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Cities in India are marked by unequal distribution of water, lack of access, outdated infrastructure and minimal enforcement of rainwater harvesting and other means of supply.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)
Draft National Water Policy 2012 - Dialogue organised by NEER Foundation, Meerut on February 18, 2012
The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Government of India (GoI) has recently prepared a National Water Policy whose draft has been put up on the Ministry's website for public comments by February 27, 2012. The MoWR also stated that it would incorporate reasonable comments and suggestions into the new water policy after discussions. NEER Foundation, Meerut organized a one day intensive dialogue on February 18, 2012 at Hotel Crystal Palace, Meerut on the policy draft in which experts from across the country and farmers participated.
Raman Kant Tyagi
Posted on 27 Feb, 2012 10:07 AM

Guest post by: Raman Kant Tyagi

Meeting
Mayadantha Male (The miracle of rain) - All India Radio Karnataka programme on rainwater harvesting
This article by Chicu summarises an AIR, Karnataka programme on rainwater harvesting.
All India Radio
Posted on 26 Feb, 2012 04:37 PM

"The miracle of rain : Let the earth overflow"
Water resource accounting as a tool for urban water management - An illustration in NCT- Delhi - Journal of Indian Water Works Association
This paper published in the Journal of Indian Water Works Association demonstrates how urban water management can be based on policies with the goals of effective water allocation, and its quality and quantity management, by making use of a water resource accounting framework and focuses on illustrating how urban water management can be achieved through water accounting through a case study of NCT-Delhi.
N Ramakrishna
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 10:41 PM

The paper discusses the natural resources accounting in the context of national/regional policy first, and then places water resource accounting within it. Subsequently, the methodology as well as study framework adopted for resource accounting are discussed.
Inducing vulnerabilities in a fragile landscape: The implications of hydropower development in a seismically active zone - An article in EPW
After the earthquake that shook Sikkim in November 2011, the safety of the dams being constructed on the Teesta is being questioned by the communities that live along it
Kanchi Kohli
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 08:25 PM

Close to 30 hydroelectric projects are being planned on the Teesta and its tributaries. Not only is this river an essential part of Lepcha identity and life, but it also flows through a fragile zone. In this article first published in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), Kanchi Kohli examines the ramifications of this policy.
Construction empties Kashmir's rice bowl: How unplanned 'development' has led to a shortage of this staple crop
The rice fields of Kulgam district in Kashmir have provided the people of the state with sufficient harvest of this staple. However, illegal appropriation of farmland for construction has led to a state-wide rice shortage,says IndiaUnheard.
VideoVolunteers
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 03:16 PM

Video courtesy: VideoVolunteers

Diverting rivers for linking, a catastrophic idea: Questioning the state impetus to river inter-linking despite uncertain economic, social and ecological benefits
The economic feasibility of river interlinking is still debatable, while studies show that it will cause social and ecological harm. Despite this, states are still taking this program forward. Gopal Krishna examines this phenomenon.
Gopal Krishna
ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 12:12 PM

Author: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
Once upon a lake: A report on the current status of the lakes of Mahadevpura constituency, Bengaluru with recommendations for restoration
Lakes of Mahadevpura constituency, Bengaluru- current status, changes in distribution and recommendations for restoration' by Harini Nagendra, Ramesh Sivaram, and S Subramanya presents the current status of the lake and canal system in Bengaluru’s Mahadevpura constituency, with details of individual lakes as well as recommendations for the restoration of these lakes as well as the entire system. This report has been shared with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, under which the management of these lakes is consolidated, to inform planning at a constituency and ward level.
Harini Nagendra
Ramesh Sivaram
S Subramanya
Posted on 23 Feb, 2012 05:55 PM


Map of the lakes in Bengaluru, with information about their status

Map of the lakes in Bengaluru, source: ATREE

"In search of old ideas" - A discussion of the draft national water policy 2012, by Jayanta Bandopadhyay in The Telegraph
In this article published in the Telegraph Jayanta Bandopadhyay discusses the draft national water policy 2012.
Jayanta Bandopadhyay
Posted on 22 Feb, 2012 05:05 PM

Author: Jayanta Bandopadhyay

Article and image courtesy: The Telegraph
New water policy more contentious; least helpful in tackling existing issues
The new water policy (NWP) draft 2012 is reportedly replete with more contentious issues and least helpful in tackling existing issues. The formulation of new draft policy has been facilitated in an undemocratic way sans participation of all stakeholders. Undoubtedly the draft explicitly states that water needs to be managed as a community resource held by the state under public trust doctrine, but concurrently it underscores the need to treat water as an “economic good”. Instead of treating water as ‘economic good’, it should be treated as sustainable development instrument.
Arvind Kumar
Posted on 22 Feb, 2012 12:34 PM

Author : Dr. Arvind Kumar
How valuable are environmental health interventions? - Evaluation of water and sanitation programmes in India - Paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation
This paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation presents the findings of a valuation study that estimated the economic value of the average “treatment effect” of a community demand driven water and sanitation programme. The study employed a unique combination of propensity-score “pre-matching” and large panel data to estimate the economic impacts of a multi-dimensional environmental health programme.
Christine Poulos
Jui Chen Yangb
Subhrendu K Pattanayak
Sumeet Patil
Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 06:11 PM

The paper informs that a number of epidemiological studies on the benefits of water and sanitation interventions have shown that diarrhoea can be reduced by 30–50%.
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