Citizens' Rights and Duties

Featured Articles
July 7, 2022 PMAY needs policy commitment to rehabilitate slums in small and medium cities of Gujarat
Need for legal framework for land rights in small and medium cities of Gujarat under PMAY (Image: Homes in the City)
December 6, 2019 A report by the India Rivers Forum highlights the need to focus further than the main stem of the Ganga river.
Distant snow clad mountains, the smaller hills and the Ganga river (Image: Srimoyee Banerjee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
November 21, 2019 A report by NIUA brings to light the chinks in Jaipur's sewage system and suggests some solutions.
Routine check done by the sewage treatment plant staff in Delawas, Jaipur. The plant is part of the ADB best practices projects list. (Image: Asian Development Bank, Flickr Commons)
November 18, 2019 Bangalore's water utility is understaffed, under financed and unable to service the city's water needs.
Image credit: Citizen Matters
November 15, 2019 On World Toilet Day, we bring to light the labour of India’s sewer workers - those who do the unclean work that a Clean India relies on.
Photo credit: Sharada Prasad
Right to water and sanitation - A draft paper by WaterAid
The paper reviews the current status of drinking water and sanitation in India and views the issue of water and sanitation as a fundamental human right Posted on 05 Jun, 2009 11:54 AM

"Right to Water and Sanitation", is a briefing paper (draft) written in March 2009, by Indira Khurana and Richard Mahapatra of WaterAid India, based on secondary research.

Water and democracy - proceedings of the partner consultation by Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED) and Centre for World Solidarity (CWS)
This document deals with the proceedings of partners’ consultation held by EED & CWS to discuss the issues of water and democracy, share experiences and ideate on collaborative action Posted on 04 Jun, 2009 05:22 PM

The purpose of the consultation was also to identify areas of collaboration in advocacy, capacity building and working with people at the grassroot levels and simultaneously influence policy-making at the local, regional and international levels. The objectives of the workshop were -

Sambalpur declaration released during Odisha river conference held in April 2009 at Sambalpur, Orissa
The conference calls for saving the rivers of Orissa from their current degradation and giving communities their traditional rights over the rivers Posted on 02 Jun, 2009 03:17 PM

Water Initiatives Orissa (WIO) and the Indian River Network (IRN) organised the Odisha River Conference during 18 - 20 April 2009 at Sambalpur Odisha, in which about 75 participants including activists, environmentalists, journalists, academicians, researchers and civil society representatives from across the country participated.

Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis - Human Development Report (2006)
The Human Development Report 2006 looks at power, poverty and the global water crisis, an issue that profoundly influences human potential and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Posted on 02 Jun, 2009 02:32 PM

The Human Development Report 2006 rejects the view that the global water crisis is about absolute shortages of physical supply. It argues that the roots of the crisis in water can be traced to poverty, inequality and unequal power relationships, as well as flawed water management policies that exacerbate scarcity. 

Regional meeting - "Mazhapolima", Thrissur
Regional meeting to discuss the effects of the Mazhapolima program. Posted on 02 Jun, 2009 09:22 AM

Forwarded to the Portal by: Nitya Jacob, UN

Dr Kurien Baby, District Collector of Trissur, Kerala, and Solution Exchange Water Community are organizing a regional meeting to discuss the effects of the Mazhapolima program. The dates are 16-17 June 2009, and it will be held in Trissur.

Background

Kerala has among the highest well densities in India, and 71% of the population depends on them for drinking water. The aggregate household investment in the state on wells is pegged at Rs 1800 crore and they have a combined yield potential of 6.6 million cu m per day. That works out to a water availability of 197 litres of water per capita per day (lpcd), well above the government's prescribed norm of 140 lpcd. These wells are threatened. Despite an annual rainfall of 3,000 mm, 70% go dry in summer. The surface runoff is heavy, and therefore groundwater levels in several blocks have fallen sharply, and coupled with saline intrusion at an accelerated pace, have led to water quality problems.

Water security for residents of apartments & gated communities in Bangalore - An article by SS Ranganathan
Bangalore has grown phenomenally over the last 25 years and the pleasant ‘rural scenery’of what once were the ‘outskirts’ of Bangalore has given way to forests or jungles of concrete. These are the multi-storeyed apartment complexes which have mushroomed all over, with gated communities making a break in this concrete jungle. One wonders where the residents of these complexes and communities will find the water to live a reasonably normal life. Posted on 29 May, 2009 04:27 PM

Mr. S.S. Ranganathan, author of this guest post, is a retired senior executive of Ion Exchange and currently a consultant based in Bangalore.

