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Water Management
Living rivers, dying rivers: Rivers in the Western Ghats
Posted on 10 Feb, 2012 04:12 PMRiver stories from Maharashtra: Many morals to learn
Parineeta Dandekar’s presentation began with an account of some statistics related to Maharashtra, the third largest state in India. Regarding the state of water resources in Maharashtra, she noted that of the five river basin systems, 55 percent of the dependable yield is available in the four river basins (Krishna, Godavari, Tapi and Narmada) east of the Western Ghats. These four river basins comprise 92 percent of the cultivable land and more than 60 percent of the population in rural areas. 45 percent of the state's water resources are from west flowing rivers which are mainly monsoon specific rivers emanating from the Western Ghats and draining into the Arabian Sea.
With 1821 large dams and more in the offing, Maharashtra has the maximum dams in the country (35.7%). However, the proportion of gross irrigated area vis a vis the gross cropped area at 17.8 percent is much lower than the national average of 44.6 percent. The contradictions from the state, which is home to the highest number of dams, were discussed. In nearly 70 percent of the state’s villages (around 27,600 villages), water is either not available within 500 metres distance, or within 15 metres below ground level or when available is not potable (World Bank, Promoting Agricultural Growth in Maharashtra, Volume 1, 2003).
Dandekar discussed the World Bank funded Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project (MWSIP) initiated in 2005 whose main components were establishment, operationalisation and capacity building of Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA); establishment of river basin agencies in Maharashtra; and restructuring and capacity building of the Water Resources Department. The MWRRA Act (2005) has been amended, taking out the clause for equitable water distribution, and granting the Cabinet the rights to have the last say about water entitlements. This has led to a diversion of water for irrigation from the vulnerable, suicide-prone Vidarbha region to thermal power plants. According to Prayas, “entitlements of more than 1500 MCM have been changed from agriculture to industries and cities”.
![Free flowing stretch of river Seetha Nadi in the Western Ghats (Source: SANDRP)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/3.jpeg_0.png?itok=br9EDMuk)
"Bottle it up: We can use it" - Scientific studies on human urine - A presentation by Arghyam
Posted on 10 Feb, 2012 11:13 AMThis presentation by Arghyam includes the results of doctoral study done by G Sridevi under the guidance of Prof.
WaterAid India invites applications for Programme Officer, Lucknow - Apply by February 10, 2012
Posted on 10 Feb, 2012 01:11 AMContent courtesy: DevNetJobsIndia
WaterAid India (WAI) is an international nongovernmental organisation focused exclusively on improving poor people’s access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation in developing countries. WaterAid is an equal opportunities employer.
Water conservation, sustainable agriculture, challenges for rural development in Maharashtra and possible solutions - Talk by Popatrao Pawar, Sarpanch, Hivre-Bazar
Posted on 09 Feb, 2012 04:49 PMShri Popatrao Pawar is an inspiring promoter of the 'Ideal Villages Movement' on "Integrated Agriculture and Rural Development for Tomorrow's Maharashtra" on the occasion of the inauguration of Observer Research Foundation's Maharashtra@50 Study Centre on 24th June 2010.
Lift irrigation - Methods and practices: A manual by Mihir Maitra (AFPRO)
Posted on 09 Feb, 2012 12:07 PMAccordingly, the book is written as a technical manual that remains accessible to people seeking to gain necessary expertise in the planning, design, installation and maintenance of lift irrigation systems (LIS).
Governing the urban poor - Riverfront development, slum resettlement and the politics of inclusion in Ahmedabad - A paper published in EPW
Posted on 08 Feb, 2012 11:58 AMSabarmati Riverfront Development (SRD) project, an urban mega-project in Ahmedabad has been proclaimed as a case based on “flexible governing” of the residents of the riverfront informal settlements.
Safe water dissemination workshop by PATH held on January 19-20, 2012 at New Delhi
Posted on 07 Feb, 2012 10:15 PMGuest post: Amita Bhaduri
Through the Safe Water Project, it is seeking complementary solutions to sustainability and scale-up by exploring the potential for commercial enterprises to produce, distribute, sell, and maintain Household Water Treatment and Storage (HWTS) consumer products to low-income populations. The workshop shared learnings and tools from PATH’s Safe Water Project and presented the experiences of other organizations that are leveraging market-based approaches to achieve a sustainable public health impact.
Water quality monitoring of lakes in and around Bangalore city
Posted on 07 Feb, 2012 03:05 PMIt describes the efforts undertaken by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to launch a programme to monitor the water quality of some of the lakes in Bangalore so as to focus the attention of concerned governmental organisations to take up remedial measures to safe guard the water bodies of the "Garden City".
The sources of pollution in lakes are mainly identified as:
National symposium on "Water Resources Management in Changing Environment -2012", IAH, February 8-9, 2012, Roorkee
Posted on 07 Feb, 2012 02:03 PMOrganizer: Indian Association of Hydrologists (IAH)
Venue: National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee
Description:
Water resources management requires a holistic and integrated view that considers the surface and groundwater together and also the direct human / indirect human needs. The sustainable management of water resources should base on an integrated approach linking development and protection of the natural environment, on the participation of all actors and concerned people and on the recognition of the economic and social value of water. We must promote the integration of all aspects of planning, management and protection of water resources by developing plans which aim to satisfy basic needs and to promote equitable and effective distribution of water resources, ecosystem protection and maintenance of the water cycle. Climate change, land use change and the hydrological variability of water's distribution and occurrence are natural driving forces that, when combined with the pressures from economic growth and major population change, make the water resources management a challenge. Water management plans should consider the best existing practices and the most advanced scientific breakthroughs.
Towards good sense on Mullaperiyar - EPW - January (2007)
Posted on 06 Feb, 2012 07:59 AMIt makes some suggestions on the way in which it may be useful to proceed. The article argues that a new case has now been added to the existing list of river-water disputes and that the issue has turned very crucial as feelings are running high on the Mullapperiyar issue in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and that there is a risk that the dispute might become intractable. The article warns that wisdom is needed to avoid a serious deterioration of the relations between the two states.