News from IWMI in Asia

Farmers in Sri Lanka are positioned to benefit from a new policy that recognizes waste from septic tanks as an untapped resource. The new sanitation policy, supported by research carried out in close partnership by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Sri Lankan government since 2013, recognizes septic waste as a resource, with potential benefits for income generation and sustainable organic ...more

Climate change is forecast to change temperatures and rainfall patterns in South Asia. The poorest farmers, with fewer resources to help them adapt, are the most vulnerable to unforeseen disasters. At the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), we are working under the CGIAR Research Programs on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security and on Water, Land and Ecosystems, Indian Council of ...more

Indian farmers take aim at climate disasters through bundling high-tech solutions By Giriraj Amarnath Seed Distribution in Tankupa Block, Gaya District, Bihar Increasingly unpredictable weather is becoming a major hazard across the globe. In South Asia, more than 750 million people are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as the monsoon floods that recently caught Indian farmers and forecasters by surprise. Just as ...more

A study across 15 cities in South Asia, Africa and South America shows that water is inaccessible and unaffordable. “Not enough is being done to understand the water crisis,” Diana Mitlin, one of the lead authors of the study told Asia Times. “When we look at the data we see that even if there are pipes, there is no water. And ...more

A novel approach for determining where and how to intervene By Sanita Dhaubanjar, Research Officer; Claire Swingle, Princeton in Asia Fellow: and Luna Bharati, Principal Researcher, all with IWMI Originally published in The Kathmandu Post. IWMI field assistant taking a rainfall water sample in Shikharpur for isotope analysis. Photo: Andrew Reckers / IWMI In mountainous areas of Nepal, springs are the primary source ...more

A first for Myanmar – participatory management of a pump-based irrigation scheme Project partners and WUA leaders. Photo: Petra Schmitter / IWMI Participatory irrigation management, typically focused on local water user associations (WUAs), is vital for “leaving no one behind” (the UN-Water theme of World Water Day 2019) in the quest to enhance rural livelihoods. This is a main conclusion from ...more

Three CGIAR Research Centers join forces Fishing in a Mekong Delta rice field in Vietnam. Photo: WARECOD The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), WorldFish, and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have signed a 5-year agreement that provides the framework for cooperative research aimed at achieving sustainable intensification and management of rice-fish production systems in irrigated areas and wetlands of Southeast Asia. “This ...more

Voicing water visions in river basins across the developing world Recent decades have witnessed important gains in the empowerment of women and marginalized people generally, leading to more inclusive governance of water resources, among other benefits. Yet, in many places, better water access and management remain beyond the reach of poor households, holding back their progress toward sustainable development. Committed to “leaving ...more

How farmers have taken charge of their destiny by using motor pumps for irrigation Farmer Sumithra Damayanthi managing a sprinkler irrigation system at Navatkadu village in Sri Lanka’s Kalpitiya peninsula. Photo: Hamish John Appleby / IWMI Except for the towering wind turbines, Navatkadu looks at first glance like any other village along Sri Lanka’s western coast, with clusters of shops and ...more

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) was a valued partner in conceptualising the workshop content and was well represented at the workshop with the participation of its senior officials. In his welcoming address, NIBM Chairman Rohan Prithiviraj Perera stressed the importance of preserving the environment, a limited resource, for the future generations. He said that in the disposal of waste, environmental issues ...more

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