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)
NGT prohibits commercial extraction of groundwater in Maharashtra
Policy matters this week: NGT restricts extraction of groundwater in Maharashtra; Centre OKs Polavaram Project Authority appointment; Delhi govt holds authorities accountable prior to the monsoon.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 05 May, 2014 10:33 AM

NGT prohibits groundwater extraction in Maharashtra's 12 districts
Groundwater extraction (Source: Karuna Society)
Punjab wades in troubled waters
During the Green Revolution, Punjab became the biggest contributor to India's food basket but at a cost-groundwater decline. Can its farmers figure out a way to stem this and boost productivity?
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 03 May, 2014 12:23 AM

Many great civilisations have thrived near rivers with people moving in search of water across swathes of lands. The same holds true for present day Punjab, especially its farmers.
Groundwater is falling by 1 metre every year
The Shirpur pattern: Is it groundwater therapy?
Three villages of the many that have adopted the Shirpur pattern in Maharashtra have different stories to tell. You decide if the model is working or not.
Hamsa Iyer
Posted on 30 Apr, 2014 08:54 PM

The Shirpur pattern propogated by Suresh Khanapurkar has been widely criticised but also accepted by many villages in Maharashtra.
Shirpur structures in Eknath Wadi, Maharashtra
Below normal' rainfall for India this monsoon: IMD
News this week: IMD predicts a below average monsoon this year; Himachal villagers reject govt's Assessment Report on Sutlej basin; Six years post-construction, Narmada canals breach every ten steps.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 28 Apr, 2014 10:18 PM

'Below normal' rainfall for India this monsoon: IMD
Monsoon in India (Source: journeys@remember)
Companies finally disclose their water-related risks
Will climate change cause greater water-related risks to companies? 29 Indian companies and hundreds of global companies find out.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 24 Apr, 2014 03:17 PM

Businesses increasingly face water risks in the context of climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), India will face changes in rainfall patterns, increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events along with droughts and flood.
Industrial pollution, Image: Ganesh Dhamodkar
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Rainwater Harvesting (RWH)
Here is a simple guide to help understand rainwater harvesting better
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 23 Apr, 2014 12:53 AM

This simple guide lists out the most popular questions related to rainwater harvesting to help understand this important topic better.

Please click on a topic to view more detailed information.
Roof RWH system at Patkhori High School in Mewat
More power, but no water security to MP and Gujarat
News this week: Upcoming elections pose risk to water security of MP and Gujarat; No action taken by MoEF against illegal Garudeshwar dam in Gujarat; Karur's farmers to exercise NOTA.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 22 Apr, 2014 11:10 PM

More power, but no water security to MP and Gujarat, observes SANDRP
Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat (Source: Wikimedia)
Water woes of a different kind
Southwest Punjab negotiates deep waters as excess canal irrigation turns crop fields into fish farms.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 19 Apr, 2014 01:03 AM

'Rabba Rabba Meeh Barsa, Saadi Kothi Daane Paa' (Make it rain God, so our homes remain filled with grains)”, is a popular song taught to children in Punjab. Not all of Punjab. In Southwest Punjab, farmers are praying for the monsoon to fail! 
Waterlogged fields in Udeekaran village
Gujarat among the most water-starved states in India:UN
News this week: Groundwater depletion makes Gujarat a water-starved state, says UN; Surat units all set to use recycled water; SANDRP urges Maharashtra CM to withdraw irrigation projects.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 15 Apr, 2014 09:10 PM

Gujarat among the most water-starved states in India: UN
Water scarcity in Gujarat (Source: WebGovernments)
Water works: Keystone’s interventions in the Nilgiris
Keystone Foundation is best known for its work on issues of indigenous people in the Nilgiris. This article details its projects on water over the last two decades, from a water data perspective.
Balachander T
Posted on 07 Apr, 2014 12:50 PM

A village of nine families bounded by a river on one side and thick forests on the other, lived here in Kilcoupe, an Irula hamlet in the Nilgiris. The women went out into the forest in search of water, a risky activity, as there was quite a large chance that they would encounter either a gaur or an elephant, sometimes even a leopard.
A stream flowing through a settlement and farms.
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