News

f you are visiting Nainital this weekend, you will be relieved to find day temperature hovering in early 20s with crisp air following you as you take a stroll on the Mall Road overlooking the Naini lake. What you might not notice is the receding water level in this one-mile-long natural freshwater body. Summer hasn’t reached the hills yet, but even then the water level of the lake touched a record low. In the beginning of March this year, the water level in the lake came down to 13.2 feet from its surface. Last time, the water level reached this low was in May and June 2016.  Hence, this is no exaggeration when experts apprehend that the famed Naini lake, which draws tourists in droves, might turn into a mere pond in the next six decades. The Naini lake depends on natural underground water. It witnesses a good amount of rain and snowfall during the winter months: December to March. This is followed by monsoon rain, which also helps in maintaining water level. However, despite ...

Describe your work in Kachchh and Bhuj region I focus on land and water resources management. Kachchh is an arid region. Every morning brings with it the uncertainty of water. Rainfall is irregular and so the problems of the area are compounded by drought. Large-scale deep boring has led to the depletion of ground water resources. I developed a new approach for water management. I turned to traditional systems of water resource management instead of unsustainable solutions devised through water engineering. My organisation focuses on four things: knowledge-based research and planning, institution building, capacity building at the rural level, documentation, and dissemination of information. What are the traditional ways to mitigate drought? Traditionally, water resources were planned and conserved for at least three years. The catchment areas of rain water were diverted to community ponds. Structures to store water were also constructed. People had a geological solution. ...