Irrigation

Featured Articles
August 10, 2022
Taming water - Irrigation and drought protection in colonial India and the present
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
MGNREGS becoming the quintessential scheme for tribal agriculture
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
Water for all, still a dream?
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
Making every drop count: Micro-irrigation for tribal farmers of Gujarat
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
Villagers’ shramdaan revives canal, enhances area under cultivation
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
Diversion-based irrigation systems
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)
No tunnel for the Luhri hydel project in Himachal
Policy matter this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 11 Aug, 2015 12:07 PM

Villagers win as SJVNL drops its tunnel plan for Luhri hydel project 
Sutlej river in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh (Sanyam Bahga, Wikipedia)
Flawed embankment strategy converts Bihar into a watery grave
The engineering solutions put in place to tackle the issue of floods has created more problems than solutions in Bihar, says Dinesh Mishra in an interview.
Dinesh Mishra
Posted on 27 Jul, 2015 02:31 PM

Dr. Dinesh Kumar Mishra of Barh Mukti Abhiyaan, an authority on the river network of North Bihar speaks to India Water Portal about the flood problems, the skewed flood control policy of the Government, the Kosi breach of 2008 and the gargantuan interlinking of rivers project.
Floods in Bihar (Source: Usha Dewani, IWP)
Green nod to Dibang hydel project opposed in NGT
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 20 Jul, 2015 10:25 PM

Petition filed against green nod granted to Dibang hydel project
People protesting Dibang Project (Source: SANDRP)
Maharashtra tops India in farmers' suicide during 2014
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 20 Jul, 2015 10:21 PM

Maharashtra recorded highest number of farmers' suicides during 2014
A farmer working on his field
Harness the sun to drought proof agriculture in Bihar
Are solar pumps a drought mitigation strategy for farmers in Bihar? This research paper looks into the interplay between droughts, subsequent distress and government interventions.
Avinash Kishore
Pramod Kumar Joshi
Divya Pandey
Posted on 19 Jul, 2015 09:22 PM

Since 1999, Bihar has borne the brunt of four droughts. Rainfall scarcity has affected farmers, depleted groundwater levels significantly, and led to an increase in the number of poor people in the state. What measures has the government taken to mitigate the impact?
Solar panels in a farm (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
NGT quashes environment clearance to 10 irrigation projects in Maharashtra and Karnataka
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 13 Jul, 2015 09:57 PM

NGT cancels MoEF's go ahead to 10 irrigation projects 
Irrigation Canal taking off from the Bhima Dam (Source: Nvvchar on Wikipedia)
What are the odds of a dam burst?
The recent earthquake in Nepal has pointed fingers yet again at the much neglected area of dam safety. Will that push India to put in place a comprehensive law that addresses this?
Latha Anantha
Posted on 11 Jul, 2015 10:48 AM

One of history’s worst dam bursts took place in Gujarat in 1979 when the four-kilometer long Machhu Dam II on the Machhu River collapsed. This led to a deluge in the industrial city of Morbi located five kilometers downstream as well as surrounding rural areas destroying thousands of homes and lives. While this was a tragedy, it was by no means an isolated one.
Sardar Sarovar Dam (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Living rivers, dying rivers: Ganga and the river systems of Bihar
The first lecture was on the Ganges by Rama Rauta and K C Sivaramakrishnan, and the third on the river systems of Bihar--Kosi and Bagmati--by Dr. Dinesh Mishra.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 10 Jul, 2015 11:11 AM

Introduction: The Ganges

The first discussion was on June 4 2011, in which Rama Rauta and K C Sivaramakrishnan shared their experiences of working with the government and people’s organisations to save the Ganga.
Kosi river, Bihar (Source:Wikipedia)
CIIE at IIM Ahmedabad call for proposals for the Water Accelerator program
India's first Water Accelerator program is targeted at identifying and showcasing the best water focused ideas, individuals and organizations (both startups and not-for-profits).
Posted on 09 Jul, 2015 03:38 PM

The Water Accelerator program is India's first accelerator for water start-ups.  
Groundwater as Commons demonstrated in Mahbubnagar, Telangana
Farmers agreed to pool their groundwater to create a water sharing network. Result? Crops were saved, irrigated area was doubled, and grain production increased by 240%!
Amita Bhaduri
Bakka Reddy
Posted on 08 Jul, 2015 05:37 PM

By the year 2000, farmers in Mahbubnagar, Telangana could see how risky their investments on groundwater had become. The area barely received 600 mm of annual rainfall, and just 15 percent of its area was under irrigation.
Collectivising groundwater for protecting rainfed crop; Source: WASSAN
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