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
Two states and a river: More power or more water?
The latest addition to India’s interstate river water conflicts, the Mahanadi will soon go water deficit if Odisha and Chhattisgarh don’t control their hunger for coal-fired power. Posted on 25 Nov, 2018 12:26 PM

A new study, Mahanadi: Coal Rich, Water-Stressed sheds light on how both Odisha and Chhattisgarh have locked horns over the distribution of waters of the Mahanadi river. The 851-km-long river originates in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh, flows through the state and then Odisha before joining the Bay of Bengal at Odisha’s coast.

The Hirakud dam (Image: Makarand Purohit, India Water Portal)
SAFE solution to Kalikapur's water problem
While potable water dispensing units provided under WASH has come as a boon to Kalikapur slum residents, they struggle to meet other water needs due to lack of piped water. Posted on 15 Nov, 2018 09:54 AM

Basanti Haldar (45) has been living in a slum at Kalikapur in Kolkata for over two decades. She works as a domestic help in an upscale locality in the neighbourhood. She is happy nowadays due to an increase in her income. 

Nila Shaw collects water from the ADU. (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)
NOC must for groundwater use: Centre to infra projects
Policy matters this week Posted on 13 Nov, 2018 05:57 PM

Centre mandates NOC for using groundwater for infra projects

NOC for using groundwater for infra projects becomes mandatory. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
From river to sewer, Paondhoi waits for redemption
Will Saharanpur city’s proposed smart city tag help revive the Paondhoi river once again? Posted on 12 Nov, 2018 11:16 AM

River Paondhoi is best known today as a sewer running through Saharanpur city. Originally, however, it was an important source of drinking water for the city. In its heyday, the water of the river ran ankle deep, just enough to wash one’s feet. People coming into the city would wash their feet in the river giving it the name, Paondhoi.

The Paondhoi with hazardous materials and pollutants dumped into it. (Image: India Water Portal)
Few districts in the country drought resilient: Study
News this week Posted on 31 Oct, 2018 10:40 AM

Human activities are taking a heavy toll on country's resilience to drought

Parched land during drought in India. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
NRDWP: Poor show by Odisha
A CAG audit finds out an ineffective implementation of rural drinking water schemes in Odisha with the least covered and quality-affected habitations ignored. Posted on 25 Oct, 2018 11:01 AM

On March 16, 2017, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India began a performance audit of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) by discussing with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation the scope and methodology of the performance audit.

The implementation of the rural drinking water programme in Odisha has many deficiencies. (Photo: IWP flickr photo)
Tech to tackle sewer deaths
With government apathetic towards sewer deaths from manual scavenging, individuals and organisations are coming up with tech solutions to stop the practice. Posted on 21 Oct, 2018 11:44 AM

Anil (40) died on September 14, 2018 while clearing a block in a sewage line at Dabri, a locality in north-west Delhi. Cleaners hired by state governments and civic bodies are supposed to be provided safety equipment like gas masks, goggles, gumshoes, gloves, safety belt etc. Yet, Anil was unprotected when he died of asphyxiation due to the presence of poisonous gas in the gutter.

Women who took part at the India SaniTech Forum say that they want to ensure there are no more deaths from manual scavenging. (Image: India Water Portal)
New centre to help farmers become climate resilient
The centre will focus on real-time structured surveillance for insect-pests and diseases using GPS-tagging techniques. Posted on 20 Oct, 2018 02:28 PM

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has established a centre of excellence on climate change research for plant protection at the Hyderabad-based International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

The centre will provide advanced information and tools to increase farmer resilience to climate change. (Photo: IWP flickr photos)
Why floodplains need to be protected
Damage to floodplains harms the riverine ecosystem, lessens groundwater recharge capacity and poses threats of flash floods. Enforcement of floodplain zoning regulation is a must to avert floods. Posted on 12 Oct, 2018 11:56 AM

The Kerala flood of 2018 was 30 percent less intense than that of 1924 deluge, the biggest in Kerala’s history. Yet it caused a huge loss of lives, property and infrastructure. Swollen rivers ruptured their banks and floodwaters gushed through houses built on the floodplains.

Real estate development has wiped out large swathes of land on the active floodplain of the rivers in Kerala; the reduction in its cross section led to massive inundation during the Kerala floods, 2018.
State of drinking water supply schemes in Rajasthan
The CAG’s performance audit on Rajasthan observes various deficiencies in the implementation of drinking water supply schemes. Posted on 11 Oct, 2018 11:24 AM

On March 16, 2017, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India began a performance audit of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) by discussing with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation the scope and methodology of the performance audit. Records relating to the implementation of the programme in 27 states for the five-year period (2012 to 2017) were examined.

Water schemes are not planned properly affecting their performance in Rajasthan. (Photo: IWP flickr photos)
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