Public Infrastructure and Services

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July 10, 2023 By fostering strong collaborations and pooling resources, cities can collectively address the challenges of data-driven urbanization, says NIUA report
There is tremendous transformative potential of data driven approaches in shaping urban environments (Image: Needpix, CC0)
September 1, 2021 Best practices for holistic urban water management in Chennai Metropolitan Area
These bright plastic jugs are ubiquitous in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. (Image: McKay Savage, Flickr Commons; CC BY 2.0)
December 26, 2019 Policy matters this week
The Mandovi river disputed between Karnataka and Goa (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
December 6, 2019 A report by the India Rivers Forum highlights the need to focus further than the main stem of the Ganga river.
Distant snow clad mountains, the smaller hills and the Ganga river (Image: Srimoyee Banerjee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
December 4, 2019 To adapt well & build resilience, climate change strategies need to factor in efforts towards water security, writes Vanita Suneja, Regional Advocacy Manager (South Asia), WaterAid.
Image credit: WaterAid/Prashanth Vishwanathan
Conserving Palk Bay
In the first of a two-part series on the ecological degradation of the Palk Bay, a video explains the importance of conserving this biodiversity hotspot. Posted on 28 Nov, 2017 04:04 PM

The Palk Bay is a 15,000 sq km biodiversity conglomeration nestled between the island nation of Sri Lanka and South East Peninsula India with a coastal length of 250 km on the Indian side. 

The Palk Bay (Source: GIZ)
Toilet use in Uttarakhand: A mountainous issue
A study from remote villages in rural Uttarakhand finds that toilet use is influenced by geography, accessibility, availability of infrastructure and occupation of villagers. Posted on 23 Nov, 2017 02:36 PM

“Sometimes I go for open defecation, sometimes I use the toilet. It’s not like I always have to use the toilet. When I go for work here and there, I defecate in the jungle,” says Renu from one of the remote villages in Tehri Garwal district of Uttarakhand when asked why she does not use latrines every day.

Tanks and canals form the water supply system in a remote Uttarakhand village. (Image source: Chicu Lokgariwar)
Innovative government-NGO partnerships for development
The partnership between the NGO SEWA and Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board is an important policy shift that signifies NGOs can be competent providers of public services. Posted on 22 Nov, 2017 08:49 AM

Sari-clad women handling tools with alacrity while fixing water hand pumps is a common sight in the Sabarkantha district in north Gujarat.

Bayad and Dhansura subdistricts in Gujarat.

Trained and organised by SEWA, the women who repair hand pumps are called barefoot mechanics. (Photo by Amruta Mahakalkar)
Waiting for water
The villagers of Khalabari are hopeful that the overhead tank being built in the village would make drinking water easily accessible to them. Posted on 15 Nov, 2017 05:50 AM

In the early hours, the villagers of Khalabari, a tribal-dominated village in the Dumuripadar gram panchayat of Koraput district in Odisha step out of their houses for bringing wood and drinking water. The road to the forest where the water is available is rocky.

Khalabari village (Source: India Water Portal)
JalKalp: Water sands impurities
A new biosand filter is revolutionising water purification in rural India with increased filtration, better portability and affordability. Posted on 13 Nov, 2017 12:11 PM

Urmila Devi lives in Chaitabazaar village which is barely five kilometres from the eastern bank of the Burhi Gandak river. It is located in a particularly flood-prone area of East Champaran in north Bihar. The drinking water quality in this area is poor. The recurrent floods only make it worse.

The drinking water in Chaitbazaar village is dark in colour because of high levels of iron and has a peculiar stench from bacteriological contamination. (Image: Sehgal Foundation)
Drinking water: Access does not mean safety
A study from rural Maharashtra finds piped water supply does not guarantee safe drinking water. Water treatment, storage and WASH practices influence water quality. Posted on 11 Nov, 2017 12:36 PM

Concerned with contaminated water sources in rural areas, the Centre plans to provide piped water supply (classified as an improved water source by the W

Better drinking water access does not always mean that the water is safe to drink. (Image source: India Water Portal)
Chennai's struggle with segregation
Inefficient solid waste management results in waste piles that contribute to urban flooding in cities like Chennai. While most citizens blame civic authorities for the lapse, are they doing their bit? Posted on 08 Nov, 2017 11:30 AM

Come November, along with swollen waterways and flooded streets, another prominent image flashed repeatedly on television screens is that of mountains of mixed garbage. Chennai’s solid waste headache is by no means entirely monsoon-related.

Perungudi dump yard chokes the Pallikaranai marshland.
India Industry Water Conclave on Nov 28, 2017 at FICCI, New Delhi
The third edition of India Industry Water Conclave and fifth edition of FICCI Water Awards on Theme : ‘Water Use Efficiency- An Imperative for India’
Posted on 07 Nov, 2017 10:12 AM

The theme for the Conclave this year is “Water Use Efficiency: An Imperative for India” to highlight the imperative of water use efficiency in the industry, agriculture and urban contexts

Are people in villages less thirsty?
Veteran journalist P. Sainath says we are living in a time of inequality--of wealth, water and income--driven by policies. Shouldn’t we be more angry about this? Posted on 18 Oct, 2017 07:49 PM

In India, there has been a stunning growth of inequality in the last 25 years and a spectacular growth of inequality in the last 15 years. It is not just a question of wealth and income; inequality is visible in every sector. It is visible in water whether (it is) water for irrigation or drinking water.

An upcoming building in Mumbai has a pool on every floor. At the same time, migrant labourers rely on tapping municipal leakages for their drinking water. India has more inequality than the rest of the world.
Najafgarh seeks attention
There is an urgent need to restore Najafgarh basin if the recurrent flooding and water shortage in Delhi and Gurugram have to be avoided in the future. Posted on 17 Oct, 2017 05:07 AM

Here’s some news for nature lovers. A dirty drain in Delhi could well be on its way to becoming a bird sanctuary. The Najafgarh drain or nallah that flows through the northwest part of Gurugram is becoming a new habitat for the strikingly tall Greater flamingos, a rosy-white pink billed migratory bird as it passes through southwest Delhi.  

Aerial view of the Najafgarh drain. (Image: Sumita Roy Dutta, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0)
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