Figure it out yourself
A striking fact about water in India is the lack of reliable data about all its aspects: total potential, available supply and demand
Salted lands of Australia
Bad cropping practices and ill-planned water management leads to salted Australian farmland
Parched capital
While Delhi struggles to make rainwater harvesting compulsory even after 13 years of amending byelaws, Chennai shows the way
Solo Performances
Besides the communities who have done exemplary work in the field of environment, several individuals are making a difference in the lives of …
Hamlets reborn
Although Bhaonta-Kolyala village walked away with the Down To Earth-Joseph C John Award, the judges came across several such communities worthy …
Awarded : Bhaonta-Kolyala
... for reviving the Arvari river, for showing that a healthy ecology and good water management mean prosperity, for proving that drought is a myth
How an urban planner undertook green recovery in Telangana’s 72 ULBs
Extensive mapping, designing of parks with detailed cost estimates and implementation frameworks were prepared as part of the project
These mobile weather stations can help cope with floods, landslides
Sri Lanka’s indigenously developed device could help other developing nations, too, deal with climate impacts
Power trickles down
Successful cooperatives compel Maharashtra government to hand over control of irrigation facilities to farmers
Why better sewage management in Chennai will help fight floods
Down To Earth Editor Sunita Narain explains how the city's three rivers and 320 tanks and lakes that worked as flood barriers are used mostly for …
The flush, the city and the river
For the modern Indian city, the principle behind management of water and waste is a simple one: flush and forget. Not surprisingly, most cities …
Rural water and sanitation needs to prioritise sustainability
Prioritising drinking water source sustainability, mix-up of nutrient cycle and reuse of treated biosolids & wastewater …
Drought is in the mind
GOOD NEWS: There is more evidence to show that water harvesting can go a long way in dealing with drought and solving the water crisis, and even …
Political harvest
Report card: A scheme that can help solve the water crisis has become a tool to promote political interests of the ruling party Success level: Poor
Learning the mantra
Report card: The government realised its failures and learned from the civil society. Despite cases of corruption and some errors in planning, …
Voices from Making Water Everybody's Business Talking about water
Water is bound to dominate the agenda of the country's politicians and planners in the future Though ignored for years by the political …
Emergency
Chennai, crippled by water crisis, is also a metaphor for what Indian cities are experiencing in sourcing and managing the most precious natural …
REVIVING WISDOM
Rainwater is abundant in India. So is its mismanagement. This has led to a human-made water scarcity. The only way to solve modern India's water …
Water in the age of coronavirus
As we confront the new global enemy SARS-COV-2, the availability of water will be a crucial determinant for a successful outcome in this war
Rich bias
THE SKEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST Bjørn Lomborg · Cambridge University Press · Cambridge · 2001 · Pages: pp 515 &…
Punjab's paddy dilemma
In 2009, Punjab became the first state in the country to enact a law banning the sowing of rice before a stipulated date. The aim was to arrest …
Kanwar lake: birds' paradise lost
Researchers and activists call for urgent revival of Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake
Water managers remain lukewarm to use of information communication technology
For mass use, any ICT tool has to offer a familiar interface and clear value proposition
Cities journey beyond ODF: India moves to sustainable sanitation for all
Indian cities are currently plagued by multiple challenges to water, sanitation and hygiene. At present, 163 million people do not have …
COVID-19: The need is to decentralise how we manage wastewater
The water crisis in India is dire: By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply