Projects
(Aug 2022 – Dec 2022)
“UNICEF- Mumbai Sponsored Project: Climate-Resilient/Adaptive Rural Water Supply and Integrated Water Resource Management A shift in strategy towards hazard-proofing and continuity of services in Maharashtra”
Firstly, the activities achieved under the Output 1, “Mapping of different climate risks in RWS in all the nine agro-climatic zones, considering the rural water supply schemes” are 1] Development of climate risk index water supply; and 2] Computation of climate risk index for water supply for all the Maharashtra districts. Secondly, Output 2 “Impact of climate variability on the LCC of RWS schemes incidence of success” achievements under are 1] Analysis of life cycle cost of similar types rural water supply schemes, under different environments, characterized by different degrees of climatic variability; and 2] Assessment of the impact of climate variability on life cycle cost of water supply scheme. Further, under Output 3 “Strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate extremes on water supply, and climate change impacts of water supply” included 3 major achievements namely, 1] Designing elements of RWS in flood and cyclone-prone areas for risk reduction; 2] Designing interventions for making groundwater-based RWS systems climate-resilient in areas where the resource faces sustainability threats; and 3] Analysis of technical feasibility and cost effectiveness of solar power-based water supply schemes in small tribal hamlets.
Subsequently Output 4 “Handbook on water resources management and WQM for sustainable water supply in Maharashtra, in the face of increasing climatic variability schemes involving reallocation from existing reservoirs or building of new ones” included 5 achievements namely 1] Assessment of water quality surveillance needs of different areas of Maharashtra, using DWQSI; 2] Technological and institutional models for building rural water supply systems for multiple uses in different rural typologies of Maharashtra that are climate-resilient and risk-informed; 3] Approach & methodologies for conceptualization, planning, technology selection and design of rural water supply schemes for sustainability and climate resilience; 4] Approach and methodology for water quality surveillance for source protection; and 5] Best practices in planning, technology selection and design of water supply schemes, and source protection.
Next comes Output 5 “Effective and efficient programme management” under which three activities were achieved, 1] In-country management & support staff pro-rated to their contribution to the programme (representation, planning, coordination, logistics, admin, finance); 2] Operational costs pro-rated to their contribution to the programme (office space, equipment, office supplies, maintenance); and 3] Planning, monitoring, evaluation and communication , pro-rated to their contribution to the programme (venue, travels). Lastly under Output 6 “Development of National Guidelines on Source Sustainability in context of Jal Jeevan Mission” National guideline on source sustainability of rural water supply was drafted and submitted to UNICEF, which would provide a framework for the water supply planners and policy makers to take decisions in future regarding rural water supply, including that for making technology selection, institutional choices, system operation and maintenance decisions, monitoring and evaluation and financing.
(May 2022 – Dec 2022)
“UNICEF – Lucknow Sponsored Project: Making rural water supply and sanitation infrastructures and services in Uttar Pradesh risk informed and Climate Resilient.”
The water supply and sanitation systems in India have been traditionally planned and designed for normal conditions of climate, weather and hydrology that determine water availability, and water requirements/water demands. However, if variability in climatic factors increases, the values of the variables considered for planning and design of the WASH systems can no longer hold good as they change for normal as well as extreme conditions. The result is that the systems fail to perform even in normal years. Though Uttar Pradesh is largely considered as a homogenous state in terms of environmental conditions, there are significant spatial variations in rainfall and temperature, topography, geohydrology, surface water availability, groundwater conditions, river and groundwater quality. Water-related disasters such as droughts and floods have increased in the region during the recent decades either due to natural factors or due to anthropogenic factors or both, putting the WASH systems to risk.
Under this programme, there outputs which include 1] Tools for assessing and quantifying climate-induced WASH and people are trained on the use of the tools; 2] Climate change/Risk assessment and analysis report of WASH in two districts – Gorakhpur and Chitrakoot; 3] Strategy/plan/measures (short, medium & long-term) for making the PWSS and sanitation infrastructure climate-resilient/risk-informed; 4] Tools/processes for planning and designing of greener, rural water supply/sanitation systems with quantification mechanisms; 5] Different training modules in Hindi and English on approaches, “catch the rain where and when it falls” that contribute to source sustainability and conjunctive use of multiple sources of water; and 6] Report on effectiveness of the source sustainability interventions completed in 2018/2019 in Chitrakoot, with suggestions to bridge the gap, if any.
