Water Management

Featured Articles
December 16, 2022 In this article, we will understand how the WQM course is continuing to influence the needs of learners that come from diverse backgrounds. The course model also offers core insights to many others who would like to engage in a virtual training program.
During a WQM course, a field team member from INREM facilitating a demonstration
December 6, 2022 Need to shift to a more sustainable diet without compromising on major nutrients and calories
Historically, India has been a net exporter of virtual water (Image: PxHere)
November 6, 2022 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)
September 21, 2022 The unique design and functioning of the Chakla bavdi in Chanderi Madhya Pradesh is another example of the water wisdom of our ancestors, which needs to be conserved and passed on to the future generations.
Chakla Bavdi at Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh (Image Source: Shirole, S. 2022. Architectural eloquence: Water harvesting structure in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh (India). Ancient Asia, 13: 9, pp. 1–13)
March 21, 2022 Recognizing women's accumulated knowledge and adaptive capacities in springshed management
Van Panchayat Samiti discussing the matters related to forest (Image: Varun Raja)
March 11, 2022 Subsidies enable tribal farmers to adopt micro-irrigation systems providing them assured irrigation
A key mitigation strategy to deal with water scarcity due to climate change is on-farm management of water using techniques like micro-irrigation (Image: India Water Portal Flickr)
Construction empties Kashmir's rice bowl: How unplanned 'development' has led to a shortage of this staple crop
The rice fields of Kulgam district in Kashmir have provided the people of the state with sufficient harvest of this staple. However, illegal appropriation of farmland for construction has led to a state-wide rice shortage,says IndiaUnheard. Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 03:16 PM

Video courtesy: VideoVolunteers

Diverting rivers for linking, a catastrophic idea: Questioning the state impetus to river inter-linking despite uncertain economic, social and ecological benefits
The economic feasibility of river interlinking is still debatable, while studies show that it will cause social and ecological harm. Despite this, states are still taking this program forward. Gopal Krishna examines this phenomenon. Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 12:12 PM

Author: Gopal KrishnaToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)

Small hydro: Too small for a national mission - The need for an assimilated national mission for renewable energy in India
India has set high targets for solar energy through its Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. However, this may take focus away from other renewable energy sources, especially small hydro which is a high density resource. This brief by the Observer Research Foundation examines whether small hydro qualifies for a national mission. Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 10:58 AM


Photo of a small hydropower plant

 Small hydropower plant  (Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy)

Quantitative data on water quality: A compilation of papers that present physico-chemical analyses of various water sources in India
This post presents five papers that were recently published on the physico-chemical properties of water. These papers present the water quality data and analyse these figures. Locations in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam and Gujarat are studied. Download the papers by clicking on the titles. Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 08:31 AM

Assessment of physico-chemical quality of groundwater in rural area nearby Sagar city, Madhya Pradesh

This paper presents the results of forty groundwater samples collected from June 2007 to July 2010 in Gambhira and Baheria villages in Madhya Pradesh. The authors conclude that the ground water quality is degraded due to anthropogenic causes.

Once upon a lake: A report on the current status of the lakes of Mahadevpura constituency, Bengaluru with recommendations for restoration
Lakes of Mahadevpura constituency, Bengaluru- current status, changes in distribution and recommendations for restoration' by Harini Nagendra, Ramesh Sivaram, and S Subramanya presents the current status of the lake and canal system in Bengaluru’s Mahadevpura constituency, with details of individual lakes as well as recommendations for the restoration of these lakes as well as the entire system. This report has been shared with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, under which the management of these lakes is consolidated, to inform planning at a constituency and ward level. Posted on 23 Feb, 2012 05:55 PM


Map of the lakes in Bengaluru, with information about their status

Map of the lakes in Bengaluru, source: ATREE

Trends in private sector participation in the Indian water sector: A critical review - A Water and Sanitation Programme publication
This report published by the Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) involves a study that involved a review of PPPs in the urban water supply sector since the 1990s, explores the trends emerging in the sector and analyses the factors that have facilitated or impeded the development and implementation of PPPs in the sector. Posted on 23 Feb, 2012 05:54 PM

The study also analyses the direction in which the sector is heading with respect to private sector participation. Since most PPPs are at early stages of operation, this study focuses only on learnings from PPP design and transaction. This study does not seek to assess the operating or financial performance of PPPs.

Challenges for achieving conservation and development - A presentation by Elinor Ostrom at the Khoshoo memorial lecture, ATREE
The 2012 Khoshoo Memorial Lecture was delivered by 2009 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, Dr Elinor Ostrom. In this presentation, she explains the need for a framework to assess complex socio-ecological systems. Posted on 22 Feb, 2012 06:52 PM

Portrait of Dr.Ostrom

"In search of old ideas" - A discussion of the draft national water policy 2012, by Jayanta Bandopadhyay in The Telegraph
In this article published in the Telegraph Jayanta Bandopadhyay discusses the draft national water policy 2012. Posted on 22 Feb, 2012 05:05 PM

Author: Jayanta Bandopadhyay

Article and image courtesy: The Telegraph

New water policy more contentious; least helpful in tackling existing issues
The new water policy (NWP) draft 2012 is reportedly replete with more contentious issues and least helpful in tackling existing issues. The formulation of new draft policy has been facilitated in an undemocratic way sans participation of all stakeholders. Undoubtedly the draft explicitly states that water needs to be managed as a community resource held by the state under public trust doctrine, but concurrently it underscores the need to treat water as an “economic good”. Instead of treating water as ‘economic good’, it should be treated as sustainable development instrument. Posted on 22 Feb, 2012 12:34 PM

Author : Dr. Arvind Kumar

How valuable are environmental health interventions? - Evaluation of water and sanitation programmes in India - Paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation
This paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation presents the findings of a valuation study that estimated the economic value of the average “treatment effect” of a community demand driven water and sanitation programme. The study employed a unique combination of propensity-score “pre-matching” and large panel data to estimate the economic impacts of a multi-dimensional environmental health programme. Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 06:11 PM

The paper informs that a number of epidemiological studies on the benefits of water and sanitation interventions have shown that diarrhoea can be reduced by 30–50%.

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