Chemical Pollution
People of Nuapada district in Odisha build a stop dam themselves - Roundup of audio updates from CGNet Swara (Sep 2011 to Feb 2012)
Posted on 03 Apr, 2012 02:57 PMPeople get together to build a stop dam themselves
The people of Khariar road town in Odisha have long requested a check dam across the river Jonk. Khuturam Sunani describes how they have now begun constructing it through shramadaan.
Quantitative data on water quality: A compilation of papers that present physico-chemical analyses of various water sources in India
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 08:31 AMAssessment of physico-chemical quality of groundwater in rural area nearby Sagar city, Madhya Pradesh
This paper presents the results of forty groundwater samples collected from June 2007 to July 2010 in Gambhira and Baheria villages in Madhya Pradesh. The authors conclude that the ground water quality is degraded due to anthropogenic causes.
How valuable are environmental health interventions? - Evaluation of water and sanitation programmes in India - Paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation
Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 06:11 PMThe paper informs that a number of epidemiological studies on the benefits of water and sanitation interventions have shown that diarrhoea can be reduced by 30–50%.
An ecological quantification of the relationships between water, sanitation and infant, child, and maternal mortality - Paper published in the Journal Environmental Health
Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 03:30 PMA number of studies have made associations between prevention of disease burden among populations by improving water supply, sanitation, hygiene and management of water resources and between poor water quality and disease burden.
Impacts of climate change on public health in India - Future research directions - Paper published in Environmental Health Perspectives
Posted on 19 Feb, 2012 11:00 PMThis paper published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives reviews the current state of the science relevant to the 2009 Joint Indo–U.S. Workshop on Climate Change and Health that was held in Goa, India, and, then discusses the observed relationships between climate variability and human health specifically in relation to the Indian subcontinent, highlighting future research directions.
The paper briefly summarises relevant literature on the impacts of climate change in India and touches upon the opportunities and significant challenges associated with designing, initiating, and conducting research, as well as pursuing related public health programming to improve public health infrastructure in the face of climate change. The paper argues that such research is needed to pave the way for unique and pioneering solutions that can improve public health in the face of increasing climate variability.
Understanding governance in WASH sector in Andhra Pradesh - A study by WASSAN
Posted on 18 Feb, 2012 03:38 PMProblems in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector have their roots in socio-political issues rather than in technology. This paper presents the report of a survey in 107 villages in rural Andhra Pradesh to illustrate the influence of governance systems.
Stress of urban pollution on largest natural wetland ecosystem in East Kolkata - Causes, consequences and improvement
Posted on 14 Feb, 2012 10:23 AMThe impact of sewage pollution on these fish ponds and on the ecosystem is evaluated. Similarly, remedial measures to maintain water quality and to improve resource recovery efficiency are suggested.
Marine fisheries in India - Issues, opportunities and transition for sustainable development - A World Bank working paper
Posted on 14 Feb, 2012 10:03 AMThis working paper by the World Bank presents the findings of a study that was conducted as a collaborative initiative by the World Bank and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairyin
Living rivers, dying rivers: Rivers in the Western Ghats
Posted on 10 Feb, 2012 04:12 PMRiver stories from Maharashtra: Many morals to learn
Parineeta Dandekar’s presentation began with an account of some statistics related to Maharashtra, the third largest state in India. Regarding the state of water resources in Maharashtra, she noted that of the five river basin systems, 55 percent of the dependable yield is available in the four river basins (Krishna, Godavari, Tapi and Narmada) east of the Western Ghats. These four river basins comprise 92 percent of the cultivable land and more than 60 percent of the population in rural areas. 45 percent of the state's water resources are from west flowing rivers which are mainly monsoon specific rivers emanating from the Western Ghats and draining into the Arabian Sea.
With 1821 large dams and more in the offing, Maharashtra has the maximum dams in the country (35.7%). However, the proportion of gross irrigated area vis a vis the gross cropped area at 17.8 percent is much lower than the national average of 44.6 percent. The contradictions from the state, which is home to the highest number of dams, were discussed. In nearly 70 percent of the state’s villages (around 27,600 villages), water is either not available within 500 metres distance, or within 15 metres below ground level or when available is not potable (World Bank, Promoting Agricultural Growth in Maharashtra, Volume 1, 2003).
Dandekar discussed the World Bank funded Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project (MWSIP) initiated in 2005 whose main components were establishment, operationalisation and capacity building of Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA); establishment of river basin agencies in Maharashtra; and restructuring and capacity building of the Water Resources Department. The MWRRA Act (2005) has been amended, taking out the clause for equitable water distribution, and granting the Cabinet the rights to have the last say about water entitlements. This has led to a diversion of water for irrigation from the vulnerable, suicide-prone Vidarbha region to thermal power plants. According to Prayas, “entitlements of more than 1500 MCM have been changed from agriculture to industries and cities”.
Safe water dissemination workshop by PATH held on January 19-20, 2012 at New Delhi
Posted on 07 Feb, 2012 10:15 PMGuest post: Amita Bhaduri
Through the Safe Water Project, it is seeking complementary solutions to sustainability and scale-up by exploring the potential for commercial enterprises to produce, distribute, sell, and maintain Household Water Treatment and Storage (HWTS) consumer products to low-income populations. The workshop shared learnings and tools from PATH’s Safe Water Project and presented the experiences of other organizations that are leveraging market-based approaches to achieve a sustainable public health impact.
