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News and Articles
Action plan workshop for the rejuvenation and sustenance of the Arkavathi river basin - Discussion summary and research papers (2009)
Posted on 12 Mar, 2010 04:14 AMA one-day “Action plan workshop for the rejuvenation and sustenance of Arkavathi river basin”, was organised on 25th July 2009, by the Global Academy of Technology and Geological Society of India at Bangalore, to discuss the future of the dying Arkavathi river and Bangalore's precarious water situation, and to develop concurrent implementable action plans to address the problem. The Arkavathi is a tributary of the river Kaveri, originating in Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur district, that provides about 20% of the total water requirements of Bangalore, with Kaveri providing the remaining 80%.
Jaltarang, a celebration of World Wetlands Day - An update from TERI's wetland management program in Navi Mumbai
Posted on 11 Mar, 2010 10:45 PM
The satellite township of Navi Mumbai, with a total area of 344 km2, was developed in 1972 by CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation) to de-congest the city of Mumbai. Initially a marshy land interspersed with villages, Navi Mumbai has been developed into a planned township, with much of its marshes and freshwater wetlands being converted into urban infrastructure.
Navi Mumbai is a rapidly developing twin city. In the course of development, it was realized that more emphasis needs to be given towards the preservation and sustainable management of the freshwater wetlands it harbours. Given the vulnerability of these wetlands and their resource potential, there is an urgent need to develop a framework for sustainable use of freshwater wetlands. This requires efficient management systems and development of sustainable models, which would help maintain the natural characteristics of wetlands while also exploiting its potential to meet the socio-economic and recreational needs of communities. To tackle this important aspect, TERI conceptualized a pilot project with active support of CIDCO in October 2008. The Khandeshwar Lake was chosen as a model to demonstrate the feasibility as a ‘sustainable wetland’.
The attached presentation is an update on the work taken up and impact achieved since the start of the project, and includes details from the World Wetlands Day celebration organised on 2 February 2010. Details of TERI's wetland management program are here.
State Government of Bihar is inviting comments from the public, on the Bihar State Water Policy Draft (2009)
Posted on 11 Mar, 2010 05:06 AMIn the context of the guidelines of the revised National Water Policy (2002) which require the states to prepare a comprehensive state-level water policy, and also the need to pay special attention towards the construction of new irrigation projects, along with water management, land management, food management, floods management, ecological balance etc, in the context of the various new developments and problems being faced by the state of Bihar over the last decade or so, the Water Resources Department of the State Government of Bihar has prepared a draft State Water Policy (2009) and is inviting comments from the general public.
The Vand women of Kachchh - A case study on drinking water management from the work of Samerth Trust in Kutch, Gujarat
Posted on 07 Mar, 2010 02:23 AMThis case study is about Samerth's efforts to achieve drinking water security, in participation with local village communities in Rapar, Kachchh (Gujarat). Arghyam has been collaborating with Samerth on this effort since 2007.
The Vand Women of Kachchh: Guest post by Keya Acharya
She gazes unflinchingly with direct eyes into the camera with a feminine mystique and physique that could, be gracing the front cover of a beauty magazine. Her red, mirror-worked blouse, in the traditional Kachchhi style worn by tribal women, is strapped at the back in stringed bows, greatly practical in the dry, wilting heat of that arid expanse of land in hinterland Gujarat called Kachchh. Her skirt is a colourful hue of printed green, and her ‘dupatta’ is a blazing red piece of cloth swept forward from her waist, partially covering her back, brought over her head and tucked back demurely into her waist again. Her name is Ammi.
The best part of the story - A case study on drinking water management from the work of Samerth Trust in Kutch, Gujarat
Posted on 07 Mar, 2010 02:18 AMThis case study is about Samerth's efforts to achieve drinking water security, in participation with local village communities in Rapar, Kachchh (Gujarat). Arghyam has been collaborating with Samerth on this effort since 2007.
The Best Part of the Story: Guest post by Keya Acharya
The landscape is barren in parts with just high heat and sun-bleached sand, the hallmarks of wastelands; in other parts there is some semblance of agriculture, with jowar, bajra and sometimes castor growing in small patches of mild green, without the lushness that good watering provides.
