Research Papers

A decade of the Total Sanitation Campaign - Rapid assessment of processes and outcomes - A report by the World Bank
It aims at gaining an understanding of the processes, outputs and outcomes of the campaign at a national level and across the states. Posted on 01 Nov, 2011 10:07 PM

cover of the sanitation reportThis report by the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), The World Bank analyses primary and secondary data from the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) of the Government of India, which has been in operation for over a decade (1999 to date).

The audience for this report includes policy-makers and implementers at national, state and district levels, and the broader sanitation and hygiene community. The report aims at gaining an understanding of the processes, outputs and outcomes of the campaign at a national level and across the states as compared with the inputs that have gone into the program.

The report draws on these indicators, which are then compared individually and in combination to benchmark the states, to understand the relative performance of the states. This benchmarking, based on a combination of eight indicators, is undertaken for both states and districts across the country.

Problems of hill states and hill areas and ways to ensure that they do not suffer in any way because of their peculiarities - Report of the Task Force - Planning Commission
The report recommends reshaping of policies to bring in the “mountain perspective” for the Indian Himalayan region in the national planning. Posted on 01 Nov, 2011 09:37 PM

This report by the Task Force, constituted by the Planning Commission, Government of India in April, 2008, is an outcome of the need expressed by the Prime Minister of India for a fresh analysis of the problems of the hill states and hill areas of the country in a manner that suggests that these areas do not suffer in any way on account of their peculiarities.

Opinions have been expressed that the pace of development of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) has been slow when compared to the rest of the country. At the same time, its fragile nature and difficulty of taking up conventional development initiatives has not been appreciated. In this report, arguments have been presented recommending reshaping of policies to bring in the “mountain perspective” for the IHR, in the national planning. Emphasis has also been laid on developing norms for good governance and for harnessing social capital at the grassroots.

Map of the Indian Himalayan States

Lakes in Mumbai – A draft report by WWF India
Need to conserve and protect the lakes from further degradation, the study says. Posted on 01 Nov, 2011 08:59 PM

Mumbai lakesThis draft report on the study of lakes by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (India) documents the physical condition of the lakes in Mumbai. Apart from the three lakes - Tulsi, Powai and Vihar that used to provide water to Mumbai residents, there are many lakes in the Bombay Municipal Corporation jurisdiction that are either polluted by human sewage or industrial effluents and have remained neglected with increasing urbanization.

There is very little to no data available on the existence of lakes of Mumbai. Several RTI’s to the government bodies also revealed that there was a lacuna in terms of the availability of the data; as a result most of the water bodies are easily exploited. Under this study the baseline data was prepared with the help of Google Earth website. The areas appearing to be lakes were marked on the Google Earth Images. These were verified by the field staff through onsite visits. The survey was conducted during September and October, 2008 and March, 2009. The study considers only the fresh water lakes which were accessible and saline water impoundments have not been considered.

Zero tillage in the rice-wheat systems of the Indo-Gangetic plains - A review of impacts and sustainability implications by IFPRI
There is need to extend the gains of zero tillage more rigorously to the less endowed areas and farmers, the paper says. Posted on 31 Oct, 2011 06:49 PM

zero tillageThis paper by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) reviews the success of zero-tillage wheat in the rice-wheat systems of the Indo-Gange

Equity and inclusion in sanitation and hygiene in South Asia - A regional synthesis paper - WSSCC, UNICEF and WaterAid
South Asia faces the problem of exclusion, where different categories of people are not able to access and use safe sanitation facilities, the study says. Posted on 31 Oct, 2011 03:31 PM

This working paper by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), UNICEF and WaterAid highlights the fact that a staggering 716 million men, women and children defecate in the open every day, in South Asia, contributing to the most appalling concentration of poverty and disease and the poorest standards of hygiene in the world.

Use of ICT for effective urban governance and service delivery in India - A selection of cases - ASCI and CISCO
Selective cases on the use of ICT for effective urban governance and service delivery in India have been presented in the compendium. Posted on 31 Oct, 2011 09:17 AM

This compendium published by Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) and CISCO presents selective cases on the use of ICT for effective urban governance and service delivery in India. The document includes the following chapters/sections:

Chemical fertilizers in our water - An analysis of nitrates in the groundwater in Punjab by Greenpeace
This study by Greenpeace India Society is an initial investigation into the effects of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer on groundwater pollution in intensive agriculture areas in Punjab. Posted on 31 Oct, 2011 09:00 AM

NitratesThe level of nitrate in drinking water was tested from groundwater artesian wells located within farms and surrounded by crops (mostly rice and wheat rotations).

Nitrate pollution in groundwater is associated with nitrogen loads in the environment. In urban areas, it is associated with sewage and in agriculture areas, with livestock sources and nitrogen fertiliser inputs. Nitrate pollution in drinking water can have serious health impact on humans, especially for babies and children. The most significant potential health effects of drinking water contaminated with nitrate are the blue-baby syndrome (methemoglobinemia) and cancer.

Himalayan glaciers: A state-of-art review of glacial studies, glacial retreat and climate change – A MoEF discussion paper
The study presents interesting findings related to the glaciers in the Indian Himalayas. Posted on 30 Oct, 2011 09:02 PM

GlacierThe MoEF discussion paper on Himalayan glaciers studies the phenomenon of glaciations and glacier dynamics, a phenomenon that has attained significant attention in recent years, on account of the general belief that global warming and climate change is leading to fast degeneration of glaciers in the Himalayas. It is argued that this would, in the long run, have an adverse effect on the environment, climate and the water.

Fisheries and livelihoods in Tungabhadra basin: Current status and future possibilities – A working paper by Institute for Social and Economic Change
Security of tenure is an important issue and fishermen are concerned about the rights to access and the use of common waters, the study says. Posted on 30 Oct, 2011 01:02 PM

This study by Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) aims at understanding the livelihood patterns of fishermen within the Tungabhadra sub basin, a tributary of river Krishna located in peninsular India. Lack of integrated approach in development initiatives and water management plans warrants the need for Integrated Water Resource Management to support livelihoods. The study focuses on fisheries as a source of livelihood, current status and institutional support available, people dependant on it, development initiatives and suggestions for improvements.

Sanitation in India: Progress, differentials, correlates and challenges – A report by ADB
The relationship between sanitation and economic growth is ambivalent, the study says. Posted on 30 Oct, 2011 08:14 AM

This report by Asian Development Bank (ADB) deals with sanitation in India, in particular the progress, differentials, correlates, and challenges. Improved sanitation is essential to reduce ill health, child mortality, lost income associated with morbidity, and to improve environment, human dignity, and quality of life. Goal 7, target 3 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) stipulates decreasing the proportion of population without sustainable access to basic sanitation by 50 per cent in the year 2015.

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