Rural Water

Featured Articles
October 15, 2022
Evaluating WaSH conditions spatially at the panchayat level
Synthesis of water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) spatial pattern in rural India: an integrated interpretation of WaSH practices
People in rural areas lack potable water, and use unsafe sanitation and hygiene facilities (Image: Sebastian Dahl)
May 26, 2021
Investing in “local water professionals” for the country’s water security
India needs water professionals to manage its water resources locally to be water secure. This needs focus and investment. Now.
Frontline workers get trained and acquire invaluable skills in the process of fulfilling their roles within one or multiple programs
May 18, 2021
Fostering rural livelihoods post COVID
Income loss top concern for rural communities, says study
Must have protocols for timely action and outreach in times of need (Image: DMD, Government of Bihar)
May 17, 2021
Rural realities amid second COVID surge
Practitioner's experiences in tackling the second wave in Indian villages
There is a need to strengthen the capacities of ASHA workers, and other healthcare and grassroots workers. (Image: DMD, Government of Bihar)
April 17, 2021
Skilling and engaging first mile actors to enable local water management: Context, opportunities, and engagement possibilities
Based on conversations with Dr Tushaar Shah and Mr Ved Arya
There is an urgency to create a database of such skilled persons and engage them in future programs or on a long-term basis through different engagement models. (Image: ForWater Partners)
October 25, 2019
Mapping Pune’s aquifers
Groundwater use has doubled in Pune. Comprehensive mapping of groundwater resources and better management and governance is the need of the hour.
Groundwater, an exploited resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Water for everyone
How can we regulate water resources in an equitable way? Expert Pradeep Purandare speaks to India Water Portal.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 08 Sep, 2016 05:55 PM

The management of water resources in India has always been a challenge. From the British era till now, the various governments that ruled India have grappled with the fundamental issue of water equity. 
Pradeep Purandare
Saving the catchment area
The Somb-Thapana catchment is a stark contrast to the polluted Yamuna. Knowledge from the Thames and the local communities revived the water.
Tarika Khanna
Posted on 07 Sep, 2016 09:39 PM

River Yamuna, the largest tributary of river Ganga, is the most threatened river system in the country. It faces over abstraction of water and increasing pollution load (municipal and industrial) throughout its course.
Thapana stream in Mandoli village shows dense vegetation in riparian zone and fish flocking the stream.
Accept refuse: A lesson in wastewater management
There is a new technology available now to reuse domestic and industrial refuse. This could just be the solution to India’s increasing water problem.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 31 Aug, 2016 01:05 PM

The demand, supply, availability and access of water resources do not always match. Going by the UN estimates, by the year 2022, India is expected to surpass China's population to become the most populous country in the world.
Constructed wetland at ICRISAT's Patancheru campus.
Mines radiate disaster
Villagers of Jadugoda say radiation from uranium mines is impairing their children. It’s high time the government took measures against it so a generation is not left crippled.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 04 Aug, 2016 09:43 AM

The body of Guria Das looked like that of a three-year-old when she passed away at the age of 13. Guria was born in 1999 with a condition that constrained her growth. Her father, Chhatua Das recounts how Guria, unable to speak or move, communicated with him and his wife through gestures; a language that only the three of them could comprehend.
Guria was born deformed. Her father Chhatua blames the radiation from indiscriminate uranium mining and the tailings ponds for her death.
Rejuvenating traditional water system in Maharashtra
Caught between Malguzaars and the state government, the Malguzari tanks were left to die many years ago. A lone man spearheaded their revival in 2008.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 02 Aug, 2016 09:44 AM

Malguzari tanks were ponds made for water harvesting by the Malguzaars, who were zamindars or tenants in eastern Vidarbha, Maharashtra two centuries ago.These tanks provided water for irrigation and also increased the availability of fish for local consumption.
Janbhora Malguzari tank in Bhandara
Groundwater revival comes a cropper
An NGO’s effort to recharge the groundwater in an area finds little success with water-guzzling crops that rule the market.
Dr S S Grewal
Posted on 24 Jul, 2016 09:05 PM

Water crisis is a reality in most of India. After the summer of droughts come the monsoon floods. Take Maharashtra, for instance. If at one time it is desperately searching for drinking water, at another time, its capital, Mumbai is wading through knee-high water. How do we overcome these annual crises?
A villager shows the rainwater harvesting structure in Aravalli hills.
Rice and shine
How paddy grew in popularity in Punjab and continues to steal the show, thanks to lack of alternatives for farmers.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 22 Jul, 2016 10:08 PM

Take the roads of Punjab during the monsoon and you will find most fields turned into pools of water. It’s mainly the water pulled out from the underground vault to support the kharif crop of paddy.
Whatever be the water situation, it doesn’t look like paddy’s popularity as a crop is going to diminish anytime soon. Source: Akshay Mahajan/Flickr
State does a Nero while Kharun weeps
Despite the pitiable state of a polluted Kharun, the government is keen on developing the riverfront to attract tourists.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 18 Jul, 2016 09:30 AM

At sunrise, everything is luminous but not clear. 

― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
Kharun river at Mahadev Ghat, Raipur.
Floods wreak havoc in many parts of the country
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 17 Jul, 2016 04:27 PM

Floods grip many parts of the country
Flooded Simen river in Brahmaputra basin (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Pipara women realise pipe dream
Pipara village in the parched Bundelkhand region stands out for its uninterrupted water supply. The village has their women to thank for it.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 01 Jul, 2016 12:03 PM

The cracks on the parched land of Bundelkhand are waiting for the monsoon to quench the thirst of its arid landscape. Despite the wide-spread drought here, Pipara, one of the villages in the region, stands apart as the only one that has not run completely dry. 
Women fill water from one of the taps at Pipara.
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