Voluntary Citizen or Civil Society Sector

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October 11, 2022 In an effort to inform the general public, especially citizen activists, policymakers, researchers, and students, about the current status of the Vrishabhavathi river, Paani.Earth has created the necessary maps, data, analysis, and information to drive conservation awareness and action around the river.
Vrishabhavathi river (Image Source: Paani.Earth)
October 1, 2021 Community videos as a tool to influence behaviour change and adoption in rural communities
Community videos are produced by farmers themselves and feature local participants and agents from the rural communities themselves (Image: Digital Green)
September 17, 2021 Benefits of well-managed commons on livelihoods
Collective efforts revived the canal structure of Bichhiya dam bringing water to the village (Image: Foundation for Ecological Security)
September 4, 2021 Committed to use the power of all forms of communication to bring about behavioral change and transformation at scale
Villagers participating in shramdaan for making watershed structures (Image: Paani Foundation)
September 3, 2021 Safe water learning cards being used to train a wide spectrum of stakeholders
Different combinations of safe water learning cards can be customised for a session based on the target audience (Image: INREM)
June 4, 2021 Meet these real-life heroes, who with their consistent and tireless efforts created an impact and turned their local areas into examples to follow.
Meet the water warriors who made a significant change in their own unique way (Image Source: Environment Club)
CMS India invites applications for Senior Research Executive / Research Executive, Delhi - Apply by January 15, 2012
Posted on 12 Jan, 2012 09:34 AM

Content courtesy: DevNetJobsIndia

CMS

CMS is a not for profit multi- disciplinary, development research and facilitative think-tank. We endeavor to work towards equity, social development and transparency in governance through research, advocacy and capacity building.

Democratisation of water management - The experience of Tamil Nadu with governance reforms
The authors argue that the solutions to the global water crisis do not lie in investing more and more money into the water sector or in the introduction of better technology. Posted on 09 Jan, 2012 12:18 PM

Nor is the introduction of the private sector and the reduction in the role of the government going to help. Rather, the time has come to introduce changes at the basic or the fundamental level in the way in which the water sector functions.

There is an urgent need to bring about reforms in governance by moving towards decentralisation and democratisation, leading to  involvement of people from all the sections of the society, who know and understand that they are responsible for the system and its functioning, as well as by introducing principles of equity and social justice. The papers demonstrate the successful implementation of this approach by describing the experience of Tamil Nadu at democratising water management through introduction of reforms at the level of governance, through involvement of the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD).

IWMI-Tata Policy Research Program invites applications for ITP Annual Partners' Meet 2012 - Apply by January 15, 2012
Posted on 09 Jan, 2012 07:21 AM

IWMI

IWMI-TATA Water Policy Research Program is a collaborative initiative between a research institution and a corporate body, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Sir Ratan TATA Trust (SRTT). This partnership emerged from a shared concern regarding the growing water stress in different parts of India.

Koodam – Breaking hierarchy, building democracy - Paper published in Integral Leadership Review
This paper discusses the Tamil concept of 'koodam' as a possible tool to transform bureaucratic structures into more non hierarchical and people friendly structures. Posted on 08 Jan, 2012 03:59 PM

The paper published in the Integral Leadership Review argues that hierarchy and bureaucracy are two of the most common features of governance systems that play a determining role in shaping the organisational culture, systemic re

Big dams and protests in India: A study of Hirakud dam – An article in EPW
This article by Arun Kumar Nayak in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) examines the movement against the construction of the Hirakud dam in Orissa. Posted on 06 Jan, 2012 12:29 PM

It is evident that the domestic resistance to the project was variously compromised by nationalist rhetoric, imperatives of state development and absence of transnational support. The Hirakud dam project has failed on all of its objectives – flood management, hydropower production, irrigation and navigation. Its socio-economic impact has been devastating.

Living rivers, dying rivers: Bagmati river in Nepal
The fifth lecture in the ten-part series titled "Living Rivers, Dying Rivers" was delivered by Dr. Ajaya Dixit and Dr. Dipak Gyawali. Posted on 05 Jan, 2012 06:07 PM

Bagmati river in Kathmandu: From holy river to unthinkable flowing filth

Bagmati river, Nepal (Source:Bagmati Action Plan 2009-2014)

Ajaya Dixit initiated his presentation with a general account of how rivers shape the landscape and how riverine ecosystems have nurtured society and kept civilisations vibrant, cultured and creative. Dixit went on to discuss the basin characteristics of the Bagmati, a tributary of the Kosi that rises in the Shivapuri hills, north of the Kathmandu valley. Around fifteen percent of the basin area (3700 sqkm) lies in Nepal, while the remaining is in India. The average annual rainfall in the basin is 1400 mm and is more than 2000 mm in the hills. Bagmati is a seasonal river with rainfall and springs as its main source. Its mean flow is 15.6 cubic metre/second and low flow is 0.15 cubic metre/second in April.

