Don't cut my oak trees: A film on afforestation in Uttarakhand by the Himalaya Seva Sangh
"Don't cut my oak trees, they give me water"."We get cool air from them, we get cool water".
"Don't cut my oak trees, they give me water".

So goes the plaintive title song of this short movie. Produced by the Himalaya Seva Sangh, the film on afforestation relies heavily on interviews with Dr.Shekhar Pathak of PAHAR and self-help group members from Mukteshwar, Sunadi, and Indwal.
A growing concern - How soon will India run out of water - Paper published in the Journal of Global Health
This paper published in the Journal of Global Health sheds light on the grave water scarcity that the country could face in the coming years and warns that this could happen in as few as twenty years as the demand for water continue to exceed the sources of supply. The paper argues that this will have a negative effect on the public health and sanitation situation in the country and urgent steps thus need to be taken to deal with this situation.
Briefing papers on ‘Jal kothis’, ‘Matka filter’, 'Dug wells' and ‘Phayedemand shauchalaya’: Local innovative solutions in flood prone Bihar by Megh Pyne Abhiyan (2011)
Megh Pyne Abhiyan, supported by Arghyam, has been working towards self-reliance and access to safe drinking water and secure sanitation, in 22 panchayats of five flood-prone districts of north Bihar. Included below are four briefing papers that describe innovative localised solutions implemented by Megh Pyne Abhiyan to deal with the problems arising out of the recurrent flood situation in the state of Bihar
Integrated Power Policy - A framework for people-centric, environment-friendly and a sustainable power policy - A book by Shankar Sharma
This book by Shankar Sharma sheds light on the tremendous difficulties faced by people in India because of the ill-conceived power projects. It provides a holistic set of credible alternatives, to counter the arguments given by project proponents and central and state governments. It also provides further information in the form of a number of references and statistical information on this issue.
Event report: Course on Managed Aquifer Recharge - Methods, hydrogeological requirements and impact assessment - December 11-12, 2012, Anna University, Chennai
A two day course on Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) was conducted as part of the Saph Pani project, funded by the European Commission, at the Anna University in Chennai between the 11th and 12th of December. The event saw the coming together of experts in the field from across the world – Saph Pani partners from Europe, Australia as well as those from within India. The two day event witnessed a series of interesting presentations and deliberations that ranged from sustainability of MAR structures to impact assessment and not to forget, the Indian experience.
Conservation across landscapes: A study of the various mechanisms of biodiversity conservation in India
With the increasing threats to our landscapes, biodiversity management can no longer afford to be part of a polarized 'yes or no' argument. Instead,it is vital to seek out and implement a bouquet of negotiated approaches. The diversity of India's landscapes as well as conservation approaches make it a valuable learning tool. This report presents some of these approaches
Land grab is emerging as the country's most pressing development challenge - New research released at a conference organised by SPWD and RRI at New Delhi in December 2012
Control over land and natural resources has recently become a subject of heated debate in India, and is, today, one of the central fault lines of Indian politics. New research released on December 18, 2012 on the eve of an international conference on land and forest rights by the Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development (SPWD), New Delhi and the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), Washington predicts massive resource takeover spurring conflict in 130 districts of India. The research indicates that India is a leader among land-grabbing emerging nations. Not only are rights flouted at home but Indian firms risk some mistakes abroad.
Twelfth five year plan 2012-17 documents by the Planning Commission
The 3 volumes of the documents for the 12th Five Year Plan, 2012-17 have been released by the government. A brief on the documents is as follows:
Event report: National workshop organised by UNDP on ‘Reducing vulnerabilities to climate change and disaster risk through Integrated Water Management', at New Delhi on 17th December 2012
A national workshop on ‘Reducing vulnerabilities to climate change and disaster risk through Integrated Water Management ‘ was organised by the United National Development Program (UNDP) at ‘The Claridges’, Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi on 17th December, 2012.It facilitated discussions and interaction among various stakeholders that included bureaucrats, technocrats, experts and NGOs.
The seminar participants deliberated on interlinked issues of climate change adaption, disaster risk reduction and water management, and how an integrated approach is required to enhance the adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities.
"Arghyam prepares Water Quality Management (WQM) framework for rural areas" - Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation releases its first e-newsletter on water and sanitation in India (December 2012)
This first e-newsletter, launched by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, titled - 'Swajal Nirmal Bharat' begins with a renewed focus on the achievement of sanitation outcomes. It discusses the Working Group’s review of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), now called the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) or the Clean India Campaign and its suggested strategies, priorities, and allocation for implementation in the 12th Five Year Plan. It talks on how the new strategy is aimed at transforming rural India into ‘Nirmal Bharat’ by adopting the community saturation approach.
South India left with water storage level lowest in a decade - Roundup of the week's news (December 17 – 23, 2012)
The news this week is dominated by reports on the severe water storage level in the south of India followed by news on water conflicts between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the irrigation scam in Maharashtra and the Ganga cleaning initiative launched by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board
Exploring linkages between the agricultural sector and the environment - Report on the Kerala Environment Congress organised by the Centre for Environment and Development at Thiruvananthapuram, between 16 -18 August 2012
The focal theme of the 8th Kerala Environment Congress was Agriculture and Environment. The congress aimed at providing a platform for scientists, researchers, students and members of the community to deliberate on the issues pertaining to the agricultural sector and their impacts on the environment.
Solid and liquid waste management - Proceedings of the Kerala Environment Congress organised at Thiruvananthapuram, 24th to 26th June 2010
This document includes the proceedings of the Kerala Environment Congress organised at Thiruvanathapuram that included twenty three presentations that focused on the issue of solid and liquid waste management
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