Ongoing (Jun 2021 – EDC Aug 2021)
“Climate Resilient Interventions for Enhancing Domestic Water Security in Rural Rajasthan”
The partnership intends to support the existing initiatives of the state government on ensuring domestic water security to all the rural households. For the purpose, we will review the existing data and will provide information pertaining to occurrence of climate-induced disasters in the state; current water resources conditions and water availability, and the resource augmentation achieved through various water harvesting and recharge programmes; existing and future gap in domestic water supply and schemes that are planned to reduce this gap; and suggest short, medium, and long-term climate-resilient interventions that can help provide water to all the rural households in all seasons. The partnership will also explore the need for any additional technological interventions such as that for augmenting water availability through surface water import, or amendments in the existing schemes/programmes. Additionally, pointers for building capacity of the state water and rural development authorities in planning and execution of the suggested interventions will be provided.
2020
“Preparation of Storm Water Management Plan – Cuttack”
This project consisted of two components :
Component 1: Urban Flood Risk Mapping including: (i) Development of an analytical framework for Urban Flood Risk Mapping. (ii) Analysis of topography and natural drainage network of Cuttack City; (iii) Mapping of present surface and underground drainage network and their discharge carrying capacity: (iv) Analysis of intense rainy events, and estimation of ‘design storm’ of different return periods using Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curve; (v) Analysis of socio-economic characteristics of different zones of the city; (vi) Analysis of institutional capacity available for fighting urban floods: identification of various agencies concerned and their institutional inadequacies vis-à-vis the technical competence, equipment’s, finance, human resource strength, etc., and, (vii) Flood Risk mapping and identification of the area’s most prone to urban flood risks
Component 2: Analysis of integrated stormwater management alternatives for Cuttack city, including: (i) Analysis of options to reduce urban floods and waterlogging from intense storms; and (ii) Specific Recommendations for flood proofing of building and other assets in low-lying areas
2019-2022 (Ongoing)
"Unlocking wastewater treatment , water re-use and resource recovery opportunities for urban and peri-urban areas in India" - Pavitra Ganga
The study is three year long Research Study jointly funded by EU & Dept. of Bio-Technology, Government of India. The study has partners from the India as well as the EU. The study will assist in Creating a policy and social support for innovative technologies through engagement of stakeholders, suggesting water government solutions and supporting policy makers.
The research aims to Map, evaluate and improve promising wastewater treatment and reuse technologies that can address Indian challenges in an efficient manner and build on the technology portfolio of past and parallel projects and expand it by innovative technology. The study will deliver an actionable comprehensive solutions for control and management of water resources and would validate the selected innovative technology in Indian settings.
2020 (Ongoing)
Sustainable Rural Drinking Water Supply: Exploring the Strategic, Techno-Institutional Model for Maharashtra to Strengthen Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
The project helped identify the areas where water supply schemes face threat to their sustainability, and ascertain the scope for augmenting these schemes either through import of surface water from local reservoirs or distant reservoirs, and analyse the cost implications. The study identified different typologies of water supply schemes in Maharashtra in terms of their physical setting, the technical features, and the management model and also segment the regions/typologies in which drinking water schemes, especially groundwater-based schemes, are unsustainable.
The study helped ascertain the scope for augmenting the existing schemes through surface water import from existing or new reservoirs and diversion systems located within the basins or through inter-basin water transfer schemes and assess the quantum of water available for the same and identify different types of surface water re-allocation, distribution/transfer schemes viable for augmenting the existing schemes; and, analyse the cost implications of augmenting the schemes from surface water sources in different typologies.
A resource guide was prepared on using the project outputs (mapping / feasibility analysis / cost estimation) for planning and implementation of JJM.
2018-2020
“Provision of Technical expertise for the EU/BMZ jointly Co-Financed action “Development and Implementation support to the India-EU Water Partnership (IEWP)” and Support to Ganga Rejuvenation (SGR)”
Water Partnership (IEWP) through technical support for coordinated river basin management in India and advancing India-EU policy dialogue in the water sector; and 2] Facilitating knowledge and experience exchange with EU companies in the water sector in India through identification of business opportunities and support EU companies to enter the Indian market and integrating research and innovation activities into the IEWP mandate. The project has 9 priority areas and one of the priority areas deals with analysing the impact of solar irrigation pumps on groundwater quantity and quality in Tapi River basin that is shared by the state of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
2019
Study tour for project coordinators and Watershed Experts “Participatory Small Scale Irrigation Development Program (pASIDP-II) Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) of Ethiopia.
