Rahul Banerjee

Rahul Banerjee
Decentralised urban water management in Chhattisgarh
A film that focuses on importance of communitarian in situ water management
Posted on 06 Nov, 2022 11:54 AM

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly clear that centralised urban water management in this country is in deep crisis.

People are struggling to get the quantity and quality of water in urban areas (Image: Makarand Purohit)
Indore is still very much water minus
Need to abandon costly centralised systems of wastewater management and raise awareness about decentralised systems
Posted on 07 Dec, 2021 11:22 AM

Recently, the city of Indore was declared the first water plus city in India under the Swachh Sarvekshan programme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for its ostensibly exemplary wastewater management (Hindustan Times, 2021).

Water harvesters cleaning up water hyacinth from the rivers in Indore (Image: Rahul Banerjee)
We are all fools
Nature has now sent a stern message calling out our foolishness.
Posted on 19 Apr, 2020 04:05 PM

Which industry has seen phenomenal growth since World War II? It is food. People have been encouraged to eat more and more as part of the general consumerist thrust to increase consumption. So, the moment people's incomes have gone up they have begun consuming more food along with other things. The economy can grow only if we consume more. This is why we also have to eat more.

On January 31st 2020, the WHO declared the COVID 19 crisis to be a public health emergency of international concern. (Image: Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation)
Jaipur’s wastewater conundrum
A report by NIUA brings to light the chinks in Jaipur's sewage system and suggests some solutions. Posted on 21 Nov, 2019 12:29 PM

A major area of concern currently for India is the proper disposal of wastewater in urban areas. The huge increase in supply of potable water to cater to the needs of modern urban households has correspondingly increased the quantum of wastewater.

Routine check done by the sewage treatment plant staff in Delawas, Jaipur. The plant is part of the ADB best practices projects list. (Image: Asian Development Bank, Flickr Commons)
Solar pumps solve irrigation trouble
Solar irrigation pumps have been hailed as a one stop solution to meet the irrigation needs of the farmers as they provide sustainable energy at a cheap price. Posted on 19 Mar, 2019 06:10 PM

Agriculture in Bihar has languished primarily because of high input costs, especially that of energy due to inadequate grid electricity supply and a high price of diesel. Rural electrification through grid supply is not happening in Bihar due to lack of public investment. Also, the existing groundwater markets are neither increasing irrigation nor achieving equity.

New employment has been created as a result of the pilot in the form of the S-ISPs and their operators which will increase considerably if the project is scaled up. (Image: IWMI)
Kerala floods and after
The reason behind Kerala floods is a lot more than what the CWC wants us to believe.
Posted on 27 Sep, 2018 05:11 PM

Every time there is a huge flood in India with massive loss of lives and extensive physical damage, there is a hue and cry. Especially, if this takes place in an area not normally prone to such floods. Assam and Bihar, for instance, are regularly laid waste by floods and so, there is not much agitation over that anymore.

The floods in Kerala have taken nearly 400 lives and have displaced around 1.2 million people. (Image: Ranjith Siji via Wikimedia Commons)
WASH away Ujjain woes
The holy city of Ujjain is dealing with severe water and sanitation issues. A study reveals serious anomalies in the WASH situation in the city.
Posted on 07 Nov, 2016 10:31 PM

Despite all the hype around Swachh Bharat Mission, the situation on the ground remains dismal. The city of Ujjain is located on the western part of Madhya Pradesh on the Malwa Plateau and is primarily a religious tourism centre due to the Mahakal temple.

Open well in Hira mill ki chaal slum situated next to an open drain resulting in its water getting polluted.
What it takes to clean India
A village school in Madhya Pradesh deals with the micro-realities of the area and gets out of a sanitation crisis.
Posted on 06 Nov, 2015 12:25 PM

Sajan, a 14 year old Bhilala Adivasi boy studying in the Rani Kajal school in Kakrana in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh says, "We now save a lot of time as we bathe in the bathrooms and defecate in the toilets rather than in the open fields; and so we study better".

Sewage water filter assembly in the school
Video: "Managing water and wastewater to the last drop in a nature-friendly way": A case study from a home-office in Indore, Madhya Pradesh
This video demonstrates an alternative way of dealing with waste through a decentralised waste disposal method. Rahul Banerjee, Director, Dhas Gramin Vikas Kendra, believes in managing the waste at the point of origin itself, rather than expecting an already inefficient and over burdened local body to find a conducive solution. Posted on 14 Jan, 2013 10:05 AM

 

Sustainability and financial viability of urban water supply and sanitation in dryland areas in India - Case study of Indore city
The simultaneous attainment of financial, environmental and social sustainability of urban services is an important requirement of development. Given the huge investments that are being made in the improvement of urban infrastructure and services in India, it is of the utmost importance that these investments are made in a manner that brings about the greatest good of the greatest number in a sustainable manner. Within urban infrastructure the supply of water and its disposal after use in cities has become one of the most problematic aspects of planning and management.
Posted on 22 Dec, 2012 02:14 PM

indore

Slum area in Indore 

Image courtesy: http://www.ugo.cn/photo/nn/pt/48743.htm

×