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Common Property Resources
Protectors of the lost ponds of Darbhanga
Posted on 12 Mar, 2014 12:20 PMIn 1989, Bihar's Darbhanga town boasted 213 ponds. Today nearly 25% of them have been drained, leveled to the ground, filled up and built over. Hotels, houses and highrise buildings have bulldozed their way onto these water bodies. Do we not need these ponds any longer? Are they better of as bedrocks of development in these land-starved times?
Once upon a time
![Rally to protect ponds](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/tba.jpg?itok=U5ZBIEfk)
Identity theft in Northeast India
Posted on 07 Mar, 2014 12:26 PMIf you try to map where indigenous people live and where abundant biodiversity exists, you will notice a big overlap. It might seem like coincidence, but it isn't. Indigenous people have long shared and declared a strong connection to their traditional landscapes. They have had methods to protect, preserve and live harmoniously with nature.
![Indigenous communities remain marginalised](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/indigenous_communtites_share_a_close_bond_with_land.jpg?itok=kJHXE6O0)
Princely' private ponds
Posted on 07 Mar, 2014 10:14 AMCharkhari, a princely state of India in the colonial period was once a beautiful settlement founded by Saurabh Singh Bundela, a Rajput King. Acceded to India post-Independence, the town is now located in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh. The place was home to intricate water management systems in the past.
![A talab in the fort city of Charkhari](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/charkhari.jpg?itok=xNS1h9D6)
When natural forests prevailed in Himachal
Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 07:51 PMThe mountain states are at a loss when it comes to a defined livelihood option for its inhabitants. Himachal Pradesh is no different. While the upper reaches of the state have excelled in growing niche products like apple and chilgoza (a variety of pine nut), areas like Chamba that are below 4000 metres, have to depend on farming.
![Himachal's forests help conserve springs](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/dsc02230_0.jpg?itok=LW8ycHvi)
The primary caretakers of water?
Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 07:48 PMGender influences access to water to a high degree throughout the world, a fact recognised in the Dublin Principles but how does topography influence this access? This study detailed in this post aims to find the answer to this question.
![The women of Sikkim manage their water resources](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/7596563786_96d96665ea.jpg?itok=5Pd7QGQ3)
Pooling borewells and opportunities
Posted on 03 Feb, 2014 12:48 PMGamalibai is a farmer in Malkaipeta Thanda, a small tribal hamlet of the Lambadi community in Ibrahimpur village, Ranga Reddy district in Andhra Pradesh. She does not have much in common with the image of the hearty, prosperous farmer that beams at us from posters selling agricultural machinery.
![Gamalibai on her farm](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/farmer_1.jpg?itok=hYaSZuUH)
Which way will the water flow?
Posted on 15 Jan, 2014 11:07 PMIn the 60-odd years since we began managing our own resources, we have managed to throttle and poison all our rivers, suck our groundwater resources nearly dry and shave our forests bald. This is despite a great deal of effort, time, thought and resources that have gone into this 'management'.
![Ramaswamy Iyer, former Secretary Water Resources](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/ramaswamy_iyer.jpg?itok=ma1-lOMP)
Separated by a spring
Posted on 06 Jan, 2014 10:02 AMNumerous small villages dot the Himalayas. These villages obtain water from springs that are in their turn supplied by small aquifers. Due to the complex folded nature of the rocks that make up the mountains, the area from which these aquifers receive their water may be at some distance away from the actual spring.
![Bedu Naula, in Uttarakhand](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/294.jpg?itok=nQz6szN6)
A peak at the future: Simulating Coonoor’s water situation
Posted on 23 Dec, 2013 03:40 PMThe Nilgiris have undergone an incredible amount of change in the last 10 years. Coonoor, an area well endowed with natural resources, is the second largest tourist destination here. However, over the last year (2012-13), the town has been reeling under a water crisis [1].
![Coonoor Land Use Map](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/coonoor_landuse_map.jpg?itok=gQm0BCWV)
Bihar villagers against asbestos plant
Posted on 22 Dec, 2013 08:40 PM10,000 Bihar villagers file petition against asbestos plant
![Asbestos inflammation (Source: Adam Cohn, Flickr)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/asbestos.jpg?itok=a_qW1nQg)