Groundwater

Featured Articles
October 17, 2022
Invisible informal groundwater markets
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
Poisoned waters, threatened lives
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
Making the invisible, visible
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
Poisonous encounters, fatal outcomes!
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
Poisoned waters, deadly outcomes!
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
Poisonous encounters: Nitrate contamination of groundwater in Rajasthan
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)
The politics of groundwater
To make access to water adequate and equitable, the focus must shift from water sources to water resources. Science, community participation and cooperation, are key to addressing our water woes.
Himanshu Kulkarni
Uma Aslekar
Posted on 04 Jul, 2018 12:15 PM

A growing demand for water implies the need for an improved understanding of our resources, and the ability to manage that demand in an equitable and sustainable way.

Wells, not dams, have been the temples of modern India
GIS and Mapping (Basic Skills Course) for NGO workers & Development professionals by Water & Livelihoods Foundation (WLF)
This short skill development course by Water & Livelihoods Foundation meets the growing need for digital mapping skills among NGO staff and rural development workers.
Posted on 27 Jun, 2018 03:30 PM

HIGHLIGHTS
When solving one health problem triggers another
Studies reveal that efforts at guinea worm eradication have triggered the spread of hydrofluorosis in Rajasthan.
Shanti Lal Choubisa
Posted on 27 Jun, 2018 02:17 PM

Up until two decades ago, the main sources of drinking water in Rajasthan included surface water from perennial ponds, reservoirs, lakes, dams, rivers and streams with borewells and tubewells used sparingly and only in remote areas. All this changed when guinea worm infections started appearing in the state. 
A child drinks water from a hand pump. (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Centre forms Cauvery Water Regulation Committee
Policy matters this week
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 26 Jun, 2018 03:00 PM

Cauvery Water Regulation Committee comes into being
Cauvery river in Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
Hyderabad's groundwater levels fail to improve
News this week
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 26 Jun, 2018 02:48 PM

Good rainfall fails to improve Hyderabad's groundwater table
Despite good rainfall, Hyderabad's groundwater levels continue to be precarious. (Photo: IWP Flickr)
Punjab farmers offered monetary benefit to save water
Policy matters this week
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 19 Jun, 2018 11:10 AM

Punjab introduces “Paani Bacho, Paise Kamao” scheme to motivate farmers to pump less
Farmers in Punjab to be compensated monetarily for drawing less water from tubewells. (Picture courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)
Toilets need water, women suffer under ODF drive
Toilets in households have only increased the drudgery of village women as they have to fetch water from faraway sources for toilet use.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 12 Jun, 2018 01:28 PM

Rajasthan is all geared up for the open defecation free (ODF) status well before the national deadline of October 2, 2019. According to the assistant engineer of the nagar parishad, Resha Singh, 4.75 lakh toilets have been constructed since October 2, 2014 in Alwar district which is about to be declared ODF.
Village women collect water for toilet use. (Photo by India Water Portal)
Wetland turns treasure trove of herbs
Medicinal herbs, edible greens and fruits thrive in and around Chennai’s Sembakkam lake, reveals a study.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 11 Jun, 2018 11:31 AM

The districts of Tiruvallur, Chennai and Kanchipuram once boasted of a landscape densely dotted with wetlands and a lifestyle that was closely linked to the survival of these water bodies.
Sembakkam lake currently spans across a 100 acres in South Chennai. (Picture courtesy: Care Earth Trust)
Alwar homes, farms and factories fight for water
Water conflict in Rajasthan’s Alwar district is not just between upstream and downstream users; it is also between users with domestic, agricultural and industrial needs.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 07 Jun, 2018 11:46 AM

Lewari, a village located around 17 km from Alwar in Rajasthan, is the site of a water conflict these days. “The production of Jayanti jaljeera, haazme ka lalantop drink (a digestive drink) has left our village parched,” says Nanak Singh, a resident.
Operation of sluice outlet of Siliserh lake is marked by chaos and conflict among various interest groups.
Thane creek flamingo sanctuary formally notified
Policy matters this week
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 29 May, 2018 12:07 PM

Maharashtra government notifies Thane creek as flamingo sanctuary
Thane Creek hosts a variety of migratory birds. (Picture courtesy: The Indian Express)
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