Rivers

The chapter on Water Resources from the Chhatisgarh State of the Environment Report, 2004 begins with a discussion of the problems in the State like (a) limited irrigation potential created (b) unbalanced irrigable land to cultivable land ratio in districts (c) low budget for maintenance of created irrigation facilities and (d) over-dependence on paddy cultivation.

The Andhra Pradesh State of the Environment Report is available at the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) cell of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) here. 

The case study of the irrigation infrastructure of Tungabhadra river zooms in on the river, to examine the various schemes on it. Taking the particular case of the Tungabhadra in the Krishna river basin and following the river flow as it is subject to various schemes in time and space, it shows how simmering tensions are likely to manifest as full-fledged conflicts. 

This paper on Bundelkhand from their Water and Sanitation Perspective series of WaterAid presents how ecological degradation and faulty policies make drinking water scarce and less accessible.

This deals with the proceedings of the first stakeholder meeting held under the STRIVER project for the Tungabhadra River Basin. The meeting involved representatives from different stakeholder groups like the Irrigation Departments and Command Area Development Agencies (CADAs), Forest Department, Pollution Control Board, Fisheries Department, NGOs and civil society groups from the Tungabhadra basin, representatives of Water User Associations and farmers. Only the representation from industries was lacking in this meeting.

The following map from South Asia Network on Dams Rivers & People gives a schematic sketch of the Bagmati Breach site near Tajpur in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district.   

Queries, request for information & additional clarifications can be sought via the comments section.

Download here: Rapid assessment report - Tilak Tajpur Panchayat

The google map at this URL shows Runi Sayedpur and Sitamarhi, along national highway 77: http://tinyurl.com/lxwfmj

1) A presentation from the Central Water Commission of the Government of India studying the flood problem on the Bagmati and making some recommendations:

flood-management-in-bagmati-basin

Image and Content Courtesy: Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India Guest Post by: K J Joy, Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India The Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India (Forum to be brief) is happy to invite you to the “The Mullaperiyar conflict: Meeting to understand issues and explore a common ground” to be held on 4th August 2009 between 4 to 8 pm at Constitutional Club, New Delhi. The Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India is a collaborative effort of many organisations and individuals in the country working on water and especially on water conflicts. The Forum’s work is guided by a Steering Committee and Advisory Committee consisting of some of the important names in the water sector in the country. The Forum began its work in 2004-05 and in the initial couple of years the main focus was to understand different types of conflicts in the country and took up extensive documentation of conflicts across the country. The cases have now been published as a book by Routledge, “Water Conflicts in India: A Million Revolts in the Making”. Presently the Forum is engaged more in activities that can help in resolving conflicts or making them more tractable through scientific studies and dialogue amongst the conflicting parties. The Forum has also taken the initiative to set up two groups of experts to work on two important issues related to water conflicts in the country, namely, 1) water allocations for livelihood needs and ecosystem needs; and 2) the legal-institutional framework for conflict resolution. The Forum aims to take up these issues for wider discussion and debate so that certain degree of social consensus can be built around these two critical issues. Some of the Forum partners are also engaged in active conflict resolution in their respective states. The Forum does believe that with scientific inputs and a spirit of cooperation and dialogue amongst the conflicting parties most of the conflicts around water can be resolved. It is in this spirit that the Forum has taken the initiative to organize this meeting on the Mullaperiyar conflict.