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Water strategy: Ponds need pondering
Unregulated construction and use of farm ponds in Maharashtra have further aggravated the drinking water situation in water-scarce areas in the state. Posted on 23 Feb, 2017 06:23 PM

In the last few years, the water situation in Maharashtra has got worse resulting in severe droughts leading to drinking water scarcity and agricultural crisis. This has caused immense suffering for the rural folk in the state and saw instances of violence in the name of water.

A farm pond (Source: Renie Thomas, WOTR, Pune)
Maharashtra goes Doha for water
How the Doha model of groundwater recharge saved the livelihoods of farmers in Maharashtra. Posted on 22 Feb, 2017 12:02 PM

There was a time when the farmers of Yavatmal district depended completely on rainfed agriculture. That was before the introduction of Doha, a water harvesting structure by NGO Dilasa Sansthan in 2014. Farming changed drastically after that, something which Sitaram Kove, a 40-year-old farmer of Rajini village in the district, will vouch for.

A Doha canal at Rajini village. (Source:Dilasa)
No change in Krishna water sharing ratio: Panel
Policy matters this week Posted on 20 Feb, 2017 08:54 PM

Committee rules out any change in Krishna water sharing ratio

Krishna river (Source: Wikipedia commons)
Bellandur lake engulfed in smoke
News this week Posted on 20 Feb, 2017 08:06 PM

Yet again, Bengaluru’s lake on fire

Bellandur lake on fire. (Source: NDTV)
Solar water pumps for efficient irrigation
Solar pumps are cost-effective, environment-friendly and have good potential in places with high water table. Sehgal Foundation, that piloted 14 solar pumps in two districts of Bihar, shows how. Posted on 18 Feb, 2017 09:19 PM

Irrigation system in India is often about big dams and hundreds of kilometres of canals that incur huge capital expenditure. Hence, policies at the central and the state level are mostly tilted in favour of big projects and often neglect micro-level solutions.

Zero tillage machine mounted on a tractor.
‘We have more hardy, nutritious grains than GM can offer’
Debal Deb has conserved 1,200 climate resilient rice varieties. He speaks on the need to conserve traditional seeds and why we don’t need genetically modified ones. Posted on 16 Feb, 2017 05:59 PM

Farming can’t be sustainable without the seeds which are best suited to the location, water availability, soil type and weather. According to records, there were 1.10 lakh varieties of rice in India till 1965. After that, the Green Revolution happened, which pushed for hybrid varieties.

At his farm in Odisha, Deb conserves 1,200 traditional varieties of rice.
A watered-down scheme
The new urban water supply scheme in Madhya Pradesh that encourages private sector participation is replete with lacunae, according to an NGO that studied the scheme. Posted on 16 Feb, 2017 12:25 PM

In November 2011, the government of Madhya Pradesh sanctioned Rs 493 crore to 37 Urban Local Bodies (ULB) for drinking water supply projects under the Chief Minister’s Urban Drinking Water Supply Scheme (CMUWSS) along the lines of the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT).

Source:India Water Portal
Telangana’s groundwater crisis
A study from Telangana finds faulty power subsidy policies of the state and the resultant increase in tube wells with electric pumps as reasons for depleting groundwater levels. Posted on 15 Feb, 2017 06:50 PM

According to the data released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation’s AQUASTAT in 2010, at 250 billion m³ per year, India is one of the countries that uses groundwater the most. As high as 80 percent of its water is used for irrigation of which 65 percent is groundwater.

Declining groundwater levels and the impending crisis. (Source: India Water Portal)
Public money wasted in the name of Ganga revival: NGT
Policy matters this week Posted on 13 Feb, 2017 09:47 PM

NGT blames Centre for wasting public money in the name of Ganga clean-up

Polythene bags and solid waste left behind the Ganga river in Allahabad. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Over 66 thousand habitations arsenic hit: Centre
News this week Posted on 13 Feb, 2017 09:08 PM

Arsenic present in drinking water at many habitations: Centre

People fight for their rights to clean and safe drinking water. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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