Rivers

Towards self-reliance and access to safe drinking water and secure sanitation in north Bihar: A report by Megh Pyne Abhiyan
This report talks of the successes and challenges in fulfilling the endeavour of moving towards self reliance and access to safe drinking water and securing sanitation in north Bihar, the areas of concern and shortcomings, and acknowledges the missing links to find the way forward. Posted on 27 Jan, 2013 11:48 AM


Living rivers, dying rivers: River Yamuna
The second lecture was on the Yamuna river by Prof. Brij Gopal, former Prof. at JNU, and Manoj Misra, PEACE Institute and Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan. Posted on 25 Jan, 2013 12:06 AM

Introduction

Yamuna river flowing through Agra
Compendium of sewage treatment technologies by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
The data gathered for this project was assimilated for determination of treatment efficiency, treatment cost and land requirements of various technological options available for sewage treatment. Posted on 24 Jan, 2013 04:14 PM

This compendium of sewage treatment technologies by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur has been prepared, based on primary and secondary data gathered from operation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the country over the last two decades.

Udupi in Karnataka, sets standard for water management - Roundup of the week’s news (January 14 -20, 2013)
A roundup of the week's news ranging from mining in Meghalaya to using landfill to construct railway platforms Posted on 21 Jan, 2013 03:20 PM

Udupi in Karnataka, sets standard for water management

Neoliberalism and the nature of the Polavaram beast - How the project will affect the Koya settlements in the Eastern Ghats
The Koya community has been aflutter with anxiety and consternation from the time they have heard about the Polavarm project. As this would not only submerge large number of Koya settlements, but parts of the Eastern Ghats forests on which many still depend. Posted on 21 Jan, 2013 11:51 AM

Fascism of the beginning of the twenty first century is the articulation and translation of racism and ethnicity into politics. Political developments in the nineteen nineties and the first years of the twenty first century demonstrate the determination to control the peripheries and the 'third world'.

The forgotten and fading Mithi river of Mumbai: A comic strip depicting its state
The story of Mumbai’s haphazard, clustered growth and expansion that has taken place at the expense of river Mithi is illustrated in this comic strip by Dhwani Shah Posted on 17 Jan, 2013 09:25 AM

Mithi river_Comic strip

Moving from paddy and sugarcane to less water-intensive crops such as oilseeds, pulses and millets can help resolve the Cauvery water dispute
What happens when two or more states are dependent on same water resource for agricultural purposes ? Do the states compete for the resource or are their needs sufficiently different from each other? What are the consequences of the competition for this precious resource? Posted on 14 Jan, 2013 12:10 AM

What happens when two or more states are dependent on same water resource for agricultural purposes ? Do the states compete for the resource or are their needs sufficiently different from each other? What are the consequences of the competition for this precious resource?

This article sheds light on the dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, for sharing Cauvery river water. The ongoing tussle between the two states has seen a lot of unrest amongst farmers in  form of dharnas, protests, rail roko and non-cooperation by citizens, and disagreement with the agreements made by their respective governments and unending negotiations by governments involved, to come to a mutually agreeable decision.

Process of formation of Jajmau Area Water Partnership in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh – Problems and solutions
Industrial effluents and sewage water are being diverted to the river Ganga by the cities and towns through which it passes. Nestled on the banks of Ganga, Kanpur, a highly urbanized and industrial city is polluting it most. Apart from the Government of India’s recently constituted National Ganga River Basin Authority, civil societies and NGOs too are putting rigorous efforts to make Ganga pollution free. Though the city has several big and small industries, the leather industries located in Jajmau, the oldest part of the city add to the problem of pollution in the river to a large extent. Posted on 13 Jan, 2013 12:01 PM

Industrial effluents and sewage water are being diverted to the river Ganga by the cities and towns through which it passes. Nestled on the banks of Ganga, Kanpur, a highly urbanized and industrial city is polluting it most. Apart from the Government of India’s recently constituted National Ganga River Basin Authority, civil societies and NGOs too are putting rigorous efforts to make Ganga pollution free. Though the city has several big and small industries, the leather industries located in Jajmau, the oldest part of the city add to the problem of pollution in the river to a large extent.

Traditional diversion-based phad irrigation systems help mitigate risk of crop failure in the drought-prone farmer suicide belt of Vidarbha, Maharashtra
Communities have across diverse ecological and sociopolitical contexts devised myriad ways over time to harvest and manage water in order to sustain their lives and practise agriculture. Posted on 11 Jan, 2013 11:56 AM

Many of these systems (1) continue to function and are often more sustainable, cost-effective and successfully managed by local institutions. Phads are one such community-based and managed diversion irrigation management system (2) prevailing in the north-western part of Maharashtra and date back to the early 16th century as per historical accounts. The system is prevalent in the Tapi basin on rivers the Panjhra, Mosam and Aram in Dhule and Nashik districts (3).

Phads or diversion-based irrigation systems, are being revived and promoted in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra by Dilasa, a Yavatmal-based voluntary development organisation (Video courtesy: Dilasa)

On the Sabarmati riverfront: Urban planning as totalitarian governance in Ahmedabad, Gujarat – An article in EPW
This paper by Navdeep Mathur questions whether the official narrative that presents Ahmedabad as a pioneer in urban transformation in India engages with the experiences of the urban poor in Ahmedabad by examining processes around the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project. Posted on 10 Jan, 2013 07:05 PM