Conservation - Reducing Water Usage

The initiative aims at:

This presentation by Parryware Division of E I D Parry (India) Limited deals with water saving avenues which the company is focusing on. It begins with a presentation of some facts related to water and the products which the company is focusing on - coupled closets, European water closets, wash basins, taps and urinals.

A member of the PLC Watsan group Dhani behn, has built an Ecosan toilet for herself - one of the first in Gujarat-about a year back. This is one of the best toilets on Ecosan I have seen and the simple and elegant story of the same is hugely impressive. It is located in Bhavnagar Saurashtra - Gujarat. She was part of an exposure visit of PLC WatSan to a MYRADA project in Karnataka implementing ecosan. She has one simple reason for use of the toilet- it's less use of water. Even with a twin pit pour flush about 5 litres of water gets used for a single flush and in a day 20 to 25 litres of water can get flushed by one person. Even this is too much in arid and semi arid Gujarat. The transfer of knowledge has resulted in an elegant solution to an otherwise vexing issue that can be made applicable on a larger scale across the state. There exists tremendous interest in Eco-san from other parts of Gujarat too including the coast with its high and saline water table and the tribal hamlets with its hard rock terrain and the rest with a lot of water shortage.

It gives me great pleasure to share with you the news of the recognition by the State of the work done by Dr Baharul Mazumder by bestowing the Acharya PC Ray award to Dr Baharul Majumder. One of the greatest learnings that I have had in understanding SRI is the recognition that despite having some of the most uncreative structures such as the ICAR in science research in India, people like Baharul are able to show what could and should be the real relation between science and democracy. When we had the 2nd national symposium in Tripura in Oct 2007 we coined this phrase 'Small state: Big results'. It is quite possible that many such small initiatives exist in other parts of the country too. I think the award is not only a recognition for SRI but also for new roles for agricultural scientists such as Baharul. It is not often that the Department of Science and Technology feels called upon to recognise the work of agricultural scientists. That the award is named after PC Ray, the scientist who was active in the freedom movement, makes it even more special.

The workshop notes are a record of the actual ground level experiences, understandings/misunderstandings and conversations regarding the floods in North Bihar.

The attached files below are the set of the workshop notes. We welcome comments which will passed back to Barh Mukti Abhiyan.

A series of Press Releases from sources indicate the progress on the matter of the Ganga River Basin Authority. It makes for an informative read with a candid discussion in the comments section!

Ganga River Basin Authority for Comprehensive Management of the Ganga Basin

PIB Friday, February 20, 2009
Ministry of Environment and Forests

 AUTHORITY ENSURES DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS IN SUSTAINABLE MANNER ENSURING ECOLOGICAL FLOWS IN GANGA

The Government today announced the setting up of a National Ganga River Basin Authority. A statement to this effect was made in Parliament by Shri Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment & Forests. A Notification in this regard is also being issued by the Government.

The calendar features images from the VigyanVijay's Eco-water literacy project titled  "Youth for Water". VigyanVijay's Eco-water literacy project titled "Youth for Water", in the progress of awareness to youth of different age groups, has evolved a network of institutions with water elements in the NCR- Delhi region. Among these sites, 12 of them have been selected for conducting Eco-water Trails (walks). At each of these selected sites, various key elements were identified for conducting "Water Trials"to the lead volunteers and teachers with keen interest for taking the messages to youth and the communities they are associated with.

Here is a slightly long and complex paper but the sum and substance of it seems to be that Solar Disinfection (SODIS) combined with Nimbu pani is excellent to reduce e-coli count and inactivate it substantially. Nimbu paani also serves as an indicator that the water has been SODISED.

Water conservation is an important part of responsible living. Water is a precious resource which is not to be squandered. Fortunately, there are a number of really easy ways to save water without a whole lot of hassle, and some of the best are listed here!

In the Kitchen Cut down on water usage in your kitchen using these methods. 1. Wash only on a full load: This is true for both washers and dishwashers. By washing in bulk, you'll cut down on the number of cycles you need to run. Also important to keep in mind is the fact that most dishwashers on a full load can clean dishes more efficiently than a hand wash. 2. Cut down on your disposal: Instead of using your disposal, start a compost pile for food waste. 3. Buy foods close to their natural form: Water is needed to produce just about everything from Coke to boxed mashed potatoes. You can cut down on your water consumption by avoiding processed foods that require lots of water to make.

The advantage of aerobic rice explained. Arghyam (http://www.arghyam.org) supports this initiative through a student grant support. The project is lead by Prof. Shashidhar Reddy with a grant from the Rockefeller foundation. The student receives a small grant from the Krishi Vidya Nirantara to support his thesis work under Prof Shashidhar Reddy.