Society, Culture, Religion and History

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October 8, 2023 While the current push for legal personhood for rivers is facing obstacles and is stalled, it holds potential as a viable long-term strategy for the preservation of India's rivers
River quality deteriorates as demand for hydropower to support economic growth continues to expand. (Image: Yogendra Singh Negi, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
June 16, 2023 Majuli serves as a symbol of both the delicate balance between human activity and the environment and the tenacity of its residents
Addressing various aspects of women's lives to enhance their social, economic, and political status (Image: Rebuild India Fund)
January 13, 2022 The water structures constructed during the Gond period continue to survive the test of time and provide evidence of the water wisdom of our ancestors.
Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)
January 2, 2021 Lack of community ownership and local governance are spelling doom for the once royal and resilient traditional water harvesting structures of Rajasthan.
Toorji Ka Jhalara, Jodhpur (Image Source: Rituja Mitra)
December 7, 2020 The new farm related bills will spell doom for women workers who form the bulk of small and marginal sections of Indian agriculture, warns Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).
Farm women, overworked and underpaid (Image Source: India Water Portal)
December 11, 2019 Dry toilets have long been hailed as a sustainable solution to the sanitation and waste management crisis facing India today, but have been overshadowed by more modern toilet designs.
A traditional dry toilet. Image: India Science Wire
Hi-tech vs low-tech in the water sector in the village of Dandiganahalli near Bangalore - Article by S. Vishwanath
Dandiganahalli, very close to Bangalore, has a problem of high TDS in its water, meaning the water is too salty and brackish. Worse still it has Fluoride in it. The video explores appropriate means of dealing with this issue. Posted on 28 Jun, 2011 05:40 PM

Ever since Schumacher wrote his now very, very famous book small is there has in my mind been a question of the appropriateness of the solutions we urban educated types posit for rural ‘problems’.

Centrally sponsored schemes ARWSP and TSC have not done enough to ensure right to water and basic sanitation : Article from Combat Law
Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) and the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) are charged with ensuring water and sanitation to all. This article discusses whether they have fulfilled their mandate Posted on 28 Jun, 2011 04:59 PM


The human right to drinking water and sanitation - Centrally sponsored schemes ARWSP and TSC have just not done enough to ensure safe water and basic sanitation for the common man - Article from Combat LawThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) recognises the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all human beings. There are certain basic needs that are essential for a dignified life. Water and sanitation are two of these essential human needs and a clean environment is also increasingly recognised as a fundamental human right.

Intensive farming responsible for farmer suicides - Interview with Devinder Sharma with special focus on Odisha
Devinder Sharma, Journalist, Food Policy Analyst and an activist speaks to Pradeep Baisakh on the issue of farmers' suicide, role of Micro Finance Institutions, water conflict between industry and agriculture sector, with special focus on Odisha. Posted on 27 Jun, 2011 11:54 AM

 

Q: Odisha is not much known for farmers' suicide the way we hear it in Vidarbha, Andhra Pradesh etc. But of late such cases are being reported in the media. What's the reason?

A: When you look at the issue of farmers' suicide, it's an indication of the crisis that exists in the agriculture sector. This is linked to monoculture and intensive or industrial farming model that have been implemented in the country. Vidharbha for instance has been in the news on the issue of farmers' suicide mainly because there is one NGO namely Vidharbha Jan Andolan Samiti which regularly compiles the figures of farmers suicide and feeds to the media. Unfortunately there are no such NGOs elsewhere to do a similar job. So therefore we do not get the real picture of farmers distress in other areas where conditions are equally bad. If suppose this NGO also stops compiling suicide figures, our impression about Vidharbha as a suicide belt of India will also disappear. In other words, not only in Vidharbha, agriculture across the country is in a terrible crisis.

Ashwas process handbook - A planning and execution guide for participatory surveys of household water and sanitation
This handbook published by Arghyam is a compilation of the insights and knowledge gained from conducting the ASHWAS (A Survey of Household Water and Sanitation) study, which included a participatory survey undertaken by Arghyam to ascertain the status of household water and sanitation in rural Karnataka, from a citizen's perspective. Posted on 25 Jun, 2011 04:31 PM

The handbook was created as a result of several organisations expressing their interest in conducting an exercise similar to ASHWAS. The purpose of this handbook is thus to serve as a template for those wishing to carry out a similar effort in the other parts of the country.

