Groundwater

Featured Articles
October 17, 2022 While informal groundwater markets cater significantly to the needs of smallholder farmers in India, they continue to be unacknowledged and understudied.
Groundwater, a finite resource (Image Source: TV Manoj via Wikimedia Commons)
July 5, 2022 Studies reveal that children are the most vulnerable to the health risks associated with groundwater contamination due to nitrate and fluoride, highlighting the need for urgent remedial measures.
POisoned waters, dangerous outcomes (Image Source: India Water Portal)
April 26, 2022 The water stewardship initiative by WOTR that developed a tool to visualise aquifers has not only helped farmers understand groundwater as a shared resource, but also led to a behavioural change among water users and helped implement groundwater laws and policies.
Groundwater, a fast disappearing resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
February 13, 2022 A study provides new evidence that drinking water contaminated with arsenic can lead to still births, recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility among women.
A well in Rajasthan (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
August 29, 2021 A study shows that high arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bihar is linked with increase in cancer cases. Districts located near the Himalayan river basins have more people with cancer.
Drinking water in Bihar, linked to cancer (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
August 26, 2021 This study from Rajasthan found that anthropogenic factors led to nitrate contamination of groundwater. High nitrate levels in drinking water posed major health risks to children.
A well in Rajasthan (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Unregulated e-waste hotspots operating in Delhi with no safeguards
Study identifies 5,000 illegal e-waste units in Delhi operating without health and environmental safeguards. Posted on 28 Oct, 2019 02:11 PM

A study by Toxics Link, a Delhi-based environmental research and advocacy non-profit identified 15 e-waste processing hotspots in Delhi operating with impunity without safeguards. These hotspots house over 5,000 illegal e-waste processing units directly and indirectly employing over 50,000 people.

Most of the operations in these units were found to be manual and rudimentary (Image: Toxics Link)
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. Posted on 25 Oct, 2019 01:13 PM

Pune continues to face a water crisis every summer despite having sufficient water, thanks to its geographical location and plentiful natural water assets. While enough of its water needs are taken care of by water supply from the Khadakwasla dam, the use of groundwater to meet the needs of the population continues to increase.

Groundwater, an exploited resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Ice stupas, the contested water towers of Ladakh
While ice stupas have been hailed as sustainable solutions to the water problems of Ladakh’s villages, the locals think otherwise. Posted on 24 Oct, 2019 04:38 PM

Ladakh, the arid Himalayan desert, is a high elevation borderland located close to the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir, in India. Water here originates from glaciers in the high altitude mountains that tower over Ladakh’s villages. Simple earthwork irrigation channels tap meltwater from streams that originate from these glaciers.

Ice Stupas near Phyang monastery (Image Courtsey: Sumita Roy Dutta, Wikimedia Commons)
How farm ponds in Madhya Pradesh are building agricultural resilience
An intern with Watershed Organisation Trust narrates his field experience from the villages of Madhya Pradesh, where farmers are using farm ponds to conserve water. Posted on 24 Oct, 2019 12:33 PM

Madhya Pradesh, promoted as 'The Heart of India' by the state's tourism board is aptly named so because of its central location. The campaign made me keen to visit the state, for the last many years.

A farm pond constructed by Sheshrao Dhurve in Karaghat Kamti village of Madhya Pradesh
Arrival of northeast monsoon & retreat of southwest monsoon coincides this year; Salt lake and several metro cities shrinking at alarming pace
News this week Posted on 23 Oct, 2019 01:36 PM

Soon a national framework for e-flows in all major rivers

Yamuna river in Delhi (Source: Sudhanshu Malhotra via IWP Flickr Photos)
Drinking water availability should be a top priority, concrete action should be taken against water wastage: NGT
Policy matters this week Posted on 23 Oct, 2019 10:35 AM

Drinking water availability should be a top priority: NGT

Queuing up for water (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Pune groundwater extraction doubles in last decade; Uranium found in Telengana groundwater; Lower Subansiri project gets a boost
News this week Posted on 16 Oct, 2019 02:13 PM

Study finds Pune's groundwater extraction doubles in 9 years

Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh (Source: Kakul Baruah via Wikimedia Commons)
Goa fights to protect its khazans; Coonoor cleans its river; Punjab gov scrambles to clean Kali Bein River before Gurupurab
News this week Posted on 10 Oct, 2019 11:36 AM

Goa government, farmers against MoEF for proposing re-designation of the state’s low lying lands

Aerial view of a Khazan in the Zuari river, Goa.
Deadly chemicals from detergents end up in rivers
India needs to come up with a regulation on use of toxic chemicals in detergents. Posted on 06 Oct, 2019 10:18 AM

It’s ironic that detergents, which are meant for cleaning, flow into water bodies and pollute them with chemicals.

Nonylphenol, a toxic chemical found in detergents is known to enter the water bodies and even the food chain, where it bio-accumulates and can pose serious environmental and health risks (Image: Toxics Link)
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. Posted on 01 Oct, 2019 11:54 AM

India has witnessed extreme weather conditions this year. While parts of the north and south have battled drought like conditions this summer, the northeast and western coastal areas witnessed heavy rains and floods.

Water talk Series at Mumbai (Image Source:Tata Insitute of Social Sciences)
×