Ganga - Yamuna Doab

Yamuna Nama: a book review
Born out of citizens' concern for the Yamuna, the bi-lingual Yamuna Manifesto presents a lucid and succinct snapshot of the river, it's troubles, and the potential for its resuscitation. Posted on 22 Dec, 2013 05:51 PM

The Yamuna Manifesto -or Yamuna Nama- is a bilingual book with passages in both Hindi and English, published as part of the Yamuna Elbe project. In five deceptively short sections, the book takes us from the birth to the river to its future.

Yamuna river (Source: www.pilgrimageindia.net)
The missing water bodies of Western Uttar Pradesh
Over 3000 water bodies which once existed in Meerut district alone are now in a pitiable state. Will returning to a community-based water management system help revive these? Posted on 01 Sep, 2013 11:54 AM

Traditional water bodies such as bawdis and talabs have long since been an integral part of rural life in India providing water, fish and sometimes even just a venue for people to chit chat. The flat plains in Western Uttar Pradesh, where the Ganga and Yamuna rivers meet, is no exception.

Suraj kund at Meerut; Source: www.meerut-live.com
Open Confusion: Charba and Coca Cola
The Uttarakhand State Government leased land to Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages but the villagers of Charba were completely in the dark about this. Why is there a lack of transparency? Posted on 10 Aug, 2013 08:36 PM

Charba is a small village in Uttarakhand with a population of 10,000. It is located in the 'Vikas Nagar' area just beyond Dehradun - a section that the government has denoted an industrial area. This little village shot to fame when Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB) decided to build a plant there.

Radha Behen addresses the villagers
Turtle relocation program or turtle poaching plan?
The turtle hatchery at Sarnath was created to reintroduce scavenger turtles into the Ganga to rid it of corpses. However, the seemingly smart program is far from successful. What happens next? Posted on 09 Aug, 2013 12:23 PM

Rajkumar needs no urging to talk about Sundari. She is evidently a favourite of his. When we met, he regaled me with stories of her beauty, her smartness and her incredibly sweet nature. When he finally brought her out to meet me, I failed to see any signs of a winning personality or of towering intelligence. "Well," I rebuked myself, "you've only met her for two minutes.

Juvenile turtles at the Sarnath Sanctuary
Yamuna’s Delhi
Delhi was once well-planned along the course of the river Yamuna but it isn't so any more. It can reach a similar state with thoughtful and better urban planning, says Anupam Mishra. Posted on 04 Aug, 2013 07:55 PM

History tells us cities were settled and abandoned several times in Delhi. But I have not come across an explanation for why the city was repeatedly established at the same site. Surely, the presence of the river Yamuna to the east of Delhi would have been a reason. The Yamuna, though is not a small river; it flows for 1,300 km.

Yamuna; Source: www.pilgrimageindia.net
Elitist Delhi scores low on environmental awareness
Urban policies seem to favour the wealthy; they don't bear the brunt of urbanization as much as the poor. Posted on 23 Jun, 2013 08:18 AM

Environmentalist Robert Swan, the first person to walk the North and South Pole, was in Delhi last year. He launched phase IV of Project Search, which aimed to promote environmental awareness and sustainable lifestyles among students. Swan noted that not many Delhiites scored high on topics of environmental awareness.

Yamuna in Delhi, Image: PEACE
The story of how blissful ignorance allows Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages to deprive Mehdiganj, Varanasi of its water
What does 'being water positive' really mean for the villages where manufacturing plants are situated ? Posted on 01 Apr, 2013 11:39 PM

 

Bottled drinks are commonplace and we often reach for them without a thought. We may even feel good about our purchase as we read about the companies' commitment to water security' printed on the label. 

 

What does 'being water positive' really mean for the villages where manufacturing plants are situated ? This article examines the case of one such plant in Mehdiganj, PO Benipur, Arajiline block, Dist Varanasi and its effect on the groundwater levels in the area. The village has led an agitation against 4 specific negative impacts of the plant, acheiving moderate but measurable success.

This year, the movement comes to a crisis point as despite a warning by the Central Groundwater Development Board, the plant applies for a four-fold expansion.  

An exhibition at Studio Safdar in Shadi Khampur traces the history of the urban village and its water systems
Shadi Khampur in West Delhi's rich history and its connect to larger narratives from the past, like the series of land acquisitions in Delhi, the Emergency, and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 which had gone largely undocumented and unarchived have been chronicled in the Neighbourhood Museum of Local History of Shadi Khampur, at Studio Safdar, a cafe cum bookstore. The project attempts to give an account of the living urban habitation and its specific characteristics, as embedded strongly in people's minds. The way the urban spaces of its narrow lanes have grown is really fascinating. Posted on 10 Feb, 2013 07:12 PM

Guest post: Amita Bhaduri

West Delhi’s dusty neighbourhood, Shadi Khampur now has its own museum, in the traditional brick-and-mortar sense. I live nearby, have worked out of an office here and am familiar with the alleyways. But I got to know only now, what life in the neighbourhood was like. Its rich history and its connect to larger narratives from the past, like the series of land acquisitions in Delhi, the Emergency, and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 which had gone largely undocumented and unarchived have been chronicled in the Neighbourhood Museum of Local History of Shadi Khampur, at Studio Safdar, a cafe cum bookstore.

Studio Safdar

Neighbourhood Museum at Studio Safdar

Source: Facebook page on “Public Art Project at Studio Safdar”

"Taral Darpane Samajer Mukh" by Joya Mitra – Bengali translation of Anupam Mishra's booklet "Tairne Wala Samaj Doob Raha Hai" on floods in Bihar
This is the Bengali translation of Anupam Mishra’s book “Tairne wala samaj doob raha hai” written in the context of the floods in the Kosi river in Bihar in 2004. Posted on 21 Jul, 2012 04:19 PM

cover page

 The second edition of the book came out in 2008 just after the devastating Bihar floods in the year when the river thundered down from the Himalayas on its way to the sea sweeping half of Bihar.

The unquiet river: An overview of select decisions of the courts on the river Yamuna
This report by Ritwick Dutta presents an overview of the legislation on the river Yamuna. Posted on 14 Jan, 2012 06:40 PM

The river has attained the distinction of being perhaps the river attracting the most judicial attention in india, after the Ganga. This report analyses the various laws and judicial decisions pertaining to the Yamuna and their effects on the river.Cover page of 'The unquiet river'

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