A study tour cum capacity building programme for the Project Coordinators and Watershed Experts of the MoA, FDRE to enhance their knowledge on the conceptual, theoretical and practical aspects of watershed management and climate-smart agriculture andwater productivity improvements in irrigated agriculture. It was organized under the Participatory Small-Scale Irrigation Development Program of the MoA, FDRE. Project sites in North and South Gujarat were visited.
2019
Study on Analysis of Water Footprint in Cotton Production in Maharashtra and Gujarat
The overall aim of this study was to contribute building a sustainable cotton production system in the state of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The study focused on quantifying water consumption (following water footprint approach) in cotton production and also suggested ways to reduce the water footprint. A detailed survey was undertaken in the selected districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra to collect data and information about cotton growers’ socio-economic conditions, agricultural land characteristics, agricultural and irrigation practices, crop inputs and outputs, and on market access. The collected data was analysed to estimate the green, water, and grey water footprint in cotton production, and recommendations were made to reduce the overall water footprint.
Ongoing
Climate Smart Irrigation Project, Sri Lanka
The project aimed to improve the productivity and climate resilience of small holder agriculture in selected hotspot areas in Sri Lanka. The project design is based on an integrated watershed development approach to climate smart irrigated agriculture with specific interventions related to irrigation and drainage management, improved on-farm water management and improved agriculture development. The project intends to build on successful experiences in the country and the sub-region and will have four components (a) Agriculture production and Marketing (b) Water for Agriculture (c) Project Management (d) Contingent Emergency response. Role of IRAP includes developing Terms of Reference, for undertaking hydrological assessment for 09 river basins in the dry zone of Sri Lanka and building the capabilities of the official of Water Resource Department to supervise the studies.
Ongoing
Planning for Climate-Resilient & Risk Informed WASH services in Barmer and Sirohi
The project is aimed at designing a climate resistant WASH strategy for Rajasthan, with particular emphasis on developing action plans for climate-resilient WASH for the districts of Barmer and Sirohi which experience high climate-induced risk in WASH. The focus is on enhancing the capacities of the line departments responsible for drinking water and sanitation, for building climate-resilient WASH systems so as to improve equity in access and sustainability in use of safe and affordable WASH services in rural areas. The project would cover WASH systems in schools, anganwadis and public health centres (PHCs), with particular focus on the most vulnerable namely infants, young children and care-givers for their entire life cycle and would involve proper risk informed planning based on an assessment of the climate-induced risk to WASH systems in the state.
2018
Capacity Building and Action Planning on Drinking Water Safety for Rural Areas of Maharashtra under NRDWP
Developed water quality surveillance index with a paper on the development of the index. Developed a protocol for sanitary surveillance in Maharashtra. Aid a ranking of all WQ testing laboratories in Maharashtra on the basis of their ability to avert public health hazards from exposure to contaminated drinking water in rural areas. Prepared a training manual on effective functioning and on sanitary surveillance for water safety planning for rural areas. The project was funded by UNICEF, Mumbai.
Ongoing
Support to the rejuvenation of Ganga
This project is undertaken for the GIZ by Fresh-Thoughts Consulting, Austria with IRAP as its consortium partner. The project is jointly co-financed by the European Union and BMZ. The project has two major components: 1] Consolidating the India - EU Water Partnership (IEWP) through technical support for coordinated river basin management in India and advancing India-EU policy dialogue in the water sector; and 2] Facilitating knowledge and experience exchange with EU companies in the water sector in India through identification of business opportunities and support EU companies to enter the Indian market and integrating research and innovation activities into the IEWP mandate.
15th December 2017
Mapping of Climate Risk in WASH sector of Rajasthan
Vast heterogeneity in the natural environment (hydrology, geohydrology and climate), the characteristics of the physical systems of water supply, the socio-economic conditions and cultural environment, among different regions of Rajasthan, have significant implications for the water supply, sanitation and hygiene related risks faced by communities from climate extremes.
The project undertaken by the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP) in technical and financial collaboration with the office of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Jaipur, India, assesses and maps climate risk in WASH at the district level, covering the entire state of Rajasthan. It involves development of an index for assessing climate risk in WASH and computation of the index at the district level. The long-term objective of the proposed project is to build institutional capacities in the rural WASH sector of the state to plan, design and build climate-resilient water and sanitation systems converging with existing national and state flagships on rural water and sanitation and associated sector of water resource management, informed by proper climate risk assessment in different regions and districts of the State.
