News and Articles

Recognizing the national and global imperatives for regenerating natural resources and conserving ecosystems, the Ministry of Rural Development requested UNDP to examine the environmental implications of its schemes and assess the potential of these schemes to deliver green results.

Many of these systems (1) continue to function and are often more sustainable, cost-effective and successfully managed by local institutions. Phads are one such community-based and managed diversion irrigation management system (2) prevailing in the north-western part of Maharashtra and date back to the early 16^th century as per historical accounts. The system is prevalent in the Tapi basin on rivers the Panjhra, Mosam and Aram in Dhule and Nashik districts (3).

Phads or diversion-based irrigation systems, are being revived and promoted in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra by Dilasa, a Yavatmal-based voluntary development organisation (Video courtesy: Dilasa)

Increasing rice yields and saving water: Lessons for policy and practice - The System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

This paper in Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) by Patrik Oskarsson deals with the bauxite (aluminium) project which is very similar to the Vedanta project in Odisha and is coming up in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.

AnRak Aluminium, a company of the government of Rasal-Khaimah of the United Arab Emirates and Penna Cement of AP has secured approval for both an aluminium complex and the bauxite mines, but the final forest clearance for the mines is awaited.

The AnRak project has replicated the Vedanta model of first building the refinery and then setting up the mine. The mine is to be operated by the state government to circumvent the ban on non-tribal landownership.

This paper by Vandana Asthana in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) examines the lived experiences of displaced women based on the empirical findings of research that looks at women displaced by the construction of the Tehri Dam and their relocation elsewhere.

Low external input and sustainable agriculture (LEISA) India has come up with a collection of  alternative ways of combating desertification in the fragile region of the country in its recent issue. The articles are success stories of such intiatives by farmers and NGOs. 

This paper in Indian Journal of Public Health sheds light on the specific impact of arsenic on health of children based on the review of literature on the subject. The effects of chronic arsenic toxicity under the following aspects:

• Psychological
• Skin abnormalities
• Lung diseases
• Defect in intellectual function
• Genetic issues

Urban infrastructure is poised for some major changes in the country with the current trends of rising levels of urbanisation. However, both Urban Local Bodies (UBL) and water utilities are not fully prepared to meet with the challenge due to their dependence on old governance structures based on public management.