Research Papers

The history of the United Kingdom’s interest in the Indian monsoon is discussed as also the challenges of climate change for India. Some basic facts regarding the Indian socio-economic context are presented to underline the importance of rainfed agriculture and hence the dependence on monsoons.

 Participatory hydrological monitoring improves the users’ understanding of local groundwater resource characteristics and helps local communities to form a community opinion to support appropriate measures for managing the available resources equitably.

This working paper by Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad deals with the issue of right to drinking water, an issue that has assumed greater significance in India in recent years. Declarations by the United Nations and other international organisations, and judic

This report by ICRISAT deals with a survey of thirty-two tanks and farm data from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra states to assess the economic performance of irrigation tanks in semi arid tropics of India. It uses district-wise data on climatic and institutional variables to analyze the factors affecting tank-irrigation density. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of irrigation tanks is determined primarily by physical factors—hard rock substratum, post-monsoon rains, low moisture-holding capacity of soils and by population density.

This report under the WHiRL research project by the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) identifies the potential unintended impacts of water harvesting so that, if at all possible they are avoided altogether, but if these do occur, they are recognised at an early stage and steps are taken to mitigate their affects. It highlights evidence that is emerging about water harvesting in semi-arid areas, on how water if used inappropriately, can lead to inequitable access to water resources and, in the extreme, to unreliable drinking water supplies.

This report by the World Bank examines the evolution of the management of India’s waters, describes the achievements of the past, and the looming set of challenges. The report draws heavily on a set of twelve background documents by eminent Indian practitioners and policy analysts, and addresses two basic questions - 

• What are the major water development and management challenges facing India? 
• What are the critical measures to be taken to address these? 

This working paper by the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University offers an analysis of the role of law in the Narmada valley struggle, especially that which was waged by one of India’s most prominent social movements in recent years, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), with a specific focus on India’s Supreme Court. The NBA rose in reaction to the Indian government’s plan to construct a large number of dams along the Narmada river, contesting the relief and rehabilitation provided for displaced families at first, and subsequently challenging the dams themselves as being destructive.