Political

This document by the Sulabh International Academy of Environmental Sanitation presents the guidelines for water safety plans for rural water supply systems. The revised National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) Guidelines 2009-2012 issued by Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has shifted the focus from source development and installation of water supply system for providing drinking water supply to rural household to focus on development of village security plan.

This report of the Standing Committee on Water Resources deals with the action taken by the Government on the recommendations and observations contained in their Eleventh Report on “Inter Linking of Rivers” which was presented to Lok Sabha in October 2008.

Organizer: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

Topics:

• Basics of GIS/RS data structure and analysis
• Cartographic principles
• Basic principles of remote sensing
• Digital Image Processing
• Spatial data sources
• GPS theory
• Field data collection and processing

Venue: Bangalore

Description:

This intensive course will provide participants with an opportunity to learn the basic principles of remote sensing, geographical information systems and GPS. The course will also provide rigorous, individualized hands-on training in GIS/RS techniques using state-of-the art software.

This has resulted in a depletion of groundwater resources. There is a scarcity of drinking water too, in the region.

Organizer: Alva Group of Institutions

Venue: Alva’s Health Center, Mijar, Moodabidri, Karnataka

Description:

On behest of the movement, of which you have been an integral part, the Ministry of Environment & Forests had set-up a Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel to pave way for setting up the Western Ghats Environment Authority. The panel has been engaged in public consultations over past couple of months giving us a chance to collectively review its functioning as well.

The Dam Safety bill, 2010 introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2010 and approved by the cabinet earlier this year was referred to the Standing Committee on Water Resources, which was scheduled to submit its report within three months. The bill which is still pending seeks to provide for the surveillance, inspection and operation of all dams of certain parameters to ensure their safe functioning.

This draft discussion paper by the Department of Drinking Water Supply (Ministry of Rural Development) deals with the preparation of strategic plan for rural drinking water sector in India. The Government of India introduced the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) in 1972–73 to support States and UTs with financial and technical assistance to implement drinking water supply schemes in order to accelerate the pace of coverage across rural India.

Green Revolution (GR) technologies, supported by official policies, and fuelled by agro-chemicals, machinery and irrigation, are well known to have improved agricultural production and productivity. While these technologies greatly helped developing countries to address their food-security and food-sovereignty needs, farmers using these technologies have had to depend on external inputs.

John Thompson works on power, policy and sustainability issues in food and agriculture, water resource management and rural development. He is a STEPS Centre member, IDS Fellow and joint Co-ordinator of the Future Agricultures Consortium. He presents two crucial agricultural water issues to take priority on World Water Day.