India Water Portal is an open, inclusive website that shares knowledge and resources on water in India. It aims to draw on the rich experience of water experts, packaging their knowledge and then disseminating it to a larger audience through the Internet. India Water Portal's vision is to make water a more visible issue in India by sharing knowledge freely and openly, in order to influence understanding on water issues and to empower action.
Contents
The Portal has grown to cover a wide range of themes and issues related to water, such as sanitation, agriculture, the environment and climate change, to name a few. India Water Portal is a Digital Commons initiative of Arghyam, a grant making foundation set up by Rohini Nilekani to promote safe and sustainable water for all. Endorsed by the National Knowledge Commission, India Water Portal was finally launched in February 2007 by the then Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Features
India Water Portal focuses on the issues surrounding water in India, and strives to share practical solutions to these problems. The topics broadly covered in the portal include rainwater harvesting, agriculture, drinking water, urban water management, sanitation, wastewater management and water quality.
For researchers working in the development sector, India Water Portal offers a wealth of information and data on water. The Portal has an analysis of 100 years worth of meteorological data in India. Users can download the data analyses based on the following parameters:
The portal also has comprehensive data on the river basins of India, and water policies and laws in India. There is a dedicated section on maps and statistics.
India Water Portal publishes articles, daily news on water, photo essays and videos of stories related to water in India. It is also present on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Slideshare.
Regional language and theme based portals
In 2008, India Water Portal launched regional language portals in Kannada and Hindi. In 2009, a Schools Water Portal was launched specifically targeted at school children. The Schools Water Portal strives to compliment the academic curriculum with practical projects and fun filled ideas to spread awareness related to water. In 2014, a dedicated Sanitation Portal was launched.