And in the middle of this landscape there appears, like an oasis without the accompanying palms, the ‘Tinnavahd talab’, a drinking water pond constructed by the community at Rabarkar vand, near Lakhagarh village in Rapar taluk of Kutch district. Inside the pond there is a dugwell, constructed on the pond bed.
Entry 56 of List I and Entry 17 under list II of seventh schedule - Ministry of Water Resources (2010)
Posted on 04 Mar, 2010 02:22 PMEntry 56 of List I of Seventh Schedule provides that "Regulation and development of inter-State rivers and river valleys to the extent to which such regulation and development under the control of the Union is declared by Parliament by law to be expedient in the public interest".
Original document can be viewed here on the Ministry of Water Resources website
Hydrogeological studies for improved groundwater management strategies in the dryland areas underlain by Deccan basalts - ACWADAM
Posted on 02 Mar, 2010 05:18 PM
This detailed hydro-geological action research study in ten villages of Eastern Purandar taluka in Pune district (which is classified as a dark zone due to excessive groundwater exploitation) gives a good picture of groundwater resources in the area, and complements it with allied information such as weather data, socio-economic details, thematic groundwater maps, aquifer information, groundwater usage and its recharge-discharge relationship in space-time. The study was undertaken by ACWADAM and GGP, with a purpose to provide a platform for implementing agencies for on-the-ground action towards better groundwater management practice through community based efforts, as well as to advocate the typology of groundwater problems, that require specific approaches for mitigation.
The starts with a basic introduction to the study area, objectives and methodology adopted, and is followed by sections on the accumulation and movement of groundwater and the situational base. These two sections have details about the drainage, geology and hydro-geology of the region, groundwater over-exploitation, groundwater salinity, community-based groundwater systems, groundwater characteristics, base flow in streams, water quality, weather, pumping tests, hydro-chemical characteristics, pollution indicators, socio-economic aspects, remote sensing maps and more.
The study recommends that to improve the groundwater situation in the area, new soil/water conservation structures be built in the upper reaches of the watershed, and focus for the existing soil/water conservation structures be on maintenance and repairs. It concludes with a list of specific action-recommendations based on three typologies - groundwater over-exploitation, inland groundwater salinity and community-based groundwater management.This detailed hydro-geological action research study in ten villages of Eastern Purandar taluka in Pune district (which is classified as a dark zone due to excessive groundwater exploitation) by ACWADAM gives a good picture of groundwater resources in the area, and complements it with allied information such as weather data, socio-economic details, thematic groundwater maps, aquifer information, groundwater usage and its recharge-discharge relationship in space-time.
Workshop on developments in waterless urinals technology on 6th March 2010
Posted on 01 Mar, 2010 04:55 PMIIT Delhi is organizing a “Workshop on Developments in Waterless Urinals Technology” on 6th March 2010 (Saturday) at MicroModel Complex of IIT Delhi between 10 AM and 4 PM.
The objective of the proposed workshop is to create awareness on the possibilities and potential of Waterless Urinals Technology among different stakeholders such as policy makers, practitioners, manufacturers and the general public.
Wetland mapping and conservation: Use of GIS
Posted on 01 Mar, 2010 04:35 PMGuest post by Sangeeta Deogawanka
February 2nd, designated as World Wetlands Day, has quietly slipped by with isolated events that speak of the lackadaisical attitude towards this rich ecosystem.
With 67,429 wetlands covering an area of about 5.5 million hectares, [Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), 1990], the wetland systems in India are diverse, found in high altitude cold zones, the hot and humid coastal areas or occurring as scattered inland wetland systems.
Pollution of River Ganga, its control and preservation
Posted on 01 Mar, 2010 03:54 PMI recall the day two months before, when I had the opportunity to attend a seminar at the outskirt of Delhi. The hot topics, to be bothered and discussed in the gathering was: “Pollution of River Ganga & its Control and Preservation” (i.e. Ganga ka Pradushan … Ganga Bachao”).
And so, so early reached at the venue ignoring the shivering cold weather. However, it happened so, probably due to the chilly cold situations, that VIPs- honourable guests and invited respected audience reached one by one…. at last to conclude it to be ‘a late affair’!