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Society, Culture, Religion and History
‘Samajik Parivarthan Yatra’ (National Yatra for Social Transformation)
Posted on 11 Oct, 2010 11:51 AMThe historical ‘Samajik Parivarthan Yatra’ (Rally for Social Transformation), has been started to consolidate the gains of the movement for total eradication by liberated safai karmacharis who for the first time are bonding with one another began the journey for social change together, to inspire others who are still engaged in manual scavenging to free themselves from the obnoxious practise and regain their sense of dignity, and also to achieve their rightful claims for the rehabilitation package and dignified alternative livelihoods on the one hand; and on the other, to motivate civil society to reject the heinous practice of manual scavenging. The Bus Yatra has been planned to start from five different corners of India, and traverse through 160 districts in 20 states and finally culminate in New Delhi with a large rally. Each route has been named after an eminent person who contributed to social change in a revolutionary manner.
Analysis of the UN General Assembly's Resolution on Right to Water and Sanitation
Posted on 30 Sep, 2010 06:47 PMThe historic UN General Assembly Resolution declaring Water and Sanitation as a Right, was passed on the 28th July 2010.
What is surprising is the complete silence to this UN Resolution from some of the countries who have been traditional champions of human rights, in terms of celebrating it as a historic achievement in advocating a basic right to water and sanitation. Instead some of them went one step short of openly opposing and vetoing the UN Resolution and have heaped criticism on Bolivia for tabling this UN Resolution.
Protect the right to life considering the dignity of women who do not have access to a toilet
Posted on 30 Sep, 2010 10:26 AMSanitation - a big problem in India, as half the population of our country do not have access to this facility. Mumbai is one of the biggest cities in the world and advanced in terms of its commercialization. However, sanitation is one of the most common issues neglected. Our team of women from Jan Jagruti went into the lanes of 3 areas Azad Mohala, Bharatiya Kamla Nagar, Vijay Nagar and spoke to women to understand the severity of the sanitation issue prevailing. These areas have severe problems with public health, due to improper sanitation infrastructure and insufficiency of toilet facilities, compounded by numerous issues of flooding during the monsoon season. Khaaddi, a local area/dumping ground, is widely used by local residents for urination and defecation, leading to the spread of contagious diseases. Though women use paid toilets, the issue of cleanliness and waiting in long queues are the most common problem before them. It is very insecure for them when they use open spaces for defecation.
Field experiences by Avinash Krishnamurthy, BIOME Solutions
Posted on 29 Sep, 2010 11:04 AMOne of the oldest "People's electricity" systems I have ever seen (Please read the notes for each of the videos). Of course this trip had even better high points - wine made from Gooseberry and Nutmeg - all locally brewed. So travelling in the midst of hills, sipping local wine, seeing some great work, (and providing perspectives for someone-else to write - is this work or what?
Manual on municipal solid waste management - CPHEEO (MoUD)
Posted on 13 Sep, 2010 02:43 PMThis manual has been developed by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO), a department under the Ministry of Urban Development and aims at assisting the policy & decision makers, planners, managers and technical personnel involved in solid waste management activities, in safe and hygienic handling & disposal of municipal solid waste generated in the urban areas in India.
7th National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2010 by CII & Godrej
Posted on 13 Sep, 2010 12:38 PMCII – Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre is organizing “National Award for Excellence in Water Management”.
The objective of the Award Scheme is to recognize and Award “Excellence” in Water Management in industries and facilitate sharing of information by excellent water efficient companies.
ECO Sanitation - A beneficial toilet
Posted on 13 Sep, 2010 12:27 AMA brochure from Utthan about Eco-sanitation produced with support from Arghyam.
International conference on environment audit - Concerns about water pollution - CAG (2010)
Posted on 10 Sep, 2010 05:15 PMThis link on the CAG website provides the details of an international conference that was held on 15-16 March 2010, in the backdrop of the environmental audit proposed by the the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, for management and conservation of the environment .
The purpose of this conference was to deliberate on the causes of pollution, action taken by governments and civil society to address this and environmental, management and legal interventions needed to put lakes, rivers and ground water on the path of sustainability.
More than 20 experts on water and water pollution issues were invited to share their views as panelists during the conference. Apart from these distinguished panelists, the heads of supreme audit institutions from countries like Austria, Maldives, Bangladesh and Bhutan were also present to share their experiences regarding audit of water pollution in their countries.