Voluntary Citizen or Civil Society Sector

The report highlights how traditionally, local communities exercised rights of ownership, use and management over their natural resources in the Himalayan states. They devised a variety of management systems suited to their own specific situation. Sanskar (precepts and rites), sanskriti (culture and customary practices) and niti (state policy and administration) were the bases of water harvesting traditions and their longevity. Individual dharma and social customs were the necessary conditions for sustaining these traditions, while local autonomy in resource management was the critical sufficient condition.

A story from NGO MASS on successfully reviving an open well in Padiabadmal village in Orissa, that had been neglected for two decades. In a tube-well dependent drinking water supply system, an initiative by people of Padiabadmal, a tribal inhabited village in Western Orissa, has come as a refreshing fresh water splash.

A model for rainwater harvesting- the Melukote system

This Whitman Direct Action water book examines the socio-political and technological obstacles to water development in India and has become a transparent resource for other NGOs, the government sector, academics, and interested individuals to glean the expertise of their contemporaries in the fields of water development and water purification technology.

The two documents describe five case studies that highlight some successes and best practices from the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra.

This paper published by the Sehgal Foundation presents a case

This paper published in the Economic and Political Weekly describes the case of river Khari in Gujarat, which faced increasing amount of pollution due to the discharge of industrial effluents in the river and the efforts made  to solve the pollution problem.

The phenomenon of pollution started in the 1970s when Naroda, Odhav, Vatva and Narol on the eastern periphery of Ahmedabad city were promoted by the government. While there were zones for industries according to the type of waste generated, environmental considerations were overlooked and no provision was made for the safe disposal of industrial effluents. Most of the factories in the industrial estates were water intensive and all of them discharged effluents into the nearby Kharicut canal, which flows into the Khari river, a tributary of the Sabarmati. As the canal remained dry throughout the year, the government ignored its (mis)use.

A 15 day 'Theatre and Communication' workshop was held by water related NGOs from 12 states. This movie demonstrates the accomplishments of synergy and how after this workshop theatre was used in hundreds of schools to convey water related messages to the community.
Courtesy- Ministry of Water Resources, Time- 16:45 minutes

This multimedia course developed by ACWADAM, Pune, is primarily meant for people working in watershed and agriculture projects, to give them a better understanding of groundwater.