Political

ReliefWeb's field report on the Bihar flood situation
Relief Wed South Asia Program Director Nimmi Gowrinathan travelled to Bihar, India to survey the flood damage in the area. Posted on 06 Dec, 2008 06:42 AM

The report starts from August as the floods struck and chronicles the sequence of events till November. The initial frenzy of the flood & confusion as people panic and relief exists as only a mirage to the slow grind of the government machinery are documented.

Urine-diverting toilets - Posters
Posters on Urine Harvesting Posted on 06 Dec, 2008 02:28 AM

IIT Delhi and Vigyan Vijay Foundation have been implementing a pilot project on Waterless Urinals. The project is supported by Stockholm Environmental Institute and UNICEF. These posters below have been developed as part of that project. The project aims to develop appropriate solutions for scaling-up Waterless Urinals at public places, institutions and homes. One of the core objectives of the project is to advocate waterless urinals as an integral component of toilets especially at homes whereby water and energy can be conserved and the environment is protected. We hope these posters will be of immense value to general public and practitioners looking for undertaking waterless urinals. For more information contact Ramesh Sakthivel , ramsakthivel@yahoo.com poster-1.jpg poster-2.jpg

Click below to View Posters in full size :

Guava leaves, open wells, appropriate technology and all that
Guava leaves, open wells, appropriate technology and all that Posted on 04 Dec, 2008 12:50 PM

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Draft notification: "Regulatory Framework for Conservation of Wetlands", National Environment Policy (NEP), 2006
Draft notification: "Regulatory Framework for Conservation of Wetlands", National Environment Policy (NEP), 2006 Posted on 03 Dec, 2008 08:25 PM

Recognizing the value of wetlands and taking cognizance of the fact that there does not yet exist a formal system for conservation and management and wise-use of wetlands, the National Environment Policy (NEP), 2006 seeks to set up a legally enforceable regulatory mechanism for identified valuable wetlands to prevent their degradation, enhance their conservation and wise-use by all the stakehol

Groundwater map of India & farmer suicides
Groundwater map of India & farmer suicides Posted on 03 Dec, 2008 11:48 AM

Suvrat Kher from the What's With The Climate? blog has an interesting post about the correlation between the groundwater map of India & the incidence of farmer suicides in India. The post takes a look at the incidence of groundwater, the lack of proper management of available resources & the resulting socio - economic losses.

National Urban Sanitation Policy
National Urban Sanitation Policy Posted on 01 Dec, 2008 01:16 PM

The Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development recently released the National Urban Sanitation Policy. We attach the document below, as well as key excerpts. We request you to add your comments below regarding the provisions of the Sanitation Policy. Click here to view the National Urban Sanitation Policy The document is quite comprehensive and detailed. It lays out a vision for urban sanitation in India. It instructs states to come up with their own detailed state-level urban sanitation strategies and City Sanitation Plans. It moots the idea of totally sanitised and open-defecation cities as a target and the setting up of a multi-stakeholder City Sanitation Task Force to achieve this. Environmental considerations, public health implications and reaching the unserved and urban poor are given significant emphasis in the policy. Funding options are laid out including direct central and state support including through existing schemes, public-private partnerships, and external funding agencies. It directs that atleast 20% of the funds should be earmarked towards servicing the urban poor. The Center also plans to institute awards to the best performing cities, reminiscent of the Nirmal Gram Puraskar awards for villages. Important Excerpts from the Policy: 

MINARS -- Comprehensive Water Quality Report, 2007
MINARS -- Comprehensive Water Quality Report, 2007 Posted on 27 Nov, 2008 11:38 AM

This is a report from the Central Pollution Control Board  https://www.indiawaterportal.org/tt/wq/res/NWMP-2007.pdf (approx. 6 MB). Since the report extensively covers all parts of the country, we are soliciting comments and discussion about the results therein.

Himalayan glaciers 'decapitated' ? Alarming climate change news
Himalayan glaciers 'decapitated' ? Alarming climate change news Posted on 27 Nov, 2008 11:17 AM

A 'major new study' brings alarming news that the Himalayan glaciers are melting at a faster rate than earlier estimated. A study of the Naimona'nyi Glacier in Tibet found that "the glacier had melted so much that the exposed surface of the glacier dated to 1944".

Dalit Watch's report on Bihar flood relief camps in the wake of the devastating floods on the India-Nepal border in 2008
Here's Dalit Watch's report on the relief camps in the wake of the devastating floods on the India-Nepal border Posted on 25 Nov, 2008 05:33 AM

In September 2008, Dalit Watch published a report on its findings while monitoring 205 relief camps in the wake of the devastating floods on the India-Nepal border. This report records the damage caused by the breach on the embankment of the Kosi river in August 2008 and appraises the quality of relief efforts in the aftermath of the floods.

Source South Asia 2008, Issue 11 (11 Nov 08)
Source South Asia 2008, Issue 11 (11 Nov 08) Posted on 16 Nov, 2008 03:51 AM

Since its foundation in 1968, the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) has facilitated the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge so that governments, professionals and organisations can better suppor