking are the reports of large-scale suicides by farmers due to crop losses.
Severe droughts (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Poisonous encounters in Maharashtra
The water in Jamwadi village, Yavatmal has been severely contaminated by the Raymond Company but quality tests only confirm this when the villagers changed the name of the village on the test sample.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 23 Nov, 2014 03:32 PM

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.
Contaminated water from the Raymond factory
Black life: Impact of coal mining in Jharsuguda
Agricultural lands of thousands of people have been destroyed in Odisha and the growing need for power is trumping over the environment. Better regulation can help but it needs to happen soon.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 02 Oct, 2014 04:08 PM

"The agricultural production in our region has deteriorated due to pollution. Haphazard mining has lead to serious drinking water problems in the area", says Indar Bilas Shah, a 56- year old resident of Obada village, Lakhanpur block in Jharsuguda, Odisha. He's not the only one. Thousands of villagers in Jharsuguda echo these sentiments. 

Who's to blame?
Work in progress in coal mines in Jharsuguda
A road less travelled: The Waghad project
A group of farmers in Maharashtra overcame challenges posed by a community-based irrigation system, to manage their water and their livelihoods. How did they do it?
ACWADAM
Posted on 07 Sep, 2014 04:18 PM

Waghad Dam in Nashik, Maharashtra, constructed in 1984-85, irrigated less than 1% of its total irrigable command area, while farmers in the tail area did not receive any water. Bapu Upadhye of Samaj Parivartan Kendra organised the local farmers, mobilized them to come together and fight for their water quota.
Waghad Project:Community managed irrigation system
Increased subsidy for toilet construction
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 01 Sep, 2014 03:33 PM

Higher monetary incentives for toilet construction and delinking sanitation mission from MGNREGS
Toilet under construction in Karnataka
People of a semi-arid Rajasthan village battle Coca Cola
The story isn't new. It is about Coca Cola exploiting groundwater resources at its bottling plant in Kaladera. What will hopefully be new is how the story finally ends.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 27 Jul, 2014 10:23 PM

Kaladera, a small village about 40 km from Jaipur has always been known for its chaubandi (mud resist printing) and natural dyeing but it has been getting a lot of attention since 1999. No, it's not because of the handicraft but because of Coca Cola, which set up a bottling plant there.
Borewells go deep in Kaladera, Rajasthan
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Watershed
A simple guide that lists out the most pertinent questions related to watersheds to help understand this important topic a little better.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 28 Jun, 2014 02:57 PM

This simple guide lists out the most pertinent questions related to watersheds that will help understand this important topic a little better. 

Please click on a topic to view more detailed information.
Watershed (Source: CSERC)
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