Water Users Associations were first established in 1999, when Chhattisgarh was part of Madhya Pradesh State. They were revived under the Chhattisgarh Irrigation Development Program that kicked off in 2006. The program, financed in part by a $46.1 million loan from ADB, aims to improve small irrigation networks and how they are managed at state and community levels.

The associations had originally failed to get off the ground—or had become inactive—because the members were unskilled in water-system management or due to lack of finances because association water fees went to the state government, rather than feeding back into associations themselves.

Since then, this financial imbalance has been corrected, and the associations have been made more representatives of their communities. They now include more women, like Dhruw, and more members of otherwise largely ignored castes and tribes.

Read more: http://www.adb.org/features/india-communities-manage-water-resources-emp...

The low rate of investments in the water sector has been a major obstacle to accelerate the development and improved management of water resources critically needed to help meet Africa’s growing water demand.

It is estimated that over US $50 billion a year will be required for the next 20 years for the sector to keep up with exponential population growth and the increasing needs of water-dependent industries in sectors such as food and beverages, chemicals, energy, paper, tourism and wood.

Intended as a multi-stakeholder response to this challenge, the African Water Facility (AWF) was initiated by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) in 2004 and launched in 2006 by the African Development Bank to attract the financial resources necessary to turn the tides.

Read more: http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/the-african-water-facilit...

Recognition and understanding of the closely-bound interaction between water, energy and food production and use – the 'nexus' – is established in these sectors, but perhaps for many, ‘this nexus’ is still not entirely understood.

So the IUCN Global Water Programme decided to better communicate what this nexus on water-energy-food is all about through infographics. As IUCN recently launched the new Nexus Dialogue on Water Infrastructure, the nexus concept needs to be clearly understood.

Read more: http://portals.iucn.org/blog/2013/02/21/understanding-the-relationship-b...

By 2050, the Earth will need to feed 9 billion people with the same amount of land and water used today. In practice, this means agricultural production must increase by 70 percent.

The urgency of meeting that challenge is becoming increasingly clear as global food prices remain high and volatile. So is the need for better solutions. Agriculture already accounts for more than two-thirds of the world’s freshwater use, and it is contributing to deforestation. A 70 percent expansion in agriculture production cannot follow the practices of the past and still be sustainable.

The answer lies in pursuing a landscape approach – recognizing that agriculture, water, forests, and food security are all connected.

Read more: http://go.worldbank.org/HEDGG3JSA0

The objective of this study is to assist public authorities to identify and address the future challenges of urban water supply, sanitation, and flood management in cities. In order to do that, this report uses the conceptual framework of Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) as a holistic set of planning and management tools incorporating all components of the urban water cycle to help develop efficient and flexible urban water systems in the future.

Read more: http://www.scribd.com/doc/107140472/The-Future-of-Water-in-African-Citie...

Farmers in the small community of Tuol Sdey, in the Svay Rieng province of southeastern Cambodia, have reason to be happy. For the first time in decades they can rejoice in having two harvests in one season.

This is largely due to the construction of a new water dam which stores rain in a nearby reservoir, providing farmers with the necessary water supply to irrigate their farmland and produce greater rice yields.

The new dam is one of 45 projects in Cambodia—implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility—aiming at improving the lives of people adversely affected by droughts and other climate change-related phenomena.

Read more: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/environmentandenergy/su...

In Lao People's Democratic Republic, an ADB-supported project is bringing clean water to households and creating opportunities for women.

An ambitious new research program, launched today by the world’s largest consortium of agricultural researchers, aims to address some of the world’s most pressing problems related to boosting food production and improving livelihoods, whilst simultaneously protecting the environment.

The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems is a ten year commitment to bring about a radical transformation in the way land, water and natural systems are managed. It is being led by the International Water Management Institute, which has just been named this year’s Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.

Read more: http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/CRP5/PDF/Water_Land_Ecosystems/Press_Release_2...

Water is central to all aspects of green growth, from human development to food security, energy, urbanization, and climate change. This holistic vision, embraced by the World Bank, implies support for all sizes of “green” water infrastructure, including large dams, to help countries adapt to climate change and ensure access to water and energy for poor populations.

At the World Water Forum in Marseille, France, March 12-17, World Bank experts and other speakers discussed that vision and the importance of working across sectors and increasing support for basic sanitation globally.

Read more: http://go.worldbank.org/WMGZT5JQI0

Divergent views emerged on how the city is going to solve an impending water crisis at the Bangalore World Water Summit’s concluding day on Friday. “Bangalore is on its way to a very large water crisis if action is not taken immediately. On the health front, too, it is heading toward an epidemic outbreak due to poor sanitation,” said Prof Seetharam Kallidaikurichi, director; Institute of Water Policy.

Read more: http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-heading-for-a-water-c...