Rivers

Documentary on mining - "Niyamgiri, You are Still Alive"
Mining on Niyamgiri will destroy its rich biodiversity and wildlife. Posted on 18 Jan, 2011 02:31 PM

In 2006 Sterlite, a subsidiary of UK mining company Vedanta built a refinery in Niyamgiri Hills, Orissa, India. The intention was to mine bauxite from the Niyamgiri Hills, which is in reserved forest. It is also home to indigenous communities who are dependent on it for their livelihood.

Announcing the 2011 Kosi Fellowship
Posted on 31 Dec, 2010 02:12 PM

Forwarded to the portal by: Sudhirendar Sharma

Those activists, practitioners and journalists who have travelled in the Kosi River basin during 2008 (before the Kushaha breach), 2009 and 2010 have helped enhance our collective understanding on a manmade crises of gigantic proportions. Though not pre-planned, a unique fellowship on Kosi has indeed developed over these years. In their respective domains, each of the fellows have/are contributing to taking the key learnings across for better understanding on how our land, rivers and water ought to be managed (or not managed). The task, however, is far from finished.

Damming North East India - Juggernaut of hydropower projects threatens social and environmental security of region
168 large hydroelectric projects to be set in the Northeast: Power or more conflict in the altered riverscape? Posted on 28 Dec, 2010 07:49 PM

This report by Kalpavriksh, Aaranyak and ActionAid India deals with the large dams’ juggernaut, which happens to be the biggest ‘development’ intervention in this ecologically and geologically fragile, seismically active and culturally sensitive region in the coming days. With the Northeast identified as India’s ‘future powerhouse’ and at least 168 large hydroelectric projects set to majorly alter the riverscape, large dams are emerging as a major issue of conflict in the region.

Although the current scale of dam-related developments far outstrips anything which took place in the past, the region has been no stranger to dam-related conflicts. For example, the Kaptai dam, built in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in the 1960s, submerged the traditional homelands of the Hajong and Chakma indigenous communities, and forced them to migrate into parts of Northeast India.

High altitude wetland protected areas in western Arunachal Pradesh - Identification and demarcation using GIS
Saving the catchments for the survival of the wetlands. The High altitude wetlands are in grave danger and so is the life that it sustains. Posted on 27 Dec, 2010 11:15 PM

Guest Post by Shashank Srinivasan

High altitude wetlands in the Indian Himalayas are crucial to the water security of downstream communities. They buffer the flow of glacial meltwater to sustain river flow in the dry season, ensuring that human settlements have access to water when they need it most.

High altitude wetlands are also reservoirs of biodiversity and contribute local livelihood opportunities. Identifying these wetlands and demarcating areas for their protection is thus crucial to any wetland management plan.

In this poster, a method of using topographic data obtained by remote sensing techniques, to identify the catchment areas of these wetlands has been described.

The author suggests that the protection of these catchment areas will ensure the survival of these wetlands, as well as of the communities that depend on them.

Interlinking of Rivers - Third report of the Standing Committee on Water Resources (2009-2010)
Inter linking of Rivers: studying the consequences of this move two years into implementation. Posted on 27 Dec, 2010 04:55 PM

This report of the Standing Committee on Water Resources deals with the action taken by the Government on the recommendations and observations contained in their Eleventh Report on “Inter Linking of Rivers” which was presented to Lok Sabha in October 2008.

Assessment of the status of environment and forest clearances of hydropower projects on river Mandakini – A report by MoEF
Studying the environmental impact of Phata-Byung & Singoli-Bhatwari hydro power projects on the river Mandakini. Is it actually a threat? Posted on 27 Dec, 2010 02:08 PM

This report by MoEF regarding the environmental impact of Phata-Byung & Singoli-Bhatwari hydro power projects on the river Mandakini deals with the additional safeguards and proper monitoring & supervision to help protect the environment in these project areas. It says that since a fairly large portion of the works has been taken up it may not be worth to abandon the project. It has proposed certain remedial measures to mitigate the damage if caused to the environment and local villagers. 

The Phata-Byung and Singoli-Bhatwari hydro power projects, are Run of the River (RoR) projects on the river Mandakini. The series of RoR projects proposed and under construction as a part of cascade development are to generate electrical energy which is considered to be clean power as it is non-polluting and renewable in nature.

Umiam Lake and Shillong's Rivers: In spite of the odds – An advocacy flyer by Arghyam and Peoples Learning Centre
Cleaning up the water bodies of Shillong: highlighting the main problems, the action underway and potential solutions. Posted on 22 Dec, 2010 11:01 PM

This advocacy flyer by Arghyam and Peoples Learning Centre (PLC) Shillong highlights some of the main problems, action underway and potential solutions to cleaning up the water bodies of Shillong. It deals with the expanding human habitats and escalating socio-economic activities around the rivers Umkrah and Umshyrpi that flow through Shillong leading to their choking with sewage and pollution. This wastewater eventually enters Lake Umiam, which is a reservoir for hydro-electric power.

PLC is a non-profit organisation that works towards promoting knowledge on equity and rights, and is a platform for facilitating interdisciplinary dialogues between stakeholders in key developmental issues. Arghyam supports PLC in engaging with decision makes as well as citizens in order to create public opinion about river and lake pollution, and promote catchment friendly practices.

Evaluating and mapping of SCS Curve Numbers for Lokapavani catchment of Karnataka
Analysing data of Lokapavani catchment characteristics that affect direct runoff, such as soil type, land cover and rainfall. Posted on 22 Dec, 2010 09:58 PM

This study by Geospatial World attempts to collect and analyse data concerning the catchment characteristics that affect direct runoff such as soil type, land cover and rainfall for the catchment of Lokapavani river in Karnataka using remote sensing and GIS techniques. An attempt has been made to determine the weighted average Curve Number (CN) for different land use, land cover and soil types in Lokapavani catchment in order to estimate the runoff.

Mining - An increasing threat to our rivers - Article by Nitya Jacob
Mining constitutes a major, and largely unrecognized, threat to our rivers. It takes away what we have and also destroys whatever is left of it. Posted on 20 Dec, 2010 12:29 AM

Content Courtesy: Solution Exchange and Nitya Jacob
Author: Nitya Jacob

India’s arteries are choking. Her rivers, the lifeline of hundreds of millions, are over-taxed, polluted and encroached. They are being mined, dammed and emptied of water. Save for the four monsoon months, most rivers are streams of drains, depending on how many cities they pass through. This year people gaped in awe at the River Yamuna (I am sure they were over-awed by other rivers elsewhere too) as for the first time since 1978 looked like a river and not a drain.

From policy to practice - Koshi river basin management
This pictoral document explains the effort to translate policy into practice by showcasing Koshi River Basin Management Program as a model for conservation and wise use of water and its resources to secure life and livelihoods of generations to come by addressing the impacts of climate change. Posted on 19 Dec, 2010 10:43 PM

This document titled “From Policy to Practice” is a process documentation of Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) and World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) joint initiative for the first field piloting of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) approach as prioritized by the National Water Plan 2005 in Koshi River Basin, Nepal.

This pictoral document explains the effort to translate policy into practice by showcasing Koshi River Basin Management Program as a model for conservation and wise use of water and its resources to secure life and livelihoods of generations to come by addressing the impacts of climate change.

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