Pune District

Land use changes  hydrologic system and have potentially large impacts on water resources. An assessment in an area with seasonally limited water availability and which is subject to rapid socio- economic development and population growth will provide an exemplary view on the local impacts of major recent developments in India. In this backdrop this paper analyzes past land use changes between 1989 and 2009 and their impacts on the water balance in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of Pune. The aim of the paper is:

• assess the land use changes between 1989/1990 and 2009/2010
• analyze the impacts of these changes on the long-term water balance components in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of the city of Pune.

Prayas and several friends and well-wishers of Girish Sant, a pioneering policy researcher and public interest advocate in the energy sector who passed away unexpectedly in February 2012, have set up a Young Researcher Fellowship (YRF) to encourage young researchers to imbibe his values and approach of high quality analysis, commitment to social equity and emphasis on policy impacts.

Objectives

The objectives of the fellowship are to encourage young Indian researchers to take up public interest oriented research and advocacy in the Indian energy sector, and to provide some financial and professional stability to youngsters at an early stage of their career.