Chicu Lokgariwar

Spending a week on a cramped boat with five strangers may not sound like fun to many but it was a dream come true for me. When I found a note in my inbox that said ”I want to travel down part of the Ganga by boat. Would you know of anyone who is interested”? , I jumped at the chance and set off on an unforgettable journey with five others.

Ufrenkhal – the village
Driving towards Ufrenkhal, a village in Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand), I see a lush, green mountain covered with deodar, banj and utees trees. Little did I realize that this diverse and dense forest, which is alive with wildlife, is very new. 40 years ago, this vast area was a firing range!

India is heavily dependent on groundwater use. Domestic use, agriculture and industry all rely on groundwater extracted by means of pumps, wells and tanks. This  dependence is illustrated by falling groundwater levels. Frequently, this overuse and consequent decline trigger conflicts.

Bottled drinks are commonplace and we often reach for them without a thought. We may even feel good about our purchase as we read about the companies' commitment to water security' printed on the label. 

What does 'being water positive' really mean for the villages where manufacturing plants are situated ? This article examines the case of one such plant in Mehdiganj, PO Benipur, Arajiline block, Dist Varanasi and its effect on the groundwater levels in the area. The village has led an agitation against 4 specific negative impacts of the plant, acheiving moderate but measurable success.

This year, the movement comes to a crisis point as despite a warning by the Central Groundwater Development Board, the plant applies for a four-fold expansion.  

The lyrically named MGNREGA is India's flagship programme and the worlds  largest employment guarantee scheme. No doubt, other superlatives can also be added to it. But just how large is India's top flagship programme? This article tries to understand the numbers.

IWMI-Tata water policy research programme is a collaborative initiative between the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT). 

Those readers who got the insider joke in the title need no introduction to the rainwater harvesting and ecological sanitation evangelist that is zenrainman.

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is now gaining a foothold in the mountain regions of India, with more than

Horrifying images like the one below, where a two-storey house topples like a child's toy, are commonplace in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. This year, the mayhem due to a cloudburst claimed 31 lives and disrupted hundreds more.