A water journey
Monsoon means celebrations for the people of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat who script success stories of rainwater harvesting. But in Rajasthan they are questioned: who own the raindrop?
Monsoon means celebrations for the people of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat who script success stories of rainwater harvesting. But in Rajasthan they are questioned: who own the raindrop?
There is euphoria in the villages which have harvested rain. Overcoming hurdles, village communities learn the first lesson in water management
Only a strong political commitment for water conservation will ensure the survival of these structures
Keshubhai Patel Chief minister, Gujarat On overflowing check dams: We needed a permanent solution that not only drought-proofs the state but also provides livelihoods. The effort is to trap
Government watershed programmes run for a limited period. The impractical timeframe threatens to undo the goodwork
Investment in water is an insurance against poverty and drought. Down To Earth reporters visited the eight villages below during the droughts of 2000 and 2001. These villages have several years of
The government <font class='UCASE'>NGO </font> friction at Lava ka Baas has opened a Pandora s box water ownership, archaic laws and hopeful communities that want to hold on to the assets they have created
Along with Tarun Bharat Sangh ( tbs) co-workers, Gopal Singh stood by the villagers during their vigil at the Lava ka Baas johad. Credited with having designed over 4,500 water harvesting
June 4, 2001: The Rajasthan irrigation department gives a notice to Tarun Bharat Sangh ( tbs ) calling the johad built by the Lava ka Baas villagers is unsafe. It directs tbs to see that
Water laws in India are archaic and anti-people. Made to disempower rather than empower communities, these are used to terrorise the people rather than assist them. Secretary of tbs , Rajendra
All attempts by cse coordinator Indira Khurana to meet Rajasthan irrigation minister Kamla Beniwal went in vain. The minister refused to give an appointment. Khurana was directed to speak to the
To fight drought, the Madhya Pradesh government embarked on a water conservation drive in February this year with its Pani Roko Abhiyan (Stop Water Campaign). The state administration geared up
The EU has reluctantly decided to part ways with the US and stick with the Kyoto treaty
The Rajasthan government believes that it has a right over every raindrop and makes a move to demolish a water harvesting structure set up by local people to meet their water requirements
An early monsoon breaks a few myths
Drought-proofing is a far cry. The drought of 2001 in 11 states of India is likely to go down as one of the worst in the past century. Government drought relief schemes fail due to bad planning and corruption. It can"t even provide short-term relief to th
The government’s drought relief programmes are bound to fail in the long run. Even the Planning Commission acknowledges that funds for the drought relief is becoming illegal income for officials, politicians and contractors
Employment Guarantee Scheme, first of its kind drought relief scheme has had no impact on the drought-prone areas of Maharashtra in almost 30 years because it has failed to involve people in managing rural assets
Revisits by Down To Earth reporters to villages that undertook water harvesting offer some valuable lessons in drought management
The need of the hour is to decentralise drought management and think long term