Conflicts

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Yamuna flows under (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
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A domestic RO water purifier
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A plan for resolving Mullaperiyar conflict in Kerala - Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India
An open letter to the Prime Minister on resolving Mullaperiyar conflict in Kerala is presented below - Posted on 31 Dec, 2011 12:56 PM

Guest Post: Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India

The Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India has been closely following the Mullaperiyar issue for the last several years. The polarisation of views around the Mullaperiyar has hardened over the years. The Tamil Nadu government insists that the Mullaperiyar dam is safe and that the water level must be maintained at the maximum level as per the agreement. The Kerala government insists that a new dam, downstream of the present dam, must be built because the present dam is unsafe. The recent tremors with their epicentres near the dam and the already diminishing trust and rising fears and apprehensions on both sides have created a grave situation needing immediate intervention and your initiative in getting the two parties together is a welcome move.

National Alliance for People s Movements condemns arrest and harassment of anti-dam protesters in Assam
NAPM demands scrapping of big dams in Brahmaputra River Valley. Posted on 28 Dec, 2011 12:10 PM

Content courtesy: National Alliance for People's Movements

On the 26 December, 2011, at 2:15 am, Assam Police in collusion with other security forces swooped down on the protesters at Ranganadi who have been blockading the Highway since December 16 and thwarting state’s attempt to carry turbines and dam materials to project site of Lower Subansiri Dam. Nearly 200 people have been arrested and earlier also security forces have been harassing the protestors. In past too, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti fighting against the big dams on Brahmaputra have faced government’s ire and often been attacked and jailed. NAPM stands in solidarity with KMSS and other students groups of the region who have been consistently opposed to the big dams in highly sensitive seismic zone. We condemn the sustained action and harassment of KMSS and their activists and targeting of Akhil Gogoi for constantly opposing the destructive development policies and corruption of the government machinery.

Life, livelihoods, ecosystems, culture: Entitlements and allocation of water for competing uses
The Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India presents a report on water allocation for competing uses. Posted on 27 Dec, 2011 05:10 PM

Water ConflictThis report has been prepared by the members of the working group set up by the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India on the issue of “Entitlements and allocations for livelihoods and ecosystem needs". The introductory chapter sets out the context of the report. The immediate context is the work of the Forum over the last 4-5 years, and the learning that this particular issue leads to many water conflicts in India.

Yamuna-Elbe - A public art and outreach project at the Yamuna riverscape in Delhi launched on 5 November, 2011
People in the capital got to “experience the rivers” when the Yamuna-Elbe public art outreach project was organized in Delhi. Amita Bhaduri reports on this. Posted on 18 Dec, 2011 02:02 PM

Guest post by: Amita Bhaduri

The public art outreach project was organized by the Max Mueller Bhavan in association with the Government of Delhi and the Goethe-Institut (Hamburg, Germany) as a part of the “Year of Germany in India” programme opened on 5th of November, 2011. The art exhibition which continued till the 19th of November co-curated by artist Ravi Agarwal who is also a practicing environmentalist (Director, Toxics Link) along with German artist, Till Krauser attempted to create a pulsating synergy between the Yamuna and Elbe rivers.

Gigi ScariaGigi Scaria’s - The fountain of purification

Photo courtesy: Rocky Thongam

This is a 24 ft installation representing a four storey apartment complex that draws Yamuna water, purifies it at various levels and dispenses it from the top in the form of a fountain.

Trouble in Tigerland: Why conservation efforts continue to fail
Nitin Rai explores how conservation projects have produced marginalised communities and erased social and cultural histories. Posted on 30 Nov, 2011 11:53 AM

Guest Post: Nitin Rai, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

Drawing upon his experience working with the Soligas who live within the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Nitin Rai talks about the ‘wilderness’ myth and explores the origins and impacts of the belief that people and animals cannot co-exist. 

map showing the Soliga lands within the BRT

Bringing life back to Chilika lagoon in India
This video describes the efforts undertaken to restore the Chilika lake in Orissa, which is the largest lagoon on the east coast of India Posted on 28 Nov, 2011 10:34 AM

Content and Media Courtesy: International Union for Conservation of Nature

This 116,500 hectare brackish lagoon separated from the Bay of Bengal by a long sandy ridge was added to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance in 1981.This was because the lagoon was facing serious degradation due to siltation and choking of the seawater inlet channel, resulting in the proliferation of invasive freshwater species, the decrease in fish productivity, and an overall loss of biodiversity [1].

Mining India: Sustainably for growth – A report by Ernst & Young and ASSOCHAM
This report by Ernst & Young and ASSOCHAM on “Mining India: Sustainably for growth” gives insights into the mining sector in India. Posted on 20 Nov, 2011 09:36 AM

MineralsIt deals with issues around capital raising, policy framework, efficiency and sustainability and provides a way forward for strategic acceleration of the benefits.

A river runs through us: An award-winning film on the threats faced by our rivers
A River Runs Through Us' by Carla Pataky offers hope and optimism to the many people struggling to save their rivers from being consumed by dams and other mega-projects. Posted on 18 Nov, 2011 03:32 PM

Article and media courtesy: International Rivers

Living rivers, dying rivers: Rivers in North East India
The fourth lecture in the ten-part series titled "Living Rivers, Dying Rivers" was delivered by Dr. Chandan Mahanta, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati on 'Rivers in North-East India'. Posted on 15 Nov, 2011 03:29 PM

Rivers in North-East India

The majestic Brahmaputra river (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Interstate river water disputes (IRWD) act (1956) and its legal provisions
N Sasidhar writes about the interstate river water disputes act and its legal provisions. Posted on 09 Nov, 2011 10:01 PM

This paper elaborates the techno – legal aspects of Interstate river water disputes act – 1956 which was enacted to resolve the water disputes among the basin states of an interstate river / river valley. This Act’s main purpose is to protect the interests of a downstream state when water resources available in an upstream state are put to additional use.

Interstate River Water Disputes Act – 1956 (IRWD Act) was first enacted on 28th August, 1956 by Indian parliament on the eve of reorganization of states on linguistic basis to resolve the water disputes that would arise in the use, control and distribution of an interstate river or river valley. This Act further has undergone amendments subsequently and its recent amendment took place in 2002. It also validates the previous agreements (if any) among the basin states to harness water of an interstate river/ river valley.

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