News and Articles

This document provides the details of the policy statement on environmental protection and conservation of resources by the Government of West Bengal in the light of the environmental concerns emerging because of a large number of developmental projects starting in the state in the near future.

This document informs of the mechanisms through which development, conservation and management functions related to water as a natural resource are carried out in India.

The document provides the details of the institutions responsible for water management:

• At the central level
• At the state level

Most of the rivers and streams in urban India are dead. With a very few and rare exceptions, these once-beautiful water bodies have been encroached upon, sources dried up or converted into sewage drains all over the country.Water is being sourced or pumped from sites upstream of the city for its needs or from long distances and the city administration has little incentive for cleaning its own muck. The dismal figures of urban sewage treated by sewage treatment plants, their installed capacity and efficiency stand testimony to this.

This report under the WHiRL research project by the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) identifies the potential unintended impacts of water harvesting so that, if at all possible they are avoided altogether, but if these do occur, they are recognised at an early stage and steps are taken to mitigate their affects. It highlights evidence that is emerging about water harvesting in semi-arid areas, on how water if used inappropriately, can lead to inequitable access to water resources and, in the extreme, to unreliable drinking water supplies.

The latest news indicates that the monsoons and the flood situation has receded in most parts of India except in the North East where Manipur valley continues to suffer from incessant rains and flooding with attempts being started at flood management.

The Kisan Swaraj Yatra has been initiated by the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA). This is a loose alliance of scores of groups across the country, drawn from more than 20 states. The network consists of farmers’ organizations, consumer groups, women’s organizations, environmental organizations, organic farmers’ cooperatives, individual scientists, doctors, health activists and others.

Water for Industry

• Orissa: Jajpur and Kendrapara districts in the grip of water crisis due to indiscriminate use of water by industries in Kalinga Nagar

Climate Change/Environment

• Green India Mission (GMI) document submitted to Prime Ministers Council as a part of the country’s plan to fight climate change

This document provides the details of The Constitution (Seventy-Fourth Amendment) Act.

The document includes:

• The short title and commencement
• Definitions of the terms in the Act
• Constitution of Municipalities
• Composition of the Municipalities
• Constitution and composition of wards committees
• Reservation of seats
• Duration of Municipalities
• Disqualifications for membership
• Powers, authority and responsibilities of municipalities
• Finance Commission
• Audit of accounts of Municipalities
• Elections to the Municipalities
• Application to Union Territories
• Committee for district planning
• Committee for metropoliton planning 
• Continuance of existing laws and municipalities
• Bar to interference by courts in electoral matters

Guest post by Parineeta Dandekar

While this news item was about to be published, Pune received heavy rains on the 4th of October (highest in the last 118 years, 104 mm in 40 minutes and 181.3 mm in 24 hours). While the city administration stressed that this was a cloud burst, this claim was quashed by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). This was said to a rare event, which was experienced in many places in Maharashtra.

10 people lost their lives to these rains, including three young children and a 25 year old Ph D researcher, Agnimitra Bannerjee, from National Chemical Laboratory, who was washed away in a channelised nallah stretch. Channels prove to be much more dangerous as the velocity of water is high and there is nothing to hold on to, in case a person falls in one of these fast-flowing nallah channels.