Climate and Weather

"Irrigation Infrastructure - A View from below" is a new research study by Chitra Krishnan funded by the "Knowledge in Civil Society" initiative.

Following is the summary of an interview of Anshu after he along with his team did their part in the rehabilitation processes. The summary narrates Anshu's experiences and evaluations on Bihar flood.

The document can be downloaded as a PDF here (Hindi): Kosi rehabilitation policy document

Kosi disaster: The rehabilitation & reconstruction policy

The report starts from August as the floods struck and chronicles the sequence of events till November. The initial frenzy of the flood & confusion as people panic and relief exists as only a mirage to the slow grind of the government machinery are documented.

A 'major new study' brings alarming news that the Himalayan glaciers are melting at a faster rate than earlier estimated. A study of the Naimona'nyi Glacier in Tibet found that "the glacier had melted so much that the exposed surface of the glacier dated to 1944".

The book is a must-read for those who have some interest in Flood Management and especially in Kosi.

It is priced at Rs. 100/- and is available with

Fact Finding Mission

In September 2008, Dalit Watch published a report on its findings while monitoring 205 relief camps in the wake of the devastating floods on the India-Nepal border. This report records the damage caused by the breach on the embankment of the Kosi river in August 2008 and appraises the quality of relief efforts in the aftermath of the floods.

Bangalore's sprawling expansion outpaces the public utility's ability to accommodate skyrocketing demand for water and sanitation services, and it is increasingly common for new residential communities to assume total management for their own water and sanitation services through their resident welfare associations.

Mahendra Yadav and his team of Asha Parivar is stationed in Babhangama, 15 kms. from Muraliganj Block headquarters of Madhepura Dist. of Bihar for over two months now to carry out relief operations and help people access relief from government schemes. Muraliganj is 80 kms. from Katihar railway station.

This 8 page document states the approach made by the visiting team towards the disaster and the experiences of the workers on the ground. The report is detailed with covering the minutae of the relief work organized and implemented. It also takes a look at the final impact of the work on the beneficiaries.