Urban Water

Featured Articles
November 6, 2022
Decentralised urban water management in Chhattisgarh
A film that focuses on importance of communitarian in situ water management
People are struggling to get the quantity and quality of water in urban areas (Image: Makarand Purohit)
October 15, 2022
Evaluating WaSH conditions spatially at the panchayat level
Synthesis of water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) spatial pattern in rural India: an integrated interpretation of WaSH practices
People in rural areas lack potable water, and use unsafe sanitation and hygiene facilities (Image: Sebastian Dahl)
September 13, 2022
Chaos in a concrete jungle
Heavy rains and floods have battered Bengaluru yet again. Uncontrolled and unregulated development and concretisation of the city that pays no heed to the ecology and hydrology of the region needs to stop!
Urban flooding in Bangalore (Image Source: Thejas via Wikimedia Commons)
July 7, 2022
Slum land rights: A necessity for success of PMAY
PMAY needs policy commitment to rehabilitate slums in small and medium cities of Gujarat
Need for legal framework for land rights in small and medium cities of Gujarat under PMAY (Image: Homes in the City)
December 11, 2021
Counted, but not served?
Water remains inaccessible to the urban poor in the city of Mumbai as it continues to focus on developing new infrastructure to meet its very high per capita water needs. Why is this so?
Thirsty cities and the invisible poor (Image Source: Aathavan Jaffna via Wikimedia Commons)
July 19, 2021
Will urban India gain respite from its water woes?
Urban India is hurtling towards a major water crisis. What are the important considerations that the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) should take into account to meet the water needs in urban areas?
Will urban India get respite from its water woes? (Image Source: Aathavan Jaffna via Wikimedia Commons)
Karnataka's drought solution: Dig 1 km deep borewells
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 02 May, 2017 08:36 AM

Ambitious solution to curb Karnataka's drought
A borewell in Chitradurga, Karnataka (Source: IWP flickr photos)
NGT strict over Bellandur lake rejuvenation
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 25 Apr, 2017 12:02 AM

Shut down industries around Bellandur lake: NGT to Karnataka govt
Bellandur lake on fire. (Source: NDTV)
Groundwater extraction rampant in four states
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 18 Apr, 2017 12:04 PM

Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana vulnerable to severe water scarcity
A well in Rajasthan (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Muck tale: How Cooum lost its holy status
A group of heritage enthusiasts trail the Cooum to come up with astounding details of a holy river that has become a sewage carrier.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 17 Apr, 2017 08:17 PM

One of the shortest rivers to drain into the Bay of Bengal, the Cooum is now a local synonym for an open sewer and is generally considered to be beyond the realms of redemption.
The Cooum as it flows through Chennai today.
When streets get smart
While the states prepare to build their smart cities, we look at the feasibility of the government’s smart city mission.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 17 Apr, 2017 05:13 AM

India's urbanisation continues unabated but most of its 53-million plus cities offer an appallingly low quality of life.
Smart city model at Trade Fair, New Delhi (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Bengaluru water crisis: Gain from rain
Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, is facing severe water crisis this summer. Rainwater harvesting is the way forward, believe experts.
Madhumitha B.
Posted on 16 Apr, 2017 08:29 PM

The next big war is said to be for water and it might happen sooner than we think. If the current water scenario across Karnataka and most parts of India is anything to go by, we might just be the generation to start this war. 
A hand pump in Bangalore
Uttarakhand to conserve its natural resources
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 04 Apr, 2017 06:21 AM

Uttarakhand takes decisions to save its natural resources
The Ganga emerges from the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Unsafe drinking water burdens poor
A study finds poor water quality behind high incidence of waterborne diseases among households in Ludhiana. The poor suffer the most from it.
Jasdeep Kaur Bedi
R S Ghuman
A Bhullar
Posted on 19 Mar, 2017 04:17 PM

Water pollution is a serious problem in India with 70 percent of its surface and groundwater resources contaminated by biological, toxic, organic, and inorganic pollutants. As a result, the socio-economic cost of poor water quality is high.
Unsafe drinking water affects health. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
When wetlands refuse to wilt away
The revival of Narayanapuram wetland is a fitting example that good things can come out of government’s willingness to associate with independent organisations for the betterment of the society.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 19 Mar, 2017 03:58 PM

Once home to over 400 water bodies, Chennai’s development story is similar to most metropolises across India. Urbanising at a hurried pace, the concrete city spilled over its waterways and wetlands, leaving behind a sorry tale of ecological destruction.
The desilted Narayanapuram wetland.
A sip of seawater
Desalination is considered a solution to increasing water shortage in the world. A few functional desalination plants in Tamil Nadu, however, show a different picture.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 11 Mar, 2017 09:15 PM

Population growth estimates suggest that India will be supporting over 1.5 billion inhabitants by 2050 if the present growth rate of 1.9 percent per year continues.
A view of the Nemmeli desalination plant in Chennai. (Image courtesy: Business Today)
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