News and Articles
Articles on rainwater harvesting and river pollution by Janhit Foundation
Posted on 18 Jan, 2011 04:18 PMThese Articles analyse and detail the issues of rainwater harvesting and river pollution
Utility of fresh water flooded forests for large scale water harvesting
Posted on 18 Jan, 2011 03:16 PMThere are vast areas of fresh water flooded forests in Amazon River, Mekong River and Meghna River (Bangladesh) basins. In these flooded forests, the flora & fauna is richer than tropical ever green forests and many tree species grow more than 20 meters in height. These forests are inundated / submerged by river flood water up to ten meters depth for 5 to 7 months duration at a stretch.
School hand washing with soap promotion program
Posted on 18 Jan, 2011 03:16 PMTips on how to put on a fun and practical workshop at rural schools in increase hand washing with soap. Includes use of the tippy tap.
Annual climate summary of India during 2010 - Press release by India Meteorological Department
Posted on 17 Jan, 2011 12:06 PMContent courtesy: Indian Meteorological Department
Mean annual temperature for the country as a whole during 2010 was +0.93 0C above the 1961-1990 average. It was slightly higher than that of the year 2009, thus making the year 2010 as the warmest year on record since 1901.
Considering different seasons, Pre-Monsoon season (March-May) in 2010 was the warmest since 1901 with mean temperature being 1.8 0C above normal
The annual total rainfall for the country as a whole was normal during the year 2010 with actual rainfall of 121.5 cm against the long period average (LPA) of 119.7 cm.
17-30 percent hike in wages under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA - PIB Release
Posted on 10 Jan, 2011 04:49 PMArticle Courtesy: Press Information Bureau
The wage rates under MGNREGA have been increased by the Ministry of Rural Development with effect from 1st January 2011. This will result in 17-30% enhancement of wages under the premier flagship program of the UPA Government across the country. This was announced by the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Dr. C.P.Joshi at a Press Conference in Krishi Bhawan here today.
Ministry of Environment and Forests Announces Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), 2011 and Island Protection Zone, 2011 - PIB Release
Posted on 10 Jan, 2011 04:42 PMArticle Courtesy: Press Information Bureau
The Minister of State for Environment & Forests, Independent Charge Shri Jairam Ramesh today issued the following statement in a Press Conference in New Delhi. In the Press Conference, he announced Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2011 and Island Protection Zone (IPZ) Notification, 2011.
Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Bill (2009)
Posted on 05 Jan, 2011 07:32 PMThe Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Bill, 2009 aims to facilitate and ensure sustainable and adequate supply of groundwater of prescribed quality, for various category of users, through supply and demand management measures, protecting public drinking water sources and to establish the State Groundwater Authority and District Level Authorities to manage and to regulate, with community participation, the exploitation of groundwater within the State of Maharashtra.
Climate change: Vulnerability and adaptation experiences from Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh – A report by SDC
Posted on 05 Jan, 2011 06:44 PMThis document discusses the process oriented programme of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) on Vulnerability Assessment (V&A) and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change initiated in the semi-arid regions of India. The aims of this programme include strengthening the resilience of local communities to conditions of unfavourable weather, like adverse alterations in temperature and precipitation leading to the more frequent occurrence of drought and to use the experiences for policy development for climate change adaptation measures at various levels.
Over 60 per cent of the cultivated area in India is rainfed & unfavorable and uncertain rainfall patterns will seriously affect the food, drinking water and livelihood security of millions of children, women and men. Since the initiation of this project, the emphasis on proactive research on adaptation mechanisms has increased at the national level.
The present decade may mark the beginning of a new climate era, characterized by extreme and often unpredictable weather conditions and rise in sea levels. The greatest casualty of climate change will be food, water and livelihood security.
Civil society consultations for the 12th Five Year Plan Approach Paper: Urban & Rural WATSAN sector
Posted on 30 Dec, 2010 11:20 AMAt the request of the Planning Commission, Arghyam and WaterAid agreed to co-ordinate and support a process of civil society consultation for inputs on rural and urban domestic water and sanitation for generating recommendations for the Approach Paper to the 12th Five Year Plan of the Government of India.
A glimpse of the audience
Damming North East India - Juggernaut of hydropower projects threatens social and environmental security of region
Posted on 28 Dec, 2010 07:49 PMThis 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.