Events

Organizer: Department of Civil Engineering, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar

Venue: Department of Civil, Engineering, Annamalai University

Description:
Water is a vital natural resource essential for life and a precious national asset. It is a scarce resource which has to be planned, developed, conserved and managed on an integrated and environmentally sound basis; keeping in view the socio-economic aspects and needs of mankind. It is one of the most challenging tasks to ensure adequate water and food to our present and future generations. The availability of water in our country is highly variable both in space and time. Climate change, failure of monsoons, population explosion, urbanization, rising demands and anthropogenic factors lead to significant water stress. Agriculture is the mainstay of Indian economy and an assured irrigation water supply is of utmost importance for food security. Hence water resources are to be managed judiciously to guarantee adequate supplies of dependable quantity and quality, which is of major concern today.

River stories from Maharashtra: Many morals to learn 

Parineeta Dandekar’s presentation began with an account of some statistics related to Maharashtra, the third largest state in India. Regarding the state of water resources in Maharashtra, she noted that of the five river basin systems, 55 percent of the dependable yield is available in the four river basins (Krishna, Godavari, Tapi and Narmada) east of the Western Ghats. These four river basins comprise 92 percent of the cultivable land and more than 60 percent of the population in rural areas. 45 percent of the state's water resources are from west flowing rivers which are mainly monsoon specific rivers emanating from the Western Ghats and draining into the Arabian Sea.

With 1821 large dams and more in the offing, Maharashtra has the maximum dams in the country (35.7%). However, the proportion of gross irrigated area vis a vis the gross cropped area at 17.8 percent is much lower than the national average of 44.6 percent. The contradictions from the state, which is home to the highest number of dams, were discussed. In nearly 70 percent of the state’s villages (around 27,600 villages), water is either not available within 500 metres distance, or within 15 metres below ground level or when available is not potable (World Bank, Promoting Agricultural Growth in Maharashtra, Volume 1, 2003).

Dandekar discussed the World Bank funded Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project (MWSIP) initiated in 2005 whose main components were establishment, operationalisation and capacity building of Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA); establishment of river basin agencies in Maharashtra; and restructuring and capacity building of the Water Resources Department. The MWRRA Act (2005) has been amended, taking out the clause for equitable water distribution, and granting the Cabinet the rights to have the last say about water entitlements. This has led to a diversion of water for irrigation from the vulnerable, suicide-prone Vidarbha region to thermal power plants. According to Prayas, “entitlements of more than 1500 MCM have been changed from agriculture to industries and cities”.

Organizer: Indian Association of Hydrologists (IAH)

Venue:  National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee

Description:
Water resources management requires a holistic and integrated view that considers the surface and groundwater together and also the direct human / indirect human needs. The sustainable management of water resources should base on an integrated approach linking development and protection of the natural environment, on the participation of all actors and concerned people and on the recognition of the economic and social value of water. We must promote the integration of all aspects of planning, management and protection of water resources by developing plans which aim to satisfy basic needs and to promote equitable and effective distribution of water resources, ecosystem protection and maintenance of the water cycle. Climate change, land use change and the hydrological variability of water's distribution and occurrence are natural driving forces that, when combined with the pressures from economic growth and major population change, make the water resources management a challenge. Water management plans should consider the best existing practices and the most advanced scientific breakthroughs.

Organizer: Environmental Law Research Society (ELRS)

Venue: Environmental Law Research Society,
            C-48, Third Floor,
            Old Double Storey,
            Lajpat Nagar – IV,
            New Delhi – 110 024

Description:
ELRS is organizing a workshop in New Delhi, on 27 and 28 July 2012, to consider issues relating to the realization of the right to sanitation in India, and invites submission of abstracts.

Organizer: National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR), Mussoorie
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Govt. of India

Venue: Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie

Description:
The National Institute of Administrative Research, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie in collaboration with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Govt. of India is organizing a three days National Seminar on Decentralized Governance in Water and Sanitation in Rural India from June 26-28, 2012 at Mussoorie. The National Seminar is dedicated to academic discourse and practitioner engagement on Governance issues in the Water and Sanitation Sector.  The papers received will be presented and documented in the form of a book after a peer review.

Organizer: National Institute of Hydrology (NIH)

Venue: National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee

Description:

The increasing demand for fresh water due to ever growing population, calls for proper conservation and management of all the available fresh water resources, including lakes. Lakes need special attention as they are quite often the catalysts in the development of the region by supplying water for variety of uses such as drinking and civil water supply, industrial supply, irrigation, aqua-culture, recreation and tourism etc.

Organizers: South Asia Rural Reconstruction Association (SARRA), Bangalore,
                   XIMB & SAMBHAV, Orissa

Venue: XIM Bhubaneswar and SAMBHAV Campus, at Rohibanka, Nayagarh District Orissa. 

Description:
Almost 40% of the world’s poor are living in South Asia Region. Majority of the people depend on Agriculture.The sector is undergoing an irreparable loss through excess use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides imposed by the national governments through its green revolution technologies. It is characterized by mono-cropping, heavy use of external inputs such as chemical fertilizers, Pesticides,use of machinery and exploitation of irrigationresources, although GRT produced good results in the initial stages. Currently farmers are experiencing critical problems for continued production and productivity of crops due to Soil and water degradation.  Chemically used food products have lost the place in the Global market. Our much inherited ecology and bio-diversity is at a stake and getting endangered.

Organizer: Public Health Engineering Department, Govt. of West Bengal,
                   Ministry of drinking Water and Sanitation, Govt. of India

Description:
Public Health Engineering Department, Government of West Bengal in collaboration with Ministry of Drinking water and sanitation, Government of India is organizing an “International Conference on Water Quality with Special reference to Arsenic” in Kolkata on February 18-19, 2012 followed by a field visit on February 20, 2012. The meeting is being supported by several International agencies like WHO, UNICEF, World Bank-WSP, UNU and others. We expect several renowened National, International experts & participants to be there.

Organizer: Assam Agricultural University

Venue: Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara campus, Guwahati

Description:
The North East Regional Agriculture Fair 2012 is being organized by the Assam Agricultural University from February 10 to February 12 at the College of Veterinary Science Play Ground, Khanapara, Guwahati on the theme ‘North East Marches towards Food Security’. 

Organizer: Ecosan Services Foundation (ESF),
                  A.T.I. (Uttarakhand Academy of Administration), Nainital

Venue: Uttarakhand Academy of Administration, Nainital

Description:
Water resources are under increasing pressure. Population growth, urbanization and a steep increase in water consumption for domestic uses, agriculture and industry has created a water crisis. Climate change is exacerbating the problems of water availability. This scenario leads to water scarcity and water-conflicts worldwide and seriously undermines progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.