India

Best practices on urban water management from across the world

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This report titled "Institutional History of Watershed Research in India - The evolution of ICRISAT's work on natural resources in India", by Dr C Shambu Prasad, A J Hall and S P Wani, published by ICRISAT, is a case study of watershed-based development initiatives at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). It seeks to reveal the way scientists and development practitioners work and how they are shaped by the diversity of partners involved and thereby draw process lessons for ongoing and future work on watersheds in international agricultural research centers (IARCs).

This report in two parts titled "Feasibility of Payments for Watershed Services" is an outcome of a literature review taken up as part of the India PES Project, a collaborative initiative of CISED and NIVA.

This Watershed Works Manual for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) programme was prepared by Samaj Pragati Sahayog at the request of the Union Ministry of Rural Development. It is meant for those individuals and organisations who will be involved in planning, implementing and/ or monitoring NREGA.

Earthen dams are a very common and cost-effective watershed intervention. This multimedia course gives an understanding of the principles of earthen dams, the types of earthen dams and the parameters to be considered in their construction. It goes into the detail of the steps to be followed in constructing these dams.

This course is part of a multimedia course series developed by Arghyam for the India Water Portal in collaboration with IT and domain experts.

This section from www.rainwaterharvesting.org deals with traditional water harvesting systems. Water has been harvested in India since antiquity, with our ancestors perfecting the art of water management. Many water harvesting structures and water conveyance systems specific to the eco-regions and culture has been developed.

• They harvested the rain drop directly. From rooftops, they collected water and stored it in tanks built in their courtyards. From open community lands, they collected the rain and stored it in artificial wells.
• They harvested monsoon runoff by capturing water from swollen streams during the monsoon season and stored it various forms of water bodies. 
• They harvested water from flooded rivers

The Sustainet project of the German Council for Sustainable Development produced the book "Sustainable Agriculture: A pathway out of poverty for India's rural poor" with examples of sustainable agricultural approaches. This book attempts to bring back sustainable agriculture into the development agenda.

Image and Content Courtesy: NABARD

NABARD is set up as an apex Development Bank with a mandate for facilitating credit flow for promotion and development of agriculture, small-scale industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other rural crafts. It also has the mandate to support all other allied economic activities in rural areas, promote integrated and sustainable rural development and secure prosperity of rural areas.

In discharging its role as a facilitator for rural prosperity NABARD invites all individuals, NGOs, community based organisations, SHGs, farmer's club, panchayati raj institutions and corporates who have the expertise and willingness to implement innovative ideas for improving the quality of life in rural areas.

Guiding Principles for the project to be supported under RIF , Innovation 1. Should benefit a large number of rural poor. 2. Should be Replicable / Scalable. 3. Funding support generally not exceeding Rs. 30 lakh. 4. To be grounded in less than 3 years. How to apply? Approach the District Development Manager (DDM) of NABARD in the district or the Regional Office of NABARD at State Capitals. For details of address of the Regional Offices, please Click here.