Water and Land Resource Management

Resource Institution: National Bureau of Soil Survey and
Land Use Planning (ICAR) Bengaluru

Overview:The aim of the project is identification and delineation of fallow land using high-resolution sa tellite imagery followed by detailed soil characterization help to find out the factors keeping the productive lands under fallow. It will help to initiate the necessary policy guidelines to arrest the increasing trend of fallow lands.

Resource Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Chennai

Overview: The proposed study aims to estimate the economic value of ecosystem services for 61 prioritized wetlands in Tamil Nadu using a Total Economic Valuation (TEV) framework. By integrating inputs from ecology and hydrology, the study will assess how these wetlands mitigate climate change impacts, such as sea-level rise. The valuation will focus on various ecosystem services, including flood regulation and water purification. Additionally, the study will evaluate changes in local livelihoods resulting from wetland improvements. The findings will inform conservation strategies and policy decisions for sustainable wetland management.

Resource Institution: Auroville Consulting

Overview: The proposal aims to map existing blue-green corridors to develop conservation initiatives. Additionally, the opportunity for enhancing existing and the creation of new blue-green corridors will be assessed. This will be achieved through the use of advanced satellite image processing and geospatial analysis.

Resource Institution: Auroville Consultancy, Pondicherry

Overview: The study explains the importance of identifying and utilizing unused land in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu. This initiative aims to balance various development needs while promoting sustainability. The project will assess the land's potential for initiatives like forestation (contributing to India's carbon sink goals), surface water harvesting (supporting water management), agriculture (revitalizing the sector), solar energy development (meeting renewable energy targets), housing (providing affordable housing), and industrial development (aligning with Tamil Nadu's industrial policy).

Resource Institution: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History(SACON), Coimbatore

Overview: This study focuses on the Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary, a wetland ecosystem in India. The sanctuary is home to many resident and migratory bird species, some of which are globally threatened. Recognizing the importance of this sanctuary, researchers aim to achieve several objectives through this study. These objectives include assessing the distribution patterns of the birds, studying the water quality and plant and animal life within the sanctuary, evaluating threats like poaching, and creating a training program for sanctuary staff. Ultimately, this study aims to inform effective conservation policies for the Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary.

Resource Institution: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore

Overview: The study explores a cost-effective method for restoring lakes in Coimbatore, India. These lakes, vital freshwater resources, are threatened by pollution from sewage and waste. The project focuses on a technology called ``Floating Wetlands.`` These human-made structures are planted with water-loving plants that act as natural filters, removing pollutants and nutrients from the lake water. This process cleans the water and helps prevent further degradation. The project will assess the effectiveness of Floating Wetlands in improving water quality in Coimbatore's lakes. An additional benefit of this method is the potential to boost biodiversity by creating a habitat for birds, native plants, and animals. Ultimately, the study aims to develop a sustainable and cost-effective approach for restoring the health of Coimbatore's lakes.

Resource Institution: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai

Overview: This project focuses on optimizing water usage in agriculture through precision irrigation using IoT. It aims to leverage sensor technology for real-time soil moisture assessment, develop software for data management, and evaluate the water-saving potential of smart irrigation systems. Additionally, it investigates the impact of IoT-based irrigation on crop yield to promote sustainable and efficient farming practices.

Resource Institution: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Thoothhukudi

Overview: The study explains the water crisis in Tamil Nadu, India. Despite having only 2.5% of the country's water resources, Tamil Nadu faces high demand due to its population and economic growth. Agriculture, heavily reliant on monsoon rains, consumes the majority of the state's water. Rice, a major crop, requires significant water. This research study proposes drip irrigation as a potential solution. The study aims to compare conventional flood irrigation to drip irrigation in terms of rice yield and growth within a rice-rice-pulse cropping system. The project will also explore how drip irrigation affects soil moisture and the potential benefits of border cropping (planting fast-growing green manure crops) on water needs. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a water budgeting model for this cropping system using drip irrigation and train rice farmers in southern Tamil Nadu.

Resource Institution: Annamalai University, Chidambaram

Overview: The study explores Tamil Nadu’s land use dynamics, noting a shift from agriculture to non-agricultural uses. Challenges like declining agricultural area, increased fallow lands and water scarcity are highlighted. The analysis emphasizes the need for robust land management policies, preservation of forest lands, and collective farming. Addressing these factors is crucial for sustainable agricultural development and mitigating ecological issues.

Resource Institution: Annamalai University, Chidambaram

Overview: This study examines the shifting land use in northern coastal Tamil Nadu towards urbanization and industrialization. Focusing on cashew and casuarina cultivation feasibility, it identifies economic viability and challenges such as water scarcity and marketing issues. The study emphasizes policy suggestions to promote tree cropping on fallow lands for sustainable income and land use.

