India

Environmental knowledge for hydro-meteorological disaster management: Capacity development in disaster risk management
Hydro-meteorological disasters particularly floods, drought, desertification, cyclone, extreme weather events, pest attack, forest fire, man-animal conflict are inextricably linked with environmental systems, resources and ecosystems. Environmental challenges and their complexities have been growing with the advancement in human development and economic stewardship. This report by National Institute of Disaster Management deals with this issue.
Anil K Gupta
Posted on 03 May, 2012 02:27 PM

Poor understanding of the environment – its structure, function, resources, especially at the level of planners and policy makers, have resulted in increasing frequency and intensity of hazards in nature. Understanding of the environment, its processes and resources are important for the early detection of hydro-meteorological hazards, prediction of disaster risk and scenarios and in evolving m
"Excreta Matters" - A profile of the water and sewage situation in 71 Indian cities - A report by the Centre for Science and Environment
The just released Citizens’ Seventh Report on the State of India’s Environment, “Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta” deals with where Indian urban centers get their water from and where their waste goes. The report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) calls for using correct technology, planning for cost recovery and resource sustainability, building and renewing local water resources and designing sewage systems differently. It also calls for a law on the right to clean water.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 02 May, 2012 12:24 PM

Guset post: Amita Bhaduri 

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Source: Excreta Matters, Centre for Science and Environment, 2012

People in National capital territory of Delhi are far away from safe drinking water: Role of governance and civil society
Dhobi Ghat, a slum area with a majority of Muslim population , is situated on the bank of river Yamuna, near Batla House, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi with around 150 families. These families are mostly deprived and poor, surviving with low literacy rate, malnutrition, hunger and lack of sanitation. This report by Ravi Nitesh deals with how people in Delhi do not have access to safe drinking water.
Ravi Nitesh
Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 09:56 PM

Physicochemical assessment of water quality with respect to remote sensing and GIS techniques - Paper published in the journal Advances in Pure and Applied Chemistry
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.
Rajnee Naithani
Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 12:43 PM

The paper informs that current techniques normally used in the country for monitoring and assessment of the quality of water bodies involve in situ measurement and/or the collection of water samples for subsequent laboratory analysis of the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water.
Draft National Water Policy 2012 and mainstreaming climate change adaptation
Now-a-days, climate change or global warming is one of the growing concerns in the natural resource management. According to the United Nation 2008 report ‘Humanitarian implications of climate change - Mapping emerging trends and risk hotspots’, India is one of the largest and most important regions of high overall human vulnerability. Climate change phenomenon is closely related to changes in monsoon behaviour and temperature. Variability in rainfall and temperature has a definite impact on water availability, groundwater recharge, agriculture and livestock production, livelihoods and health. Eshwar Kale of WoTR, Pune writes about the issue.
Eshwer Kale
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:58 PM

Climate change issue is being loudly debated on international level to reduce emission of various gases, and each nation’s responsibility to control the emission.
Treating waste water using natural substances: Sol gel immobilization of humic and fulvic acids using microfibrillated cellulose
Microfibrillated nanocellulose has large pore sizes (100 to 1000 nm) and provides a large surface area of contact with surroundings. When manufactured by acid hydrolysis of substrate i.e. wastes from wine and sugar industry by acetobacter xylinum, it is lignin free and has a more intricate structure. (nanocellulose obtained as water suspension).
Piyali Dhar
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:49 PM

Humic acids and fulvic acids - Sol gel immobilization

Humic acids and fulvic acids have been known to remove heavy metals, toxins, viruses and other inorganic matter and convert them to organic matter. These acids can be obtained from dried cowdung by mild alkaline treatment and filtration.
Accelerating agricultural development for inclusive growth: Strategic issues and policy options
Like most other developing countries, India has predominantly been an agrarian economy, with agriculture sector contributing the largest share to gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. The introduction of high yielding varieties (HYV) technology in mid- 1960s yielded spectacular results in foodgrains production. However, growth in productivity is slowing down in many states while the scope for expanding the area under cultivation as well as irrigation is limited. Therefore, the real challenges for agricultural sector in future would be to feed the ever growing population and to protect long-term sustainable productive capacity of natural resources like land and water.
Vijay Paul Sharma
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:30 PM

Article Courtesy :  Vikalpa, Volume 37, No 1, January-March 2012

Author: Vijay Paul Sharma
Deep multi-aquifer tube wells are responsible for groundwater depletion & global warming: It is curable
There is a correlation between groundwater depletion and global warming. Un-pumped lost groundwater is still not estimated in the study of groundwater depletion.
The correct root cause of global warming should be : due to uncontrolled deeper muli-aquifer tube wells, impermeable rock layers got damaged by billions of hole in Ground, consequently there is an Intra-Bore Well Flow of groundwater between two Aquifers, resulting “Groundwater Depletion”, the water which we lost without pumping. After Depletion we have lack of Evaporation from Ground to have insufficient vapours in the atmosphere to abstract the Solar Radiation, which heats up the Ground, that is transferred in the atmosphere to melt the glaciers.
Yashwant Deora
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 08:39 AM

Author : Yashwant Deora

Deeper multi-aquifer tube wells are responsible for groundwater depletion & global warming - “That is curable”
Citizens voice alarm over recent Supreme Court judgement on interlinking of rivers
Prominent experts, concerned citizens and neighboring countries have raised concerns over the recent Supreme Court judgement.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 25 Apr, 2012 10:39 AM

The Supreme Court of India has in its judgment of 27 February 2012 on the interlinking of rivers project, given categorical directions to the Executive Government to implement the ‘project’ as a whole in a time bound manner and has also asked the Centre to appoint a Special Committee to work out the modalities and oversee the implementation of the project.
Critical review of the impacts, challenges, prospects and conflict management for vitally needed inter-linking of rivers in India
Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgment of 27th February 2012, directed union and concerned states governments, to implement ambitious interlinking of the rivers project (ILR) in a time bound manner and also asked Union Government to appoint a high-powered committee for planning and implementation of the project. Social tensions, political instability and street fights are already being experienced in India, on account of fast deteriorating situation of availability of qualitative water in adequate quantity.
This article presents a critical review of basic objectives, controversies, social & ecological impacts besides concrete suggestions to overcome the blockades in Inter-basin Transfer of Water (IBTW), now commonly known as Inter-linking of Rivers (ILR).
Er. Radhey Shyam Goel
Posted on 23 Apr, 2012 12:17 PM

Guest post by : Er. Radhey Shyam Goel

1. Introduction
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