Sustainability

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December 6, 2022 Need to shift to a more sustainable diet without compromising on major nutrients and calories
Historically, India has been a net exporter of virtual water (Image: PxHere)
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)
April 26, 2022 The water stewardship initiative by WOTR that developed a tool to visualise aquifers has not only helped farmers understand groundwater as a shared resource, but also led to a behavioural change among water users and helped implement groundwater laws and policies.
Groundwater, a fast disappearing resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
December 6, 2021 Will it be possible to ensure equity and justice while balancing climate action goals with economic progress?
Taking everyone along while achieving a balance between economic growth and climate goals is crucial (Image Source:  Good Energies)
March 22, 2021 The recent 'Water governance standard and certification system' developed by WOTR can greatly help villages to develop good governance practices and manage their water needs equitably and sustainably.
Long queues waiting for tankers are common in different parts of Maharashtra during water scarcity (Image Source: WOTR)
December 29, 2020 Water resources in most Indian cities are overworked and overused, and not adequately replenished.
Cities in India are marked by unequal distribution of water, lack of access, outdated infrastructure and minimal enforcement of rainwater harvesting and other means of supply. (Image: Anish Roy, Pixabay)
Press Release by SANDRP: Why does our Govt have no value for rivers ?
Press Release by SANDRP: Why does our Govt have no value for rivers ? Posted on 08 Jan, 2009 10:32 AM

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A two day National Workshop on need for policy and legal norms for allowing freshwater flows in Rivers in India on January 3-4, 2009 at Bangalore ended with a unanimous demand that governments must allow continuous, sustained freshwater flows in all perennial rivers of India, whenever, a dam, diversion or hydropower project is planned, constructed or operated. Inaugurating the workshop on the morning of January 3, 2009, Shri L C Jain, former member, planning commission of India (and many other important posts), expressed his pain and anguish on the state of India's Rivers, "It is very disturbing that the acts of commissions and omissions of the authorities have ruthlessly, blindly, heartlessly lead todestruction of almost every major rivers of India. The hearts of the officials and ministers should throb for the millions depending for their needs and livelihoods on the rivers, but it seems that the stones of the South and North block buildings have entered their hearts." Quoting Gandhiji's agenda for the economic independence of India from what he wrote in the Young India on November 29, 1929, Jain said, Land, Water and Air cannot be subject of commerce, but the planners lock up the pain, hunger, malnutrition in the paragraphs of their five year plan documents and do not ensure their inclusion in their actual plans and programmes. He expressed his deep anguish that even the recommendations of the official policies and committees on ensuring freshwater flows in the rivers remain unimplemented.

Preliminary consolidated report on the effect of climate change on water resources, prepared by the Central Water Commission and the National Institute of Hydrology, under the guidance of the Ministry of Water Resources in 2008
This is one of the first official reports made available by the Government of India, of a reliable quantitative assessment based on field data Posted on 05 Jan, 2009 11:22 AM

The Preliminary Consolidated Report on the Effect of Climate Change on Water Resources, prepared by the Central Water Commission and the National Institute of Hydrology, under the guidance of the Ministry of Water Resources in 2008, is one of the first official reports made available by the Government of India, of a reliable quantitative assessment based on field data, of the likely effect of climate change on the availability of water resources, i.e. on the glaciers and snow melt, on rainfall and their effect on run off into the river system and their contribution to ground water. In the Report, an attempt has been made to give a brief account of the available studies on possible impacts of climate change on India's water resources, change in India's water needs, climate of India, river basins of the country, present water resources and future demand and supply, impacts of projected climate change and variability, and associated hydrological events and likely vulnerability of regional water resources to climate change. Identification of key risks, research needs and prioritisation of mitigation strategies has also been discussed. Access the report here: Preliminary Consolidated Report on the Effect of Climate Change on Water Resources

DEWATS Newsletter: Volume 1|Issue 5|December 2008
DEWATS Newsletter: Volume 1|Issue 5|December 2008 Posted on 27 Dec, 2008 10:13 AM

 untitled2.jpg The DEWATS Newsletter, published bi-monthly by BORDA in Bremen, constitutes a compilation of links to articles about dewats and sanitation from the BNS N

"Irrigation infrastructure - A view from below"
"Irrigation Infrastructure - A View from below" is a new research study by Chitra Krishnan funded by the "Knowledge in Civil Society" initiative. Posted on 27 Dec, 2008 03:52 AM

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

Audio files: Bihar floods - The survival story
Anshu Gupta, the man behind Goonj - an NGO - visits flood hit Bihar and faces the different aspects of this historical disaster. Here is a narration of his experiences and evaluations Posted on 17 Dec, 2008 07:44 PM

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.

ReliefWeb's field report on the Bihar flood situation
Relief Wed South Asia Program Director Nimmi Gowrinathan travelled to Bihar, India to survey the flood damage in the area. Posted on 06 Dec, 2008 06:42 AM

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.

Bottled water for Rs. 12/ : Can the environment afford it ?
Bottled water for Rs. 12/ : Can the environment afford it ? Posted on 15 Nov, 2008 10:09 AM

An average trekker leaves behind approximately 100,000 kgs of water bottles per year. During average trekking of a week , trekker drinks up to 50 litres of water. Each trekker leaves behind 50 PET bottles along the track. PET bottles can take 1,000 years to biodegrade. Nine out of 10 water bottles end up as garbage or litter, and that means millions per day. PET bottles require massive amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport, leaving behind carbon foot prints. Billions of bottles show up at landfills every year. The entire energy costs of the lifecycle of a bottle of water are equivalent, on average, to filling up 250 ml of each bottle with oil. "Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 US cars for a year," according to the study. "Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year."

The Economist debate series on water
The Economist debate series on water Posted on 04 Oct, 2008 10:54 AM

FLOW, the film
FLOW, the film Posted on 29 Sep, 2008 07:15 PM

These facts may surprise you: 1.1 billion people live without clean drinking water.* There are over 116,000 human-made chemicals that are finding their way into public water supply systems.* Water is a $400 billion dollar global industry; the third largest behind electricity and oil.* Flow, a new film about the implications of the world water crisis, can help you wrap your head around those dis

Critiquing the floods: Analysis from the Water Initiatives Orissa and SANDRP
A detailed analysis by Water Initiatives Orissa and SANDRP on the floods that have devasted the state of Odisha Posted on 26 Sep, 2008 04:46 PM

Water Initiatives Orissa's analysis

Water Initiatives Orissa has a detailed analysis of the current situation in Orisssa. The analysis while staying away from allocating blame goes into detail to find out the real reasons for the flood situation.

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