Ecology and Environment

India is the largest user of groundwater resources in the world. It is estimated that approximately 230 cubic kilometers per year is used annually, this is more than a quarter of the total world consumption from this resource.

It is in this context that this World Bank report looks at the reasons for this quantum of groundwater usage.

The report delves into socio-economic and political reasons and looks at policies which inadvertently promote so much extraction. The report also analyses various attempts to manage this resource. These attempts range from government and international agency efforts directed to grassroots mobilisations. Finally the report comes out with suggestions to deal with this crisis.

This Current Science paper uses secondary data to discuss the disappearance of the river Saraswati. The enigma that was the disappearance of this river, which according to the author once upon a time greened Rajasthan and had nurtured civilizations on its shore, brought archaeologists, geologists, geophysicists, and climatologists to find answers. The author uses the body of work created by these scientists to solve the puzzle of the disappearance of the Saraswati.

The process of economic development typically leads to environmental problems, which are becoming more serious because of the interacting effects of increasing industrialization and urbanization and poor enviornmental planning and management practices.

This course has been therefore designed to highlight the application value of the theory and practice of Environmental Planning and Management as followed internationally.

RANWA (Research and Action in Natural Wealth Administration) is an NGO having objectives that include environmental research, education and activism.

Under the Naturalist Scholarship Program 2011, it encourages students to apply for the programme by submitting the concept note of the project on the following themes:

• Biodiversity assessment and conservation
• Environmental issues in Konkan

Building bye-laws are a set of standards used to regulate various facets of a building everything from its design to its safety features. In these 'Model Building Bye-Laws', the Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO) under the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has created a guide for State Governments, Urban Local Bodies, Development Authorities to help them play a more effective role in enforcing the implementation of the master plans.

This presentation prepared by the founders of Parivartan, a Kanpur based NGO, deals with the organisation's efforts to improve the sanitation system of the town by involving local citizenry.

Captain SC Tripathi, the founder of Parivartan explains that his organisation is based on a 'collective' model where in all aspects from ideation to implementation is a collective effort. This model seemed appropriate considering the different problems that Kanpur was facing ranging from sanitation issues to drainage, power outages etc. Added to this was political and official apathy, indifference and cynicism of citizenry.

The first report titled “Heavy metal burden in coastal marine sediments of north west coast of India in relation to pollution” by M A Rokade, University of Mumbai uses the data on contaminants including metals in seawater, marine sediments and biota for the Mumbai- Bassein region, a high

This study provides interventions to solving the sanitation crisis in the holy town of Pandharpur, situated on the banks of the Chandrabagha/Bhima river, in the state of Maharashtra, which receives more than 1.5 crore devotees annually. On any given day there are approximately 20,000 pilgrims in this Class B town. This vast floating population creates massive sanitation problems leading to environmental and hygiene issues.  The study forms part of the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board's 'Environmental Improvement Programme at Religious Places in Maharashtra' project.