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)
Maharashra issues water advisory for Holi
News and policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 22 Mar, 2016 06:05 PM

Reservoir levels dip, Maharashtra urges people to celebrate dry holi
Holi being celebrated (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Villagers in Puri, Odisha return to agriculture after a 32 year hiatus
Roadways construction affected the natural water drainage and blocked canals since 1980. Recent restoration works has infused life back into two villages in Madhuban Gram Panchayat.
Jagannath Chatterjee
Posted on 09 Mar, 2016 10:43 AM

Water logging has been a persistent problem for farmers in the coastal areas of Puri, Odisha. Construction of national highways has affected the natural water drainage system and has changed the lands of thousands of farmers since 1980.
Canal restoration in Puri district (Source: Regional Centre for Development Cooperation)
Rs 38,500 crore allocated for MGNREGA in Budget 2016
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 29 Feb, 2016 09:56 PM

Agriculture, rural development and social sector is the focus of Budget 2016
Labourers building check dams under MGNREGS (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Saved by tanks: The story of Puducherry’s Bahour commune
While the monster floods of 2015 mercilessly gobbled up villages along the coast of Tamil Nadu, settlements in neighbouring Puducherry managed to escape the fury. Miracle, you say?
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 16 Feb, 2016 10:13 AM

The East Coast of India is very much unlike its western counterpart both in terms of physiography and climatology.
The Manapet tank in Bahour has an ayacut of around 110 acres, most of which is now urbanised (Image: Seetha Gopalakrishnan, IWP)
Water and sanitation sector needs a budget push
Better regulation and transparency is needed in the WASH sector to ensure that India meets its Swachh Bharat Mission targets, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.
WaterAid India
Posted on 30 Jan, 2016 12:56 PM

While the WatSan sector has been prioritised in the country’s policy agenda through the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission, last year’s budgetary outlay was way below desired levels.
Handwashing at a Karnataka school
Rice-fish culture transforms the lives of cyclone-hit farmers in Odisha
Rice-fish systems allow for the production of fish and other aquatic animals as well as rice from the same rice field area, and generally without causing reductions in rice yields.
Jagannath Chatterjee
Posted on 06 Jan, 2016 11:24 PM

Coastal regions of Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha have been hit by cyclonic storms for more than two decades.
Integrated Rice Fish Culture Unit Rajnagar (Source: RCDC, Odisha)
Right information and collective strength of people triumph!
The film titled 'A Hand Pump' tells the story of the villagers of Padapadar, Odisha and their struggle to finally get their right to safe drinking water.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 04 Jan, 2016 08:25 PM

"More than eight villagers in Padapadar have died due to water-borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, jaundice, etc.
A hand-pump installed at Padapadar village
The Last Builder of Naulas in Chatola, Nainital
Constructing naulas, the small structures that house springs in Uttarakhand, requires an intimate knowledge of many sciences. One of the last practitioners of this dying craft tells his story.
Usha Dewani
Chicu Lokgariwar
Posted on 03 Jan, 2016 05:57 PM

No temple is as venerated in Uttarakhand as the little unassuming naulas. These small hut-like structures dot the mountains and hold within them a great treasure--water. Usually made of stone masonry with pyramid-like slate roofs, every naula respresents within it a residing spirit which can range from a simple stone piece to an ornately carved statue.
Ratan Singh Bisht is one of the few people today who constructs naulas
Lounging by Laknavaram Cheruvu in Telangana
Tucked away in the middle of picturesque paddy fields and the rolling hills of Govindaraopet, Laknavaram cheruvu is the perfect spot for a idyllic weekend getaway.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 24 Dec, 2015 01:21 PM

Erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh, like its neighbours Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, is a land of tanks. The ‘Cheruvus’, ‘Eris’ and ‘Keres’, as they are known in the respective regional languages, are irrigation tanks dug centuries ago by kings and philanthropists to feed thousands of acres of thirsty paddy fields. 
Laknavaram Cheruvu in Warangal, Telangana
First water atlas of the Himalayas launched during COP 21
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 16 Dec, 2015 10:21 AM

First water atlas of the Himalayas launched in Paris
View of the Himalayas from Dhulikhel, Nepal (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
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