Governance

Featured Articles
April 17, 2021
Skilling and engaging first mile actors to enable local water management: Context, opportunities, and engagement possibilities
Based on conversations with Dr Tushaar Shah and Mr Ved Arya
There is an urgency to create a database of such skilled persons and engage them in future programs or on a long-term basis through different engagement models. (Image: ForWater Partners)
April 13, 2021
Swacchagrahis: The frontline workers of India's largest sanitation program
There is a need for long term sustained engagement of the skilled workforce for water and sanitation
Swachhagrahis are the motivators for bringing about behaviour change concerning key sanitation practices in rural India. (Image: SBM)
April 8, 2021
Conservation of water commons through community fishery
The village institution collectively framed rules for the governance and management of these water commons
The efforts have resulted in the revival of the ponds. (Image: FES)
April 6, 2021
Drinking water access to all in Bihar: Reach, benefits and challenges
Significantly reduced the daily drudgery of women in rural areas
The water requirement for the scheme is being fulfilled through borings, submersible pumps, and distribution pipelines implemented by the Department of Panchayati Raj, Government of Bihar. (Image: Sehgal Foundation)
April 1, 2021
COVID-19 and social protection: Impact in the agriculture sector
Lower transaction costs, minimal leakages, and immediate delivery make a strong case for direct cash transfers, says study.
Access to credit increased farmers' expenditures on farm-related activities. (Image: Pixy.org)
March 22, 2021
Water governance standard and certification system – An answer to the water problems of agrarian India
The recent 'Water governance standard and certification system' developed by WOTR can greatly help villages to develop good governance practices and manage their water needs equitably and sustainably.
Long queues waiting for tankers are common in different parts of Maharashtra during water scarcity (Image Source: WOTR)
Improving city-wide sanitation service delivery in small towns of Odisha
Project Nirmal demonstrates appropriate, low-cost, decentralized, inclusive and sustainable sanitation service delivery solutions for two small towns (Angul and Dhenkanal) in Odisha. Amita Bhaduri posted 7 months ago

Tucked away in the slums of Dhenkanal, a small community offers a glimpse of how sanitation solutions have changed hundreds of lives for the better. Till recently, post rains in the absence of proper drainage, the clogged lanes were causing a lot of inconvenience to the residents of Parhatiya Sahi slum.
Community meetings in the slums of Dhenkanal under Project Nirmal (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Sanitation empowered her
Community response to the slum sanitation improvement project hinges on grassroots leadership in a slum settlement in Dhenkanal. Amita Bhaduri posted 7 months ago

In a corner of the Kathagada locality in the Parhatiya Sahi slum of Dhenkanal stands a small neat house. Surrounded by a well-tended garden that is planted with fruit trees, flowers and grass, this is Reena Rani Singh’s home. She is a multi-purpose local leader and is a member of the local Self Help Group (SHG), Mahila Arogya Samiti and Slum Sanitation Committee (SSC).
As a part of Project Nirmal, community structures including Slum Sanitation Committees (SSCs) and Ward Sanitation Committees (WSCs) were constituted at the slum and ward level (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Satyagrah by the river calls for action against erosion
River erosion, so intense, that the whole village is in danger. As the government’s help seems a distant dream, locals carry out Satyagrah to expose their plight to the authorities. Swati Bansal posted 7 months 1 week ago

Since last week, people of Birjain village have been protesting against erosion by the river bank. They are demanding that the government should put in efforts to prevent river erosion and save their houses, otherwise they will continue with their Satyagrah and perform Jal Samadhi (suicide by drowning). Sattore, a flood-prone Panchayat has about 3000 houses.
Satyagrah by the river (Image source: Umesh K Ray)
Uttarakhand: Reaching the unreached
PSI addresses the shortage of safe drinking water in remote Uttarakhand villages through a participatory community-based approach to springshed management. Amita Bhaduri posted 7 months 1 week ago

People in remote hamlets left out by previous schemes like Swajal and Sector Wide Approach Program of the Uttarakhand Jal Nigam and Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan longed for household-level piped water supply for drinking and domestic purposes.
Women trudged long distances daily to fetch water for their basic household needs in Rupail (Image: People's Science Institute)
Expression of Interest (Eol) for Sector Partner, Jal Jeevan Mission
National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) seeks interest from foundations, trusts, NGOs, Community Based Organisations (CBOs), VOs, etc. to work closely with the mission as 'Sector Partner'. Swati Bansal posted 7 months 1 week ago

Many organizations, individuals already working in the field of water have shown genuine interests to be partner in this pan-India programme, Jal Jeevan Mission.
All hopes lost for the flood-hit in Bihar
People in Bihar are struggling with the floods for a month now, while the government has turned a blind eye to their plight. Swati Bansal posted 7 months 1 week ago

“We went through a lot of trouble over the month. By God’s grace, we are still surviving."
Havoc of floods in Saharsa (Source: Umesh K Ray)
Agriculture and food security challenges amid Covid-19
The pandemic has bared our vulnerabilities and shaken our collective consciousness to focus on agriculture and rural economy. Amita Bhaduri posted 7 months 1 week ago

India has seen large scale rural-urban migration of people trying to escape rural distress in the last few decades.
Women farmers produce vegetables through innovative farming practices in Banka, Bihar. They can sell their produce at regional markets, and earn a better income for their families. (Image: USAID, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Nashik civic body frees Godavari using riverfront development funds
News this week Swati Bansal posted 7 months 1 week ago

A civic body frees a river instead of concretising it, for the first time
Godavari river (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Empowering, involving local communities crucial for reviving Yamuna: Study
A user-friendly water quality index could be created to help riverine communities take informed decisions. Amita Bhaduri posted 7 months 1 week ago

There aren’t many studies on understanding the socio-economic impact of river pollution, and the handful of those available miss out on capturing the voices of the local communities who are most affected by river pollution.
To improve the participation of the riverine communities in river clean-up activities, a platform can be set up as a governance mechanism. (Image: Thommen Jose, CC BY-SA 4.0)
IUKWC Virtual User Engagement Initiative 2020
The India UK Water Centre welcomes you to a free, online event to engage with new water research tools and methods that could contribute to your operational practice. Swati Bansal posted 7 months 2 weeks ago

IUKWC has put together a set of interviews with researchers from six Indo-UK projects that provide an overview of their research outputs and how these can support water operations, management and/or decision making.

Fully interactive - interviewees will be available to answer your questions during two hour windows
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