Contamination, Pollution and Quality

The Sachetana Drinking Water Plus project implemented by the BAIF Institute of Rural Development (BIRD-K), in three districts of Karnataka, aims to solve the problem of endemic fluorosis in the region, by providing an alternate source of water and by improving the quality of groundwater.

This report is a mid-term assessment of the project in Mundargi taluk of Gadag district of Karnataka, undertaken to understand and document the decentralized fluoride mitigation strategy adopted in the project villages and to analyze the impact on the groundwater levels and water quality as a result of the project's efforts.

Small Grants and Fellowships Available for Work on Toxicity, Waste and Pollution in India

Environmental Equity and Justice Partnership (EEJP) announces the launch of second phase of its grant program. Over next three years the program will work towards ‘securing environmental justice, especially for poor and the marginalized who are often expected to bear more than their share of environmental burdens’.

Towards the attainment of this larger goal, EEJP strives to catalyse grassroots initiatives, trigger new imagination and perspectives, encourage crossover linkages, and provide greater opportunities to connect to environmental thinking. This it seeks to accomplish through its two components -- Environmental Small Grants (for organisations) and Environmental Fellowship (for individuals)

(Last to last year in frustration, this letter came out. Now when Commonwealth Games are at the door Mother Yamuna is asking for justice on her death bed)

Revered Citizens of India,

I am mother of one sixth of humanity, But now a stigma on my own sons. My own sons are raping me for their own prosperity and development. I want to tell you what is my story and what are my ideas while sitting on the death bed.

My story starts from a myth and a reality. My sons believe that I came from heaven while scientists say that I have originated from the glaciers of Himalayas. I believe in both. My father is Himalaya and I originate from Yamunotari glacier, now in state of Uttarakhand. My birth was considered as the end of vows of Aryan civilization. The oldest civilization started flourishing on my banks and sister Ganges also supported this cause. World’s greatest religion was founded in my territory.

A recent study monitoring water quality of river Ganga in Hardwar shows that it does not meet the standards for outdoor bathing set by the Central Pollution Control Board. This is primarily due to the continuing discharge of untreated wastewater and effluents from various drains directly into the river. The outfall from the sewage treatment plant (STP) at Jagjeetpur alone releases about 129 million litres daily (MLD) into the Ganga with a fecal coliform concentration of about 34 million/100ml!

Scientists from People’s Science Institute (PSI) took samples from 10 drains falling into river Ganga at different locations in Hardwar on January 2^nd and 3^rd, 2010 along with samples of the river water at 3 locations.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

(Under Procurement Rules of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India)

For - DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS, CERTIFICATION, TEST PROCEDURES AND TEST FACILITIES

Under the - UNDP/GEF GLOBAL SOLAR WATER HEATING MARKET TRANSFORMATION AND STRENGTHENING INITIATIVE: INDIA COUNTRY PROGRAM

Case Studies on Groundwater Management from Indiatogether.org

• The unique water tunnel of Sheni
• A stream resumes year-round flow
• Mining away the river
• A 'Gurukula' for surangas
• IN PICTURES - Surangas, manmade caves to tap underground water
• Don't dig down

Western Uttar Pradesh with the National Capital Territory has been blessed to be located in the doab of the holy River Ganga and River Yamuna. This region famous as one of the most fertile regions over the Globe has always been lased with immense natural resources and a green cover all over. The region has over half a dozen rivers flowing through it and is sanctified with over a lakh small and big water sources. But the recent past has seen these sources extensively being polluted.

Kanpur, November 24, 2009: Shri Alok Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, UP Urban Development and Environment, inaugurated the workshop organized by WWF India, Kanpur Nagar Nigam and IIT Kanpur.

Invitation

Proposals for workshop paper and poster presentations for the World Water Week are welcome from experts and actors in different disciplines. The deadline for abstract submittal is February 15, 2010 . Abstracts are welcome on the specific workshop themes listed below and described on pages 10-13.

Workshop Themes:

• Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control
• Shortcutting Historical Pollution Trends
• Water Quality for Human Health
• Improved Water Use Efficiency through Recycling and Reuse
• Management of Groundwater Abstraction and Pollution
• Minimising Land Use Based Pollution
• Resilience, Uncertainty and Tipping Points
• Origins, Pathways and Accumulation of Pollutants –