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
Changing with the seasons: How Himalayan communities cope with climate change - A report by Peoples’ Science Institute
This report presents the findings of a participatory study in the Bhagirathi and Pindar valleys of Uttarakhand to determine the effects of climate change that have the most impact on rural livelihoods Posted on 14 Jun, 2011 10:51 PM

 Mountain areas and communities are susceptible to climate change. This work also yielded evidence of the coping strategies developed by the communities to deal with an unprecedented and only partially understood threat. This paper describes these strategies and attempts to assess the vulnerability of the communities in each valley.

"Every 30 Minutes": Crushed by debt and neoliberal reforms, Indian farmers commit suicide at a staggering rate - A report by CHR&GJ - NYU School of Law - Interview with Democracy Now
A quarter of a million Indian farmers have committed suicide in the last 16 years—an average of one suicide every 30 minutes. Posted on 14 Jun, 2011 05:46 PM

 The crisis has ballooned with economic liberalization that has removed agricultural subsidies and opened Indian agriculture to the global market. Small farmers are often trapped in a cycle of insurmountable debt, leading many to take their lives out of sheer desperation. 

Baba Ramdev's plan for reviving agriculture in India
Tens of thousands of people had come to Delhi to support the fast of Swami Ramdev that began on 4th June. In the early hours of 5th June (the midnight of June 4/5) Posted on 14 Jun, 2011 05:31 PM


Taking action in India on downstream impact of dams - Report of the workshop held by International Rivers and Save Western Ghats Movement at Jog Falls, Karnataka in May 2011
India is on a large-dam building spree, with more than 5,100 large dams already blocking almost all of its important rivers, and more to come. Posted on 14 Jun, 2011 05:17 PM


Jog falls in Western GhatsJog falls in Western Ghats

 These dams have had a profound negative impact on communities and ecology upstream and downstream. While promised benefits of these dams (irrigation, hydro-power or flood control) have been overstated, numerous interrelated and complex negative impacts have simply not been studied or documented. Nonetheless, communities and ecosystems continue paying huge prices of these impacts.

Godavari river water sharing accord - A paper by N. Sasidhar
The paper highlights the acute water scarcity faced by Sriramsagar and Nizamsagar irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh. Posted on 13 Jun, 2011 03:37 PM

 The water availability in these projects has diminished to 33% dependability from the designed dependability of 75% in last nine years. Due to meager inflows, the river water quality is becoming unsafe for human and cattle consumption. It also suggests the remedial action to overcome the problem in future.

Workshop for citizen journalists from central tribal region, CGNet, 20th - 25th June, 2011, New Delhi
Posted on 13 Jun, 2011 03:24 PM

CGNet

Organizer: CGNet

Venue: Rajghat, New Delhi

Description:

CGNet is pleased to announce that Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi has agreed to help organize a week long workshop for citizen journalists from Central Tribal India.

Accessing safe drinking water during floods in North Bihar
North Bihar has the distinction of having an additional season in a calendar year, clearly identified by the misery, destruction and fatality accompanying it. Posted on 13 Jun, 2011 03:23 PM

This season in the region is commonly referred to as – Barh (flood). For centuries local people have treated it as ‘a way of life’, and found ways to deal with it. Post independence, this ‘way of life’ gradually transformed into an assured annual devastation. The once self-sufficient communities in the flood plains have been relegated to being highly dependent on sources external to the village for their survival during floods.

‘Public spending and its effectiveness: Selected studies from Karnataka’ - One day seminar on health, education, water and local self-government, CBPS, 25th June, 2011, Bangalore
Posted on 13 Jun, 2011 02:09 PM

Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS)Organizer: Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS)

Venue: White House, The Hotel Capitol, Raj bhavan Road, Bangalore

Topics:

  • Health
  • Education
  • Drinking water
  • Decentralisation
"Grassroots Comics: A Tool for Democracy" An exhibition of wall poster comics, World Comics India, 11th - 17th June, 2011, New Delhi
Posted on 10 Jun, 2011 03:02 PM

Content courtesy: The Hindu

World Comics NetworkOrganizer: World Comics India

Venue: Art Gallery (Annexe Building), India International Centre (IIC), 40 Max Muller Marg, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi

Reservoir fisheries of India - FAO technical paper (1995)
This document presents a comprehensive status paper on the reservoir fisheries in India. Posted on 08 Jun, 2011 05:49 PM

This desk review is directed at those engaged in research, education, development and planning and provides consolidated information on reservoirs, including the resources available, level of technologies and the extent of their utilisation and has attempted to systematically compile all relevant information on Indian reservoirs from a fisheries perspective.