Governance

"Arrest of a multi-millionaire deputy director Neeraj Kumar Khatri has apparently blown the lid of what could possibly be a scam involving clearances in the environment ministry. The CBI on Thursday found Rs. 1 crore in cash from Khatri’s homes in Gurgaon and Rohtak, a day after he was arrested on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs.

Biotoilets are biological toilets, named so because they convert human waste into non toxic, non contaminating water compatible with environmental standards, through application of multi strain bacteria culture, using aerobic forms of bacteria.

This side event at the Convention on Biological Diversity, CoP-XI, Hyderabad on 16^th October, 2012 was organized by South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy (SADED) in collaboration with Collective for Self Learning on Biodiversity, Beyond Copenhagen, Center for Local Health Traditions, CECOEDECON, Harit Swaraaj, Kisan Swar

Organizers

What happens when two or more states are dependent on same water resource for agricultural purposes ? Do the states compete for the resource or are their needs sufficiently different from each other? What are the consequences of the competition for this precious resource?

This article sheds light on the dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, for sharing Cauvery river water. The ongoing tussle between the two states has seen a lot of unrest amongst farmers in  form of dharnas, protests, rail roko and non-cooperation by citizens, and disagreement with the agreements made by their respective governments and unending negotiations by governments involved, to come to a mutually agreeable decision.

This report in Hindi by Rehmat and Makarand Purohit of Manthan Adhyayan Kendra deals with the water sector reforms, in particular with the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) scheme being undertaken in Badwani, Madhya Pradesh.

Prolonged and recurrent drought, being experienced in India and various parts of south Asia, is the manifestation of climate change, partly caused by human interventions. Drought has been one of the primary reasons for widespread poverty and environmental degradation including deteriorating water quality and water security. The world has been more drought-prone during the past 25 years and the vulnerability of tropical countries to drought is likely to increase (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007).

Industrial effluents and sewage water are being diverted to the river Ganga by the cities and towns through which it passes. Nestled on the banks of Ganga, Kanpur, a highly urbanized and industrial city is polluting it most. Apart from the Government of India’s recently constituted National Ganga River Basin Authority, civil societies and NGOs too are putting rigorous efforts to make Ganga pollution free. Though the city has several big and small industries, the leather industries located in Jajmau, the oldest part of the city add to the problem of pollution in the river to a large extent.