Society, Culture, Religion and History

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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
Climate change real, warns Pangi tribe
The effects of climate change are felt by the indigenous communities residing in the Himalayan region. How are they coping with these changes? Posted on 13 Jun, 2019 02:14 PM

Mountain ecosystems are highly sensitive due to ecological fragility, geomorphologic instability but are blessed with vast eco biodiversity.

Chandrabhaga river through Pangi valley, Himachal Pradesh (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Ensure adequate water to Delhi: HC to Haryana
Policy matters this week Posted on 12 Jun, 2019 12:24 PM

HC orders Haryana government to supply adequate water to Delhi and monitor Yamuna through live Google maps

Yamuna river in Delhi (Source: Sudhanshu Malhotra via IWP Flickr Photos)
GHG emissions, water footprints of dietary patterns
Rice-based diets had higher emissions but wheat-based diets used more water, says study. Posted on 07 Jun, 2019 10:40 AM

India's food system produces large environmental impacts but these vary by diets. The per capita environmental impacts of diets in India are currently lower than those of many high-income countries due, in part, to habitually low consumption of animal source foods.

As India continues in its nutrition transition, people currently consuming the rice and low diversity pattern will be likely to adopt more diverse diets (Image: Senthil T S K, Wikimedia Commons)
Caste and farmer’s access to quality information
A study finds that farmers from socially-marginalised castes continue to be disadvantaged in accessing agricultural extension services. Posted on 06 Jun, 2019 05:07 PM

Increase in agricultural productivity is not only dependent on material inputs, but also on farmer’s access to relevant information on crop production and farm management practices. This information is provided through agricultural extension services in India.

Access to information helps improve crop output among farmers. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Understanding the Yamuna and life around it
A panel of experts and representatives of the riverine community discuss changes observed in the Yamuna and its relationship with people. Posted on 03 Jun, 2019 07:30 AM

Sarla Yadav, a resident of Yamuna Ghat 24 is a treasure trove of stories on the river Yamuna. She runs a boat business with her son Shyam who provides a nuanced personal account of living by the river and of eking out a meagre livelihood by plying boats. They are among a few families who have not sold their boats so far.

The Yamuna river and its people (Image: Shashwat Jain, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0)
Anti-drought works unsatisfactory: Govt
Policy matters this week Posted on 29 May, 2019 11:04 AM

Nearly 790,000 anti-drought works under MGNREGA incomplete or abandoned

Labourers build check dams under MGNREGA. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Borewells: Boon or bane for women?
A study shows that although borewells have improved women’s access to water in the short term, they have increased water insecurity and the suffering of women in the long term. Posted on 23 May, 2019 08:29 PM

Tamil Nadu is one of the most water-vulnerable states in India that depends heavily on groundwater for irrigation. As high as 56 percent of land in the state is currently irrigated by groundwater and the remaining by tanks and canals.

Collecting water, a daily backbreaking task of women. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
What women want
As India votes this month in the Lok Sabha Elections, WaterAid India takes a look at how water and sanitation are still top of mind for many female voters across the country. Posted on 08 May, 2019 04:02 PM

As the world’s largest democracy is all geared for its biggest test - for voters to select their Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister, the top issues that dominate the electoral agenda at the national level have been increased jobs opportunities, controlling inflation, and reducing farmers’ distress.

Image credit: WaterAid/Prashanth Vishwanathan
Coping with droughts: Gender matters
A study finds women are hit the hardest during droughts due to food and water scarcity, loss of income and a range of health problems resulting from it. Posted on 08 May, 2019 12:38 PM

Droughts are one of the most feared natural calamities impacting agriculture and food production as well as the morale of millions of farmers in India. Recent studies show that the frequency of droughts is increasing.

Women are burdened with household tasks such as collecting water. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Breaking period taboo
A sanitary pad manufacturing unit in a Rajasthan village brings women together and breaks taboo around menstruation. Posted on 06 May, 2019 11:18 AM

Leela Patel (19) explains how women at Wali, a tribal gram panchayat in Kurabad block, just 30 km away from Udaipur, manage menstruation by using old scraps of cloth. She’s aware of cases when women have had to use ash, dust and soil to soak up their periods. Buying a pack of sanitary pads is a luxury in this poverty-stricken belt.

Women at a manufacturing unit in Wali village that produces biodegradable sanitary pads at a low cost. (Image: India Water Portal)
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