Political

Jolted by water shortage, Chitlapakkam RWA takes up roadside rainwater harvesting.
Chennai residents take matters into their hands in a novel initiative Posted on 07 Aug, 2019 05:54 PM

Chennai had a severely deficient monsoon in 2018 with 40% less rain than normal. Since then, the city has been bracing itself for a water crisis. But clearly not enough had been done and the severe water scarcity this summer has been a wake-up call for people, highlighting the urgency of finding ways to use their water resources better.

Residents of Muthulakshmi Nagar in Chitlapakkam came together to inaugurate the pilot roadside rainwater harvesting project in their area. Pic : L Sundararaman for Citizen Matters
"Digging recharge wells is the only way Bengaluru won’t run out of water"
A million recharge wells for Bangalore Posted on 07 Aug, 2019 02:29 PM

Vishwanath Srikantaiah, popularly known as the 'Rainman', has been in the news recently for his ambitious project to build one million recharge wells in Bengaluru. Given the dire situation we find ourselves in vis-à-vis water, the initiative could not have come at a better time.

Ramakrishna Bovi is a traditional well-digger in Bengaluru. Image credit: Citizen Matters
35 years on, government looks away as Bhopal neighbourhood continues to drink chemical-laden water
Bhopal Gas Leak: Long Term Impact Posted on 07 Aug, 2019 02:09 PM

Alia, 15, cannot move or talk. “She is totally dependent on me,” said her father Mohammad Asad, an electrician. “Her mother passed away almost nine years back. I have to remain with her most of the time”.

Children at the Chingari Trust, Bhopal. Pic: Shuriah Niazi for Citizen Matters
Lok Sabha passes inter-state river disputes bill
Policy matters this week Posted on 06 Aug, 2019 02:45 PM

Lok Sabha passes Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019  

Cauvery river in Karnataka (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Fertiliser sector’s bleak record on water use in India
A recent report by CSE rates fertilizer plants on how green the sector is. Posted on 06 Aug, 2019 02:09 PM

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi based non-profit has rated the country’s fertilizer sector on several parameters, in a first of its kind study. The rating, done over an 18-month-long process, covered 28 of the 32 functional fertilizer units in the country.

There is need to improve the environmental performance of the fertiliser sector through multi-directional initiatives (Image: MaDailyGist)
All work and some play
Collective action games trigger conversations around the nature of the invisible and immeasurable common pool resource - groundwater. Posted on 02 Aug, 2019 12:11 PM

India is, by far, the world’s largest groundwater economy. India’s annual withdrawal of fresh groundwater (253 Billion Cubic Metres in 2013) amounts to one fourth of the global total and is more than that of China and the US combined. Over 80% of water extracted is used in agriculture. The share of tubewells in net irrigated area rose from a mere 1% in 1960-61 to over 40% in 2013-14.

Villagers in Magradeh, Madhya Pradesh watching neighbouring farmers play a game. Image credit: Water Practitioners Network
Is the Jalayukt Shivar Abhiyan just a quick fix to manage droughts?
A research paper argues that quick fix solutions to drought management will not work unless they are backed up by proper planning, implementation, monitoring and regulation of water use. Posted on 02 Aug, 2019 10:29 AM

Maharashtra is reeling under drought this year too, with the situation in Marathwada particularly bad.

Quick fix solutions to droughts will not work (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
3rd Indian National Groundwater Conference (INGWC-2020), CWRDM, Kozhikode
18-20 February 2020, Kozhikode Kerala
Posted on 02 Aug, 2019 01:26 AM

Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) is organizing the Indian National Groundwater Conference (INGWC-2020) to discuss 'Groundwater Resources Management for Sustaina

CWRDM INGC
How do farmers perceive soil erosion?
A study in Telangana argues that farmers’ expertise is important while assessing the severity of soil erosion. Posted on 01 Aug, 2019 03:24 PM

Regionally and globally, soil erosion is a major contributor to total land degradation.

A farmer in Pochampally (Image:Saurabh Chatterjee, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Himalayan states call for green bonus and a separate ministry
News this week Posted on 31 Jul, 2019 05:35 PM

Himalayan states demand green bonus and separate ministry from Centre

The Himalayas (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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