Governance

The Bagmati Calling : I am reporting from the south bank of the Bagmati near Benipur in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar.

As the Indian economy grows at a rapid 9 per cent, the use of water by industries will also grow at 9 per cent. While agricultural use of water will continue to remain the largest consumer, it is expected that the demand from industries will show a rapid increase. Industries demand water at a point and also discharge water at a point and therefore sustainable management of water by industries is not only crucial to the industry itself but to the neighbourhood where the ind ustry is located. The Confederation of Indian Industries , CII , recently organised its National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2007 competition in the Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad (http://www.ciionline.org/, www.ciigbc.org) . A range of industries participated in the competition organised in two categories - 'Within the fence' and 'Beyond the fence'. The way many industries highlighted their projects was an indication on how serious they consider the management of water resources. That it is identified as one of the key resources, apart from energy to be looked at as a critical input for sustaining growth, doesn't come as a surprise. Source to sink

The latest issue of SANDRP's newsletter contains the following: Solar Power Boom Bihar Floods 2007: Some lessons for everyone Power Options: New Look Required 11th Five Year Plan: Why it may not a

Not much was expected of the UN Climate Change Conference that took place in Bali, Indonesia, since developed and developing nations have been at loggerheads over a range of interrelated issues since the earlier Kyoto Conference: setting hard targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, funding afforestation efforts in the developing world, deciding who should cut back more or pay more for damage repair , historical offenders in the developed world or newly emerging villains in the developing and so on. Besides, the Bali meet was only going to consider the idea of negotiating further on these issues.

How polluted are our rivers? Assessments vary, but all point to serious contamination.

South Africa: New Water Management System in Cape BuaNews (Tshwane) 5 December 2007 Cape Town The City of Cape Town is introducing a new water demand management system for its residents. It consists of a water management device, which is installed in residents' houses, and a central control team in the City administration that regulates the functioning of these devices with the help of a computer set up. "This system will help our customers to save water and to manage their monthly water bills, and it will help the city to manage debt," the city council said. It will also help residents to identify any leaks and have them fixed, instead of running up a huge water bill and then being unable to pay.

The recent issue of their newsletter is now available at their website: http://www.water.org/waterpartners.aspx?pgID=909 It contains information of partner NGOs success stories, case studies and water and sanitation issues.

Waterscapes: Cultural Politics of a Natural Resource edited by Amita Baviskar