News and Articles
"A rock and a hard place" and "Tackling the P problem" - Dependence of agriculture on phosphate fertiliser - Issues and the way out - Papers by Soil Association and J Venkateswarlu
Posted on 13 Apr, 2011 12:17 AMThese two reports discuss the dependency of agriculture on phosphorous and the ways to mitigate the problem.
The first report looks at agricultural dependence of chemical nutrients on a global scale and even discusses the potential international political fallout of a reduction in phosphorous. The second report is focused on ways to tackle the dependency on this mineral, in the Indian context. However, both speak of the need for finding alternatives to the current methods of obtaining phosphorous, which is largely through mining.
Near normal summer expected this year - Statement by Dr Ajit Tyagi, IMD - PIB release
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 06:42 PMTemperature may go beyond 45 degrees in certain pockets, but number of such days will be very less. Certain pockets in northern India will have 1 to 2 degree high temperature than normal at times and eastern India will remain cooler. The peninsular region and central India will be near normal.
Challenges, potential and way forward - An update from the NREGA Consortium
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 06:18 PMWater and justice - Peri-urban pathways in Delhi - A video from STEPS Centre on Water Channel TV
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 06:02 PMArticle and Video Courtesy: The Water Channel
This film tells the story of three people and their relationship with water in the towns and villages on the edge of Delhi, India. The landscape of these "peri-urban" zones has changed dramatically in the past 15 years. Poor people often do not have good enough access to water, and have to find different ways of getting and using it.
Recommendations of Working Group on Agriculture to increase agricultural production and productivity in the country - PIB release
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 05:40 PM
A summary of major recommendations of Working Group are as follows: -
Union Cabinet approves comprehensive mission document of the National Water Mission under National Action Plan on Climate Change - PIB release
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 01:12 PMArticle courtesy: Press Information Bureau
The Union Cabinet has approved the Comprehensive Mission Document of the National Water Mission.
The National Water Mission is one of the 8 National Missions which form the core of the National Action Plan for Climate Change. The Mission Document for National Water Mission was drafted by the Ministry of Water Resources through consultative process with full involvement of State Governments, concerned Central Ministries, Non-Governmental Organizations, academicians and other stakeholders.
Water turns the tide - A barren district of Rajasthan is seeing development, thanks to rains last year and floods in 2006
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 11:31 AMArticle and Image Courtesy: Down To Earth
Author:
A barren district of Rajasthan is seeing development, thanks to rains last year and flood in 2006.
Administration has revived a man-made pond in Nagarda village that was drying up.
Photo: Sayantoni Palchoudhuri
Saraswati – The ancient river lost in the desert - A paper from Current Science
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 01:26 AMThis Current Science paper uses secondary data to discuss the disappearance of the river Saraswati. The enigma that was the disappearance of this river, which according to the author once upon a time greened Rajasthan and had nurtured civilizations on its shore, brought archaeologists, geologists, geophysicists, and climatologists to find answers. The author uses the body of work created by these scientists to solve the puzzle of the disappearance of the Saraswati.
Groundwater use in Aurangabad – A survey and analysis of social significance and policy implications for a medium-sized Indian city by GW MATE and World Bank (2008)
Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 01:17 AMAurangabad, a city in central Maharashtra is in a drought prone region, and being a rapidly urbanising town, is facing a lot of pressure on ots water resources. Besides importing water there has been an increasing trend of ground water extraction.
In this context, a survey of groundwater use was conducted as part of a World Bank study on Indian groundwater management. The study was a collaboration between GW MATE(Groundwater Management Advisory Team) and GRASP (Grass Roots Action for Social Participation), an Aurangabad-based civil society organization working on community-based natural resource management.
Model building bye-laws, developed by the Town & Country Planning Organisation - Ministry of Urban Development (2004)
Posted on 11 Apr, 2011 03:11 AM
Building bye-laws are a set of standards used to regulate various facets of a building everything from its design to its safety features. In these 'Model Building Bye-Laws', the Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO) under the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has created a guide for State Governments, Urban Local Bodies, Development Authorities to help them play a more effective role in enforcing the implementation of the master plans.