Society, Culture, Religion and History

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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
3 major decisions to revive the Ganga within 3 years
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 25 Aug, 2014 10:27 PM

Government identifies 11 states along Ganga for sewer link
Ganga river at Kachla, Uttar Pradesh
Kuhl, kohli and a lost tradition
Kuhls, the community-owned irrigation channels of Himachal Pradesh, have lost their importance over time. Is it because the state has begun managing them causing a disconnect with the people?
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 22 Aug, 2014 03:02 PM

Ranjit Singh is elated that someone has come to his village enquiring about his work. He says not many people recognise the worth of traditional occupations like his. “This is especially true of government officials and policy makers who feel everything old is useless”, he points out.

Ranjit is the kohli of Mjately village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
Kuhls carry glacial melt to fields for irrigation
Uttarakhandi women 1, Ultra Tech Cement 0
Four Gram Panchayats in Uttarakhand joined forces to oppose a cement plant. They won this battle, but will India's villagers win the war?
chicu
Posted on 15 Aug, 2014 12:42 PM

When Basanti Devi entered the village of Bachwadi in Uttarakhand's Takula block on one of her routine visits, she knew that something was wrong. Instead of the normal hustle, groups of men stood about talking quietly.
Uttarakhandi women are a force to be reckoned with
Ponds of Darbhanga deconstructed!
Darbhanga's many ponds which are centuries-old, are disappearing thanks to land sharks. While local groups are working to protect them, they aren't getting the required help from the authorities.
chicu
Posted on 11 Aug, 2014 02:37 PM

The vast plain in Mithilanchal (now a part of Bihar) wore a festive look despite the early hour. People had been gathering since the wee hours of the morning. Children wore their festive best while women, flowers in their hair and anticipation in their eyes. The air was redolent with the fragrance of the ceremonial fire and the aroma of roasting gram and fried sweets.
Harahi talaab, Darbhanga
A bridge on the river Kosi
To reduce the cost of building a bridge on the Kosi, the Bihar govt. set aside the recommendations of its committee. The decision may not have saved money, but the shortcut has destroyed 57 villages.
Chicu Lokgariwar
Posted on 03 Aug, 2014 03:05 PM

It is difficult to make small talk with a woman who has lost her all.
A boy stands outside his home on a spur
Sanitation and trees' are rural employment guarantee scheme's top priorities
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 30 Jul, 2014 10:40 AM

Centre allocates 50% MGNREGA funds to sanitation and green cover
Proper sanitation in India: A poster
People of a semi-arid Rajasthan village battle Coca Cola
The story isn't new. It is about Coca Cola exploiting groundwater resources at its bottling plant in Kaladera. What will hopefully be new is how the story finally ends.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 27 Jul, 2014 10:23 PM

Kaladera, a small village about 40 km from Jaipur has always been known for its chaubandi (mud resist printing) and natural dyeing but it has been getting a lot of attention since 1999. No, it's not because of the handicraft but because of Coca Cola, which set up a bottling plant there.
Borewells go deep in Kaladera, Rajasthan
House of solutions
Rahul Banerjee, a scientist and researcher, has created sustainable and environmentally friendly home-based solutions to manage his own water supply and sanitation issues in Indore.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 25 Jul, 2014 06:30 PM

Many scientists and researchers have been trying to find solutions to problems related to urban water supply, wastewater management and reduction of energy use in urban areas but very few have succeeded. Rahul Banerjee is one who has.
Rahul Banerjee's sustainable house at Indore
Ripples of Sukhomajri
Sukhomajri village, the model of watershed development, is today a witness to man's changing priorities which is separating him from his environment. The video tells the full story.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 25 Jul, 2014 11:46 AM
Sukhomajri village has long been a reminder of people's participation in ecological preservation and in turn, greater economic good.
The main irrigation tank at Sukhomajri
Holi-Bajoli hydropower project shifts banks
A group of women in Himachal protest the shifting of a hydel project from the right bank to the left of the Ravi river. While it may seem like a simple 'side' issue, the truth is far more complex.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 21 Jul, 2014 04:59 AM

I could just about see a small makeshift shelter with a yellow canopy. As I made my way through the small stream and climbed uphill, I saw a JCB machine trying to clear a path. Further up the road, female voices speaking the local dialect started to emerge. A small hearth surrounded by utensils and jars of tea, sugar and lentils greeted me at the entrance.
Himachal women protest Holi-Bajoli hydel plant
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