Water has suddenly become a favoured subject for seminars and conferences all over the world.

Water has suddenly become a favoured subject for seminars and conferences all over the world.

It is not easy to initiate a movement for water conservation in the face of drought. But the Madhya Pradesh government pushed forward in all the villages of the state

Democracy of the people, by the people and for the people . Madhya Pradesh takes the lead

It is time proponents of large dams opened their eyes to scientific proof that establishes the efficacy of small water harvesting structures in fighting drought

For the rural poor – who depend above all the land for their survival – a central development challenge is to sustain a base of natural capital that can support a robust local economy. In India, government mismanagement of forests, grazing lands, and water resources has often alienated rural people and exacerbated resource degradation.

Following the monsoon failure of 1999 2000, two states Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh launched crash programmes to encourage water harvesting. An appreciable shift, because governments in India have always gone in for high cost, high technology solutions

Report card: The government realised its failures and learned from the civil society. Despite cases of corruption and some errors in planning, the government programme is an achievement
Success level: Good

Report card: A scheme that can help solve the water crisis has become a tool to promote political interests of the ruling party
Success level: Poor

GOOD NEWS: There is more evidence to show that water harvesting can go a long way in dealing with drought and solving the water crisis, and even governments in India are learning
BAD NEWS: Crash programmes are not the answers by themsel

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