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
Tamil Nadu and Kerala squabble over Siruvani waters
News this week Posted on 27 Feb, 2018 02:37 PM

Tamil Nadu objects to Kerala diverting excess water from Siruvani dam

Water flows from the sluices of the Siruvani dam. (Picture courtesy: Deccan Chronicle)
Rajim kumbh: Leave Mahanadi alone
Rajim kumbh mela has left the Mahanadi river crying for attention. Posted on 25 Feb, 2018 07:35 PM

Around 25 lakh pilgrims across the country took a holy dip in the Mahanadi during the Rajim kumbh festival held in Rajim from January 31-February 13, 2018. For this annual religious extravaganza at the confluence of the Mahanadi, Sondur and Pairi rivers in Chhattisgarh, the state government organised various religious events.

The entrance of the CG government's culture and tourism exhibition venue at Rajim kumbh 2018.
Creating art from waste
Two young entrepreneurs have found a way to manage plastic waste by turning it into useful products. They have also created jobs and increased public awareness around plastic waste. Posted on 24 Feb, 2018 01:18 PM

Cities like Pune are in the midst of a garbage crisis. There is garbage strewn all over which is not just unsightly, it is also found to be polluting the city's water resources.

Amita and Nandan have started a unique enterprise, Aarohana, that turns plastic from garbage into useful products.
How Kakaddara village won water cup
The video tells us the success story of Kakaddara village that won the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup-2017 by efficiently managing its water. Posted on 19 Feb, 2018 06:33 AM

Every year, thousands of villages in Maharashtra get affected by droughts. Experts say that the reasons for recurrent droughts include a lack of policy framework, technical knowledge and community participation as well as poor implementation of government programmes.

A farm pond in Kakaddara.
Water issues: Take account of socio-cultural question
Prof. Frederic Landy, director, French Institute of Pondicherry speaks to India Water Portal on water and socio-environmental challenges. Posted on 13 Feb, 2018 08:30 AM

As part of Bonjour India 2017-2018, the four-months-long, ongoing Indo-French journey celebrating the Indo-French partnership, water-related issues are being highlighted through research, art and debates in cities like Jaipur, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pondicherry and Kolkata.

A small canal in Chanaute, Birendranagar, Nepal. (Photo: Janak Poudel (CC BY 4.0 SA)
What budget has for farm and rural sectors
There is a sharp rise in allocations for rural and agriculture sector in this budget. Posted on 07 Feb, 2018 04:31 PM

This year’s budget was expected to be extensively farmer- and rural-sector oriented. And that is exactly what it turned out to be. The distress in the agrarian sector has intensified and its political implications were rife this year considering the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled next year.

The budget has a slew of initiatives to revive the farm sector. (Image: Azhar Feder, Wikimedia Commons-CC-BY-SA-3.0)
Fishing for survival
Tribal women in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh have found a solution to their poverty in inland fisheries. They are also winning accolades for their efforts. Posted on 25 Jan, 2018 08:11 AM

There is a reason why water bodies are considered a resource. From the water they provide to the many living organisms they support, water bodies are constantly supplying us with things essential to our survival. They also provide livelihood as this story of some enterprising tribal women in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh exemplifies.

Members of Kodikallavalasa village's Neelammathalli self-help group sit around the cage for fish rearing. Fertilised fish eggs are placed and provided nutrition in this enclosure and harvested as they grow. (Source: 101Reporters)
Eliminate garbage naturally
A Mumbai-based scientist comes up with an effective solution to Kashmir’s mounting garbage problem. Posted on 23 Jan, 2018 06:19 PM

Kashmir was once known for its pristine mountains, lakes, beautiful landscape and clean environment. In the last few decades, however, things have changed. An increasing amount of untreated garbage produced by humans is becoming a critical problem affecting not only the health of the residents of Kashmir but its environment, too.

A screenshot from the film Untreated Waste--Invitation to Disaster (Source: Abdul Rashid Bhat)
Profiting from sustainable farming
Sustainable agro-ecological farming is one way to overcome the limitations of conventional farming. Green College shows us how to do it. Posted on 23 Jan, 2018 01:48 PM

Pitidri is a nondescript village that dots the rainshadow area of Purulia district in West Bengal. Droughts are common here even when the area is endowed with above average rainfall of over 1300 mm a year. Until some time ago, Urmila Mahato, a 42-year-old farmer from Pitidri had been struggling to ensure her family’s food security.

Urmila Mahato at her farm.
Alternative Futures: India Unshackled
A remarkable, first-ever collection of 35 essays on India’s future, by a diverse set of authors – activists, researchers, media practitioners. Posted on 22 Jan, 2018 10:39 AM

Alternative Futures: India Unshackled is a book that brings together scenarios of an India that is politically and socially egalitarian, radically democratic, economically sustainable and equitable, and socio-culturally diverse and harmonious.

Alternative Futures: India Unshackled
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