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
Adapting to floods and improving lifestyles could give us some clues to finding an alternative to embankments
Dr David Molden, Director General, ICIMOD, talks to Monoj Gogoi on his visit to flood-affected Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts of Assam and Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
Monoj Gogoi
Posted on 29 Oct, 2015 01:46 PM

Dr Molden, you have visited Dihiri in Dhemaji district and Borsala in Lakhimpur districts. Both these villages are the worst flood affected villages of the region. You also interacted with the communities in these two villages. What was the purpose of this visit? Please share your experiences.
In conversation with Dr Molden (Source: Monoj Gogoi)
How much water should flow in the Yamuna?
Considered sacred, the Yamuna is gasping for breath today choking on the unprecedented load of sewage and industrial effluents that drain into it. Can its ecological flow be worked out?
Vikram Soni
Shashank Shekhar
Diwan Singh
Posted on 26 Oct, 2015 05:17 PM

Rivers are the not just the lifeline of our country, but life itself. We may revere them, even worship them but we continue to pollute, choke, and poison their waters. A river, its catchment area, and its floodplains have evolved over millions of years, and once damaged, may not be easy to reclaim.
For a river to be healthy & maintain all its associated functions, free flow must be close to 50-60% of the total flow all year round (Source: Wikimedia)
Bangalore needs to break class barriers if its lakes are to be saved
The govt. has started reclaiming encroached lake beds in the IT city but unless citizens interact across class divides, these urban water bodies will continue to spew foam, says Leo F. Saldanha.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 25 Oct, 2015 12:15 PM

Lakes spewing foam and catching fire in Bangalore made big news for several weeks but this is just an indication of the times to come as we fill up water bodies with effluents or turn them into sewage dumps in most cities across India. India Water Portal talks to Leo F. Saldanha of Bangalore-based Environment Support Group on how to manage these precious resources. 
Foam from lake engulfs vehicles in Bangalore. Source: Yoga Priya
Can the ‘Pad Piper’ lure away social taboos related to menstruation?
Posted on 25 Oct, 2015 09:00 AM

He wore pads, he figured out how to make them, and he's given rise to social enterprises around making biodegradable pads. Meet the 'Pad Piper' in this film by the same name.

Authored by: Manu Moudgil
Respect tribal goverments; conserve forests
Tribal governments can manage village natural resources better than elected Panchayats. Jarjum Ete, President of the All India Union of Forest Working People, explains why.
Chicu Lokgariwar
Posted on 24 Oct, 2015 04:31 PM

The Galo tribe has lived in the Eastern Himalayan forests for centuries. Like their neighbours, this tribe had a well-defined territory, the boundaries of which were marked by various topographical features such as rock formations or mountain ridges.
Arunachal's tribes have a tradition of managing their natural resources (Source:Wikimedia Commons)
Can the ‘Pad Piper’ lure away social taboos related to menstruation?
He wore pads, he figured out how to make them, and he's given rise to social enterprises around making biodegradable pads. Meet the 'Pad Piper' in this film by the same name.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 24 Oct, 2015 02:38 PM

A friend, who often tips me off on stories, sent me a message asking why I don't write about menstrual hygiene among rural women. I told her that it’s difficult for a male journalist to write about women issues in India. 
A Muruganantham shows the working of a sanitary pad to women. (Source: The Pad Piper)
Step back in time into 'Ugrasen ki baoli'
Hidden amidst the crushing madness of Delhi's life, this stepwell offers a glimpse of a monument centred around water which is both fascinating and 'past' functional.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 12 Oct, 2015 08:28 AM

Tucked away in a quiet by-lane of Delhi's busiest commercial centre Connaught Place, Agrasen or Ugrasen ki baoli waits imperially for a lost traveller to reach its steps.Called 
The old and the new: Ugrasen 'baoli' against the backdrop of Delhi.
Happy Anniversary, Swachh Bharat? Not quite
Posted on 05 Oct, 2015 07:26 PM
Lack of adequate information, education and communication main reason behind the limited sanitation behaviour change
 
Researchers have, time and again, pointed out the fact that the lack of proper information and ill-designed communicati
Reel Art: Interview with Usha Dewani-Das, 2015 CMS VATAVARAN film entry nominee
Water is one subject that is local, and touches each one’s life differently but significantly. Usha Dewani-Das shares how she brings her art into her films.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 05 Oct, 2015 06:05 PM

The 8th CMS VATAVARAN Environment and Wildlife Film Festival and Forum received a total of 178 film entries from 27 countries in 8 varied categories.
Usha Dewani-Das,doing what she loves best: Reel Art (Source: India Water Portal)
The connection between gender and safe sanitation in rural India
Sanitation issues among women and girls are influenced by inequitable gender norms that put them at greater risk of experiencing violence and multiple health vulnerabilities.
Tina Khanna and Madhumita Das
Posted on 02 Oct, 2015 04:28 PM

Sanitation coverage in India continues to display marked disparities in access to safe toilet facilities between urban and rural populations across economic and social groups despite some impressive gains made.
Health and sanitation, the linkages (Source: India Water Portal)
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