Books and Book Reviews

Madakas are manmade structures for storing rainwater that was abundantly prevalent in Kasargod District of Kerala. Pallas on the contrary, were similar structures but not man made. Pallas and Madakas met the water requirements of the settlements around these structures. 

Rainwater harvesting is not a new science in India. There are several traditional practices across the country where rainwater was stored safely and used in times of need. One such example is the 'Taankaa' system in Gujarat.

It is an astonishing thing to see the five rivers of Alwar in Rajasthan flowing for more than 6-8 months in a year. This is no miracle though. It is the result of a decade-long effort by Jal Jungle Andolan lead by Dr. Rajendra Singh. 

'Talaparige' is a well known traditional source of water in Tumkur region in Karnataka. These are also seen in Kolar, Bellary and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka. So far, there has been no exhaustive documentation about this source of water.

Rainwater and You:

• contains ideas that anyone can use anywhere
• gives essential details about hte background of rainwater utilisation in urban, rural and islands
• gives designs for rainwater utilisation systems and points of maintenance
• gives examples of actual uses in individual homes, large buildings and community facilities

Mannu Mattu Neeru by Shree Padre gives examples of local knowledge and agricultural practices that have successfully helped overcome a drought situation in the state of Karnataka.

These age-old practices, which have been in use for generations now, have helped families survive in circumstances of accute drought and famine. 

Sharanu Banni Jala Kaayakake is a collection of features on soil and water conservation written by Shree Padre and published by the Akhila Bharata Sharana Sahitya Parishat, Mysore.

This piece of writing is based on interviews with farmers and experiences from the ground. This is one of the 8 books that was published duing the 8th Akhila Bharata Sharana Sahitya Sammelan.

It's been years since Bhutahi Balan, a small tributary of the Kosi river in Madhubani, North Bihar, has been causing devastation on both its banks. Dinesh Mishra in his book 'Story of a ghost river and engineering witchcraft' objectively analyses the failure of embankments, which are raised banks to contain the river's flooding.

The Yamuna Manifesto -or Yamuna Nama- is a bilingual book with passages in both Hindi and English, published as part of the Yamuna Elbe project. In five deceptively short sections, the book takes us from the birth to the river to its future.

For details on the invite, please click here.