December 2017
Improving the Performance of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector in Maharashtra, under the Unnat Maharashtra Abhiyan (UMA)
After initiating several reform measures, the Water Supply and Sanitation Department (WSSD), Maharashtra, is experimenting with new institutional arrangements aimed at improving sector performance, through Unnat Maharashtra Abhiyan (UMA). UMA is an initiative of Ministry of Higher and Technical Education, whose mandate is to build an independent and public knowledge infrastructure for Maharashtra for socio-economic and cultural development of its people. The objectives of UMA are to seek alignment of existing curricula and ongoing research with regional development needs, re-emphasize field-work and case-studies as an important part of pedagogy, provide formal mechanism for local bodies to access a regional engineering college, including the IITs, for their knowledge needs, and to obtain funding and data for the same. Under this programme, WSSD aims to engage teachers and students of UMA recognised engineering colleges to help in monitoring and evaluation of rural water supply schemes in collaboration with IIT-Mumbai.
The overall objective of this project is to build the capacities of Engineering College teachers and students in planning, design, and monitoring and evaluation of rural water supply schemes, with the aim of strengthening the institutional capabilities of WSSD for enhanced performance of rural water supply schemes, through a structured training programme. It involved development of a training compendium and structured training programmes.
April 2017
Climate Risk Analysis-UNICEF, Mumbai
This project is about building institutional capacities in the rural WASH sector of Maharashtra to plan, design and build climate-resilient water and sanitation systems, informed by planning based on climate risk assessment in two distinct regions of the state. Mapping the magnitude of various risks in water supply and sanitation associated with climate variability and change is an important component of this project. The project would also identify the technical and institutional innovations required in the existing national and state government programmes related to WATSAN to make the water supply and sanitation interventions resilient against climate-induced risks.
Ongoing
Support to the Clean Ganga initiative and preparation for wider EU-India cooperation on water issues
This project undertaken for the European Commission through AETS Consortium involved local project coordination involving supporting project team members for the identification of relevant materials and stakeholders, establishing and maintaining contacts with Indian stakeholders, stakeholder consultations, organisation of meetings and consolidation of outputs.
December 2016
Market Analysis for Desalinated Water
This was a 9 month long study undertaken by Dr Dinesh Kumar, involving the market analysis for desalinated water for drinking water supply and irrigated agriculture in India. The study was undertaken for USAID (United States Agency for International Development) through DAI Consulting, Washington, D.C.
December 2016
WRG 2030 through Fresh Thoughts: undertaking a pre-feasibility assessment of setting up of “Centre of Excellence” for Water Resources and River Rejuvenation in the State of Uttar Pradesh
November 2016
Rejuvenation of Tanks in Rayalaseema, Andhra Pradesh: Examining the Technical Feasibility of Interlinking and Integration with Large Water Systems
This was a pre-feasibility study undertaken for the Water Resources Department of the government of Andhra Pradesh to explore the possibility of interlinking of cascade tanks in Rayalaseema Region (covering six districts, viz., Kurnool, Anantapur, Cuddapah, Chittoor, Nellore and Prakasam) and integrating them with the large water systems to provide dependable source of water so as to augment (supplement) their yields and enhance the overall performance for drought proofing of the region. The study mapped the tank water bodies in the region, with estimation of their water spread area and storage capacity; analyzed the hydrological and topographical characteristics of the river basins and the water systems; proposed five link canals which could transfer water from surplus basins and reservoirs in the region to thousands of tanks spread over the region; and undertook a rapid cost-benefit analysis of the proposed links.
April 2016
Water Resource Management for Improved Climate Resilience in Chhattisgarh part of Mahanadi River Basin
This study was undertaken for the Oxford Policy Management Limited (OPML), UK for the project, Action for Climate Today (ACT), supported by DFID. The overall aim of the study was to develop strategies in the water resources management sector in Chhattisgarh state for adapting to stresses induced by climate change, with particular focus on Mahanadi basin. For achieving this, the study assessed the overall water resource availability and current water uses across competitive use sectors; analysed issues (technical, institutional and policy related) in water resource planning and management; performed water balance studies and projected future scenarios (under climate change and various socio-economic process) of water supplies and demand using WEAP; analysed the potential impact of various water management interventions on basin's water supply-demand balance and identified the viable interventions that would improve basin-wide water resources management; and suggested reforms needed for capacity building of the State’s water resources sector for climate change adaptation.
