Bihar

Arsenic contaminated aquifers in a 5 km. wide study belt along the banks of river Ganga, in Patna, Bhojpur, Vaishali and Bhagalpur districts of Bihar, are used for both drinking and irrigation purposes.

The following reports are from interactions organized in and around the Kosi Basin on the initiative of the Barh Mukti Abhiyan in alliance with local organizations. Reports from the interactions offer an unique window to the continued effect of the Kosi deluge and also the current local concerns in the field.

Read the main article: " Battle for work" by Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera.

The document informs that traditionally Indians worshipped both water and rain as “Jala” and “Varuna”. Even rivers were worshipped. Till 3000 B.C., RWH happened without human effort as rain got collected in rivers and natural depressions. Civilizations flourished on river banks all over the world Indus valley civilization in India.

Megh Pyne Abhiyan - Baadh prabhavit sthalon mein varsha jal sangrahan

Read more about the effort in Hindi

The School of Environmental Studies - Jadavpur University (SOES-JU), has done path-breaking research in reporting and documenting the issue of Arsenic contamination in the country.

These images from the UNOSAT site, are an example of flood detection based on satellite maps of the affected state of Bihar, both in 2007 and 2008. These maps are based on preliminary analysis and not validated in the field.

Arghyam has supported a Campaign for popularizing Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) in a flood prone region in North Bihar. The second phase of the Abhiyan has been designed based on the experiences from the first phase.

Guest Post by: Deepak Bharti, SSVK