Society, Culture, Religion and History

Featured Articles
January 13, 2022
Water management in the times of Gonds of Central India
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
The fast disappearing traditional water harvesting structures of Rajasthan
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
Not in the interest of women farmers!
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
Scientists intervene to save dry toilets
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
In wake of climate change, prioritise and invest in water security and clean drinking water
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 approach to minimizing risks for businesses
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
No land for nomads
The lives of Dhangars in Maharashtra is a perfect example of the threats faced by pastoralists in India due to rapid urbanisation and hostile state policies.
Aarti Kelkar-Khambete
Posted on 24 Nov, 2016 10:38 PM

Dhangars, a semi-nomadic group in Maharashtra, are traditionally pastoralists.
Dhangars are pastoralists in Maharashtra. (Source: India Water Portal)
Twin lakes of Bhoj
The lakes of Bhoj wetland that are home to many bird species and provide water to the local residents are now polluted and need urgent attention from the government.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 21 Nov, 2016 10:10 PM

The Bhoj wetland is situated in the heart of Bhopal district in Madhya Pradesh. The wetland consists of two man-made lakes--the upper lake and the lower lake.
Raja Bhoj statue at the upper lake.
SYL crisis: Punjab demands payment for water
Policy matters this week
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 21 Nov, 2016 06:21 AM

Three states will have to pay for water: Punjab House
Yamuna river (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Understanding Groundwater: A course by ACWADAM, January 2-17, 2017
How does the groundwater form? How does it move, flow and store? A course designed for professionals from civil society organisations or NGOs
Posted on 19 Nov, 2016 09:36 AM

About: Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM) is conducting a fifteen-day training programme on basic hydrogeology or groundwater science, for professionals from civil society organisations or NGOs.
Water sharing: Beyond economic concerns
It is important to look at rivers from an ecological point of view to solve transboundary water issues amicably.
Jayanta Bandopadhyay
Nilanjan Ghosh
Posted on 15 Nov, 2016 11:49 AM

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin is the third largest river flow system in the world with an annual runoff about 1,150 billion cubic meters (BCM) and the peak outflow of 1,41,000 cumecs.
The lower Ganga, just upstream of Farakka, displays bank cutting and erosion. (Source: India Water Portal)
NGT raps Delhi government over air pollution
News this week
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 14 Nov, 2016 05:59 AM

Environment minister calls Delhi pollution 'emergency situation'
Delhi shrouded in smog. (Source: Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy/Flickr)
Sutlej Yamuna Link canal row intensifies
Policy matters this week
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 14 Nov, 2016 05:44 AM

SC sets aside Punjab's order quashing water-sharing agreement with Haryana
Satluj river, Punjab (Source: Harpreet Riat/Wikimedia Commons)
At home, in the wetland
Not just a site of global importance for migratory birds, Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is home to diverse creatures that depend on it for food, shelter and livelihood.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 10 Nov, 2016 10:01 PM

Long necked, rosy white birds with heavy pink bills stand etched across the horizon. These are the flamingos that fly miles from across Iran’s Caspian Sea and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, to reach the inland waters of Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
Flamingoes fly miles to reach Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu.
Angry, swirling waters
When the twisted model of Uttarakhand’s development goes wrong, a river lashes out killing many. A new book tries to shed light on what went wrong to cause the great Kedarnath disaster.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 07 Nov, 2016 09:55 PM

“The gravity of the Kedarnath disaster in June 2013, which killed thousands of people, shocked the public almost to the point of numbness”... begins the forward by Bill Aitken in Hridayesh Joshi’s account of the disaster Rage of the river: The untold story of the Kedarnath disaster. It’s a sentence which will whirl in your mind while you read Joshi’s book.
Gori floods (Source: Chicu Lokgariwar, India Water Portal)
Should wildlife suffer in the name of water?
Ken-Betwa river-linking project, if realised, will wipe out a portion of the Panna Tiger Reserve with its flora and fauna. The government, however, is adamant about its plan.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 06 Nov, 2016 09:47 PM

Set in India-ka-dil, Madhya Pradesh, is the unending expanse of Panna.
Ken river flows through Panna tiger reserve. (Source: K Gagan, Wikimedia Commons)
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