Karnataka

As ground water levels decline in India, Persian Wheels cannot reach the water to draw them out from open wells. One such Persian wheel stands forlorn and frustrated as the water table has dipped in Kolar, Karnataka India. This wheel has worked for the last 80 years and 2007 was the first time that the water table fell and the wheel could not work for the day.

Arghyam is looking for a dynamic individual to join our Urban Water Initiative in Bangalore as a Social Development Specialist. Post Location - Bangalore Start Date , Immediate No of Positions-1 Pay ,Commensurate with experience Resume to be forwarded to manikeshwari@arghyam.org Arghyam is a not-for-profit organization working in the water sector in India. Arghyam's vision is "Enough water, safe water….always and for all". Through partnerships and grants we support strategic efforts that address issues relating to equity and sustainability for all citizens. www.arghyam.org

We are trying to find the right person(s) to grow the Portal team.

Last date for contest submissions is March 26th 2008 The Global Water Challenge (www.globalwaterchallenge.org) and Ashoka's Changemakers (www.changemakers.net) have launched a global collaborative competition to find the most innovative community-based water and sanitation solutions.

Some video clippings of the Arkavathy Janadesh Yatra, a river walk along the entire length of the Arkavathy river outside Bangalore, to draw attention to this dying river.

On 29^th January, my colleague Binayak and I went to Nelmangala to participate in the "Save Arkavathy"Walk. The Walk was organized hoping that the participants would learn from the experiences of the villagers along the Arkavathy River and be able to generate interest in them to join the walk.

There is a spurt of gastro-enteritis in the city today. Residents think that it is the contaminated mains supply from the BWSSB that is the source of the gastroenteritis. The Bangalore water supply and Sewerage Board thinks it is water bought by residents from the private water tankers that is the cause but then seems to change its mind.

What exactly is a Persian wheel? Also known as Rahat (in Urdu), it's a simple water lifting device, where a number of small pots are attached to a long chain. Two gear wheels make up the system and as the first one is revolved, the pots each dip and swallow water from the well and soon after pours itself out to a metallic shaft which in turns empties into an intricate network of troughs that distributes water adequately through the cropped area. It is believed that the technology originated in Egypt and as world shrunk through extensive trading, it spread to India and China.

Regional Workshop on Ecological Sanitation (From Umesh Pakalapati, CapNet South Asia, Hyderabad) A regional workshop on "Ecological Sanitation"will be held in Bangalore, Karnataka, India in February (15th-17th), 2008. It is being organized with the support of CapNet Global and Arghyam Trust, India. Cap-Net invites interested people to send their details.