Amita Bhaduri

Amita Bhaduri
Water: Governance challenges and suggested tools
Supply-side solutions are creating havoc for the already disadvantaged and marginalised. Posted on 22 Feb, 2021 03:38 PM

Dahanu, an ecologically fragile area about 120 km from Mumbai, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district witnessed massive protests in 2019. Over 59 gram panchayats were opposing the land diversion to high-tech infrastructure projects.

Dahanu, a green zone enjoyed special protection since 1991 (Image: nathview.blogspot.com)
Budget 2021: Environmental conservation or business as usual
The budget has given environmental conservation issues a slip, say experts Posted on 13 Feb, 2021 08:46 AM

This year’s budget was tabled when the country was grappling with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 induced crisis. The government was expected to provide an effective response to the pandemic-induced recession.

There is a need to estimate the ecological footprint of all activities. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Economic survey 2020-21: Some highlights
The economic survey recommends integration of agriculture with nutritional outcomes
Posted on 30 Jan, 2021 11:20 AM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2020-21 in the Parliament on January 29, 2020 - the first day of the Budget session. The survey has analysed various topics from economic growth, fiscal stance, state of banking and more.

The Economic Survey 2021 pushes for urgent reforms in production and post production in agriculture (Image: PixaHive)
Natural resource management through a gender lens
Need to recognise women, the cogs in the feminisation of Indian agriculture Posted on 21 Jan, 2021 05:16 PM

Building upon decades of international diplomatic relations and scientific research, the United Nations adopted the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ in 2015.

In incorporating female participation, some programmes only added (futile) burden on these women without challenging the current division of labour. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Climate change: A look through a gender lens
Women are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Posted on 06 Jan, 2021 02:51 PM

Climate change vulnerability is a multi-layered and multi-faceted phenomenon. “It’s a justice issue determined by both biophysical and socio-economic factors.

The gendered vulnerabilities due to climate change need to be well-recognized. (Image: Justin Kernoghan, Trocaire, Wikimedia Commons)
Should we bet more on historians than engineers to sort flooding?
How the historian's method is invaluable in developing an understanding of floods. Posted on 04 Jan, 2021 12:00 AM

Raging floods swarming great expanses have been a common occurrence in the 21st century in South Asia.

Need to consider the perspective of the historians who see floods as a naturally occurring event. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Sanitation workers amid the pandemic
The pandemic has exacerbated the issues of exclusion and vulnerability of sanitation workers. Posted on 28 Dec, 2020 01:51 PM

Sanitation workers are out in full force tasked with disinfecting the public spaces as COVID-19 crisis continues to impact the country on top of other serious challenges faced by our WASH sector.

Despite the risks and the dire conditions of their work, sanitation workers continued to do their job (Image: C S Sharada Prasad, India Water Portal)
Measures to usher in a low-carbon and equitable future
A sustainable low-carbon and equitable pathway would entail comprehensive changes in how we manage energy supply, forest, and agriculture. Posted on 27 Dec, 2020 12:27 PM

As the planet plunges towards irreversible climate change, the challenges posed by extreme weather events and environmental degradation pose an existential threat. The trends are irrefutable and there would be a temperature rise of around 3.2oC by the end of this century, even if countries abide by the emission reduction commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The developing countries are bearing the bulk of the burden of the emission cuts. (Image: Pxhere)
Air pollution: Filling the gaps
Controlling air pollution needs long-term holistic solutions such as a reduction in the usage of biomass, coal and lignite, and agricultural residues. Posted on 22 Dec, 2020 12:34 PM

Air pollution killed 16.7 lakh Indians and led to an economic loss of Rs

All Indian cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad surpass the air quality standards by a significant margin (Image: United Nations; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Illegal river bed mining continues unabated in north India
Need effective sand mining governance and law enforcement to address the plundering of the rich river ecosystem.
Posted on 25 Nov, 2020 09:13 PM

In October this year, locals and river activists campaigned against illegal sand mining in Yamunanagar, Haryana. The authorities were compelled to take notice and the errant firms that had deployed heavy machinery to embank the river and divert its natural flow to extract sand were booked for violation.

Law enforcement is missing on the ground causing immense environmental damage to the river ecosystem (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
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