Sustainability

Featured Articles
December 6, 2022
The water that you eat
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
Protecting children from climate change impact not child's play
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
Making the invisible, visible
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
Leaving no one behind!
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
Water governance standard and certification system – An answer to the water problems of agrarian India
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
Challenges to India’s urban water security and future growth patterns
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Cities in India are marked by unequal distribution of water, lack of access, outdated infrastructure and minimal enforcement of rainwater harvesting and other means of supply.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)
Jubilant Bhartia Foundation and Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship invites applications for ‘Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Apply by May 31, 2012
Posted on 11 May, 2012 11:42 AM

 

Jubilant FoundationSCHWAB Foundation

How soil and water conservation transformed the lives of people in a remote village - The case of Gulliyada village in Talavadi block of Erode district, Tamil Nadu
Soil and water conservation are necessary to make agriculture self sufficient, sustainable and viable especially in hilly regions that are hard pressed for these resources. MYRADA (Mysore Resettlement and Development Agency), as an institution, is involved in a big way in various activities that engage local people in planning for the development of their area in the three southern states. In Erode district of Tamil Nadu, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) has been instrumental in bringing about a marked change in the topography of the region.
Seetha Gopalakrishnan
Posted on 09 May, 2012 04:12 PM

Author: Seetha Gopalakrishnan

MYRADA and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Erode district, Tamil Nadu
Privatisation of urban water supply in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh - An update from Manthan Adyayan Kendra
Khandwa is a medium-sized town located in western Madhya Pradesh. The 'Khandwa water supply augmentation project' has been awarded to Vishwa Utilities Pvt. Ltd., a Hyderabad based company under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis for water supply augmentation to the town, for the next 25 years. The project has been under execution since October 2009. The private party would supply water to the town @ Rs 11.95 per KL. The raw water for this would be pumped from a reservoir 51 km, away from the town. This report by Gaurav Dwivedi and Rehmat, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra deals with the privatisation of urban water supply in the town.
Gaurav Dwivedi
Rehmat
Posted on 09 May, 2012 09:53 AM

Startling conditionalities
Water science in India - Hydrological obscurantism - A paper in Economic and Political Weekly
This article criticises the Government of India’s proposal of addressing the twin problems of floods and water scarcity in the country by interlinking rivers
Jayanta Bandyopadhyay
Posted on 07 May, 2012 12:15 PM

This article by Jayanta Bandyopadhyay in the Economic and Political Weekly deals with the Government of India’s proposal for addressing the twin problems of floods and water scarcity by interlinking rivers.
Resuscitating a failed idea - Notes from Bihar – A paper in Economic and Political Weekly
This article questions the logic behind the implementing of the river interlinking project by using dams, embankments and canals, which have failed in Bihar to control floods
Dinesh Kumar Mishra
Posted on 07 May, 2012 11:36 AM

This article by Dinesh Kumar Mishra, Convenor of the Barh Mukti Abhiyan (movement for freedom from floods), Bihar in the Economic and Political Weekly states that the idea of a national interlinking of rivers needs to base itself on the past six decades’ experience of river and flood control measures.
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.
Anil K Gupta
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
"Excreta Matters" - A profile of the water and sewage situation in 71 Indian cities - A report by the Centre for Science and Environment
The just released Citizens’ Seventh Report on the State of India’s Environment, “Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta” deals with where Indian urban centers get their water from and where their waste goes. The report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) calls for using correct technology, planning for cost recovery and resource sustainability, building and renewing local water resources and designing sewage systems differently. It also calls for a law on the right to clean water.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 02 May, 2012 12:24 PM

Guset post: Amita Bhaduri 

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Source: Excreta Matters, Centre for Science and Environment, 2012

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.
Chandrasekhar Nemani
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.
Eshwer Kale
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.
Vijay Paul Sharma
Posted on 27 Apr, 2012 01:30 PM

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

Author: Vijay Paul Sharma
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