Resource Institution: MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai

Overview: The study in Tamil Nadu examines agricultural land decline and its impact on food security in Karur, Pudukottai, and Tiruchirapalli districts. Factors like urbanization, low returns, and water scarcity push land away from agriculture. Increasing demand for housing and industries pulls land for non-agricultural use. Findings show that 300 farmers converted 396 acres, affecting food production. Recommendations focus on climate-smart practices and improving farming conditions to reverse land conversion.

Resource Institution: Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority, Chennai

Overview: The study in Tamil Nadu assesses the economic values of 80 prioritized wetlands, focusing on non-market ecosystem services like provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. It aims to highlight economic significance, and linkages to livelihoods, inform evidence-based policies, and explore market-based approaches for sustainable wetland management. Objectives include estimating benefits, aiding decision-making bodies, analyzing impacts on livelihoods, and considering innovative institutional approaches.

Resource Institution: Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority, Chennai

Overview: The Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority aims to safeguard 141 wetlands, including Vadamaneri, Valathy, and Tenneri Lakes. Objectives of this study include boundary demarcation, land use analysis, stakeholder dependency assessment, biodiversity evaluation, and proposing management strategies, aligning with the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.

Resource Institution:Institute of Remote Sensing (IRS), Anna University, Chennai

Overview: The study aims to analyze land use changes in the Theni district from 2007-08 to 2017-18 using Remote Sensing and GIS. Emphasizing water scarcity due to deforestation and urbanization, the study identifies potential artificial recharge zones based on geological, hydrological, and land characteristics for sustainable groundwater management.

Resource Institution: Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore

Overview: The study highlights the critical role of wetlands globally and in India, focusing on Tamil Nadu’s situation with limited water resources. It outlines the significance of wetlands, their ecological value, and the threats they face due to human activities. The study aims to comply with Wetland Conservation Rules by identifying and prioritizing wetlands, emphasizing the need for conservation and sustainable management to protect these vital ecosystems.

Resource Institution: Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Chennai

Overview: This study examines land use changes across Tamil Nadu through secondary data analysis and farmer interactions in seven districts. Highlighting shifts from agriculture to non-agricultural use, it identifies areas needing policy attention to sustain agriculture and offers suggestions for revival and preservation based on a 2003-2015 dataset.

Resource Institution:Care Earth Trust (CET), Chennai

Overview: The study investigates the impact on water, assesses irrigation and drinking water access, identifies implementation challenges in existing programs, and evaluates issues faced by marginal and landless farmers in the hydrologically significant Tamirabarani River Basin, aiming to inform policy guidelines for the region’s welfare.

Resource Institution: Care Earth Trust (CET), Chennai

Overview: This project focuses on studying Land Use and Land Cover Change around Protected Areas—Kalakad Mudanthurai Tiger Reserve and Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary in Tirunelveli district. Objectives include analyzing drivers, trends, and socio-ecological impacts.

Resource Institution: Care Earth Trust, Chennai

Overview: This project examines Land Use and Land Cover Changes around Reserved Forests in Thiruporur Block, Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu. Objectives include analyzing drivers, and trends emphasizing urbanization, fragmentation, and socio-ecological impacts.

Resource Institution: Care Earth Trust, Chennai

Overview: This project investigates Land Use and Land Cover Change around Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagapattinam district. Objectives encompass analyzing proximal and distal drivers, trends emphasizing urbanization, fragmentation, and socio-ecological impacts. Nagapattinam district.

Resource Institution: Centre for Water Resources (CWR), Anna University, Chennai

Overview: The State of Tamil Nadu initiated the “State Balanced Growth Fund (SBGF)” to address regional disparities. A study identified 105 backward blocks, focusing on water scarcity as a key issue. Examining 3 highly imbalanced blocks, 300 households across 15 villages were surveyed. The study aims to provide water security insights to aid the State Planning Commission’s project, focusing on socio-economic profiles, and domestic, and agricultural water security.

Resource Institution: Centre for Water Resources, Anna University, Chennai

Overview: This study investigates water security in Tiruchirappalli and Tiruppur Districts of Tamil Nadu, focusing on household and agricultural aspects. Objectives include creating a socio-economic profile for selected blocks and assessing domestic and agricultural water security to address regional disparities and promote balanced development.

Resource Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai

Overview: The study explores land use changes in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, amidst agricultural distress and rural economic shifts. Examining macro and micro factors influencing land sales, it evaluates the impact of urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural trends. Focusing on the sale of agricultural land, it assesses implications for economic sustainability and policy formulation, aiming to understand the dynamics of the land market and agricultural shifts.

