Ecology and Environment

In India, at national level when all the planners are saying about the water grid, river linking project, i

Indigenous knowledge is the basis for local level decision making in agriculture, healthcare, food preparation, education, natural resource management, and a host of other activities in rural communities.

Dear friends,

We are all aware of the immense ecological, cultural and social significance of rivers originating and flowing through the Western Ghats. This includes source regions of East flowing rivers like Krishna, Godavari and Cauvery and the source, riparian and estuarine region of all West flowing rivers.

We are lucky to still have some of the very few and very rare 'free flowing rivers' in the country. Most of the rivers in our country have been dammed and diverted. This has changed the ecological and physical characteristics of these rivers completely. Today, it is difficult for us to visualise the amazing range of ecological goods and services that an undammed, free flowing river can provide. Some such rivers in the Western Ghats are Shastri, Aghanashini, Gargai and Seetha Nadi.

Groundwater has been used for domestic and irrigation needs from time immemorial. It is a component of the hydrological cycle, vital for human sustenance. Unlike surface water, groundwater cannot be readily observed. Consequently, it was long considered to be mysterious or even occult in nature, influencing legal decisions relating to groundwater ownership and use.

The global groundwater crisis centers on withdrawals notably exceeding short term renewable storage. The current global groundwater crisis reflects the fact that over the past century, groundwater withdrawal has grown to exceed natural renewable groundwater storage. The single most important cause is the deep well turbine pump. Groundwater depletion is very high in both the United States and India.

Chemonics is an international development consulting company that helps governments, businesses, civil society groups, and communities promote meaningful change so people can live healthier, more productive, and more independent lives.

Chemonics seeks speclialists for an anticipated USAID-funded project focused on sustainable forests and climate change mitigation in India. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

A. Forestry specialist:

The forestry specialist will support reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation as well as enhanced sequestration, through afforestation, conservation, and sustainable management.

An example technology is pico-hydro that uses local streams as a resource.

• The technology is transferred as an asset to households of farmers with access to streams, in the Western Ghats region.
• Most critically, the households decide the allocation of water between electricity generation and irrigation - they manage their demand for electricity based on water availability. The entire system retrofits into their current irrigation infrastructure.
• At the same time, there is an entire value chain of enterprises that develop the technology and deliver it to the farmer's doorstep, integrating access to MNRE subsidies and loans as necessary. 

Tribal habitat and rich primitive culture covers many traditions and fish is an integral part of the tribal food habit since times immemorial in this region. The life of tribes mainly depends on naturally available foods which can rarely be reaped in other places. The fishing techniques are specialized according to structure, size of stream, season and species of fishes intended to be harvested.

A Water Safety Plan (WSP) is an improved risk management tool designed to ensure the delivery of safe drinking water. It identifies hazards, means to control them, means and actions to identify loss of control and its restoration. It comprises system assessment and design, operational monitoring and management plans (including documentation and communication). Water quality guidelines have been issued by the WHO.