Surface Water

Back in the 1920s, the peasants of Mulshi Peta, near Pune, India, had protested against the construction of a dam being built with government support by the industrial house of the Tatas. As a marker of the transition from an agrarian to an industrialised society, the Mulshi satyagraha anticipated many of the modern protest movements.

Water is a complex subject that gives rise to many issues, and several of them have legal aspects. The book proceeds from various water-related problems and issues to the legal questions that arise in those contexts, examines the adequacy and appropriateness of the relevant existing laws, if any, and considers the changes and reforms that are needed. It seeks to cover the ground extensively. The book also briefly raises and explores the case for a constitutional declaration on water and an over-arching national water law. This compendious volume thus straddles two domains, viz.,

(i) water-resource policy, management, conservation, conflict-resolution, etc (in itself a multiple domain encompassing many concerns and disciplines); and

(ii) water law

In 2008-2009 Arghyam conducted an extensive household survey of water and sanitation in rural Karnataka, covering 17,200 households and 172 Gram Panchayats.

The TERI Corporate Awards for Environmental Excellence is an Award given in recognition of corporate leadership efforts towards environmental management and sustainable initiatives. The objective is to encourage and provide momentum to innovative environmental initiatives. This year the award was given to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd (NHPC)in recognition for its contribution towards the environment. But a number of persons and organisations, including Senior Supreme Court lawyer Shri Prashant Bhushan (Ph: 09811164068) and a detailed study by South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People (SANDRP) a letter objecting the award to NHPC was sent to the jury of TERI.

In Rajasthan Ki Rajat Boondein, Shri Anupam Mishra documents the myriad, well-organised ways in which the people of western Rajasthan have harvested and managed water over centuries, through work of the utmost dedication, painstaking detail and community-led action. These systems have survived the test of time, and are present in most villages and towns of the desert state even today.

This path-breaking work in the harsh water-scarce conditions of the desert, was completely managed by the local communities, and serves as a guide to the rest of us, in organising to face and tackle the water crisis, that we face across the world today.

Shri Anupam Mishra has worked in the field of environment and water conservation for many decades, and is currently with the Gandhi Peace Foundation New Delhi. His books on the work of people/society organising themselves, to harvest and manage water - Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talaab and Rajasthan Ki Rajat Boondein, are considered landmark works in the field, and continue to inspire several individuals even today, to take up work on setting up and reviving such time-tested water harvesting systems.

The following guidelines give information about a new scheme to repair, restore and renovate 1 lakh water -bodies across the country. The outlay is Rs 4000 crore.

Portal visitors might find this of interest.  

Conservation and Management of Urban Lakes
Brainstorming Session on Conservation & Management of Urban Lakes 26th Sept 09

 All the above papers and more resources on this subject, are available at this link: http://groups.google.co.in/group/irrigation-power-energy/files?hl=en

Are Pumped Storage Schemes Beneficial For Harnessing The Krishna River Water Further (1995)

A document in Gujarati describing the situation of the Hamirsar Lake in Bhuj, Katch and the work being done by some community organisations towards improving the lake's condition.

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The ideal farm pond should be dug into the ground in a naturally low-lying area. Some of the soil that is removed can be used to construct an earthen berm around the pond, which should be planted with trees and grasses for stability. The shade and wind protection provided by the raised mound and vegetation will reduce evaporative losses.