Irrigation

Featured Articles
August 10, 2022 The irrigation at all costs mindset and narrow policies for drought protection during the colonial rule ignored rainfed agriculture and local practices that sustained agriculture in the Bombay Deccan. This continues even today.
Recurrent droughts and the struggle for survival (Image Source: Gaurav Bhosale via Wikimedia Commons):
August 9, 2022 Ensuring irrigation through farm ponds in tribal Chhattisgarh
Many tribal farmers opted for individual farm ponds under MGNREGA ensuring protective irrigation. (Image: Meenakshi Singh)
April 8, 2022 Lack of governance and six toothless irrigation acts have done very little to change the water situation on the ground in Maharashtra, argues water expert Pradeep Purandare.
Peanut irrigation in India (Image Source: Seratobikiba via Wikimedia Commons)
March 11, 2022 Subsidies enable tribal farmers to adopt micro-irrigation systems providing them assured irrigation
A key mitigation strategy to deal with water scarcity due to climate change is on-farm management of water using techniques like micro-irrigation (Image: India Water Portal Flickr)
September 17, 2021 Benefits of well-managed commons on livelihoods
Collective efforts revived the canal structure of Bichhiya dam bringing water to the village (Image: Foundation for Ecological Security)
August 29, 2021 Experience of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) in revitalizing the traditional phad irrigation system in hilly tribal villages of Western Madhya Pradesh
Community members contribute voluntary labour required for laying the pipeline network and tank construction (Image: Anjali Aggarwal)
A future without water?
Once abundant with water, Sikri village is fighting a losing battle to meet its water needs. Posted on 11 Dec, 2018 01:17 PM

Sikri is a small village that lies 65 km north-west of Bharatpur on the Alwar road. The village used to depend on a traditional irrigation system that assured water throughout the year. A local saying related to the water availability at Sikri goes thus: Lakh daal le chittri, jay rahoongi Sikri (You may put lakhs of fetters to stop it, but the waters will still reach Sikri).

An off-taking canal that promoted flow irrigation. The system has become a relic of the past. There is a demand to revive this colonial irrigation system whose bund is over 17-km long and has 28 distributaries. (Image: India Water Portal)
NMCG clears projects to curb Yamuna river pollution
Policy matters this week Posted on 27 Nov, 2018 11:16 AM

Yamuna river pollution: NMCG approves projects worth Rs 1,573 crore

Children rummage through garbage near the Yamuna river. (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
Two states and a river: More power or more water?
The latest addition to India’s interstate river water conflicts, the Mahanadi will soon go water deficit if Odisha and Chhattisgarh don’t control their hunger for coal-fired power. Posted on 25 Nov, 2018 12:26 PM

A new study, Mahanadi: Coal Rich, Water-Stressed sheds light on how both Odisha and Chhattisgarh have locked horns over the distribution of waters of the Mahanadi river. The 851-km-long river originates in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh, flows through the state and then Odisha before joining the Bay of Bengal at Odisha’s coast.

The Hirakud dam (Image: Makarand Purohit, India Water Portal)
How can small farmers' income be increased?
Here is a look at the challenges faced by small farmers in India and how they can be dealt with. Posted on 23 Nov, 2018 05:23 PM

As per the agricultural statistics of 2014, nearly 430 people depend on farming in India while 263 million people are either farmers or agricultural workers. Farmers are major contributors to the growth of Indian economy and their concerns impact policies in the country. 

Better strategy needed to increase small farmer's income. (Source: Yogesh Upadhyaya)
The unique Himalayan wetlands
The Himalayan wetlands are under threat due to unregulated urbanisation and unsustainable tourism. Urgent attention at the policy level is the need of the hour. Posted on 03 Nov, 2018 08:33 AM

Wetlands are very important and productive ecosystems that support a wide range of plants and animals and provide livelihood opportunities to local communities in India.

A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
Vidarbha farmer's date with success
Farmer Thangavel tastes success with date farming in the drought-prone region of Vidarbha. Posted on 30 Oct, 2018 10:12 AM

In a drought-prone region like Vidarbha in Maharashtra, mostly in the news for water scarcity and farmer suicide, it is not every day that you hear the success story of a farmer. That's why the story of Savi Thangavel, 69, a resident of Mohegaon village which is just 22 km from Nagpur, is special.

Thangavel date farm (Source: India Water Portal)
New sturdy rice variety developed
Scientists develop transgenic rice that can grow under high salinity and drought. Posted on 29 Oct, 2018 10:44 AM

A group of researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and University of Illinois have developed transgenic rice that promises to generate high yields even under conditions of high salinity, high temperature and drought.

Dr Ashwani Pareek and his team that developed the rice. (Photo: ISW)
‘Organic farming brought huge profit for me’
Farmer Renupada has taken it up as a mission to make more farms organic by training fellow farmers on the sustainable practice. Posted on 25 Oct, 2018 09:59 AM

At the age of 70, Renupada Bagdi of Doniapur village in Birbhum district of West Bengal is on a mission to convince his fellow farmers to take up organic farming just like he did a few years ago. He knows from his experience that chemical fertilisers do not yield crops as big companies make it out to be.

Renupada Bagdi in front of his thatched house. (Photo: Gurvinder Singh)
Open call to participate in Grassroots Field Exposure Session (GFES) & User Engagement Initiative (UEI)
The India-UK Water Centre is inviting applications from members of its Open Network of Water Scientists to participate in a Grassroots Field Exposure Session and User Engagement Initiative.
Posted on 24 Oct, 2018 04:04 PM

Sectoral focus: Water resource management and supply

Regional Focus: Central India

Theme: Building cross-sectoral collaborations to understand the dynamic interactions across the water-energy-food nexus

New centre to help farmers become climate resilient
The centre will focus on real-time structured surveillance for insect-pests and diseases using GPS-tagging techniques. Posted on 20 Oct, 2018 02:28 PM

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has established a centre of excellence on climate change research for plant protection at the Hyderabad-based International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

The centre will provide advanced information and tools to increase farmer resilience to climate change. (Photo: IWP flickr photos)
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