World

Had the opportunity to attend a recent worldwide gathering on the topic of youth and social entrepreneurship, which gave much food for thought. The event was the 5th Global YES Summit, entitled “ReWork The World”.  Details of the gathering are at www.reworktheworld.org . The message there  was that we need to do something radical in order to find productive work for the vast numbers of youth coming into the workforce especially in developing nations. The new jobs cannot be of the old variety, they need to be green, sustainable jobs. In other words, we need to ‘rework the world’.  The conference was based on the premise that these new jobs will come out of social entrepreneurship.

In the study, raingauge network design has been developed for the Pagladiya basin of Brahmaputra river in Nalbari, Assam and Bhutan. Precipitation is the most basic data required for any water resources study and the estimation of the number & location of raingauge stations that provide adequate information regarding rainfall falling over the catchment is referred to as network design. A raingauge network is intended to serve general as well as specific purposes such as water supply, hydropower generation, flood forecasting, irrigation and flood control.

This report by WHO and UNICEF, describes the global status and trends with respect to the use of safe drinking water and basic sanitation, and global progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the context of drinking water and sanitation targets. The findings reveal some striking disparities with respect to:

• the gap between progress in providing access to drinking water versus sanitation
• the divide between urban and rural populations in terms of the services
• the differences in the way different regions are performing
• disparities between different socio-economic strata in the society
• gendered differences in the burden experienced in accessing and collection of drinking water

Organizer: Institute of Water Policy

Venue: Raffles City Convention Center: Canning Ballroom, Singapore

Topic:

• Index of Drinking Water Adequacy (IDWA)

A widespread view that is gaining ground is that climate related migration could evolve into a global crisis by displacing a large number of people from their homes and forcing them to flee. Christian Aid postulates that a billion people could be permanently displaced by climate change related phenomenon such as droughts, floods and hurricanes (Christian Aid 2007). The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned the “potential for population migration” due to increase in the number of areas affected by droughts and an increase in the intense tropical cyclones activities (IPCC 2007: 18). In particular, it seems likely that significant numbers of people will be displaced, either temporarily or permanently, from their homes as a consequence of global warming (Stern 2006). Available scientific evidences indicate that a large number of people might be displaced due to climate change. However, much of the literature on this issue refers to the question of whether the   people forced to migrate as a consequence of climate change should be described as climate refugees. There is no internationally agreed definition of the term “climate refugee” and the extent to which these displaced persons constitute a separate identifiable group. Although it is now widely recognised that climate change will significantly adversely affect India, there are few studies available on how climate change is going to affect the migration of people. It has been asserted that 70,000 people out of the 4.1 million living in the Indian part of the Sundarbans islands would be rendered homeless by 2020 (EPW, 6 June 2009).

The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council's (WSSCC) Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) calls for Expressions of Interest for a COUNTRY PROGRAMME MONITOR for a Sanitation and Hygiene Programme in India

WSSCC invites suitably qualified firms/organisations to express interest in the role of Country Programme Monitor (CPM) for the GSF grant programme in India. The initial contract duration is for 2 years, extendable up to 5 years upon satisfactory performance of services.

Water and the City : Towards Sustainable Solutions

Theme: “Sustainable Cities: Clean and Affordable Water”

Water is life and yet, this natural resource is often taken for granted. With increasing urbanisation around the world exacerbated by climate change, water has become one of the world’s most precious commodities. Rapid industrial, economic, and social development has put additional strain on many countries’ limited water resources.

The Law, Environment and Development Journal published by School of Oriental and African Studies and International Environmental Law Research Centre, has brought out a special issue on Climate Change.

13th SearNet International Conference
Theme:"Rainwater Harvesting as a Means of Adaptation to the Challenges of Climate Change”

Organizers: Southern and Eastern Africa Rainwater Network (SearNet), Ethiopia Rainwater Harvesting Association (ERHA), Rainwater Harvesting Implementation Network (RAIN)

Venue: Taddesse Enjori Hotel in Awassa, Ethiopia.