Climate and Weather
NASA study finds earth's lakes are warming
Posted on 01 Dec, 2010 11:14 AMLake Tahoe, seen here from Emerald Bay, was one of the primary validation sites for the global lake study. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Peer Water Exchange (PWX) receives 2010 Intel Environment Award
Posted on 29 Nov, 2010 04:40 PM
The Peer Water Exchange (PWX) was awarded the 2010 Intel Environment Award today. PWX, a project of Blue Planet Network, is a combination of process, technology platform, and people designed to unlock the global capacity and creativity of individuals, philanthropies, businesses and implementers to solve the global safe drinking water and sanitation crises.
Droplets: e-newsletter from Everything About Water - November 2010
Posted on 26 Nov, 2010 02:02 PMArticle and Image Courtesy: Everything About Water
The November edition of Droplets e-newsletter published by the Everything About Water had the following highlights:
- India: The country facing a water deficit of 50% by 2030
- India: New national water policy in pipeline
- Rajasthan: Rs. 149.59 crore plant to clean river waters
- Madhya Pradesh: State to sign 6 MoUs for water projects
- Tamil Nadu: Habitat for Humanity brings clean drinking water
- Mumbai: MMRDA plans Rs. 1200 crore water conveyance system plan
Direct seeding of rice A simple solution to India s water crisis?
Posted on 26 Nov, 2010 11:57 AMIn partnership with the Columbia Water Center, researchers from Punjab Agricultural University have initiated a multi-year project to implement and field-test diverse water-saving technologies, practices and policies aimed at reducing agricultural water use in the state of Punjab, particularly among rice farmers. In last year’s trial, the most successful project involved the installation of inexpensive tensiometers in the fields of over 500 farmers, yielding water savings of 30-35 percent.
Concurrently with the tensiometer trials, the team also recruited a smaller number of farmers to adopt a different way of cultivating rice altogether: Direct seeding of rice.
In traditional rice cultivation, rice is sprouted in a nursery; sprouted seedlings are then transplanted into standing water. With direct seeding, rice seed is sown and sprouted directly into the field, eliminating the laborious process of planting seedlings by hand and greatly reducing the crop’s water requirements.
Conventional rice production requires standing water
Seasonal changes in Indian aerosols: Updates from Earth Observatory
Posted on 25 Nov, 2010 12:49 PMIn recent years, scientists have detected very high levels of aerosol pollution in the air over India. Some of it is the result of industrial and agricultural activity, and some of it is nature at work.
News roundup (16-22 November 2010)
Posted on 24 Nov, 2010 10:07 PMSanitation/Wastewater
- India tops the list of nations lacking toilets
- India hunts for a Rural Toilet Design, 1000 Euros up for grabs
- 82% of rural India deprived of three basic necessities of life — tapped drinking water, electricity connection and sanitation
- There are 700 million cell phone connections in India, but only half this number of Indians have access to private toilets, says a UN study
Water governance in motion: Towards socially and environmentally sustainable water laws
Posted on 18 Nov, 2010 10:48 AM
Water Governance in Motion: Towards Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Water Laws focuses on the work undertaken by International Environmental Law Research Centre IELRC on water law reforms in India. It seeks to provide a broader understanding of the conceptual framework informing existing water law and ongoing reforms.
News roundup (8-15 November 2010) :"India proposes a new emission check system" and News round-up on the floods
Posted on 17 Nov, 2010 06:08 PMClimate Change
Environment
Rainfall from cyclone Jal - Updates from Earth Observatory
Posted on 17 Nov, 2010 11:19 AMArticle Courtesy: Earth Observatory
Image Courtesy: NASA
Cyclone Jal brought heavy rains to the Bay of Bengal and the southeastern coast of India in early November 2010. This color-coded map shows total rainfall over the region from November 1–7. The heaviest rainfall—more than 600 millimeters or nearly 24 inches—appears in dark blue. The lightest rainfall—less than 75 millimeters or 3 inches—appears in light green. Superimposed on the map is the storm track, with darker shades of orange corresponding with greater storm intensity.
A band of heavy rainfall ran parallel to the November 5–7 storm track. Especially heavy rain occurred south and west of where Jal made landfall on India’s southeastern coast. The Press Trust of India attributed 11 deaths in Andhra Pradesh state to heavy rains from Jal.
Watershed development in India: Biophysical and societal impacts - Research paper from Environ Dev Sustain journal
Posted on 15 Nov, 2010 11:12 PMThe paper argues that watershed management has to be fluid to take into consideration new realities like change in flow conditions, external realities like unintended impacts and the need to maintain minimum downstream flows for environmental and other purposes.