Political

Tanks are rainwater harvesting techniques which capture water during monsoons for later use. Mention of tanks in colonial texts is made and the authors infer from ancient texts like Tamil Purananuru on the importance of tanks and the locations for their construction, as well detailing their geographical spread.

This paper presents the ancient water and soil conservation eco-systems of Sri Lanka, based on ancient texts and their modern interpretations, and highlights the use of these water systems  in ancient Sri Lanka and their present condition.

The state government's investments in supplying potable water under the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) scheme which envisaged a no tanker supply' end to the scheme is critiqued. The authors note that the project mainly concentrated on asset creation, neglecting operation and maintenance resulting in limited improvement in villages, with respect to water supply.

The city of Aurangabad has benefited from the construction of  aqueducts and canals by its earlier rulers. According to the authors  between 1617 and 1803, a number of aqueducts and canals were constructed.

There is mention of the importance of water in daily life in various prayers in the Rigveda. The author states that the earliest evidence of water conservation goes back to 3000 B. C. when Gabarbands were built in Baluchisthan. The Harappans built tanks and wells and were pioneers of well-digging technology.

Content Courtesy: Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India

Press release: Indian event at Cancun re-emphasises importance of equity, 7th December 2010

India hosted a major event at the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference at Cancun, where the critical issue of equity and equitable access to carbon space was emphasised. 

India's Minister for Environment and Forests and Head of Delegation, Shri Jairam Ramesh personally chaired the side event that had presentations by Prof. T. Jayaraman, Tata Inst. Of Social Sciences, India, Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Dir., South Centre, Geneva and Dr. Harald, ERC & Univ. Of Cape Town, South Africa.

Download the entire press release here.

Content Courtesy: Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India

Author: Madhav Gadgil

In view of the environmental sensitivity and ecological significance of the Western Ghats region and the complex nature of its geography, as well as the possible impacts of climate change on this region, the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India constituted a Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel to assess the current status of ecology of the Western Ghats region. The panel aimed at identifying ecologically sensitive areas in the Western Ghat region and making recommendations for the conservation, protection and rejuvenation of the region. This report presents a brief summary of the key issues that were dwelt on to understand the situation of the Western ghats and the key findings of the evaluation.

High amounts of fluoride (>1.5 ppm) in drinking water is a serious issue in many parts of India. Fluorosis has been a serious issue in Andhra Pradesh, as early as 1999 with maximum reported levels at 29 ppm. Evidence indicates that 70-100% of the state is affected. 

This website by the Yale University provides information on the global and countrywise ratings for environmental performance in the form of Environmental Performance Indices (EPI) for different countries. The site also provides details of EPI scores for India in comparison with the average scores globally.

This index was developed from the Pilot Environmental Performance Index, first published in 2002, and designed to supplement the environmental targets set forth in the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_Performance_Index)

The author looks at three ancient Kannada and Sanskrit texts - Lokoparam, Manasollasa, Shivatattvaratnakara. All these texts were written between the 12th and 18th century. These texts record hydrological data ranging from cloud formation to traditional methods of preserving potable water.