He can be reached at: ss.ranganathan@gmail.com , +91-9343734229

WATER SECURITY FOR THE RESIDENTS OF APARTMENTS & GATED COMMUNITIESS.S.Ranganathan

The right to water - an overview of the Indian legal regime (2006)
The paper gives a broad overview of the laws relating to water and right to water in India with reference to the constitutional and statutory provisions and decisions of the courts Posted on 27 May, 2009 03:46 PM

This paper published on the International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC) site begins with outlining the specific provisions of the Constitution of India and some of the significant statutes that help understand the position of the right to water.

JUSCO debate : Change of management of Mysore's water supply
This post is a consolidation of JUSCO debate taking place at various places, submitted by CS Sharada Prasad. Posted on 26 May, 2009 08:24 PM

History of Water Privatisation in India

Failure of the public sector to provide water to all or to regulate its use that has formed the basis for those who argue that like other resources, water too must be more efficiently utilised.

National Water Policy 2002

Private sector participation should be encouraged in planning, development and management of water resources projects may help in introducing innovative ideas, generating financial resources and introducing corporate management and improving service efficiency and accountability to users.

Where the debate actually gets polarized is whether bringing in efficiency also means bringing in the private sector? Supporters of privatisation argue private companies are better placed to increase efficiency. Critics say private companies will raise tariffs making water unaffordable.

History of Jusco

Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company (Jusco) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, the flagship company of the Tata group, formed in 2003. It is the Tata vehicle in the emerging water sector in the country having the experience of managing water service in Jamshedpur city for over nine decades. According to the JUSCO website (juscoltd.com), JUSCO has been managing the water supply of Jamshedpur for the last 102 years. In addition to Jamshedpur and Mysore, it has water supply operations in Bhopal, Gwalior, Calcutta, Haldia, Muzaffurpur and Chennai. Mysore project is the third consecutive prestigious water project it has won (in 2008) — the other two are both build and operate (BOT) projects in Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata and the industrial city of Haldia. These three projects coupled with Jamshedpur have enhanced Jusco's credentials as the largest water supply developer and operator in the country. According to the website jipm.or.jp of the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance, a public corporation under Japan's Ministry of Economics, Trade & Industry, JIPM gave out Total Productive Maintenance Excellence awards in 2008 to fifty companies all over the world and JUSCO was one of the awardees. According to the website globalwaterawards.com, JUSCO was one of just 4 nominees for the 2008 Water Company of the Year global award.

Problems with existing Vani Vilas Water Works in Mysore: (Source: http://www.mygrapa.blogspot.com/)

Mysore city water supply is suffering from many serious problems. A significant portion of customers do not have meters. Most of the meters are not working properly. There is plenty of leakage all over the city. As a result of these factors, only a small fraction of the water pumped into the city gets billed. Many customers do not pay their water bills. So MCC is collecting only a fraction of the amount due to it. Due to lack of revenue, maintenance of the system is not possible. In many localities, water is supplied once in few days. When it is supplied, the pressure is low. Quality of water supplied is also poor. So poor that one can not help wondering why we are not having epidemics every day! No one knows where all the underground pipes and valves are. As a result, in many cases, one can not even localize the problem. These problems are getting worse with time. After spending Rs. 130 crores of ADB loan to provide 24x7 water supply, we are pumping twice the water into Mysore, but the water problem is increasing. Neither MCC nor the Water Board seem to have the technical expertise required to run the water supply system efficiently. MCC does not have the determination to collect its dues in the face of political pressure. Without outside intervention, the situation will soon become irreparable. It is in need of emergency treatment. The only way out seems to seek the help of competent and experienced professionals. But such help does not come cheap.

A model for rainwater harvesting in Karnataka - the Melukote system- an article from Waternama
The article presents communities effort to harvest rainwater in Mandya district, Karnataka Posted on 21 May, 2009 03:00 PM

A model for rainwater harvesting- the Melukote system

Drinking water access in Bangalore through the framework of human rights: a PhD dissertation
The overall aim of the study is to critically analyse the role of rights and obligations in attaining improved access to water in Bangalore Posted on 12 May, 2009 04:55 PM

This PhD dissertation by Jenny T Gronwall for Linkoping University's Tema Institute looks at issues of drinking water access in Bangalore through the framework of human rights, analyzing three interlinked dimensions: the right to water as a human right; water in terms of property rights; and water rights. 

×