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If you don't clean our shit, then who will?
Manual scavenging continues to exist in India even 67 years after Independence. Is it due to the lack of laws, lack of alternatives or lack of will? Posted on 16 Feb, 2014 10:53 PM

"Swaraj is a meaningless term, if we desire to keep a fifth of India under perpetual subjection, and deliberately deny to them the fruits of national culture". - Mahatma Gandhi

A manual scavenger at work (Source:Flickr Commons)
New crop insurance scheme for Pudukottai, TN
Policy matters this week: Crop scheme for Pudukottai gets govt. approval; Delhi govt. plans to revive defunct RWH system in schools; NGT orders vigil against illegal coastal sand mining. Posted on 10 Feb, 2014 07:06 PM

Pudukottai gets crop insurance scheme to mitigate nature's fury

Villagers planting paddy crops (Source: Wikipedia)
Red Hills reservoir leaks Chennai's water supply!
News this week: Chennai's Red Hills reservoir is leaking water; quantum of uranium in 'Thummalapalle' groundwater poses no threat to people; Kerala has the cleanest Anganwadi toilets. Posted on 10 Feb, 2014 04:49 PM

Chennai's drinking water seeps down the drain

A reservoir in Tamil Nadu (Source: Wikipedia)
Farm like the rishis!
Raju and Shalini Titus have been engaged in no-till farming for over 23 years. Contrary to pop wisdom, their net income has gone up because of increased yields and a reduction in input costs. Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 08:20 PM

It all started in the eighties when Friends Rural Centre, a group of Gandhian Quakers in Rasuliya village, near Hoshanagabad, Madhya Pradesh came in contact with Masanobu Fukuoka.

Results of no till farming; Image: Titus
When natural forests prevailed in Himachal
Veteran activist Kulbhushan Upmanyu talks about how the people of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh campaigned to protect the region's natural forests as well as their own rights. Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 07:51 PM

The mountain states are at a loss when it comes to a defined livelihood option for its inhabitants. Himachal Pradesh is no different. While the upper reaches of the state have excelled in growing niche products like apple and chilgoza (a variety of pine nut), areas like Chamba that are below 4000 metres, have to depend on farming.

Himachal's forests help conserve springs
The primary caretakers of water?
Women have always had an important role in water management. A study in South Sikkim aims to find out if topography, in addition to gender, influences access to water. Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 07:48 PM

Gender influences access to water to a high degree throughout the world, a fact recognised in the Dublin Principles but how does topography influence this access? This study detailed in this post aims to find the answer to this question.

The women of Sikkim manage their water resources
Engineering witchcraft in Bihar
The Bhutahi Balan, a tributary of the Kosi may be a small river but it has caused immense devastation. Dinesh Mishra says that embankments aren't the answer to this problem. Posted on 09 Feb, 2014 07:46 PM

It's been years since Bhutahi Balan, a small tributary of the Kosi river in Madhubani, North Bihar, has been causing devastation on both its banks. Dinesh Mishra in his book 'Story of a ghost river and engineering witchcraft' objectively analyses the failure of embankments, which are raised banks to contain the river's flooding.

Devastation due to floods
Pooling borewells and opportunities
Groundwater use is synonymous with individual rights. Malkaipeta Thanda, a village in Andhra Pradesh, has shown the opposite-that a community can share and benefit from it too. Posted on 03 Feb, 2014 12:48 PM

Gamalibai is a farmer in Malkaipeta Thanda, a small tribal hamlet of the Lambadi community in Ibrahimpur village, Ranga Reddy district in Andhra Pradesh. She does not have much in common with the image of the hearty, prosperous farmer that beams at us from posters selling agricultural machinery.

Gamalibai on her farm
Do we need so much energy?
"Understanding the legitimate demand for electricity is key in reducing the burden on water resources in India", says Shankar Sharma, a power policy analyst. Posted on 03 Feb, 2014 08:11 AM

The power sector has a large impact on the amount of water consumed. Certain processes in coal power plants require large amounts of water. In India, most of these power plants are installed in coastal areas. These plants draw ocean water, desalinate it and bring it to the required quality of water for the turbines and then re-use it.

Effluents greatly affect marine life
Painting Mumbai blue!
Drop Dead', a foundation started by Aabid Surti that offers free plumbing services to residents of Mumbai, saves water one drop at a time. Posted on 02 Feb, 2014 10:12 PM

Aabid Surti who lives in Mira Road, a Mumbai suburb, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Hindi Sahitya Sanstha by the Uttar Pradesh Government in 2007. He has multiple creative talents. He is a painter, cartoonist, author, playwright and water warrior.

Water warrior?!

Drop Dead Foundation Volunteers
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