Governance

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November 6, 2022 In 2020, 559 million children were affected by four to five heatwaves a year; numbers could increase four-fold by 2050, as per a report by UNICEF
Heat-related mortality is four times higher among children under 1 year of age than in persons aged 1–44 years (Image: Taqver, Wikimedia Commons)
October 22, 2022 Role of MGNREGA in the year after the 2020 lockdown: Survey findings from Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh
MGNREGA provided income support or security to vulnerable households during the pandemic (Image: UN Women)
October 14, 2022 Arthan organizes a fireside chat to highlight the need for more data talent for social impact
There is a need to integrate data science into the existing education system (Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, Public Domain Pictures)
September 9, 2022 Highlights from a new report released by iFOREST
An old coal-fired power plant has been dumping vast quantities of ash out in the open for many years. (Image: Lundrim Aliu/ World Bank; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
July 14, 2022 The river is faced with the dual problem of flood plain encroachment and growing levels of water pollution
Illegal transverse check dams (Badhals) built on Ichamati near a village in Basirhat (Image: Prithviraj Nath @ TheWaterChronicles)
July 10, 2022 People in India fleeing disasters like drought more likely to have experienced trafficking or modern slavery than those fleeing floods or cyclones
The country's climate change assessment suggests things are only going to get worse (Image: Saurav Karmakar, India Water Portal Flickr)
Fluorosis mitigation in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh: Experiences of monitoring fluoride levels in drinking water and human urine, and implementing mitigation measures
Vasudha Vikas Sansthan with the help of Water Aid and with the technical support of Peoples’ Science Institute undertook fluoride testing and fluorosis mitigation programme in Tirala, Dharampuri and Umarban blocks of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh. The program began on November 5th, 2008. The data generated and major results of the research undertaken under the programme is presented in this report. Posted on 04 May, 2012 08:48 AM

Background:

62 million people in India, including 6 million children suffer from fluorosis. The root cause of this is excessive fluoride (>1.5mg/l) in groundwater, as is found in 20 states across India.

Objectives:

The Supreme Court and its directions on Interlinking of Rivers (ILR): India and her people will be greatly benefited by its implementation
The Supreme Court has recently given direction to Government of India to implement Inter Linking of Rivers (ILR) within a time frame as it brings many benefits to our people. Many feel that ILR has some inherent problems including reluctance of the States. But Supreme Court wants the net working of rivers (NWR). This article by J Prabudoss looks into the issue. Posted on 03 May, 2012 07:03 PM

Author : J. Prabudoss

Viability of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in India: Study of Chanju CDM project in Chamba district,Himachal Pradesh
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is introduced by US government as flexibility mechanisms under Kyoto Protocol and allows developed countries to meet their emission reduction commitments by promoting clean development in developing countries. As a policy mandate, it aims to design project-based mechanisms to reduce emissions. These reductions are produced and then subtracted against a hypothetical baseline of emissions which are predicted to occur in the absence of a particular CDM project. India as a signatory of this protocol have been registered 2313 projects up to August 2010, out of these, 64 projects are of hydro power generation and Chanju power project of 36 MW is one of the CDM project in India. Dr Mohinder Kumar Slariya in this article showcases the primary data research based view point, which he presented in the "International Scientific Conference" at Hohenheim University, Germany. Posted on 03 May, 2012 06:30 PM

The present paper is an attempt of the researcher to make a comparative analysis between the expected benefits received by the executing agency under CDM and the actual benefits people are expected to receive from Chanju-I Hydro Electric Project.

