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Surface Water
Draft notification: "Regulatory Framework for Conservation of Wetlands", National Environment Policy (NEP), 2006
Posted on 03 Dec, 2008 08:25 PMRecognizing the value of wetlands and taking cognizance of the fact that there does not yet exist a formal system for conservation and management and wise-use of wetlands, the National Environment Policy (NEP), 2006 seeks to set up a legally enforceable regulatory mechanism for identified valuable wetlands to prevent their degradation, enhance their conservation and wise-use by all the stakehol
National Urban Sanitation Policy
Posted on 01 Dec, 2008 01:16 PMThe Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development recently released the National Urban Sanitation Policy. We attach the document below, as well as key excerpts. We request you to add your comments below regarding the provisions of the Sanitation Policy. Click here to view the National Urban Sanitation Policy The document is quite comprehensive and detailed. It lays out a vision for urban sanitation in India. It instructs states to come up with their own detailed state-level urban sanitation strategies and City Sanitation Plans. It moots the idea of totally sanitised and open-defecation cities as a target and the setting up of a multi-stakeholder City Sanitation Task Force to achieve this. Environmental considerations, public health implications and reaching the unserved and urban poor are given significant emphasis in the policy. Funding options are laid out including direct central and state support including through existing schemes, public-private partnerships, and external funding agencies. It directs that atleast 20% of the funds should be earmarked towards servicing the urban poor. The Center also plans to institute awards to the best performing cities, reminiscent of the Nirmal Gram Puraskar awards for villages. Important Excerpts from the Policy:
Himalayan glaciers 'decapitated' ? Alarming climate change news
Posted on 27 Nov, 2008 11:17 AMA 'major new study' brings alarming news that the Himalayan glaciers are melting at a faster rate than earlier estimated. A study of the Naimona'nyi Glacier in Tibet found that "the glacier had melted so much that the exposed surface of the glacier dated to 1944".
Book: 'Kosi - The deluge' a must read for all those interested in flood management
Posted on 25 Nov, 2008 06:18 AMThe book is a must-read for those who have some interest in Flood Management and especially in Kosi.
It is priced at Rs. 100/- and is available with
Fact Finding Mission
Dalit Watch's report on Bihar flood relief camps in the wake of the devastating floods on the India-Nepal border in 2008
Posted on 25 Nov, 2008 05:33 AMIn September 2008, Dalit Watch published a report on its findings while monitoring 205 relief camps in the wake of the devastating floods on the India-Nepal border. This report records the damage caused by the breach on the embankment of the Kosi river in August 2008 and appraises the quality of relief efforts in the aftermath of the floods.
Report from Kosi flood affected Murliganj Block of Madhepura in Bihar: Asha Parivar and NAPM
Posted on 09 Nov, 2008 08:57 PMMahendra Yadav and his team of Asha Parivar is stationed in Babhangama, 15 kms. from Muraliganj Block headquarters of Madhepura Dist. of Bihar for over two months now to carry out relief operations and help people access relief from government schemes. Muraliganj is 80 kms. from Katihar railway station.
Relief report on the Bihar floods from the AID Eureka team, Chennai
Posted on 09 Nov, 2008 08:49 PMThis 8 page document states the approach made by the visiting team towards the disaster and the experiences of the workers on the ground. The report is detailed with covering the minutae of the relief work organized and implemented. It also takes a look at the final impact of the work on the beneficiaries.
Book Shelf : Special discount offer: Between the Devil & Deep Water : by Dr Mishra
Posted on 08 Nov, 2008 09:58 AMThe Kosi floods in Bihar stunned the world this year. But the real tragedy is that the disaster had been predicted. It was simply waiting to happen. The Kosi embankments were completed in 1963 with a designed life span of 35 years.
Who cares about the public? A first hand report of the tensions prevailing around the Kosi in Nepal and Bihar
Posted on 04 Nov, 2008 10:12 PMThe setting is unique. 34 Nepali villages within the embankments want the breach to remain opened. I talked to some of them and reminded them of the slogan that was in air at the time of construction of the embankments, "Aadhi Roti Khayengein, Kosi Baandh Banayengei".
Anatomy of a flood: The case of Kosi in 2008
Posted on 25 Sep, 2008 09:24 AMMore than 17 million people have been affected in India, Bangladesh and Nepal by the recent floods in South Asia. Around 3 million people have been rendered homeless and more than one million are now living in relief camps.