India

The policy brief has studied the NREGA implementation on its focus on creation of productive assets, the involvement of communities in designing their local development using the NREGA and the stumbling blocks in unlocking the development potential of the Act. 

The State Groundwater Profile from the CGWB site can be viewed below. It includes a brief summary of groundwater conditions, aquifer types, average specific yield of the aquifers, types of wells dug, their specific capacity and also findings of groundwater exploration.

The School of Environmental Studies of Jadavpur University has studied the arsenic contamination for the last 19 years. Their website gives some of the details of their work -

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This map gives a district level picture of the percentage of coverage of habitations having access to safe drinking water within the country. Safe drinking water availability reduces the risk of deaths due to diarrhoea, jaundice and other water borne diseases. In India still a very large proportion of people have no access to safe drinking water.

Progress towards achieving internationally agreed goals on drinking water and sanitation, shows the progress achieved over 1990-2002, of nations across the world, towards achieving safe drinking water and improved sanitation for its citizens. The map shows that India is on track in achieving its drinking water goals, but is not on track in its progress towards achieving improved sanitation.

The http://rainwaterharvesting.org site has a map of Delhi showing geology, water level, water quality and giving recommendations for rainwater harvesting in different areas.

View the map here: http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/index_files/intro_map.htm

The information may be out of date.

Image source: http://rainwaterharvesting.org

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Image & Content Courtesy: Solution Exchange Solution Exchange for the Water Community in India is a group of professionals from a wide range of organizations and perspectives who are dedicated to addressing water and environmental sanitation challenges in rural and urban areas in India - including access, quality, management and service delivery. Regular Community Updates from the Solution Exchange for Water Community helps provide a consolidated outlook on the current water scenario coupled with updates regarding trainings, vacancies, funding agencies & much more! Water Community Update - No. 35 is the latest from Solution Exchange, some highlights from the same are: Upcoming Events include: Gender, Water and Equity Training Workshop, 18th World Congress of Environmental Journalists & much more. Upcoming Trainings: Application of Earth Observation - GIS in Integrated Water Resource Management, Water Leadership.

The conference was held in Bangalore on 30th June 2009 at the ITC Windsor. With cities expanding, the need for drinking water is exponentially increasing. The municipal systems are stressed to breaking limits and more and more people are turning to bottled water. And this is the case not only in urban but in rural areas as well. Today, the bottled water industry is at 1000 crores and is visualised to expand more! In this context the Confederation of Indian Industries organised a seminar on the Packaged Water Industry on 30th June, 2009 to discuss the scope of the market, the standards of quality and the methods of disposing the waste produced due to the industry. The source for most of the drinking water in our country remains ground water. This contributes to 80% of drinking water in rural areas and 50% in urban areas. However, claimed Mr. T.M. Hunse, Regional Director of the Central Ground Water Board, the excessive usage of Groundwater is the direct cause of dry wells and the depleting levels of groundwater in the country. However, the need for bottled water cannot be denied. Despite conflicts between communities and bottled water plants, many of the country’s poor are at the mercy of the municipal supplies which are erratic and unreliable, he said. Bottled water provides an alternative way to access clean and healthy water. At the same time, it absolves the government of its duty and ends up leaving farmers high and dry. He placed full responsibility on the bottled water plants to ensure people safe water (especially when the groundwater is polluted) and work towards conscientiously using the existing groundwater supply in an egalitarian manner.