Surface Water

Baitarani River Basin Project is a civil society initiative to proactively explore options for futuristic resources management in this river basin. It also attempts to blend concerns for environment with livelihood, goals of local with global development, issues of rights with market and focus of sustainability with equity.

This section on water from the Punjab State of the Environment Report has been presented in the attachment. In addition to the actions being taken up by the state for conservation of water resources and preservation of its quality, the following additions are recommended in the report–

Water Conservation

The chapter on Water Resources from the Chhatisgarh State of the Environment Report, 2004 begins with a discussion of the problems in the State like (a) limited irrigation potential created (b) unbalanced irrigable land to cultivable land ratio in districts (c) low budget for maintenance of created irrigation facilities and (d) over-dependence on paddy cultivation.

The Andhra Pradesh State of the Environment Report is available at the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) cell of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) here. 

Some of the main findings of the status report on water resources in Tikamgarh and Jhansi districts by Development Alternatives are –

The case study of the irrigation infrastructure of Tungabhadra river zooms in on the river, to examine the various schemes on it. Taking the particular case of the Tungabhadra in the Krishna river basin and following the river flow as it is subject to various schemes in time and space, it shows how simmering tensions are likely to manifest as full-fledged conflicts. 

This paper on Bundelkhand from their Water and Sanitation Perspective series of WaterAid presents how ecological degradation and faulty policies make drinking water scarce and less accessible.

This deals with the proceedings of the first stakeholder meeting held under the STRIVER project for the Tungabhadra River Basin. The meeting involved representatives from different stakeholder groups like the Irrigation Departments and Command Area Development Agencies (CADAs), Forest Department, Pollution Control Board, Fisheries Department, NGOs and civil society groups from the Tungabhadra basin, representatives of Water User Associations and farmers. Only the representation from industries was lacking in this meeting.

The following map from South Asia Network on Dams Rivers & People gives a schematic sketch of the Bagmati Breach site near Tajpur in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district.   

Queries, request for information & additional clarifications can be sought via the comments section.

Download here: Rapid assessment report - Tilak Tajpur Panchayat