Water Management

Together, India, Brazil and South Africa have about 20 per cent of the world’s population. Although the three countries have demonstrated the potential for transformative development in the South, their experience has been marked by key challenges such as relatively high levels of poverty, inequality and food insecurity, problems that persist for significant numbers of people.

There is a potential to build a network of academics and experts from Brazil, India and South Africa, and food security is among the themes of great interest. This paper seeks to contribute to this process by examining pertinent elements of policy dialogue. As regards food security, each of these countries has developed conceptions and orientations that guide their policy agendas. They include distinctive treatments of several multi-dimensional strategies, multi-stakeholder arrangements and rights-based approaches.

Article and Image courtesy: YaleGlobal Online
Author: Rohini Nilekani

India and China account for one third of the world’s population; each consumes more freshwater than other nations. Per inhabitant per year, though, India uses less than half what’s used in the US, China uses less than one third. This YaleGlobal series examines India and China’s water use, their expectations for rising demand and recognition that shortages will disrupt economic progress.

The Planning Commission of India repeatedly warns that water will become a more serious issue than land or energy for India in years to come, points out Rohini Nilekani, in the second article of the series. India’s transition from an economy based on agriculture to a mixed one, with water use controlled by states rather than the federal constitution, already leads to conflicts. She urges planning for a low-water economy. Good governance and regulatory frameworks can prevent pollution and waste, while encouraging efficiency, reliable and fair allocation, and wise consumer choices.

Thirsty earth: Indian villagers in Gujarat gather to draw water from a well

This paper in Journal of Earth System Science attempts to estimate the possible rate of land subsidence of Kolkata City including Salt Lake City and the adjoining East Kolkata Wetlands located at the lower part of the deltaic alluvial plain of South Bengal basin. Land subsidence is an environmental hazard which is caused by overdraft of groundwater or oil extraction and results in gradual settling or sudden sinking of the earth’s surface owing to subsurface movement of the materials of the earth. 

The occurrence of exceptionally heavy rainfall events and associated flash floods in many areas during recent years prompted the researchers to study long-term changes in extreme rainfall over India. 

Land degradation reduces the ability of the land to perform many biophysical and chemical functions. The main aim of this study was to determine the status of land degradation in the study area using remote sensing and geographic information system.

The study of the hydrochemistry of the Manasbal lake was done to find out whether the lake water was fit for drinking, irrigation and other purposes.

It indicates that the aquatic ecosystem of an area disappeared due to unplanned development of agro ecosystems and human settlements. This area was earlier covered with ponds, wetlands and ox-bow lakes. Now, during the rainy season, inhabitants of these wards face severe problem of water logging and pollution. 

The various possible PPP structures for the sector were studied, and their applicability assessed in the context of the selected sample cities. Consultations led to development of term sheets for these PPP structures, which were identified as most suitable and feasible for implementation.

The above exercise has led to development of this report, which may be considered as a tool kit designed to help decision makers decide whether a particular project might be suitable for the PPP route or not. The tool kit can, therefore, be the basis for approving a project implementation structure as part of the overall project approval methodology.

Content courtesy: DevNetJobsIndia

Bharti Integrated Rural Development Society (BIRDS) is a non-profit organization established in 1991 at Nandyal, in Kurnool district of Andhara Pradesh, India. Founded and directed by Paul Raja Rao, BIRDS has grown in the past six years from a grassroots attempt to empower the Dalits and provide a few microfinance loans to groups of women.

The Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood Project (OTELP) focuses on empowering the tribals and enabling them to enhance their food security, increase their incomes and improve their overall quality of life through more efficient natural resource management based on the principles of improved watershed management and more productive environmentally sound agricultural practices and through off-farm/non-farm enterprise development.