International Training & Research Course on Groundwater Governance in Asia (GGA) Theory and Practice

Second Cycle Training, November 13, 2007-March 24, 2008

November 13 to December 12, 2007

With select young and senior functionaries from the government, civil society, media and academia arriving at New Delhi, the GGA 2007-08 commenced on November 13, 2007. (Click here for the full list of participants, see below). As a continuation of the first cycle training program, the goal of the second cycle training program was to promote conditions that facilitate proactive governance of groundwater socio-ecology for improved productivity, equity and sustainability of groundwater irrigation.

The first phase of the training program (November 13 – December 12, 2007) was divided into a set of Modules, with an aim to integrate three different perspectives on groundwater, viz., physical resource, socio-economic, and policy, to get a better handle on groundwater governance in the Indo-Gangetic (IGB) and Yellow River Basins (YRB).  This part of the program covered theoretical as well as more case/region oriented aspects of groundwater, its use for agricultural production, social sciences, economics and institutions, policies and governance, scientific methods in research and field visits (week-wise schedule). The lectures were held at the NAAS Lecture Hall, NASC Complex, New Delhi; Department of Water Resources Development and Management (DWRDM), IIT Roorkee, and the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee.

The Resource Persons for the course were drawn both from the regional as well as world renowned international institutions. The training sessions involved lectures, presentations, classroom exercises.

This phase also involved field visits which included Sainji watershed, Sahasradhara Falls, Kempti falls, and Anneki village (for questionnaire surveys and conducting PRA activities). On weekends, visits were also organized to a world famous institution for treatment and research in Yoga and Ayurveda, as well to an entertainment park, for rejuvenating the participants in the learning process.

The entire group then dispersed to their respective home bases for nearly two weeks, before beginning field studies for the CCR (Cross Cutting Research) phase of the program.