News and Articles

Climate change threats to India's water resources and emerging policy responses - From the book 'Indian climate policy: Choices and challenges', by the Henry Stimson Centre.
This book published by Henry L. Stimson Centre highlights the richly diverse nature of India's views on climate change through a range of essays, focussing on the strengths and weakness of the policy. Posted on 14 Apr, 2010 11:01 AM

This book published by Henry L. Stimson Centre highlights the richly diverse nature of India's views on climate change through its range of essays. These essays demonstrate and challenge the international perception of India as a monolithic actor with a single set of opinions and views in the climate change negotiations.

In this chapter, the author discusses the strengths and the weaknesses of India's climate policy in the context of the increasing threats that have been identified to the water resources in the country. The author states that India's climate policy is still in its emerging state and argues that though the policy does highlight many important areas related to climate change, it does not give adequate attention to a very crucial area of water management.

Making NREGA work better: A brief note by Public Interest Foundation
This note by the Public Interest Foundation (PIF) presents a proposal for making National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) work better. Posted on 13 Apr, 2010 01:16 PM

This note by the Public Interest Foundation (PIF) presents a proposal for making National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) work better. It offers an alternative to the existing rigid framework for implementation and complex procedures leading to bureaucratization of the implementation process thereby causing uncalled-for delays. The note is a follow-up of its collaborative study with National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on “Evaluating Performance of NREGA” as well as the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) performance report on implementation of NREGA. 

Implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in West Bengal: A field report by the Right to Food Campaign
This report from the Right to Food Campaign traces the implementation of NREGS in West Bengal and points to the failure of the State in guaranteeing basic entitlements. Posted on 13 Apr, 2010 12:48 PM

This report from the Right to Food Campaign traces the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in West Bengal and points to the failure of the State in guaranteeing basic entitlements. It asserts that West Bengal is way behind other States, in implementation of this scheme, as per the data on NREGS website.

Hydrological inventory of South Bihar river basins – A report by National Institute of Hydrology
This report by National Institute of Hydrology provides a compilation of the hydrological information of seventeen different river basins of South Bihar (now Jharkhand). Posted on 12 Apr, 2010 12:25 PM

This report by National Institute of Hydrology provides a compilation of the hydrological information of seventeen different river basins of South Bihar (now Jharkhand). Hydrological modeling of a basin requires detailed hydrological information about the basin. Further, the hydrological information of a region or a basin is of immense use to water resources planners and managers. However, the hydrological information collected by different organizations are often scattered and are not in representable form.

NBA's indefinite action starts from April 11 : An appeal for solidarity
This article by the National Alliance of Peoples' Movements, is an appeal for solidarity for the Narmada Bachao Andolan starting from April 11, 2010. Posted on 12 Apr, 2010 10:22 AM

Ariticle Courtesy: National Alliance of Peoples' Movements

Dear Saaathis,

You all must have got the word by now ...Narmada is in serious crisis ...Not just the people and the environemnt, but the very project itself today...And unjust politics is also at its peak again ...This is the last and critical leg of the SSP battle...

Thousands of us are to embark on an indefinite mass action of Narmada from April 11th and sit before the Narmada Control Authority from the 13th at Indore. The situation is very serious and highly politicized, since even as there are 2 lakh adiavasis, farmers, fish workers, labourers yet to be rehabilitated in the submergence area, only corruption has increased ten-fold and gross environmental non-compliance has been exposed by the latest Devender Pandey Committee.

