Gokul Halan, a hydrogeologist by training, is part of the team handling the Water Resources Programme of Keystone Foundation. He manages water-related projects in the Nilgiris. With a keen interest in community development, Gokul who belongs to the Badaga community is always looking for an opportunity to apply traditional wisdom to develop solutions to modern-day issues of water management.

In this podcast, Gokul talks to us about water security issues in the Nilgiris, how indigenous tribal communities are truly dependent on water resources, and how it can take literally 14 years to establish a forest on degraded land! 

Notes –

00:58 – Gokul’s work at the Keystone Foundation 

01:55 – The role of GIS 

06:56 – Socio-economic impact of climate change in the Nilgiris

10:34 – Importance of water conservation for the indigenous communities

16:35 – Payment for Ecosystem services

20:47 – The three pillars of Keystone Foundation

29:56 – GoI’s Water policy

35:06 – Inevitability of climate change