chicu

Why a right to sanitation is necessary

The Millenium Development Goals aimed to halve the number of people with no access to water & sanitation. "Who are these people?", asks Leo Heller of the UN Office for Human Rights. chicu posted 9 years 1 month ago

Definitions of the human rights to water and sanitation (Source: SIWI)

Water treated royally in Mandu's Jahaz Mahal (Ship Palace)

It was not enough for the Mughals to just harvest rainwater but the structure needed to form a lilting backdrop to life in their palaces as exemplified by the Jahaz Mahal. What can we learn from it? chicu posted 9 years 2 months ago

An intricate set of curlicues set in the floor leads rainwater from the roofs to a tank in Jahaz Mahal, Mandu

Groundwater: It's not a source, it’s a resource

Nawraj Pradhan from ICIMOD explains how they are looking at the challenge of drying springs in the Kailash landscape from different angles -- ecological, cultural and physiographic. chicu posted 9 years 2 months ago

A spring next to a temple in Uttarakhand is the source of the Ramganga river

Why did Urmila have to suffer?

Although fluoride contamination was identified in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh a decade ago. children of some villages still continue to fall victim to skeletal and dental fluorosis causing bone deformities. chicu posted 9 years 2 months ago

Children dance during the inaugration of the safe water supply system in Kalapani, Madhya Pradesh

Mantra for the Char Dham: Don't Panic!

The monsoons regularly lead to road blocks and panicking pilgrims being airlifted out of Garhwal. Can this repeated narrative change especially since the Char Dham isn't an ancient practice at all? chicu posted 9 years 3 months ago

Pilgrims enroute to Kedarnath (Image: Sundaram + Annam)

How Bandu Singh recovered hope

Endemic fluorosis exists in 31 villages of Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh. This is the story of how one village is reclaiming its health and dignity. chicu posted 9 years 3 months ago

Bandu Singh and his family at their home in Kaalapani, Madhya Pradesh

Barefoot hydrogeologists: The next generation

The time taken for villages in Nainital district, Uttarakhand to resolve their spring-related disputes has shrunk from two year to six months. Here's why. chicu posted 9 years 4 months ago

Kunti and Priya discuss their plans with Budani

Abandoned dams; abandoned people

The National Green Tribunal allowed the ongoing construction on the Kanhar dam to continue despite its many illegalities. Four people who know the situation best explain why we should be disappointed. chicu posted 9 years 5 months ago

We don't want dams, dams destroy mountains' reads a slogan painted on a wall in Uttarakhand (Image Source: GJ Lingaraj)

Kanhar: To be or not to be?

The May 7th Kanhar judgement by the National Green Tribunal validated the protesters' claims, but then also allowed the Government to 'complete earlier work'. Isn't the NGT contradicting itself? chicu posted 9 years 5 months ago

Don't forget this Ambedkar Jayanti

Brutal reprisals on unarmed tribal and Dalit protesters are not uncommon, and Kanhar is just the latest. Here's how the next set of protesters could avoid being shot at. chicu posted 9 years 5 months ago

India's largest springs mapping exercise begins in Meghalaya

"The mapping exercise should yield some 2000-4000 spring data points within a few months", says Dr.Jared Buono, hydrogeologist. He talks with IWP about the programme and its potential. chicu posted 9 years 5 months ago

Detailed forms record information about springs

An intimate relationship: how rivers, humans and animals coexist

Most people believe that human needs should not be included while assessing the environmental flows for a river. Here is why they are wrong. chicu posted 9 years 5 months ago

Don't just hide waste!

Sanitation programmes use the construction and use of toilets as basic indicators that equate sanitation. Does this approach compound the problem rather than reduce it? chicu posted 9 years 6 months ago

Cursed by greed: The Falgu river

The Falgu river, supposedly cursed by Sita to run below the ground, is today threatened by encroachment and pollution. Can she be saved by her defenders? chicu posted 9 years 6 months ago

People gather around a chua in the Falgu

A speed limit on river use

"People tend to ask what (revenue in dollars) water for environmental flows is going to generate. That's not the question you should be asking", says Professor Jay O'Keeffe in an interview with IWP. chicu posted 9 years 6 months ago

Righting an insanitary wrong

Indian citizens are campaigning for a justiciable right to water and sanitation. Mamata Dash of WaterAid speaks to IWP about the right and its importance. chicu posted 9 years 6 months ago

Keepers of a complex irrigation system in Bihar

The Ahar Pynes irrigation systems were originally built and managed by the Zamindars of South Bihar. How does the system function today and who is responsible for it? chicu posted 9 years 7 months ago

Rameshwar Yadav, Bandhwe of Jamune Dashayan Paine

The pond with a purpose

The residents of Gobariya village built two ponds for livestock rearing and horticulture, but a chance discovery led to them becoming a quicker and better income generator. chicu posted 9 years 7 months ago

Studying springs: A matter of life and death

Mountain dwellers across India are learning hydrogeology in a bid to save their dying springs. In the process, they are also revolutionizing their lives. chicu posted 9 years 8 months ago

Learning hydrogeology informs spring restoration

Ganga Maiyya ki Jai': Uma Bharti at the Ganga Mahasabha

Listen to (and read the text of) Uma Bharti, the Minister of Water Resources, talk about her Ministry's plans for the Ganga including riverfront development. chicu posted 9 years 9 months ago