Aarti Kelkar-Khambete

This successful effort made by teachers from Kasargod district to convert sixteen acres of barren land on a hill behind the school into a lush, green forest with thick patches of vegetation demonstrates how persistence and a deep commitment to bring about positive improvements in the environment through community effort can

The economy of fishing among the traditional fisherfolk of Kerala is based on three operations such as harvesting or catching of the fish, the processing of fish and the marketing of fish.

Madakas are one of the fast disappearing traditional rainwater harvesting structures found in the laterite belts of Karnataka and Kerala. They are naturally occuring depressions with high terrain on the three sides where water from the surrounding laterite slopes, mainly runoff from the rains, is accumulated.

Surangas continue to be one of the relatively less known and gradually disappearing traditional water harvesting systems of Kasargod district, Kerala and are being gradually replaced by borewells to meet the water needs of the community. 

Thanal, an NGO in Trivandrum city, Kerala that continues to work on a range of environmental issues in the state had organised 'Bag Tree', a zero waste campaign in collaboration with the Zero Waste Centre in Kovalam, Trivandrum with the aim of creating awareness among the people to stop using plastic bags and replace them by paper bags.

Fisherfolk form an important community in Kerala, but remain neglected and marginalised inspite of the higher socio-economic progress the state has made as a whole.

Guest post by: Aarti Kelkar-Khambete

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The sanitation crisis and the recent evidence on lack of toilet facilities 

The issue that has been making headlines in the last few days has been that of the continuing debate between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar dam. This debate has opened  up a number of issues related to the ownership and use of water between the two states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the context of the current changes and the loss of relevance of the laws and decisions made during the colonial rule; the water sharing, irrigation and power generation needs of both the states; and the recent concerns on the safety of the dam in Kerala versus the urgent irrigation needs of the agricultural sector in Tamil Nadu.

A view of the Mullaiperiyar dam on Kerala-Tamil Nadu border at Kumili.Photo: Vibhu

Image Source: The Hindu

This article sheds light on the history of the Mullaperiyar dam and the background for the current deadlock between the two states over the dam. The current deadlock between the two states over the dam is essentially not a dispute for water, but has its roots in the colonial times, and has to do with the need to come to terms with the agreements and decisions made in those times with changing economic, political and environmental contexts and concerns about the safety of the dam in Kerala versus the irrigation needs of the farmers in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Guest post by : Aarti Kelkar-Khambete

The Madurai Symposium organised by the