Surface Water

Featured Articles
October 11, 2022 In an effort to inform the general public, especially citizen activists, policymakers, researchers, and students, about the current status of the Vrishabhavathi river, Paani.Earth has created the necessary maps, data, analysis, and information to drive conservation awareness and action around the river.
Vrishabhavathi river (Image Source: Paani.Earth)
August 9, 2022 Ensuring irrigation through farm ponds in tribal Chhattisgarh
Many tribal farmers opted for individual farm ponds under MGNREGA ensuring protective irrigation. (Image: Meenakshi Singh)
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)
Stringent punishment for polluting Ganga
Policy matters this week Posted on 13 Jun, 2017 09:49 AM

Strict punishments proposed for polluting Ganga river

Ganga river at Kachla, Uttar Pradesh. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Maharashtra farmers get farm loan waiver
News this week Posted on 13 Jun, 2017 09:18 AM

Maharashtra government announces farm loan waiver to genuine farmers

A farmer on his field. (Source: India Water Portal)
River health goes south
In a two-part series, we look at the health of rivers across India. Here's a comprehensive assessment of the condition of rivers in the south and the west. Posted on 07 Jun, 2017 11:32 AM

Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, all located in the west of India, have rivers belonging to several different basins. With the exception of rivers in Rajasthan that drain into the Yamuna basin, the other rivers in these states either drain into the Bay of Bengal via the peninsular basins or run from the Western Ghats and into the Arabian sea.

These iconic falls at Athirapally are threatened by a hydroelectric project upstream. (Source: Arathi Kumar Rao)
Why rivers don’t flow anymore
In a two-part series, we look at the health of rivers across India. Here’s a comprehensive assessment of the rivers of the north and the east. Posted on 07 Jun, 2017 11:13 AM

Rivers in India are always in the news whether it’s the interstate water sharing disputes, dams, sand mining or the recent order of the Uttarakhand high court declaring Ganga and Yamuna as living entities. Seven major river systems, over 400 rivers and numerous streams have sustained lives and livelihoods in India for centuries.

A villager washes utensils in the black water coming out of the coal mines at Kodkel in Raigarh district, Chattisgarh.
Solar irrigation cooperative to solve groundwater crisis
News this week Posted on 06 Jun, 2017 08:16 AM

India's groundwater crisis: Gujarat's solar irrigation cooperative embarks on a solution

A solar water pump (Source: Sehgal Foundation)
CGWA mandates NOCs for tubewells in Punjab
Policy matters this week Posted on 06 Jun, 2017 07:29 AM

NOCs for running tubewells must for Punjab industries 

Tubewells in Punjab. (Source: IWP Flickr photo)
Clean Kali: All eyes now on government
The water of East Kali is heavily polluted. It would hopefully change with the NGT taking notice of it. Posted on 03 Jun, 2017 07:58 AM

Rampura, situated in Bulandshahr district in western Uttar Pradesh, is one of the 1,200 villages on the banks of the 300-km long East Kali, a tributary of the Ganges. The river is named after goddess Kali who, according to the Hindu mythology, is fierce and fights evil by ingesting it.

The polluted Kali river. (Image source: Neer Foundation)
Can we save our farmers?
The economic condition of farmers is getting progressively worse resulting in increasing number of farmer suicides. Here's a look at possible solutions. Posted on 02 Jun, 2017 09:22 AM

The year 2009 was an exceptionally dry year for Maharashtra. There was an acute shortage of water. The farmlands went dry. The farmers, unable to pay their debts, were a worried lot. Lakshman Ambilkar of Kinni village in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra was one such farmer who could not take it anymore. He killed himself, leaving a young, distraught wife to fend for herself.

A devastated farmer Kalu Ram Nishad of Mohamara village. (Pic:India Water Portal)
Nainital lake drying up, human activities to blame
News this week Posted on 30 May, 2017 11:52 AM

Nainital lake is drying up, environmentalists concerned

A view of the Nainital lake. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
A village becomes water rich
How restoration of traditional ponds, rainwater harvesting and wastewater treatment saved a village from water scarcity. Posted on 26 May, 2017 05:05 PM

Located in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, with vast agricultural fields growing sugarcane, rice, wheat, jowar, chana and all kinds of seasonal vegetables, Dhikoli in Pilana tehsil comes across as a bustling and prosperous village.

A johad after restoration.
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