Resource Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Chennai

Overview: This report examines agriculture and the land market in three villages in Nagapattinam district. While agriculture is potentially vibrant, water scarcity significantly constrains production, leading to varied productivity across the landscape. Households have diversified into non-farm employment within and outside the villages due to declining agricultural returns and evolving aspirations. However, this employment is neither secure nor well-paying. Although a speculative land market has not yet emerged, it is likely to develop if both agriculture and non-farm employment remain unsustainable.

Resource Institution: Institute of Remote Sensing (IRS) , Anna University, Chennai

Overview: This report examines land use changes, specifically in solar saltpans, around Tuticorin Coast. Utilizing remote sensing and field data, it delineates land cover classes, water quality variations, and socio-economic aspects. It discusses saltpan area shifts, urban expansion, water quality, the socio-economic status of salt workers, and freshwater needs in Tuticorin.

Resource Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Chennai

Overview: This study investigates Tamil Nadu’s agricultural sector stagnation amidst overall economic and social growth, focusing on shifts in land use away from agriculture. Examining macro and micro factors shaping this change, the report aims to inform policies incentivizing sustainable agricultural land use amidst rural transitions and urbanization.

Resource Institution:Care Earth Trust (CET), Chennai

Overview: This comprehensive study examines the intricacies of land use and cover changes, highlighting the drivers, distinctions between land cover and land use, and their environmental implications. Focused on Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats, it delves into urbanization, ecological considerations, and the complex balance between biodiversity conservation and human activities.

Resource Institution: Presidency College, Chennai

Overview: This project aims to assess turbidity through analytical methods and evaluate chemical parameters in water. It focuses on the efficiency of natural coagulants for specific contaminants, maintaining water quality, and reducing chemical oxygen demand. The study explores sludge reuse and aims for safe drinking water with turbidity below 5 NTU for Thenkalavoy Oorani in Tindivanam Taluk.

Resource Institution: Centre for Law, Policy and Human Right Studies(CLP & HRS), Chennai

Overview: Tamil Nadu’s growth ambitions aim at industrialization and infrastructure development, yet face challenges due to an acute land crisis—land degradation, reduced agriculture, and ecological issues. The study underscores the pivotal role of land use policies, laws, and fair decision-making in balancing diverse and conflicting land use demands for sustainable development.

Resource Institution: Centre for Water Resources (CWR), Anna University, Chennai

Overview: This study assessed groundwater potential in Walajabad Block, Tamil Nadu, using various techniques including geophysical surveys, water quality analysis, and aquifer parameters. Employing innovative methods like set IV weighted overlay, it identified 77%of the area as having moderate to very good potential, aiding sustainable water resource management in rugged terrains.

Resource Institution: National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP), Bangalore

Overview: This study focuses on understanding and addressing the increase in fallow lands in Kangeyam and Nanguneri. Utilizing satellite imagery and socio-economic surveys, it aims to delineate and characterize these lands, identifying causes and effects while proposing measures to curb their expansion. As agricultural land diminishes due to urbanization, insights from this research intend to guide policies for enhancing productivity and preventing further fallow land increase.

Resource Institution:National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP), Bangalore

Overview: This study focuses on assessing and mapping salt-affected soils in Tamil Nadu using satellite imagery (1:50,000 scale), aiming to characterize these soils in specific blocks (1:10,000 scale). It aims to measure their impact on crop productivity and propose effective strategies to mitigate salinization’s adverse effects.

Resource Institution: Centre for Agricultural and Rural development Studies ( CARDS ), TNAU, Coimbatore

Overview: This study investigates the dynamics of land use in Tamil Nadu and its impact on agricultural performance. Focusing on spatial and temporal variations, it examines factors driving land use change, analyses farm-level patterns’ relationships with productivity, and explores implications at micro and macro levels for agricultural performance and future trends.

Resource Institution: Centre for Agricultural and Rural development Studies ( CARDS ), TNAU, Coimbatore

Overview: This study examines the agricultural land use changes and cropping patterns in Coimbatore and Dharmapuri districts over a decade. It investigates factors driving shifts, and their impact on farmers’ livelihoods, and proposes suitable cropping patterns to enhance farmers’ standard of living amidst changing socio-economic and environmental conditions.

Resource Institution: Agricultural Engineering Department (AED), Chennai

Overview: This study aims to assess and enhance the management of water resources in Namakkal district. Objectives include creating an information system for Minor Irrigation tanks at cadastral levels, analyzing catchment area properties, evaluating storage capacity, and studying ayacut area characteristics and cropping patterns for effective water resource utilization.

Resource Institution: Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Chennai

Overview: This study delves into the economic value of wetlands, focussing on the Pallikaranai marsh in Chennai. By estimating the total economic value of this ecosystem, the research aims to illuminate the trade-offs between wetland utilization and welfare, evaluating the impact of policy measures on the marsh’s TEV using various economic valuation methods.