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January 13, 2022 The water structures constructed during the Gond period continue to survive the test of time and provide evidence of the water wisdom of our ancestors.
Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)
January 2, 2021 Lack of community ownership and local governance are spelling doom for the once royal and resilient traditional water harvesting structures of Rajasthan.
Toorji Ka Jhalara, Jodhpur (Image Source: Rituja Mitra)
December 7, 2020 The new farm related bills will spell doom for women workers who form the bulk of small and marginal sections of Indian agriculture, warns Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).
Farm women, overworked and underpaid (Image Source: India Water Portal)
December 11, 2019 Dry toilets have long been hailed as a sustainable solution to the sanitation and waste management crisis facing India today, but have been overshadowed by more modern toilet designs.
A traditional dry toilet. Image: India Science Wire
December 4, 2019 To adapt well & build resilience, climate change strategies need to factor in efforts towards water security, writes Vanita Suneja, Regional Advocacy Manager (South Asia), WaterAid.
Image credit: WaterAid/Prashanth Vishwanathan
December 2, 2019 Water stewardship is an approach predicated on the concept that water is a shared resource and so water risks are also shared risks that everyone in a catchment will face
Picture credit: Romit Sen
How local democracy is solving water issues in southern Rajasthan
People come together to dig community ponds in Dungarpur, to fight water scarcity. Posted on 09 Sep, 2019 09:48 AM

While most parts of the country are facing a water crisis, here’s a case from the arid state of Rajasthan, where decentralized initiatives are solving water issues. Dungarpur in southern Rajasthan has exemplified how community participation with local level planning processes are working towards improving rainwater harvesting and recharge of groundwater.

Community pond in Doja after the first pre-monsoon rain. Pic credit: Rajat Kumar
Experts say cold desert regions need special attention
Desertification at high altitudes increasing due to melting of glaciers, causing concern and a push to devise preventive adapation strategies. Posted on 06 Sep, 2019 10:38 AM

Greater Noida, September 5 (India Science Wire): Degradation of land, which leads to the process of desertification, is not limited to arid and semi-arid areas but is also visible in high altitude regions that get very little rainfall and are known as cold deserts.

A view of cold desert in Ladakh (Photo: Annu Anand)
Water Talk Series at TISS, Mumbai on 7th September 2019
A one day event on "The Discourse of Flood and Drought in India - The Question of Life, Livelihood and Ecology."
Posted on 04 Sep, 2019 02:30 PM

Team Malhar, students of Water Policy and Governance (WPG) and alumni of Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai in partnership with RRA Network proudly present the third annual session of "WATER TALK SERIES" on 7th September, 2019 at TISS, Mumbai

Dams, in distress?
It is time water policies in India acknowledge that many large dams have aged and can no longer be looked upon as the only path to water security. Posted on 03 Sep, 2019 11:15 AM

India is reeling from a severe water crisis. Large parts of the country are experiencing water-stress worsened by the ever increasing demand for water due to population growth, rapid urbanisation, changing lifestyles and consumption patterns, inef?cient use of water and climate change.

Hirakud, India's oldest dam (Image Source: India Water Portal on Flickr)
What’s shit got to do with child health?
Open defecation plays a key role in solving the puzzle of persistent childhood malnutrition in India, says study Posted on 02 Sep, 2019 06:35 PM

A pig snorts after emerging from the open drain that passes through a slum in the Digha area of south Patna. Small children crawl on the road nearby with slime dribbling from their nose.

Studies indicate that more children stunted in India than in sub-Saharan Africa (Image: MOSPI)
Water in Pune’s urban quagmire
A study develops a peri-urban and rurban water and sanitation index for Pune. Posted on 02 Sep, 2019 12:01 PM

Drinking water programs in India treat urban and rural areas separately, generally neglecting the special characteristics of settlements referred to as peri-urban – those on the outskirts or peripheries of urban areas, or “rurban” settlements i.e. rural areas with urban facilities.

A street in the city of Poonah [Pune] in 1871 (Image: Lester John Frederick, Wikimedia Commons)
Government to spend Rs 3.5 trillion to provide potable water
Policy matters this week Posted on 21 Aug, 2019 11:14 PM

Government to spend Rs 3.5 trillion under Jal Jeevan Mission: PM Modi

Women filling water from a tap (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
In photos: How temple tanks are helping Chennai conserve rain water
During the monsoon, temple tanks in Chennai fill to the brim with water, helping in groundwater recharge. Posted on 21 Aug, 2019 03:05 PM

Besides showcasing the architectural expertise and aesthetics of their time, temple tanks also play an extremely important role as water storage systems in Chennai.

Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane has the biggest tank. Recently, volunteers belonging to the Central Industrial Security Force cleaned the tank. Pic: Laasya Shekhar
Beyond the death toll: The everyday violence of Assam’s floods
Mitul Baruah from Ashoka University narrates personal experiences of people affected by floods in Majuli, Assam. Posted on 19 Aug, 2019 12:53 PM

Floods are an annual phenomenon in Assam. They are as integral to the state as the Brahmaputra River is, and each monsoon, we are reminded that Assam exists (or is drowning). As I write this piece, Assam is slowly recovering from the first wave of flood this monsoon.

Floods in Majuli Assam. Photo credit: Mitul Baruah
P Sainath: The water crisis is not caused by drought
Magsaysay award winner & founder-editor of PARI, P Sainath analyses India's water scarcity, the agrarian crisis & farmer suicides, before asking: what can we do about it? Posted on 13 Aug, 2019 11:47 AM

P Sainath has been documenting stories from rural India for over three decades now.

Picture: The semi-arid regions of the Moyar-Bhavani River basin in Tamil Nadu. Picture credit: Prathigna Poonacha, Tanvi Deshpande; Indian Institute for Human Settlements from India Water Portal on Flickr. Picture used for representational purposes only
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