Tamil Nadu

Funds sanctioned for irrigation projects
Policy matters this week Posted on 24 Oct, 2016 07:00 AM

NABARD sanctions loan to NWDA for irrigation projects

Irrigation canal from the Bhima dam. (Source: Nvvchar on Wikipedia)
Who cares for a canal?
Buckingham canal in Chennai plays a crucial role in flood mitigation. It is rapidly deteriorating and needs immediate attention to avoid a repeat of last year's flood. Posted on 14 Oct, 2016 06:49 AM

Long-time Kottur resident Narayanan’s earliest memories of the Buckingham canal are those of the famed salt and timber-laden wooden catamarans of the 1950s and the 60s. A namesake of the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, the erstwhile governor of Madras, the canal was initially constructed as a brackish water-navigation channel in the early 1800s, connecting the north of Madras with Ennore.

Elevated MRTS rail line right on the canal in Adyar (Image: Seetha Gopalakrishnan, IWP)
New Supreme Court bench to hear Cauvery dispute
Policy matters this week Posted on 11 Oct, 2016 02:38 PM

Cauvery dispute: New Supreme Court bench constituted

Cauvery river (Source: India Water Portal)
J&K mulls mini dams for irrigation
News this week Posted on 03 Oct, 2016 02:22 PM

J&K govt to construct ‘mini dams’ for irrigation

The Indus river. (Source: Wikipedia)
Monsoon 2016: Rains create havoc
News this week Posted on 25 Sep, 2016 09:51 PM

Rains cause havoc in Hyderabad while Mumbai lakes, dams overflow with water

Powai Lake, Mumbai. (Source: Wikipedia)
Cauvery crisis: Karnataka to move SC for more time
Policy matters this week Posted on 25 Sep, 2016 09:40 PM

Karnataka to seek more time to release Cauvery water

Cauvery river, Karnataka. (Source: Ashwin Kumar via Wikimedia Commons)
Who gives a sh*t?
Skin irritations, respiratory distresses and sometimes even death, it is a life of suffering for the cleaners of human filth. Posted on 20 Sep, 2016 05:47 PM

“My mother used to head out with a basket full of ash every day. She would visit dry latrines in the area one by one, sprinkle the ash on the night soil, scoop it up and carry the excreta-filled basket on her head to dump the contents into a small tanker. This was almost 40 years back in our 'Singara (beautiful) Chennai',” recounts Ravanaiah.

Despite the ban, manual scavenging continues. (Image courtesy: The Hindu)
Release 12,000 cusecs of water to TN: SC to Karnataka
Policy matter this week Posted on 19 Sep, 2016 09:20 AM

Cauvery river dispute: Karnataka to share less water, SC raps the two states over protests

Cauvery river in Karnataka (Source: AmyNorth via Wikipedia)
Cauvery row: When source is the cause
Karnataka and TN are sparring over the dwindling Cauvery water. Kodagu, where the Cauvery begins its journey, is witnessing landscape changes which is impacting the water inflow to the river. Posted on 17 Sep, 2016 09:27 PM

Even as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu fight over their rights on Cauvery water, not much thought has gone into the place where the river originates. Kodagu district, earlier known as Coorg, lies on the eastern slope of Western Ghats, a biological hotspot which is home to the Cauvery and is also the primary catchment area of the river.  

Cauvery river at Kodagu. Source: Rameshng/Wikimedia Commons
A river on fire
Communication, based on sound scientific information, involving farmers as well as other stakeholders, is the only way to solve the Cauvery dispute. Political mandate, too, is important. Posted on 17 Sep, 2016 05:52 PM

River Cauvery has been in the epicentre of agitation and violence in the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu--both fighting over their share of the Cauvery water. Thanks to the deficit monsoon this year, the Cauvery basin reservoirs in both these neighbouring states are only filled half as much as they should be![1].

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
×