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)
India ranked 12th in mismanaging plastic waste
News this week Posted on 17 Feb, 2015 08:28 PM

8 million tonnes of plastic waste dumped into world's oceans in 2010: Study

Two oceans meeting at Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu
Arid, but water secure in Kutch
Reduced migration, better hygiene practices and access to information on govt. schemes were only some of the achievements of villages in Rapar, Gujarat. The videos tell the full story. Posted on 16 Feb, 2015 11:34 PM

For many in Rapar taluka of Kutch, migration was a way of life due to the absence of rainfall; they went in search of greener pastures. But when the people realised their collective potential and how they could use it to resolve water scarcity in their villages, there was no stopping them ,and the compulsion to migrate reduced.

Rearing livestock: the mainstay of people in Rapar
Studying springs: A matter of life and death
Mountain dwellers across India are learning hydrogeology in a bid to save their dying springs. In the process, they are also revolutionizing their lives. Posted on 16 Feb, 2015 10:55 PM

Hydrogeology has, before this, been considered a highly specialised field known only to dedicated academics.

Learning hydrogeology informs spring restoration
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. 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. 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
Groundwater status : Should we be worried?
Three CGWB reports paint a detailed picture of the groundwater situation in the country. Does the water level continue to decline or has it risen in some areas? Posted on 16 Feb, 2015 09:35 PM

Groundwater, though replenishable, is ultimately a finite resource. Excessive withdrawal leads to depletion of the water stored underground, resulting in serious social, economical and environmental consequences.

Groundwater: A finite source (Source: IWP)
Citizens charter on drinking water and sanitation before Union Budget
Ahead of the Union Budget, Civil Society Organizations ask for policy strategies to support drinking water and sanitation for vulnerable sections. Posted on 13 Feb, 2015 02:24 PM

A National Convention on Union Budget 2015-16 by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, New Delhi held on 8th and 9th January 2015 brought together around 200 Civil Society Organisations from more than 20 States to discuss the policy asks for water and sanitation sector.

Water facility by WASMO in Gujarat
Call for papers for the workshop on 'Regulation and management of groundwater in the age of climate change: Need for legal reforms in India', National Law University, New Delhi
This workshop seeks to bring together experts to discuss the ways in which groundwater law (and water law more generally) needs to evolve to reflect and respond to climate change.
Posted on 11 Feb, 2015 12:37 PM

Call for papers

The workshop is an opportunity for academics, students, practitioners and activists to come together, exchange ideas, and discuss emerging issues relating to implications of climate change on groundwater in India and the legal responses. The workshop will combine sessions with invited speakers and presentations and discussions of research papers.

NLUD workshop on climate change and groundwater
Rs 2000 crore action plan to restore mining ravaged areas in Karnataka
News this week Posted on 09 Feb, 2015 01:54 PM

Karnataka sets up firm to mitigate mining impacts

Coal mines in Jharsuguda
Social regulation as a key to sustainable groundwater use
While a knowledge-based approach to groundwater management improves awareness, it does not address issues of equity. Posted on 19 Jan, 2015 11:02 AM

Sustainable management of groundwater continues to be ignored in India although its hydrogeological and socieconomic aspects continue to be studied extensively. Despite recognition of its importance at the policy level, no clear plan of action exists for groundwater management in India. 

A well in Odoor farms, Mangalore
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