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
Reviving pond naturally
One of the temple ponds of Kooram, neglected for years, has been revived by well-meaning citizens.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 03 Nov, 2016 09:51 PM

For hundreds of years, tanks, both big and small, served people and cattle alike in Tamil Nadu. Chennai’s neighbouring district of Kancheepuram was the the wealthiest when it came to water through these means.
The renovated Samathamman temple pond in Kooram.
Maha battle over water
The Mahanadi’s water is important for both the farmers and industries of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Instead of squabbling over it, the states need to come up with a plan to use the water judiciously.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 03 Nov, 2016 12:07 PM

It’s a battle that dates back to 1957. Two states of India--Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Odisha--have fought fiercely over the water of the Mahanadi they share. When Chhattisgarh was carved out of MP in 2000, it inherited both the Mahanadi and the conflict with Odisha over its water.
Mahanadi river
Saving inland fisherfolk
Inland fishermen are fast disappearing. With inshore fishing picking up pace in India, this community needs to be saved.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 03 Nov, 2016 06:07 AM

In his late 30s, Nilesh Heda is a renowned expert on issues related to fishing communities and wetland ecology. While doing his PhD on fish diversity, he worked with the fishing communities in Vidarbha in Maharashtra.
Dr Nilesh Heda
Yettinahole project clearance hits a roadblock
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 31 Oct, 2016 10:46 PM

Forest clearance to Yettinahole project gets challenged
River Nethravathi (Source: Parineeta Dandekar via SANDRP)
Get your facts right, get them to act right
Compliance with environmental laws has been a matter between the company and the government. It is changing with a group of people urging communities to participate in the process.
chicu
Posted on 31 Oct, 2016 05:37 PM

Hasdeo Arand illustrates all that is wrong with the coal mining industry today. This ancient and dense forest in Chattisgarh, inhabited by several tribes, was once famous for being an elephant corridor. Since 2013, the area has worn a different face.
People attend public hearing late into the night at New Anaya, Arunachal Pradesh.
Those invisible farm hands
Farm women are often overworked and have several health issues. With no claim on their land or decision-making power, this gender-based discrimination needs redressal at the policy level.
Aarti Kelkar-Khambete
Posted on 28 Oct, 2016 09:43 PM

Parvati, aged 40, is an agricultural labourer working on the outskirts of Pune. The sole breadwinner of her family, she has not been going for work for three days because of severe pain in the lower back. She asks me for some pills or ointments that could relieve her of her backache.
Women at work on a farm. (Source: India Water Portal)
When neighbours fight for water
As conflict over sharing of river Brahmaputra threatens to raise its ugly head again, cooperation, not competition between China, India and Bangladesh alone can solve the issue
Nilanthi Samaranayake
Satu Limaye
and Joel Wuthnow
Posted on 25 Oct, 2016 02:12 PM

With recent reports of China blocking a tributary of the Brahmaputra in Tibet to construct its most expensive hydro project, the Assam government has been worried.
The river Brahmaputra (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Funds sanctioned for irrigation projects
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 24 Oct, 2016 07:00 AM

NABARD sanctions loan to NWDA for irrigation projects
Irrigation canal from the Bhima dam. (Source: Nvvchar on Wikipedia)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Wetlands
What are wetlands and why are they so important? A simple Q&A answers pertinent questions related to wetlands in India.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 21 Oct, 2016 06:27 AM

This is a simple guide that lists out the most popular questions related to wetlands, to understand what they are and their importance a little better. Please click on a topic for detailed information 
Maguri Beel, a wetland area in the Tinsukia district of Upper Assam.
Save rivers with traditional knowledge
Winner of the 2016 Emerging River Professional Award, Tero Mustonen talks in length about how utilising traditional knowledge can help in dealing with the challenges rivers face.
Swati Bansal
Posted on 19 Oct, 2016 10:53 PM

The Emerging River Professional Award is an initiative of the International RiverFoundation. The award recognises and fosters early career professionals who have demonstrated innovation, excellence and leadership in the areas of rivers, basins or river-dependent communities. The winner receives a cash prize of AU$5,000. 
Tero Mustonen receives the 2016 Emerging River Professional Award. (Image source: International RiverFoundation)
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