Storage and Supply

Featured Articles
December 29, 2020 Water resources in most Indian cities are overworked and overused, and not adequately replenished.
Cities in India are marked by unequal distribution of water, lack of access, outdated infrastructure and minimal enforcement of rainwater harvesting and other means of supply. (Image: Anish Roy, Pixabay)
November 8, 2020 The National Hydrology Project has created a national platform for water data and is working to enhance the technical capacities of agencies dealing with water resources management.
Breakthrough cloud computing facilities and remote sensing applications have helped showthe filling pattern of a water body (tank or reservoir) through freely available satellite imagery at an interval of five days.  (Image: Maithan dam, Wikimedia Commons)
December 26, 2019 Policy matters this week
The Mandovi river disputed between Karnataka and Goa (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
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
November 18, 2019 Bangalore's water utility is understaffed, under financed and unable to service the city's water needs.
Image credit: Citizen Matters
Alternative National Water Policy by Ramaswamy R Iyer - Comments by Rahul Banerjee
Rahul Banerjee comments on Ramaswamy Iyer's draft a National Water Policy. Posted on 28 Dec, 2011 02:24 PM

Guest Post: Rahul Banerjee

Ramaswamy Iyer has made a commendable effort to draft a National Water Policy that tries to reform the current unsustainable approach to water resource management in this country  (EPW Vol XLVI Nos 26&27 Supplement pp 201). Assuming that this draft is an invitation to a larger public debate on the issues involved I would like to make a few comments on it.

Status of water treatment plants in India - A report on their operational status by the Central Pollution Control Board
Sludge and filter back wash water needs to be treated and properly disposed, the study suggests. Posted on 23 Nov, 2011 11:47 AM

This document  by the Central Pollution and Control Board (CPCB) describes the findings of a study that evaluated water treatment plants located across the country, for prevailing raw water quality, water treatment technologies, operational practices, chemical consumptio

Politicians for reform - Proceedings of the State Water Ministers’ workshop on rural water supply policy reforms in India - Cochin (Kerala) - (1999)
This report by the Water and Sanitation Program provides the details of the proceedings of the workshop on rural water supply policy reforms in India Posted on 22 Nov, 2011 10:01 AM

The workshop was hosted by Government of Kerala and the Water and Sanitation Program, South Asia with the Government of India, The World Bank Institute and the World Bank was held at Cochin, Kerala from December 7th to December 8th, 1999.

Rainwater Harvesting Users and Trainers' Manual by the KUIDFC
A manual for rainwater harvesting users’ by the Government of Karnataka. Posted on 10 Nov, 2011 12:03 PM

Adequate potable water supply to the community has become an uphill task to the administration both in rural and urban areas. This is because of dwindling groundwater sources, over-extraction, pollution of surface water bodies, negligence of fresh water bodies, poor water management, etc.

Where and how is the state - Accessing water and the state in Mumbai and Johannesburg - Journal of Asian and African Studies
It is difficult for 'poor' to access institutions as they are often created by closing down avenues of access, the report says. Posted on 29 Oct, 2011 05:28 PM

This paper published in the Journal of Asian and African Studies examines the argument that the political and institutional contexts of service delivery shape people's access to the state and its resources and also the mediation between citizens and g

Reap what you sow, eat what you grow A film by Suma Josson on urban community farms promoted by Urban Leaves in Mumbai
This film by Suma Josson titled “Urban Leaves: Community farm in Mumbai” based on the work of Urban Leaves, an urban organic agriculture movement out of Mumbai. Posted on 24 Sep, 2011 06:21 PM

Reap what you sow, eat what you grow - A film by Suma Josson

It depicts how applying ecological principles and practices to maintain soil fertility, to manage crop health, and to keep soil and water in a good condition is especially relevant to the urban setting. The film focuses on the work being done in the urban farms, yet it can be seen as much more than that and, understood as a vision on healthy products, healthy production systems and as a way of life.

Water for Indian cities - Government practices and policy concerns - Issue Brief - Observer Research Foundation
This brief from the Observer Research Foundation highlights the issues involved in improving urban water supply in India. Posted on 24 Sep, 2011 04:50 PM

The urban expansion in India has not been met by a similar expansion in infrastructure and basic services. This has severely affected the quality of urban life and economic growth.

The war over blue gold
The water industry slowly shaping up, writes Tirthankar Nag. Posted on 19 Sep, 2011 04:45 PM
Diamonds are expensive as they are rare, yet have very little use for our daily needs. On the other hand, fresh water which is essential to human existence is often thought of as a free or low priced commodity, mostly due to its abundance.
Decentralized wastewater management – An overview of a community initiatives in New Delhi - Vigyan Vijay Foundation
Ajit Seshadri argues how centralized approaches to wastewater treatment have had limited success in India. Posted on 05 Sep, 2011 11:40 AM

This paper by Ajit Seshadri, Vigyan Vijay Foundation highlights the poor sanitation situation in India and argues that centralized approaches to wastewater treatment have had limited success and there is a need to make wastwater treatment people centric and effective through the use of decentralized systems such as DEWATS (Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems). DEWATS are locally organized and people driven systems that typically comprise a settler, anaerobic baffled tanks, filter beds of gravel and sand, and an open pond. The open pond or the polishing tank recreates a living environment for the wastewater to clean itself, naturally.

Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme - Revised guidelines by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (2008)
The document presents the 2008 guidelines of the Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation. Posted on 12 Aug, 2011 04:29 PM

The objective of the scheme is to convert or construct low cost sanitation units through sanitary two pit pour flush latrines with superstructures and appropriate variations to suit local conditions (area specific latrines) and construct new latrines where economically weaker sections household have no latrines and follow the in-human practice of defecating in the open in urban areas. This would improve overall sanitation in the towns.

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