Mining havoc: Impact of mining on water resources in Goa - Article from Dams, Rivers and People
Goa's valiant fighter against illegal mines, Ramesh Gauns shares the horrifying impacts of mines on rivers, groundwater and streams in Goa. Posted on 25 Jun, 2011 02:02 PM

 

Pumping of water from Cavrem Sheikh Salim mine, severely lowering groundwater table in the village. Image courtesy: Sebastian Rodriguez, Mand GoaPumping of water from Cavrem Sheikh Salim mine, severely lowering groundwater table in the village
Image courtesy: Sebastian Rodriguez, Mand Goa

Urgent solidarity appeal for victims of eviction of 15 families from Lamphelpat wetlands in Manipur, NE India on 6 June 2011
On 6 June 2011, 15 houses of Yaipha Leikai were destroyed by Manipur Police under the orders of the Government of Manipur to evict the villagers for the NIT complex at Lamphelpat wetlands. Posted on 25 Jun, 2011 01:27 PM

 

Date of Incident: 6 June 2011 at around 7 A.M
Place of Incident: Yaipha Leikai, Lamphelpat, Under Lamshang Assembly Constituency, Imphal West District, Manipur, India
Victims/Community Affected: 15 Households, 81 persons belonging to the Meitei People of Manipur

The displaced victims are mostly women, children and elderly people

Event Description:

On 6 June 2011, at least fifteen (15) houses of Yaipha Leikai village, Lamphelpat Wetland near Employment Exchange, Imphal West District, Manipur in India’s North East had been destroyed by Manipur Police from the Lamphel Police Station under the orders of the Government of Manipur on 6 June 2011 as a means to evict the villagers to make way for the Government plan for building the National Institute of Technology (NIT) complex and a water body at Lamphelpat wetlands.

Prior to the eviction, an order issued by the Sub Divisional Officer, Lamphel, Imphal West on 3 June 2011 was served to the villagers of Yaipha Leikai only on Sunday, the 5 June, 2011 around 10 a.m in the morning asking them to dismantle their houses the same day before 5 in the evening. The villagers were completely taken by surprise as most of the senior household occupants were off to work in Lamphelpat Wetlands for fishing and many went out to earn as daily labourers. The eviction drive was carried out on 6 June 2011, the next day from around 7 a.m in the morning. The eviction process was overseen by State Works minister K Ranjit, PDA chairman Kh Loken among other officials of different departments and police officials of Lamphel Police Station, Imphal West District. The eviction was carried out by using earthmovers and other heavy machineries despite the angst of the residents, who have resided in the area for more than four decade.

Assessment study of impact and sustainability of Nirmal Gram Puraskar – A report by CMS Environment
This report by CMS Environment presents an assessment study of impact and sustainability of Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP). Posted on 24 Jun, 2011 11:02 PM

NGP was initiated in Oct 2003 to encourage Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), block and districts to take up sanitation promotion, a post achievement, award-cum-fiscal incentive scheme. The eligibility criteria for the PRIs to receive NGP include: Gram Panchayats, Blocks and Districts, which achieve 100 per cent sanitation coverage in terms of: (1) 100 per cent sanitation coverage of individual households (2) 100 per cent school and anganwadis sanitation coverage (3) Free from open defecation and (4) Clean environment maintenance (liquid and solid waste management).

Enhanced quality of life through sustained sanitation - India country paper for South Asia Conference on Sanitation
The paper states that there had been continued improvements in access to sanitation, increased attention to usage of toilets and sustenance of hygienic behaviour change, and safe conveyance and disposal at the community level to reap the benefits of improved health and environmental outcomes. Posted on 24 Jun, 2011 10:09 PM

coverThis India Country Paper on Enhanced Quality of Life through Sustained Sanitation was prepared for South Asia Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) IV held at Colombo, Sri Lanka in April, 2011.

In rural sanitation, India’s flagship rural sanitation programme, the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), continues to be implemented with renewed vigour, and improvements in multiple facets of the programme. The TSC programme was given a further boost with the introduction of the Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP), an innovative incentive scheme for Gram Panchayats, Blocks and Districts. The rural sanitation sector has continued to receive increasing budgetary support.

Water crisis and water chaos in Punjab - An article by Umendra Dutt, Kheti Virasat Mission
This article talks of the water crisis in Punjab, which is leading to protests and conflicts among villages Posted on 23 Jun, 2011 02:08 PM

Water crisis and water chaos in Punjab - An article by Umendra Dutt, Kheti Virasat MissionLast month Punjab has been declared as the over all best state in the country by India Today news magazine for the third conjunctive year. It is good to have a prize for Punjab and state government has immediately taken this as an opportunity to have publicity campaign for its achievement. But there is another side of the picture also which shows doom, distress and destruction is fast engulfing this land of five waters. It is a Water-Chaos in the Punjab.

Call for entries for ‘Film Southasia 2011’ at Kathmandu – Apply by June 30, 2011
Posted on 23 Jun, 2011 11:48 AM

Film Southasia 2011The goal of Film Southasia, an organisation within Himal Southasian magazine, set up in 1997 when the first edition of the festival of southasian documentaries was organised, is to popularise the documentary so that it entertains, informs and changes lives.