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December 11, 2019 Dry toilets have long been hailed as a sustainable solution to the sanitation and waste management crisis facing India today, but have been overshadowed by more modern toilet designs.
A traditional dry toilet. Image: India Science Wire
November 27, 2019 Policy matters this week
An irrigation well at Randullabad, Maharashtra (Source: India Water Portal on Flickr)
November 11, 2019 Study points to vulnerabilities faced by women in the mountains and plains of Uttarakhand, which is likely to only increase with climate change.
Ganga's riverflow at Rishikesh in Uttarakhand (Image courtesy: Ankit Singh; Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
November 6, 2019 The number of people vulnerable to floods triggered by climate change by 2050 is triple that of previous estimates, according to a new study.
Aerial view of Chennai during floods 2015 (Image: Veethika, Wikimedia Commons, CC-SA 4.0 International)
October 22, 2019 A forum discusses the need to stop illegal land transfers and land alienation of the poor.
The maldharis from kutch on their own road trip (Image: Malay Maniar, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
October 21, 2019 In this interview, Joy talks about his work as an activist working in rural Maharashtra, and how he came to work on water conflicts in India.
KJ Joy speaks at a felicitation for the late Professor Ramaswamy Iyer.
Adaptive water resource management in the Lower Bhavani project command area in Tamil Nadu – A research report by IWMI
This study by IWMI explores the theory and practice of adaptive management based on a detailed field study in the Lower Bhavani project command area. Posted on 25 Aug, 2011 11:07 PM

Bhavani

To what extent farmers and water resource managers already practice adaptive management and whether it is practiced in an optimal manner or could there be areas for improvement based on recent advancements in the theory of adaptive management are some of the questions that are particularly appropriate in the light of rapid changes in river basin water use and also in relation to basin closure.

This paper draws on the development and use of water resources in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP), with the LBP reservoir and the 84,000 hectare (ha) LBP command area. The project diverts water from the Bhavani River, a tributary of the Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu.

Boundary concepts for interdisciplinary analysis of irrigation water management – A working paper by Peter Mollinga
This paper by Peter Mollinga, University of Bonn reviews the boundary concept that has emerged in interdisciplinary irrigation studies in South Asia, particularly India. Posted on 24 Aug, 2011 07:16 PM

The focus is concepts that capture the hybridity of irrigation systems as complex systems, and cross the boundaries of the natural and social sciences. 

The relevance of traditional knowledge for health, well being and sustainable development - Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge
With commercialisation of natural resources, traditional knowledge that managed to maintain sustainable levels of exploitation has been sidelined, the report says. Posted on 22 Aug, 2011 12:27 PM

This paper published in the journal Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge is an attempt to discuss the traditional knowledge of elderly people, their role and highlights many areas w

Plants used as agricultural seasons indicator by Mao Naga tribe - Manipur (India) - Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge
This paper published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge presents four plants used as an agricultural season indicator by Mao Naga tribe of Manipur, India. Posted on 21 Aug, 2011 07:38 PM

Agriculture is the main occupation of the tribe and they have a unique way of knowing plantation season for different crops by observing the flowering of some plants. The indicator plants are peach, wild cherry, camel foot and dancing girl.

Indigenous knowledge of soil fertility management in the humid tropics of Arunachal Pradesh - Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge
Traditional subsistence farmers throughout the tropics exhibit a deep understanding of their local ecosystems, the report says. Posted on 21 Aug, 2011 05:28 PM

This paper published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge highlights the findings of a study that correlates the indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge in assessing the nutrient availability status of agricultural soil as practised by the Nyishi tribes who use visual properties such as colour, texture and topographic positioning of land/terrain.

Malaria control manual - Guidance for malaria control projects in humanitarian situations - Published by OXFAM
The report recommends that early diagnosis, treatment and community education are the basic responses that should be included in all malaria control programmes. Posted on 20 Aug, 2011 10:32 PM

This manual on the Eldis site published by OXFAM provides guidance to public health promoters, water and sanitation engineers, project co-ordinators

Draft of Land Acquisition and Resettlement & Rehabilitation Bill, 2011 in public domain - Comments invited by Ministry of Rural Development till 31st August, 2011
The MoRD has on 29th July, 2011 released the draft Land Acquisition and Resettlement and Rehabilitation bill, 2011 in public domain as part of the pre-legislative consultative process. Posted on 15 Aug, 2011 05:35 PM

Guest post by: Amita Bhaduri

The drafting of a new legislation on these issues was taken up by a Group of Ministers in May 2007 and this is the second draft bill presented by the UPA Government.

Toilet manure in organic farming – An article by Varanashi Research Foundation
This article by the Varanashi Research Foundation, Adyanadka, Karnataka deals with toilet manure in organic farming for maintaining the humus in the soil. Posted on 12 Aug, 2011 03:45 PM

VRFHuman faeces and urine (toilet manure) are a serious waste disposal problem especially in areas with high human population density. At the same time they are rich in nutrients that are essential to plants.

The challenges of ecological sanitation in coastal south India - A case study of Kovalam town - South Chennai (Tamil Nadu) - A presentation
Involvement of women in designing toilets was very important for the success of the programme, the presentation says. Posted on 11 Aug, 2011 05:48 PM

This presentation by Sekhar Raghavan, Director, Rain Centre, Chennai, India highlights the experiences and the challenges faced by Rain Centre in introducing ecological sanitation in the coastal town of Kovalam near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India along with Coastal and Rural development Trust (CRDT), a small non profit centre based in Kovalam .

The coastal town of Kovalam was selected as a case because of its peculiar situation with its location in a fast developing  peri-urban area in proximity to Chennai city characterised by good groundwater situation, adequate land and housing facilities, but with a glaring and urgent need and demand for toilets.

Draft guidelines for taking up works relating to access to sanitation facilities by Ministry of Rural Development - Request for comments by August 15, 2011
Request for comments by August 15, 2011 - Posted on 09 Aug, 2011 11:15 PM

The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India has developed draft guidelines expanding the scope of works under schedule 1 Para 1 (ix) of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to include access to sanitation facilities. This has been prompted by demands from several States/quarters for ensuring sanitation facilities in rural areas with the main goal of ensuring a clean environment, thereby bringing about an improvement in the general quality of life and strengthening the livelihood base.

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