Demand and Consumption

Featured Articles
November 8, 2020 The National Hydrology Project has created a national platform for water data and is working to enhance the technical capacities of agencies dealing with water resources management.
Breakthrough cloud computing facilities and remote sensing applications have helped showthe filling pattern of a water body (tank or reservoir) through freely available satellite imagery at an interval of five days.  (Image: Maithan dam, Wikimedia Commons)
December 13, 2019 A study highlights the need to scale down the export of rice, maize, buffalo meat and other items to conserve groundwater in India.
A farmer uses a hosepipe to irrigate crops at her farm in Nilgiris mountains, Tamil Nadu (Image: Hamish John Appleby for IWMI, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
December 2, 2019 Water stewardship is an approach predicated on the concept that water is a shared resource and so water risks are also shared risks that everyone in a catchment will face
Picture credit: Romit Sen
November 18, 2019 Bangalore's water utility is understaffed, under financed and unable to service the city's water needs.
Image credit: Citizen Matters
October 25, 2019 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 24, 2019 While ice stupas have been hailed as sustainable solutions to the water problems of Ladakh’s villages, the locals think otherwise.
Ice Stupas near Phyang monastery (Image Courtsey: Sumita Roy Dutta, Wikimedia Commons)
Towards a progressive Indian and global climate politics - A CPR Climate Initiative Working Paper
This working paper by Centre for Policy Research discusses domestic politics around climate change in India as an entry point to understanding India’s role in global climate negotiations. The paper argues that there is broad agreement within India on three issues: India is being unfairly labelled a “major emitter”; India has a considerable ongoing development burden; and India is already moving in the right direction on climate mitigation. Posted on 09 Mar, 2012 07:04 PM

However, on each of these issues, there is a healthy under-current of domestic debate. Moreover, broad agreement on this perspective does not translate to strategic unanimity. There are three divergent positions within India: growth-first stonewallers, progressive realists, and progressive internationalists.

Mayadantha Male (The miracle of rain) - All India Radio Karnataka programme on rainwater harvesting
This article by Chicu summarises an AIR, Karnataka programme on rainwater harvesting. Posted on 26 Feb, 2012 04:37 PM

"The miracle of rain : Let the earth overflow"

Construction empties Kashmir's rice bowl: How unplanned 'development' has led to a shortage of this staple crop
The rice fields of Kulgam district in Kashmir have provided the people of the state with sufficient harvest of this staple. However, illegal appropriation of farmland for construction has led to a state-wide rice shortage,says IndiaUnheard. Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 03:16 PM

Video courtesy: VideoVolunteers

Global perspectives on water resources and environment (GloWaRE– 2012), March 22-23, 2012, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu
Posted on 13 Feb, 2012 09:06 AM

AU

Organizer: Department of Civil Engineering, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar

Venue: Department of Civil, Engineering, Annamalai University

Description:
Water is a vital natural resource essential for life and a precious national asset. It is a scarce resource which has to be planned, developed, conserved and managed on an integrated and environmentally sound basis; keeping in view the socio-economic aspects and needs of mankind. It is one of the most challenging tasks to ensure adequate water and food to our present and future generations. The availability of water in our country is highly variable both in space and time. Climate change, failure of monsoons, population explosion, urbanization, rising demands and anthropogenic factors lead to significant water stress. Agriculture is the mainstay of Indian economy and an assured irrigation water supply is of utmost importance for food security. Hence water resources are to be managed judiciously to guarantee adequate supplies of dependable quantity and quality, which is of major concern today.

Lift irrigation - Methods and practices: A manual by Mihir Maitra (AFPRO)
This book was published by AFPRO in order to provide guidance to technical staff members of grassroots organisations working in rural development, particularly in the field of agriculture. Posted on 09 Feb, 2012 12:07 PM

Accordingly, the book is written as a technical manual that remains accessible to people seeking to gain necessary expertise in the planning, design, installation and maintenance of lift irrigation systems (LIS). Cover page of Lift irrigation: methods and practices

Water quality monitoring of lakes in and around Bangalore city
This report by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) both in Kannada and English highlights the deteriorating condition of the lakes in and around Bangalore city. Posted on 07 Feb, 2012 03:05 PM

It describes the efforts undertaken by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to launch a programme to monitor the water quality of some of the lakes in Bangalore so as to focus the attention of concerned governmental organisations to take up remedial measures to safe guard the water bodies of the "Garden City". 

The sources of pollution in lakes are mainly identified as:

River basin planning for Ganga : Lessons from Murray-Darling Basin Authority
A report by Amita on the round table meeting held at India International Centre, New Delhi on the topic of river basin planning for Ganga on February 1, 2012. Posted on 02 Feb, 2012 09:15 PM

This interactive session with NGOs working on water and river issues was held in continuation of the “Living rivers, dying rivers” series at the request of AusAid. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Ramaswamy R. Iyer, Honorary Professor, Centre for Policy Research and an author of books and articles on water while the lead speaker Dr.

Contextualising urban water supply in a changing environment: India Urban Conference, November 17-20 2011
The India Urban Conference (IUC) was organised to encourage multi-level dialogue regarding India's urban transformation. Posted on 30 Jan, 2012 09:21 AM

It aimed to set the challenges faced by urban planners in the current economic, socio-political, and ecological landscape. This would enable informed and negotiated choices on urban development. The stated objectives of the conference are as follows:

Liquid Dynamics: Rethinking sustainability in water and sanitation
This paper by Lyla Mehta highlights the various interactions around water. Posted on 20 Jan, 2012 06:55 PM

This paper begins with the slow rate of progress in achieving the millennium development goals of environmental sustainability, especially in the areas of water and sanitation. This is due to the disconnect between the global rhetoric (which often focuses on water as an economic good) and social realities (such as the cultural attitudes towards water)

cover illustration of Liquid Dynamics showing two girls in a paddy field

Dynamic groundwater resources of Karnataka (2009)
This report by the Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Karnataka and the CGWB provides information on groundwater resource available. Posted on 16 Jan, 2012 11:05 PM

It also presents the status of utilisation of groundwater in Karnataka as on March 2009, both on watershed (sub catchment) and taluk wise areas having 2008-2009 as the base year. The methodology is improved as the estimations are carried out on watershed basis for both command and non command separately than apportioned to taluks.

×