Society, Culture, Religion and History

India is the largest user of groundwater resources in the world. It is estimated that approximately 230 cubic kilometers per year is used annually, this is more than a quarter of the total world consumption from this resource.

It is in this context that this World Bank report looks at the reasons for this quantum of groundwater usage.

The report delves into socio-economic and political reasons and looks at policies which inadvertently promote so much extraction. The report also analyses various attempts to manage this resource. These attempts range from government and international agency efforts directed to grassroots mobilisations. Finally the report comes out with suggestions to deal with this crisis.

This Current Science paper uses secondary data to discuss the disappearance of the river Saraswati. The enigma that was the disappearance of this river, which according to the author once upon a time greened Rajasthan and had nurtured civilizations on its shore, brought archaeologists, geologists, geophysicists, and climatologists to find answers. The author uses the body of work created by these scientists to solve the puzzle of the disappearance of the Saraswati.

Indian Documentary Producers' Association (IDPA) is a non-profit organisation that came into being in 1956. It is registered as a public trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950. Today IDPA is India’s single largest association of producers of documentaries, animation films, advertisement films and TV programmes. IDPA has organised film festivals and instituted awards to recognise and reward the talents of Indian short film makers. IDPA is also involved with educational institutions that offer courses in media and communications and would like to reach out to young people entering the profession.

This IS Code provides various requirements that have to be met while constructing a septic tank, so that it meets minimum standards. This Code is dictated by the Bureau of Indian Standards, and ensures that the sewage is treated in a way that maintains health and hygiene of the community.

While the first standard for small septic tanks was first printed in 1963 and then revised in 1968, the standard for disposal of effluent from septic tanks was published later in 1964 and revised in 1971.

This code has been sourced through City Managers' Association Karnataka (CMAK), a non profit that provides technical expertise to urban local bodies.

This study provides interventions to solving the sanitation crisis in the holy town of Pandharpur, situated on the banks of the Chandrabagha/Bhima river, in the state of Maharashtra, which receives more than 1.5 crore devotees annually. On any given day there are approximately 20,000 pilgrims in this Class B town. This vast floating population creates massive sanitation problems leading to environmental and hygiene issues.  The study forms part of the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board's 'Environmental Improvement Programme at Religious Places in Maharashtra' project.

1. Urban local initiatives and government responses: A case of Dev Nadi in Pune
2. Extreme water logging and flood situation in channelized areas in Pune - A report
3. "Indian rivers have not been understood as ecos

Gramalaya Urban And Rural Development Initiatives And Network (GUARDIAN) is a micro finance institution (MFI) and a not for profit institution with no capital, registered under Sec.

. On the occasion of the World Anti- Dam Day, on March 14, 2011 there was a large demonstration under the banner of Bhu- Swami Sangharsh Samiti and Matu Jansangathan in the three villages which served as venues for the drama of project ‘public hearings’. An effigy of the Land Acquisition Act was also burned by the people.

Organizer: Centre for Holistic Learning

Venue: Huthina Betta campus, Sirsi, Karnataka

Anchor in one of the local papers said, residents of a locality in Bangalore are buying bottles of mineral water to bathe in! There is also a tanker mafia in the city that charges anywhere upwards of 500 rupees for a tanker of water. Most buildings need at least two tankers of water to manage in a day. That is how tough this summer is going to be. Then why?