Water Footprint Manual: State of the art - A method of water footprint assessment by the Water Footprint Network (November 2009)
The Water Footprint Manual shows how water footprints can be calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses. Posted on 11 Apr, 2010 07:37 PM
he Water Footprint Manual, 2009 by the Water Footprint Network is a comprehensive and up-to-date outline of the method of water footprint assessment. It introduces 
how water footprints can be calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses. 
The concept is introduced as a comprehensive indicator of freshwater resources appropriation, as against the traditional and restricted measure of water withdrawal. 
The hidden water use behind products are measured over the full supply chain and water consumption volumes are measured by source and polluted volumes by type of 
pollution. All components of a total water footprint are specified geographically and temporally. Blue water (surface and groundwater), green water (rainwater stored 
in the soil as soil moisture) and grey water (polluted water) footprints are defined and are included along with the indirect water use in measuring the overall water 
footprints.
The core of the manual deals with the four distinct phases in water footprint assessment: (1) setting goals and scope; (2) water footprint accounting; (3) water 
footprint sustainability assessment; (4) formulation of response. The goals and scope would vary for national governments, river basin authority, company etc. Water 
footprint accounts give spatiotemporally explicit information on how water is appropriated for various human purposes. The manual articulates the need for clarity 
about the inventory boundaries, about where to truncate the analysis, at what level of spatiotemporal explication and for which period of data when setting up a water 
footprint account. It in addition deals with difficult questions like whether to include the water footprint of labour, transport or energy applied in a production 
system in the assessment of the water footprint of the final product. 
The manual then goes on to state the inventory boundaries of water footprint sustainability assessment. The sustainability of a water footprint is viewed upon from 
different perspectives: the environmental, social and economic perspective. Besides, sustainability is measured at different levels: local (e.g. violation of local 
environmental flow requirements), catchment or river basin level (e.g. contribution to the violation of environmental flow requirements downstream). In addition, the 
water footprint of a product has implications beyond the level of a particular river basin. In the section on water footprint accounting the coherence between various 
sorts of water footprint accounts is looked at. The manual presents complex equations explicating the water footprints due to processes and products and has sections 
dealing with calculation of (a) green, blue and grey water footprint of growing a crop or tree (b) green and blue evapotranspiration using the CWR (Crop Water 
Requirements) option in the FAO’s CROPWAT model (c) green and blue evapotranspiration using the ‘irrigation schedule option’ in the CROPWAT model. The manual also 
presents the data sources for the calculating these.

Water Footprint Manual - Cover PageThe Water Footprint Manual (2009) by the Water Footprint Network (WFN) is a comprehensive and up-to-date outline of the method of water footprint assessment. It introduces how water footprints can be calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses.

The concept is introduced as a comprehensive indicator of freshwater resources appropriation, as against the traditional and restricted measure of water withdrawal. The hidden water use behind products are measured over the full supply chain and water consumption volumes are measured by source and polluted volumes by type of pollution. All components of a total water footprint are specified geographically and temporally. Blue water (surface and groundwater), green water (rainwater stored in the soil as soil moisture) and grey water (polluted water) footprints are defined and are included along with the indirect water use in measuring the overall water footprints.

Climate change impacts in drought and flood-affected Areas: Case studies in India - A report by the World Bank
This report by the World Bank discusses the climate changes in India and the disasters associated with these climate changes such as floods and droughts and their negative impact. Posted on 11 Apr, 2010 03:50 PM

This  report by the World Bank discusses the climate changes in India and the disasters associated with these climate changes such as floods and droughts and their negative impact on agriculture, food production, livelihoods, security and the condition of the vulnerable groups in the country. The report goes on to discuss the policies undertaken by the Government of India to deal and adapt with these changes and the challenges faced in implementing these policies.

Water Storage: A strategy for climate change adaptation in the Himalayas - A report by ICIMOD
This report by the ICIMOD, highlights the phenomenon of climate change and argues that water storage will be a key strategy for climate change adaptation in the coming years. Posted on 10 Apr, 2010 05:24 PM

ICIMOD Water StorageThis report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) highlights the phenomenon of climate change and argues that water storage will be a key strategy for climate change adaptation in the coming years.

The report discusses the importance of the Hindu Kush Himalayan ranges as an important source of water to a large section of the population and warns of the impending crisis of water scarcity and food insecurity in the regions of Asia, if water harvesting and conservation efforts are not undertaken. The document argues that water storage thus becomes a central issue, which is very complicated to implement, particularly in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

Joint Convergence Guidelines of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and Integrated Watershed Management Programme, issued by the Ministry of Rural Development (April 2009)
The Joint Convergence Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) in April 2009, attempts to bring about inter-sectoral convergence in the various watershed management programmes. Posted on 09 Apr, 2010 09:36 PM

The Joint Convergence Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) in April 2009, attempts to bring about inter-sectoral convergence in the various watershed management programmes being implemented by the different departments under the MoRD. In particular, it deals with the convergence between the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) being implemented by the Department of Rural Development (DoRD) and the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) being implemented by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR).

Jal Chetna Yatra Report by Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)
The report features the Jal Chetna Yatra organised by the IRRAD from three blocks of Mewat, Haryana, on 19 March, sensitizing the community towards water issues. Posted on 09 Apr, 2010 03:26 PM

Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD) organised "Jal Chetna Yatra" where three groups started the yatra from three different blocks of Mewat on 19th March, sensitizing the community towards water issues and collect at the district headquarters on 22nd March, World Water Day.

Click on the attachment to read the entire report.

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