December 2015
Operational Research for Mainstreaming Integrated Flood Management under Climate change
This project was undertaken by Deltares, Netherlands for the National Water Mission, with support from the Asian Development Bank and DFID. IRAP was one of its consortium partners in the study to carry out institutional analysis for integrated flood management. The aim of the project was to analyze the floods in the twin basins of Burhi-Gandak in Bihar and Brahmani-Baitarani in Odisha, in the event of climate change, through flood modelling; identify a combination of structural and non-structural measures to increase the resilience of the communities to floods in the selected basins; analyze the institutional alternatives for integrated flood management; and develop DPR for flood management and suggest investment plans.
November 2015
The factors causing the Agrarian Crisis in India: A Study from four agro-ecological Regions in four States
The aim of this 18-month long study was to identify the various physical, socio-economic, institutional and policy factors causing the current agrarian crisis in India, and to suggest institutional and policy measures for mitigating this crisis. The study involved analysis of primary data collected from farmers in four locations in India, viz., north Gujarat; Vidarbha region of Maharashtra; Coastal region of West Bengal and coastal Andhra Pradesh, each representing a unique agro climate. This project was undertaken with financial aid from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
April 2015
Catchment Assessment and Planning for Watershed Management in India
The World Bank, through its PROFOR programme, engaged a team including two researchers from IRAP for an 18 month-long study on landscape level catchment management planning. The major objectives of this project were: to prepare a strategic review paper on Catchment Assessment and Planning for Watershed Management; derive an improved methodology for catchment management planning in the Indian context; to demonstrate this methodology in one sub catchment; and to create practical tools to apply in government watershed programmes such as the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of the DoLR in the MoRD, GoI.
January 2015
Study of Existing minor Irrigation scheme in West Bengal
This project was undertaken for the Government of West Bengal, by Deloitte with IRAP as its consortium partner and funded by the World Bank, New Delhi. The project analyzed the key technical, institutional and social factors rendering minor irrigation schemes defunct in the State and also identified the range of physical and socio-economic factors that enable improved performance of such schemes.
December 2014
Using Technology to Ensure Ground Water Safety and Security in a Tribal Block of Chandrapur, Maharashtra
The main goal of this project, which was supported by UNICEF-Mumbai, was sustainable management of groundwater resources locally for drinking water security through better prediction of drinking water scarcity for the most deprived sections of the society, the tribal population, based on real time monitoring of the daily rainfall and ground water levels at high frequency. The study was carried out in Chandrapur district of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra. IRAP developed a decision support tool (DST) for drought prediction as part of this study, and also a manual on the use of this tool.
July 2014
Study on enhancing agricultural water productivity in South Asia – IWMI, New Delhi
This desk top study, involving extensive literature review, dealt with water productivity (WP) in agriculture globally in general and South Asian in particular. It dealt with the analytical procedure for measuring water productivity (WP) at plant, field, system and basin scales, and mechanisms for monitoring the same at various scales. It presents the WP trends at the field and region level in different regions of South Asia and the factors that have contributed to the changes; the imperative of the projected growth in demand for agricultural commodities in South Asia for raising crop WP; and the constraints in improving WP in agriculture in South Asian countries.
January 2013
Multiple-use water services to reduce poverty and vulnerability to climate variability and change. Developing a Sustainable Rural Water Supply Policy informed by Rural Sanitation
The action research project on “Multiple use water services to reduce poverty and vulnerability to climate variability and change” was carried out under a project cooperation agreement with UNICEF, Mumbai, in partnership with the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA), Maharashtra. The goal of this project was to develop replicable models of a multiple use system (MUS), which will provide year-round access to water for domestic and productive uses under varying climates, for vulnerable rural households in three gram Panchayats of Maharashtra.
The key deliverables on developing a sustainable rural water supply in Maharashtra were a toolkit for designing MWUS systems for rural Maharashtra, a document prescribing the institutional and policy regimes for sustainable rural water supply in Maharashtraand reports on the state level consultations on rural water supply policies.
January 2013
Strategies for Improved Sanitation in Rural Andhra Pradesh
This project was aimed at evolving strategies for improved sanitation in the rural areas of the state with a focus on access equity, equity and sustainability, with the involvement of various key stakeholders of rural water supply& sanitation in Andhra Pradesh and was undertaken at the instance of UNICEF, Hyderabad.
