Bihar

Guest Post by: Deepak Bharti, SSVK

The following map from South Asia Network on Dams Rivers & People gives a schematic sketch of the Bagmati Breach site near Tajpur in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district.   

Queries, request for information & additional clarifications can be sought via the comments section.

Download here: Rapid assessment report - Tilak Tajpur Panchayat

The google map at this URL shows Runi Sayedpur and Sitamarhi, along national highway 77: http://tinyurl.com/lxwfmj

1) A presentation from the Central Water Commission of the Government of India studying the flood problem on the Bagmati and making some recommendations:

flood-management-in-bagmati-basin

Photograph of flooding due to breach in Bagmati's embankment, taken by NGO: Ghoghardiha Prakhand Swarajya Vikas Sangh, Madhubani"

Image and Content Courtesy: WaterAid

WaterAid India's WaterDrops newsletter is published quarterly. WaterDrops is an effort to showcase WaterAid India's work, ideas, issues and concerns with its partners, civil society organisations, international NGOs, UN agencies and other important players in the water and sanitation sector. The latest issue of WaterDrops focusses on issues of inclusion, including articles on Social exclusion in drinking water and sanitation, Caste based discrimination, Water as a tool for social control and Inclusive approaches in Bihar. The latest issue can be downloaded here: WaterDrops Issue - 12

Image & Content Courtesy: ALC India ALC India has announced a 4-day National Level Training Program on "Risk Management For Promotion of Sustainable Livelihoods"from 07th - 10th July 2009 at Patna (Bihar).This program targets the middle & senior level functionaries of NGOs, CBOs and development professionals. The medium of instruction during the program is English.

The overall objective of training is to address the rural and urban poor risks at household and individual levels. The focus is to address the vulnerability caused by the agriculture losses, improper decision making process at household and community level, market instability, losses due to natural disaster, illness and wage loss. The overall objective is to sensitize the participants about the risk management practices for existing /emerging livelihoods of poor.

The expected outcomes of the training are: 1. To develop clear understanding of livelihood risk & vulnerability in development context. 2. To enhance skills in designing program strategies to better cope with risks of poor. 3. To help develop capacities related to business planning and enterprise risk management for promoting livelihoods of poor.

Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in the Ganga-Padma-Meghna-Brahmaputra Plain of India and Bangladesh.This report from the Jadhavpur University highlights the intensity and magnitude of the arsenic contamination in the Ganga-Meghna-Bramhaputra plain which includes states Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam covering an area of 569,749 sq km.

As per the  Bihar irrigation act (1997) all irrigation works are to vest in the Government.