Political

Forwarded to the Portal by: Madhavi Purohit, WASMO

Image and Content Courtesy: WASMO, UNPAN

Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO), Gujarat wins the United Nations Public Service Award. Water and Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO) of Government of Gujarat has been declared winner for 'United Nations Public Service Award - 2009' under the category of "Fostering participation in policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms"for "Institutionalization of Community Managed Drinking Water Supply Programme and User Level Water Quality". This award will be received at a ceremony to be held on 23rd and 24th June 2009 at United Nations Head Quarters in New York. It is an internationally acclaimed Award being conferred by the United Nations, Division for Public Economic and Public Administration, New York, for recognizing the significant contribution made by the organization to improve the public administration. The UNPSA Programme recognises institutional efforts to design, provide and expend services to citizens in a cost effective manner while promoting people's participation in the design of services and the definition of their needs for poverty alleviation and as a step forward to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

In consultation with the Planning Commission of India, states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were selected for the study. The government-pioneered projects from time to time have changed in approach and strategy. These shifts in the policy decisions are taken on the basis of experiences from existing programmes and to reach out to the last person in the last row.

The Sustainet project of the German Council for Sustainable Development produced the book "Sustainable Agriculture: A pathway out of poverty for India's rural poor" with examples of sustainable agricultural approaches. This book attempts to bring back sustainable agriculture into the development agenda.

Image & Content Courtesy: NASA Earth Observatory

A ragged-looking Tropical Storm Bijli draped the east coast of India in this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite on April 16, 2009. Bijli became a tropical storm in the northwest Bay of Bengal on April 15, and initially headed north, toward the west coast of India. By April 16, it had begun a northeastward turn, however, and the storm was being projected to make landfall in eastern Bangladesh on April 17, according to Unisys. Access higher resolution image here:Cyclone Bijli

Image & Content Courtesy: SaciWATERs

Crossing Boundaries Project Newsletter aims to share the initiatives undertaken by SaciWATERs and the Partner Institutions in order to fulfill the objectives of the Crossing Boundaries Project. It also seeks to share ideas, goals, concerns and research with partners, civil society organizations, international NGOs, UN agencies and other important players in the water policy sector.

The 24^th Volume of the CB NEWS features highlights of the participation of the Crossing Boundaries team at the World Water Forum 5, Istanbul, 2009. It also brings to you consolidated reports of the recent Staff Training Programme and Reader Workshop organised by SaciWATERs.

Bangalore Film Society, Arghyam, Svaraj- Society for Voluntary Action Revitalization and Justice, Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, Ithaca College, USA (FLEFF) Mountainfilm in Telluride, USA, Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore, Charter of Human Responsibilities and Water Journeys - Campaign for Fundamental Right to Water are organizing the fourth edition of the largest international film festival on water - Voices from the Waters 2009 from Friday 4th September, 2009 to Monday 7th September, 2009. Established in 2005 to promote among the public an awareness of the myriad water-issues affecting our everyday lives either directly or indirectly and as a platform for alternate voices and views rarely heard in mainstream, Voices from the Waters started as a Bangalore-based Environmental Film Festival and over the 2007 and 2008 editions grew to be one of the largest, most diverse and dynamic platforms of debate, dialogue and celebration of the precious resource, the blue gold, life itself - water.

From: IRRAD Connect Volume 6 Image & Content Courtesy:IRRAD

In Mewat, the ground water is depleting at the rate of about 25 cms a year and salinity is increasing in many parts. The rising water salinity is affecting crop yield and limiting the choice of crops that can be grown. About 80% of the total geographical area in Mewat is cultivated. Of this total cultivated area, only 44% falls under the irrigated area, the rest is rain fed area. For the irrigated area the source of water is almost exclusively (95%) ground water, but it is very limited, generally enough only for one crop a year. It also includes pockets of saline water which is not fit for cultivation of most of the crops grown in that area. About 30% of households own wells or tube wells. Fast ground water depletion and seasonal variation of tube well yields is a matter of concern leading to low crop intensity. This is especially true in the villages where IRRAD is working. To check these rising water concerns a tailor made, integrated water management plan was needed for each village, with the first step being the study of topography, water flow, soil characteristics and traditional knowledge. Subsequently, the designing of appropriate interventions to harness and conserve water is undertaken. To this effect, IRRAD has carried out technical interventions like the check dams, gully plugs, recharge wells, soak pits, roof water harvesting etc. Taking water as an entry point of development work, IRRAD has intervened in many villages, expanding its activities to 17 villages.

Image and Content Courtesy:Resources For Diarrheal Disease Control

PATH & the US Coalition for Child Survival have issued a Call to Action on Diarrheal Disease. The same is quoted below. "Over the last three decades, the global community has shown that it has the tools to dramatically reduce childhood death and illness from preventable and treatable diseases, such as diarrhea. During that time, for example, millions of children's lives have been saved by protecting them against diarrheal disease and its consequences through proven and affordable solutions. Yet diarrheal disease still unnecessarily takes the lives of more than 4,000 children daily, despite the fact that we hold in our hands more cost-effective and proven solutions for preventing and treating diarrhea than any other childhood illness. By increased and effective allocation of resources in a portfolio of improved treatment, nutrition, and water and sanitation interventions, we can help ensure that this common disease is no longer a leading killer of children in low-income countries.

How does Land Shaping bring a change? 

The low-lying area of the Sundarbans in West Bengal is well-known for frequent floods and cyclones. Water stagnates from June-July and remains muddy upto December making it impossible to grow any crop except the low yielding variety.