World

This report by ICIMOD contains an assessment of the threat facing the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region from the recent (post-1950s) and rapid formation of meltwater lakes on the surface or at the end of a large number of the region’s glaciers owing to current climate warming. Individual case studies of the catastrophic outburst (glacial lake outburst floods or GLOFs) from such glacial lakes are introduced.

This report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) deals with the economics of wastewater use in agriculture. It presents an economic framework for the assessment of the use of reclaimed water in agriculture, as part of a comprehensive planning process in water resource allocation strategies to provide for a more economically efficient and sustainable water utilization. 

This report for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) deals with the development of an area based Energy Service Company (ESCO) model for solar water heating in India. Internationally, Solar Water Heating (SWH) has been identified as one of the most promising decentralized solar applications, having significant potential to reduce electricity consumption and consequent emissions reduction. Several schemes for promotion of solar water heaters have been in operation in the country.

Government of Nepal has asked the Government of India to compensate its citizens badly affected by embankments and other flood control measures taken on river Gandak. Will this not lead to a flood of demands for compensation by the victims of similar problems in other river basins like the Bagmati, the Kamala and the Kosi?

The WBCSD's Global Water Tool, launched at World Water Week 2007 in Stockholm and updated in 2009 for the

Content and Image Courtesy: Plan India

Plan India is a part of Plan International, one of the world's largest child centred community development organisations. The basis of Plan’s work lies in its commitment to the principle of equality and rights, developing the capacity of civil society to enable them to meet their needs and replicating successful models that have worked.

Content and Image Courtesy: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

The Environmental Health Group at LSHTM is undertaking a three-year randomized, controlled trial in Orissa, India to investigate the impact of improved rural sanitation on diarrhoeal disease and helminth infection.  The grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation includes three years of funding for a PhD studentship at LSHTM to participate and support various aspects of the study, including design and data analysis.  A principal focus of the studentship will be to investigate the use of previously installed latrines, assess the impact of sub-optimal latrine use on exposure to faecal pathogens and improve methods for assessing latrine use.  While the student will develop the actual research plan, it is envisioned that the work will involve a cross-sectional study in Orissa to assess the extent to which latrines installed during the past five years have been fully adopted by householders. In addition, the researcher will undertake a trial of a “smart” technology for assessing latrine use and compare this with more conventional approaches.

The report by Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses is premised on the fact that India is facing a serious water resource problem and is expected to become 'water stressed' by 2025 and 'water scarce' by 2050. It raises fundamental questions about the forces driving water demand and the political dynamics of riparian relations, both in terms of hindrances and opportunities, amongst states in the subcontinent. Rivers, a crucial source of water resources, physically link upstream and downstream users and at the same time create barriers.

Lake Tahoe, seen here from Emerald Bay, was one of the primary validation sites for the global lake study. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Article and Image Courtesy: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

This Atlas is a visual account of Africa's endowment and use of water resources, revealed through 224 maps and 104 satellite images as well as some 500 graphics and hundreds of compelling photos. However the Atlas is more than a collection of static maps and images accompanied by informative facts and figures: its visual elements vividly illustrate a succinct narrative describing and analyzing Africa's water issues and exemplifying them through the judicious use of case studies. It gathers information about water in Africa and its role in the economy and development, health, food security, transboundary cooperation, capacity building and environmental change into one comprehensive and accessible volume.