Bay of Bengal

Water quality of the Bhagirathi, Ganga in the Himalayan region: A study by NEERI
This study of the water quality of the Ganga was commissioned after the construction of the Tehri Dam. It acknowledges that most people in India have a belief that water from the Ganga has bactericidal properties and this might be affected by the dam. National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) was retained by the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) to investigate any impact that the Tehri Dam might have on the water quality of the Ganga. This report presents the results of that investigation. Posted on 19 May, 2012 05:00 PM


View of the Bhagirathi near Dharali, seen as a valley bound by snowy peaksThe Bhagirathi in its upper reaches, here seen near Dharali (Photo: Chicu Lokgariwar)

Teesta, Tipaimukh and riverlinking: Danger to Bangladesh-India relations – A paper in Economic and Political Weekly
This paper in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) by Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, University of Dhaka deals with the Supreme Court’s verdict directing the Government of India to implement the interlinking of rivers. The article opines that the judgement seems to have overlooked the regional and international implications of what the Indian Court strangely considers “the rivers of the country”. Posted on 06 May, 2012 11:25 AM

Bangladesh shares 54 rivers with India. Any unilateral action by India on any of its international rivers will degrade its relations with its neighbours while also adversely affecting its ecology, economy and society. Bangladesh being a riverine and a lower riparian country remains sensitive to matters of water, whether inland or maritime.

Impact report of watershed development programme in Ayyannapalem village of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh
We are very glad to bring to the notice of the Watershed Development Fund (WDF) that the Ayyannapalem watershed Capacity Building Phase (CBP) activities are successfully implemented and it has reached the stage of Feasibility Study Report (FSR) proposal. According to the field conditions, the Ayyannapalem watershed is highly suitable for watershed implementation and there are deep gullies and high level hillocks that exist in the villages. Farmers' co-operation is also very encouraging and we could complete the watershed activities within the specified period. Posted on 19 Mar, 2012 11:59 AM

Author : Kotikala Chandrasheakar

Name of the watershed: Ayyannapalem
Name of the Mandal: Bollapalli
District: Guntur

Basin-level impact assessment study of the Lohit river - A study by WAPCOS & Ministry of Environment and Forests (2011)
In view of the number of hydro-electricity projects being commissioned on the free-flowing Lohit river and its tributaries, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) recommended the development of a basin-level impact assessment. This work was awarded to M/s Wapcos Limited, and the cost shared by the various project developers. Posted on 19 Mar, 2012 11:29 AM


Area map of the Lohit Basin

Bore well recharging through "V" wire technology in Belavadi village, Chikmagalur district in Karnataka
Bore well recharging through "V" wire technology in Belavadi village, Chikmagalur district in Karnataka Posted on 12 Mar, 2012 07:02 PM

Video Courtesy : FLRWHS

Ignoring precaution, MoEF clears a project which has been categorically rejected by majority Standing Committee of the NBWL
MoEF, which holds the mandate of safeguarding country's environment, has given a completely unjustifiable wildlife clearance to the 1750 MW Demwe Lower Hydroelectric dam on the Lohit river in Arunachal Pradesh (http://www.moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/Demwe_Lower_Hydroelectric_project.pdf), in face of severe opposition from civil society, experts across country and all the independent members of National Board for Wildlife. This shocking decision has come at the heels of one more such clearance given by MoEF to 300 MW Alkananda project in Uttarakhand, which has been rejected twice by FAC and given a negative recommendation by WII. Posted on 26 Feb, 2012 01:31 PM

Guest Post : Parineeta Dandekar and Himanshu Thakkar

The status of glaciers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region - A report by the ICIMOD
This study by ICIMOD provides a comprehensive account of the number and status of glaciers across the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Posted on 17 Feb, 2012 03:00 PM

The HKH region is one of the most dynamic, fragile, and complex mountain systems in the world as a result of tectonic activity and the rich diversity of climates, hydrology, and ecology. The high Himalayan region is the freshwater tower of South Asia and has the highest concentration of snow and glaciers outside the polar regions giving it the name Third Pole.

Balati glacier at sunset

Balati glacier, Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand (Source: Uttarakhand and I)

"Understanding and resolving water conflicts in the North East": Workshop held at Guwahati, 23-26 January 2012
This report deals with an event on resolving water conflicts in the North East held at Guwahati. Posted on 16 Feb, 2012 01:31 PM

Guest post by: Raju Mimi

Living rivers, dying rivers: Rivers in the Western Ghats
The sixth lecture in the series titled "Living Rivers, Dying Rivers" was delivered by Parineeta Dandekar and Pandurang Hegde. Posted on 10 Feb, 2012 04:12 PM

River 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)
River basin planning for Ganga : Lessons from Murray-Darling Basin Authority
A report by Amita on the round table meeting held at India International Centre, New Delhi on the topic of river basin planning for Ganga on February 1, 2012. Posted on 02 Feb, 2012 09:15 PM

This interactive session with NGOs working on water and river issues was held in continuation of the “Living rivers, dying rivers” series at the request of AusAid. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Ramaswamy R. Iyer, Honorary Professor, Centre for Policy Research and an author of books and articles on water while the lead speaker Dr.

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