A WATER-SECURE WORLD
IWMI IN INDIA
OUR ROLE: A WATER-SECURE WORLD The International Water Management Institute
(IWMI) is a non-profit, scientific research organization.
Through our award-winning studies, we provide
policymakers, communities and the private sector
with the evidence they need to sustainably manage
water and land resources for food security, people’s
livelihoods and the environment. IWMI is headquartered
in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and is a member of CGIAR, a
global research partnership for a food-secure future.
With offices in Delhi, Hyderabad and Anand, IWMI
has been working in India on issues related to water
and agriculture for over two decades. Our researchers
work in close collaboration with national and state
governments, and regularly contribute to water
resources policies and planning.
IWMI also partners with numerous national and
state-level bodies, such as the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the National
Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and various
civil society organizations and foundations.
OUR EXPERTISE Driving innovative research and generating
ideas for solutions.
Providing science-based products and tools.
Facilitating learning, strengthening capacity
and achieving uptake of research findings.
HAMISH JOHN APPLEBY/IWMI.
COVER ALEXIS LIU/IWMI.
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IWMI WHAT WE DO
BUDGET AND DONORSIWMI’s annual expenditure is approximately
USD 47 million. Funding partners include
governments, foundations, multilateral
organizations and the private sector.
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OUR WORK IN INDIA
CLIMATE CHANGE
WATER AND CITIES
RIVER SYSTEMS
WATER-FOOD-ENERGY NEXUS
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RIVER SYSTEMSRivers in India hold a special significance for its
people. However, the health of many of the country’s
rivers, including the Ganges, is rapidly deteriorating
due to high levels of water abstraction and increased
pollution. Recognizing these challenges, IWMI is
undertaking a range of studies across the Ganges
River Basin. These include work on pollution
abatement, environmental health, and how
economic growth is affecting the nature of riverside
agriculture and natural resource use.
Many of the rivers in the Indian subcontinent,
including the Ganges, cross international boundaries.
This creates challenges in how they can be best
managed to ensure sustainable and equitable
growth. On the Indus River, a vitally important
resource for millions of farmers across India and
Pakistan, IWMI is studying how data sharing between
institutions can be improved and cooperation fostered
to enhance transboundary water management.
River systems feed into India’s extensive network
of irrigation channels, which have the potential
to water nearly 140 million hectares of farmland.
Despite heavy investment in this sector, the various
canal systems rarely deliver to their full potential.
IWMI’s research is looking at automated canal data
collection, performance benchmarking and the cost
recovery of canal irrigation systems. This information
can be used to develop new and more effective
management models, such as community run
systems. These partnerships help local authorities
and farmers work together to improve water
resources management and contribute to the
sustainable intensification of agriculture.
WATER AND CITIESIndia is urbanizing rapidly. This expansion has been
branded as “overloaded and underplanned” by
some critics, and the infrastructure of India’s cities
is struggling to cope. However, urban development
is also bringing new opportunities for farming and
resource recycling. IWMI leads a consortium of
partners exploring how waste and wastewater can
be recycled and put to profitable use. These new
approaches can potentially create jobs and
contribute to improvements in urban sanitation.
Specific studies have been undertaken in the
peri-urban areas of fast-growing cities such
as Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change is likely to have a major impact
on India’s food security. IWMI aims to improve the
adaptive capacity of the agriculture and water
sectors by studying how climate change will directly
affect farming communities and developing
adaptation strategies for policymakers.
Climate change is also predicted to increase the
incidence of natural disasters such as floods and
droughts. IWMI is researching how to better manage
these risks. For instance, the effects of increased
flooding could be mitigated by funneling more surface
water into underground aquifers, and IWMI is running
a pilot scheme to test this in the Indian context.
To help farmers survive climate shocks such
as floods, IWMI and its partners are developing
new insurance products which use hi-tech satellite
sensing to identify damaged crops and swiftly
award compensation.
WATER-FOOD-ENERGY NEXUSWater, food and energy are inextricably intertwined
and dependent on each other. IWMI seeks to better
understand the interconnection between these
sectors. For example, in South Asia, most forms of
irrigation require energy for pumps. A lack of reliable
power, coupled with unsustainable groundwater
management which has led to increased energy
costs as water tables fall, has hampered agricultural
development. Such issues can only be addressed by
taking a holistic view that attempts to analyze how
the sectors interact, and how solutions applied in
one sector might affect outcomes elsewhere.
OUR RESEARCH
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OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS IN INDIA
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Australian Centre for International Agricultural
Research (ACIAR)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change,
Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)
Department for International Development
(DFID), UK
Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA)
program of DFID
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO)
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)
Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA)
International Crops Research Institute for the
Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD)
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Livelihoods and Natural Resources Management
Institute (LNRMI)
Ministry of Urban Development
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development
and Ganga Rejuvenation
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)
Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
University of Applied Sciences Northwestern
Switzerland
World Bank
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
HAMISH JOHN APPLEBY/IWMI. PRASHANTH VISHWANATHAN/IWMI.
AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPThe IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Program
(ITP) supports the national government and
selected state governments to develop and validate
effective frameworks for water governance. This
involves developing robust water policies, and
setting up smart and responsive water institutions
which are capable of meeting the aspirations of
a large and growing economy, and competitive
demands from diverse sectors.
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BOOSTING IRRIGATION IN THE EASTIn West Bengal, groundwater legislation compelled
farmers to apply for permits to use tube wells.
This was costly and time consuming. In addition,
connections to the power grid were pricey. Poor
farmers were forced to hire expensive diesel pumps
if they wanted to irrigate. Agricultural growth
stagnated. A research team from IWMI was asked to
help. The team recommended two policy changes:
scrapping pump licenses in areas with plentiful
groundwater, and providing a subsidy towards
the cost of getting a new electricity connection.
This increased the number of pump connections
by over 90%, potentially increasing farmers’ incomes
by giving them affordable access to irrigation.
NEW POLICIES FOR SOLAR PUMPS Solar-powered pump subsidies are currently being
promoted by several Indian states. Not only are they
a boon for farmers with unreliable power supplies,
but they also run without emitting the greenhouse
gases that cause climate change. However, if farmers
have access to ‘free’ power, there is a serious risk
of over-pumping aquifers. To address this issue,
IWMI and its partners have recommended incentives
for farmers to sell back surplus solar power to the
grid – essentially a solar ‘cash crop’. This will also
encourage efficient and sustainable water use.
The Government of Gujarat has adopted this
approach for their recent solar policy.
INCREASING LAND PRODUCTIVITY IN TAMIL NADU THROUGH DRIP IRRIGATIONIn Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India, over 90%
of the farmers who had been encouraged to invest
in drip irrigation systems did not know how to use
them properly. Increases in crop productivity were
disappointing. A capacity building initiative, led by
the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Program and
local partners, trained farmers in all aspects of drip
irrigation. This led to reductions in water abstraction
and yield increases of up to 40% for some crops.
SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER USE AND IMPROVED ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY IN GUJARATFifteen years ago, Gujarat’s aquifers were severely
depleted. This was partly due to subsidies for farm
electricity, which made pumping water unrealistically
cheap. This nearly bankrupted the electricity board
and led to erratic power supplies. Change was needed,
but agricultural lobbies were resistant to a metered
electricity tariff. IWMI researchers recommended
separating the domestic and agricultural electricity
feeder lines, and then rationing power to match
the seasonal crop water requirements. With power
guaranteed only for limited periods, farmers became
more efficient at irrigating. Known as Jyotigram
Yojana, the concept has been so successful that
it is now being adopted by other states.
1999 2014
HOW WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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Maps generated from satellite images showing land-use change around Bengaluru over a
fifteen-year period. As India’s cities expand, more and more food production will take place
in or around built-up areas. IWMI’s expertise in remote sensing and computer modelling
allows it to produce detailed maps that can help city planners respond to these challenges.
LAND USE / LAND COVER
Abandoned/barren land
Fallow land
Forestland
Orchards
Other agricultural land
Peri-urban built-up area
Rice paddy
Shrubland
Urban built-up area
Urban green
Water bodies
Wetland
SOURCE: GRandD Unit/IWMI
20 YEARS OF RESEARCH IN INDIA
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ANAND OFFICEc/o India Natural Resource Economics and
Management (INREM) Foundation
IWMI-India Water Policy Program “Jal Tarang”
Near Smruti Apartment, Behind IRMA, Mangalpura,
Anand 388001, Gujarat, India
TEL/FAX +91 2692 263816/817
EMAIL [email protected]
HEADQUARTERSInternational Water Management Institute (IWMI)
127 Sunil Mawatha
Pelawatte, Battaramulla
Colombo, Sri Lanka
MAILING ADDRESS
P. O. Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka
TEL +94 11 2880000, 2784080
FAX +94 11 2786854
EMAIL [email protected]
WEBSITE www.iwmi.org
NEW DELHI OFFICE2nd Floor, CG Block C, NASC Complex,
DPS Marg, Pusa, Opp Todapur,
New Delhi 110 012, India
TEL +91-11-25843536, 25840812,
65976151
FAX +91-11-25840811
EMAIL [email protected]
HYDERABAD OFFICEc/o International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT)
401/5, Patancheru 502324, Medak
District, Telangana, India
TEL +91 40 30713735/44
FAX +91 40 30713074/30713075
EMAIL [email protected]
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PRINTED February, 2016