The study was aimed at the following: orienting the field level staff of the state level agency concerned with water supply & sanitation to the methods and tools for gathering data on the sanitation adoption; assessing the extent of actual adoption of improved sanitation systems in rural areas of the state, under the Total Sanitation Campaign; identifying the determinants and motivating factors for adoption of improved sanitation; assessing “adoption state determinants; and evolving comprehensive strategies for promoting environmental sanitation in rural areas.
March 2012
Social Economic and Environmental impacts of Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat
This project titled “Realistic Vs Mechanistic: Analyzing the Real Economic and Social Benefits of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project” was sponsored by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL), to evaluate the direct and indirect social and economic impacts of introduction of water from Sardar Sarovar project for irrigation and domestic use, and hydropower generation. The study led to the publication of the book titled The Sardar Sarovar Project: Assessing Economic and Social Impacts, by Sage Publications, New Delhi in 2015.
March 2012
Estimating Irrigation Efficiencies and Physical Productivity of Water in Sugarcane: Analysis from Godavari River Basin in Maharashtra.
The overall objective of this research study was to analyze the extent to which water saving in irrigated sugarcane could be achieved at the regional level through improvements in water productivity of the crop in parts of Godavari river basin in Maharashtra, by efficient irrigation methods such as drips, and furrow irrigation. This study was commissioned by World Wide Fund for Nature, New Delhi.
March 2011
Converting tanks and ponds into multiple use water systems for poverty reduction and livelihood enhancement
This project supported by International Water Management Institute (IWMI), India under the IWMI-Tata water policy program, involved the analysis of: various existing demands for water from the tanks and ponds for both consumptive and productive needs; economic value of the various benefits and cost associated with different tank uses; the trade-offs between maximizing the direct economic outputs, and optimizing economic, social and environmental benefits, and poverty reduction impacts of Multiple Use systems (MUSs); and suggesting physical improvements and institutional innovations for improving the overall performance of tanks as MUSs.
May 2011
Study on Natural Resource management for Strengthening Agro-based livelihood in fragile regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan
This consultancy assignment examined the land and water based initiatives of Ambuja Cement Foundation for wider issues in strengthening agro based livelihoods in ecologically fragile regions. The study covered coastal Saurashtra and western Rajasthan and analyzed the hydrological, social, economic and environmental impacts of roof water harvesting structures (RWHSs) artificial recharge schemes, at the individual farm level and at the village and basin level.
February 2011
Making ‘Rehabilitation’ Work: Protocols for improving performance of irrigation tanks in Andhra Pradesh
This project was supported by Sir Ratan Tata Trust-Mumbai under its Small Grant Programme. The goal of this project was to develop protocols for tank rehabilitation in Andhra Pradesh, comprising development criteria for selection of tanks for rehabilitation, and the management strategies for improved performance. The study involved analyzing the impact of groundwater intensive use and catchment land use changes on performance of tanks in terms of irrigated area; and identifying the physical, socio-economic, institutional and environmental factors that result in good overall performance of tanks.
February 2011
Mid Term review of the Project on Water and Livelihood Security
This assignment was undertaken by Dr Dinesh Kumar and Nitin Bassi in North Karnataka and South Bihar on a request from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust-Mumbai, as a mid-course appraisal of the tank rehabilitation programme implemented by Dhan Foundation in the respective regions with a grant from the Trust. The review involved extensive desk research and field level investigations.
August 2010
Tool Kit for Integrated Urban Water Management for Different Urban Typologies in India
This two-year research project was undertaken with financial support from “Arghyam” a philanthropic organization based in Bangalore. The main project outputs included: development of a tool kit on integrated urban water management (IUWM) for different urban typologies of India, which include technical system, socio-economic systems, institutions, and legal and policy framework; and developing a WATSAN vulnerability index for towns/cities both at the household level and at the utility level. The IUWM tool kit would be highly useful to the managers of water utilities in designing efficient urban water management systems for their towns and cities. This study was first of its kind undertaken in India on integrated urban water management.
April 2010
Editing a book on agricultural water productivity improvements in India
This work was undertaken by Dr Dinesh Kumar for the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The title of the edited volume, with chapter contribution from eminent scholars in the field of agricultural water management, is Water Productivity Improvements in Indian Agriculture: Potentials, Constraints and Prospects, by M. Dr Dinesh Kumar (IRAP) and Dr Upali Amarasinghe of IWMI.