This paper explores the best methods that can be used for determining successful institutional reforms for Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in agricultureAarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 6 months ago
This article describes a traditional water harvesting system, the Ahar Pyne system still practised in south plains of BiharAarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 6 months ago
This paper describes the impacts of environmental degradation on soil quality and health in the North East of IndiaAarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 7 months ago
This paper published in the magazine Science highlights the importance of the Himalayan glaciers, the current uncertainties in relation to the status of glaciers, their implications for water resources in the region and the prevailing public and scientific debate around them. Current evidence indicates that most Himalayan glaciers are losing mass at rates similar to glaciers elsewhere, except for emerging indications of stability or mass gain in the Karakoram.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 7 months ago
This paper published in the journal Bulletin of Environment, Pharmacology & Life Sciences describes the findings of a study that was carried out to check the effects of industrial and agricultural activities on the groundwater properties in terms of heavy metal concentration. Polluted groundwater is defined as groundwater that has higher concentrations of dissolved or suspended elements than the maximum permissible concentrations fixed by national or international standards for drinking, industrial or agricultural purposes. Sometimes natural groundwater pollution may also occur because of the presence of the respective substances above the prescribed limits.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 7 months ago
This paper published in the Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine sheds light on the occupational health hazards among sewage and sanitary workers. The paper informs that manual scavenging still persists in our country and the situation of the manual scavengers has continued to remain unchanged, despite the fact that the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, is in enforcement. This Act provides for the prohibition of the employment of manual scavengers as well as construction or continuance of dry latrines and for the regulation of construction and maintenance of water-seal latrines for assuring the dignity of the individual.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 7 months ago
This paper published in the journal Advances in Pure and Applied Chemistry, sheds light on the serious problem of the increasing levels of pollution of water bodies in India due to escalating populations, urbanisation and increasing economic activity and highlights the urgent need to conduct effective and efficient water quality assessment measures. The paper highlights the limitations associated with the conventional water quality assessment methods and discusses the recent advances in Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques and their relevance as promising alternatives for effective water quality assessment to the conventional water quality assessment methods.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 7 months ago
Recent evidence indicates that India is heading towards a major sanitation crisis in the coming years. Efforts made at meeting the sanitation challenges have been found to have very limited results, with as high as 65% of the population not having toilet facilities coupled with very low use of existing toilets in urban and rural areas.
It is perhaps the right time to critically evaluate and move beyond the excessive focus we have on 'provision' and pay attention to the underlying complexities of the mechanisms involved, that influence sanitation behaviour among people. If we dont do so, we stand the risk of "missing all the trees for the forest", i.e. missing the social and economic dimensions of the sanitation needs of the people, in the hurry to count the number of toilets provided ! Aarti Kelkar-Khambete writes about the issue.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 8 months ago
This toolkit published by the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP) is an outcome of a study that involved exhaustive review of research undertaken all over the world on various aspects of urban water management by scholars and practitioners. It is not only relevant for water managers of urban local bodies, but also senior policy makers, scholars and practitioners concerned with water resources, particularly urban water.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 8 months ago
This document published by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) warns of the growing perception of water as an economic good and argues that a new consortium of business and international finance is systematically trying to influence how the world’s water will be allocated in future. This consortium seeks to promote policies that will treat water primarily as an economic good to be bought and sold, rather than a fundamental right. Because the consortium works directly with governments, or its office-holders, its initiatives are proceeding without much public awareness or attention.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This paper published by the World Bank highlights the findings of a study that aimed at exploring the connections between geographical variation in soil texture and rural infant sex ratios in India. The paper argues that the deficit of women relative to men in some societies has emerged as the most extreme indicator of gender-based discrimination. Studies concerned with the demographic gender imbalance have provided evidence on significant effects of economic factors and of cultural disparities in the perception of women’s worth. However, there are very few studies that have tried to explain the geographical differences in population sex ratios.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This working paper by the World Bank provides a detailed overview of The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and the entire policy process involved in the change over from the NAIS to the modified NAIS and beyond. India’s crop insurance program is the world’s largest with 25 million farmers insured. However, issues in design, particularly related to delays in claims settlement, have led to 95 million farmer households not being covered, despite significant government subsidy.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This document published by the UNDP includes a collection of articles and captures and disseminates some perspectives on climate change from the Indian context. Starting from an argument on a new climate deal to highlighting the importance of the small-scale industrial sector within climate change debates, some of India’s best known environmentalists, economists and policy makers have put forward their concerns and convictions in this collection.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This report by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre describes the findings of a study that was conducted in India as a part of a 13 country study that aimed at reviewing and better understanding the trends within rural water supply and identifying factors that appeared to contribute to or constrain the delivery of sustainable services at scale. The study also aimed at identifying organisational incentives and barriers that shaped the way in which sector institutions approached rural water services.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This working paper by Centre for Policy Research discusses domestic politics around climate change in India as an entry point to understanding India’s role in global climate negotiations. The paper argues that there is broad agreement within India on three issues: India is being unfairly labelled a “major emitter”; India has a considerable ongoing development burden; and India is already moving in the right direction on climate mitigation.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This paper published in the Present Environment and Sustainable Development critically analyses the impacts and vulnerability of Indian economy to climate change and analyses India’s efforts in addressing and reducing the vulnerability of its natural and socioeconomic systems to climate change and enhancing the adaptive capacity of the same under uncertainty.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
These papers describe the findings of experiments conducted in the fields in Nagasandra village, Doddaballapura Tq, Bangalore district for one year that studied the usefulness and impact of anthropogenic liquid waste (human urine) as a source of plant nutrient for banana and maize cultivation and evaluated the impact of the use of human urine on crop quality and yield.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This paper published in the Journal of Indian Water Works Association demonstrates how urban water management can be based on policies with the goals of effective water allocation, and its quality and quantity management, by making use of a water resource accounting framework and focuses on illustrating how urban water management can be achieved through water accounting through a case study of NCT-Delhi.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This report published by the Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) involves a study that involved a review of PPPs in the urban water supply sector since the 1990s, explores the trends emerging in the sector and analyses the factors that have facilitated or impeded the development and implementation of PPPs in the sector.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 9 months ago
This document by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) presents the findings of a study that was designed to investigate the impact of climate and socioeconomic change on the vulnerability and livelihoods of mountain people and their coping and adaptation strategies. ICIMOD conducted a community-based vulnerability and adaptive capacity assessment in four different areas that included Uttarakhand in northwestern India (two districts), Nepal (two districts), Eastern Bhutan (two districts), and North East India (one district in Assam and one in Meghalaya). The overall aim was to contribute to enhancing the resilience of vulnerable mountain communities in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) region to change.Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 12 years 10 months ago