Research Papers

This paper from the gatekeeper series of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) describes the potential of an innovative rice cultivation practice-the system of rice intensification (SRI)—for allowing Indian rice farmers to not only enhance rice production and their net incomes, but also to solve the water crisis.

This report by the Water and Sanitation Program of the World Bank provides an account of the field level initiatives on drinking water security in India. The country faces many challenges in ensuring reliable, sustainable safe drinking water supply to rural households.

Though, in terms of provision of safe drinking water, more than 90 percent of the rural households have been covered, according to the NSSO 65th round survey 2008-09, much remains to be done to improve levels of service delivery, water quality and sustainability.

This manual by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) deals with an inventory of Greater Himalayan Wetlands and has been developed to assist governm

This report presents the findings of a study conducted by CPCB with the help of Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee and Anna University, Chennai  on the performa

This report by the Central Pollution and Control Board (CPCB) describes the various intervention measures chosen to reduce the ecological footprint of the Sangamam housing project at Auroville. These measures include water harvesting, recycling and waste management. 

This study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) examines the global patterns and impacts of droughts through the mapping of several drought-related characteristics – either at a country level or at regular grid scales. Characteristics cover various aspects of droughts – from global distribution of meteorological and hydrological drought risks to social vulnerability and indices related to water infrastructure.

It takes apple as an indicator crop to investigate the positive and negative effects of climate change on farm economy. The research is a field study to determine the agricultural and socioeconomic impact of climate change on the farmers apple economy of the Kullu valley in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Now-a-days heavy metal arsenic poses a health risk problem throughout the world. Arsenic may be found in water which has flowed through arsenic-rich rocks. Severe health effects have been observed in populations drinking arsenic-rich water over long periods in countries world-wide.

This study was commissioned recognizing the fact that discharge of untreated sewage occurs not only because of inadequate installed capacity of sewage plants, but also due to the inadequate maintenance of existing plants.

This discussion paper by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) examines the current state of sanitation services in India and offers recommendations that can help key stakeholders work toward universal sanitation coverage in India.

Providing environmentally-safe sanitation to millions of people is a significant challenge, especially in the world’s second most populated country. The task is doubly difficult in a country where the introduction of new technologies can challenge people’s traditions and beliefs.

This discussion paper examines the current state of sanitation services in India in relation to two goals—Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which calls on countries to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without improved sanitation facilities (from 1990 levels); and India’s more ambitious goal of providing “Sanitation for All” by 2012, established under its Total Sanitation Campaign.