For millennia, the Ganges River, holy to Hindus, has provided livelihoods, food, and water for Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Last month, one of India’s leading environmental activists died after a 111-day hunger strike, failing to evoke changes to save India’s most revered river (known as Ganga). After years of unrelenting abuse, Ganga is now one of the world’s worst polluted rivers. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed in 2014 to clean Ganga by 2019, but despite increased funding and much lip service, the river is more polluted than before. Mr. Modi needs a new strategy.
Pressure on Ganga has been building for decades. With a tripling of human population since 1950 and rapid urbanization, 50 cities along Ganga daily release 6 billion liters of untreated sewage into the river, by far the largest source of pollution. Untreated industrial effluents compound the problem, together with run-off of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Unfettered disposal of human and animal corpses into Ganga makes it unfit even for ritual bathing. Barrages and hydroelectric projects on the main stem of Ganga and its tributaries divert 60% of their waters, leaving little mainstream flow, which further concentrates pollutants in the river.
Population pressure and increasing water competition in a changing climate require us to take stock of the availability and use of water across scales. Water availability not only influences farmers’ commercial prospects but also irrigation-related enterprises and agri-businesses. Greater water scarcity could jeopardize irrigation and agricultural markets while excessive water use can lead to declining ecosystems, water quality and soil health. IWMI advises development partners and the public and private sectors on all aspects of water resource availability and use through a variety of advanced modeling and remote-sensing products and tools, including 
The ability of farmers to engage in or expand irrigation depends on the prevailing socioeconomic, ecological and political contexts, which are often complex, non-linear and changeable. Overcoming systemic barriers to farmer-led irrigation development while taking advantage of existing opportunities 
A lack of affordable credit, particularly for women and resource-poor farmers, is one of the main barriers to expanding farmer-led irrigation in low- and middle-income countries. But 
Scaling farmer-led irrigation requires strengthening human capacity and knowledge exchange among all actors and stakeholders involved. IWMI takes an action research approach, working with national and international research institutions, governments, extension agents and public and private organizations to co-develop the scaling ecosystem and strengthen capacity to drive scaling networks and collective action. We support the