Climate-change adaptation in rural areas of India
Climate change is already taking place. Rural areas will be particularly affected as it impacts water resources, agriculture, overall biodiversity and ecosystems like forests and coastal zones, as well as human health. This report by GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit deals with the issue. Posted on 03 May, 2012 02:33 PM

The report suggests that -

Environmental knowledge for hydro-meteorological disaster management: Capacity development in disaster risk management
Hydro-meteorological disasters particularly floods, drought, desertification, cyclone, extreme weather events, pest attack, forest fire, man-animal conflict are inextricably linked with environmental systems, resources and ecosystems. Environmental challenges and their complexities have been growing with the advancement in human development and economic stewardship. This report by National Institute of Disaster Management deals with this issue. Posted on 03 May, 2012 02:27 PM

Poor understanding of the environment – its structure, function, resources, especially at the level of planners and policy makers, have resulted in increasing frequency and intensity of hazards in nature. Understanding of the environment, its processes and resources are important for the early detection of hydro-meteorological hazards, prediction of disaster risk and scenarios and in evolving m

People in National capital territory of Delhi are far away from safe drinking water: Role of governance and civil society
Dhobi Ghat, a slum area with a majority of Muslim population , is situated on the bank of river Yamuna, near Batla House, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi with around 150 families. These families are mostly deprived and poor, surviving with low literacy rate, malnutrition, hunger and lack of sanitation. This report by Ravi Nitesh deals with how people in Delhi do not have access to safe drinking water. Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 09:56 PM

Adaptive sustainable agriculture: Crop system intensification in Andhra Pradesh
Along with the soil and water conservation programmes, promotion of agricultural techniques and practices is equally important in sustaining the livelihoods of the people in the long term. All too often, market considerations exert undue pressure on the agricultural practices, which in turn affect the production base and cause irreversible imbalances in the eco system. This report by WOTR deals with the issue. Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 07:01 PM

WOTR has been extensively promoting sustainable agriculture practices as part of its adaptive sustainable development approach.  The objective is to promote low external inputs, increase land productivity, use of indigenous seeds, and reduce cost of cultivation.

Draft National Water Policy 2012 and mainstreaming climate change adaptation
Now-a-days, climate change or global warming is one of the growing concerns in the natural resource management. According to the United Nation 2008 report ‘Humanitarian implications of climate change - Mapping emerging trends and risk hotspots’, India is one of the largest and most important regions of high overall human vulnerability. Climate change phenomenon is closely related to changes in monsoon behaviour and temperature. Variability in rainfall and temperature has a definite impact on water availability, groundwater recharge, agriculture and livestock production, livelihoods and health. Eshwar Kale of WoTR, Pune writes about the issue. Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:58 PM

Climate change issue is being loudly debated on international level to reduce emission of various gases, and each nation’s responsibility to control the emission.

Accelerating agricultural development for inclusive growth: Strategic issues and policy options
Like most other developing countries, India has predominantly been an agrarian economy, with agriculture sector contributing the largest share to gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. The introduction of high yielding varieties (HYV) technology in mid- 1960s yielded spectacular results in foodgrains production. However, growth in productivity is slowing down in many states while the scope for expanding the area under cultivation as well as irrigation is limited. Therefore, the real challenges for agricultural sector in future would be to feed the ever growing population and to protect long-term sustainable productive capacity of natural resources like land and water. Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:30 PM

Article Courtesy :  Vikalpa, Volume 37, No 1, January-March 2012

Author: Vijay Paul Sharma

Microfinance institutions get away with farmer suicide abetment charges: Police close a third of the cases in Andhra Pradesh
In 2010, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a series of suicides. These were not cases of farmers' suicides—a regular occurrence in the state which continues to be in the grip of an agrarian crisis. The victims in these cases happened to be the poorest of the poor; most of them illiterate dalits and adivasis. The first information reports (FIRs) of the police reveal that most of the suicides were due to coercive loan recovery tactics adopted by the mighty microfinance institutions (MFIs), that had given these people a few thousands of rupees as loans. Ironically, 2010 happened to be a year in which the micro finance industry registered a spectacular growth. This article by M Suchitra in Down to Earth deals with the issue. Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 12:43 PM

Article Courtesy : Down to Earth

Author : M Suchitra

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