Kathmandu lies in the Upper Bagmati basin and studies suggest that an ancient lake called the Paleo-Kathmandu lay within the Kathmandu valley as a lacustrine formation. Early settlers lived in lower slopes and used springs and river in the upper reaches. When they moved to the valley floor, they built dongia dharas, which are stone water spouts fed by the unconfined aquifers and delivered water through surface channels. Even today, dongia dharas dated back to 1500 years exist. The state built canals (raj kulo) tapped the upper stretches of the rivers close to the mountains. Rivers and irrigation helped recharge aquifers and ponds.

However, rising urbanisation has damaged these ancient artifacts. Over the last sixty years Kathmandu has expanded massively and its population has increased from 0.41 million in 1951 to 2.6 million in 2011. The city has a huge transient population aside from this, reducing it to a concrete nightmare. Seismologists suggest that Kathmandu is a rubble city in the making. Though the Bagmati river flow has not changed significantly in the last seventy years, the character of the river has been transformed significantly during the period 1970 to 1990. The river has been canalised while the dumping of the city’s garbage into it continues. Dixit identified a plethora of problems faced by the river such as upstream water diversion for drinking water needs, disposal of untreated liquid waste, disposal of solid waste, river jacketing for roads and commercial activities, sand mining and physical encroachment.

The state of the river is an outcome of the current approach to waste management particularly liquid waste management. Three types of waste water namely yellow water flux, grey water and yellow black flux are being generated and flowing water is being used as a vehicle to dispose these. The idea of a water based disposal system e.g. flush toilet embedded in Victorian engineering has led to a technological lock-in with the result that the notion of a natural hydrological cycle has undergone a fundamental transformation.

All the same, the bulk of the load in the river is biological though there are some factories releasing effluents. In the last 20 years some of them have been closed or relocated and the river now stands a chance of being salvaged.

  

 

Bagmati River at Pashupatinath Temple (Source:Wikipedia)
OneWorld South Asia is looking for freelance journalists for the North East and a few other States
Posted on 04 Jan, 2012 09:07 AM

oneworld

The OneWorld network spans five continents and produces content in nine different languages to bring the world’s poor and marginalised voices in global debates to audiences worldwide. OneWorld Foundation India believes technology is a strong enabler of development and empowerment and draws on its democratic potential to promote sustainable development and human rights in the South Asia region.

Lady Tata Memorial Trust invites applications for “Young Research Awards – 2012” – Apply by January 16, 2012
Posted on 03 Jan, 2012 07:52 AM

Tata

The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, one of the oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations in India, was set up by Sir Dorabji Tata with the prime purpose of encouraging learning and research in the country, of meeting costs of relief during crises and calamities and of carrying out worthwhile charitable activities. The Trust’s vision of constructive philanthropy has been sensitive to the fast-growing needs of a developing nation, while the work initiated by it holds contemporary relevance as it continues to support innovative enterprises in development.

A plan for resolving Mullaperiyar conflict in Kerala - Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India
An open letter to the Prime Minister on resolving Mullaperiyar conflict in Kerala is presented below - Posted on 31 Dec, 2011 12:56 PM

Guest Post: Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India

The Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India has been closely following the Mullaperiyar issue for the last several years. The polarisation of views around the Mullaperiyar has hardened over the years. The Tamil Nadu government insists that the Mullaperiyar dam is safe and that the water level must be maintained at the maximum level as per the agreement. The Kerala government insists that a new dam, downstream of the present dam, must be built because the present dam is unsafe. The recent tremors with their epicentres near the dam and the already diminishing trust and rising fears and apprehensions on both sides have created a grave situation needing immediate intervention and your initiative in getting the two parties together is a welcome move.

National Alliance for People s Movements condemns arrest and harassment of anti-dam protesters in Assam
NAPM demands scrapping of big dams in Brahmaputra River Valley. Posted on 28 Dec, 2011 12:10 PM

Content courtesy: National Alliance for People's Movements

On the 26 December, 2011, at 2:15 am, Assam Police in collusion with other security forces swooped down on the protesters at Ranganadi who have been blockading the Highway since December 16 and thwarting state’s attempt to carry turbines and dam materials to project site of Lower Subansiri Dam. Nearly 200 people have been arrested and earlier also security forces have been harassing the protestors. In past too, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti fighting against the big dams on Brahmaputra have faced government’s ire and often been attacked and jailed. NAPM stands in solidarity with KMSS and other students groups of the region who have been consistently opposed to the big dams in highly sensitive seismic zone. We condemn the sustained action and harassment of KMSS and their activists and targeting of Akhil Gogoi for constantly opposing the destructive development policies and corruption of the government machinery.

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