Water Conservation

Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding deterioration of Nayar river, Uttarakhand, 05/06/2025

Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …

Crisis in West Asia

a study conducted by scientists from five countries including the us and Canada stated that Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities should work together to preserve aquatic eco-systems in the region. Fresh water supplies in the Middle East now are barely sufficient to maintain a quality standard of living, said Gilbert …

Ingenious irrigation

over recent years, farmers have come to recognise the advantages of drip irrigation, a type of micro-irrigation (sprinklers, perforated earthenware pipes and mulching). The method which was first used by Israel, is mainly introduced to utilise water efficiently in irrigation. In drip irrigation, water is constantly supplied at the root …

Political parties cannot offer solutions

How do you propose to address the issue of drinking water now that your party is in power? The question is not just how we can address the issue. We should consider why we have such a situation. Earlier, no one bothered about water as it was easily available. It …

How sustainable a partner?

Noah saved the world from a flood. Today, an effort of similar proportions is required to deal with a different kind of problem: an unprecedented shortage of freshwater. In Noah's absence, governments of the world made an attempt in this direction in New York (April 15 to May 1) at …

A parched waterworld

The doomsday predictions of wars being fought over water indicate the world's precarious position with regard to water. Though 70 per cent of the planet is covered by water, only 2.5 per cent of water is freshwater. Of this, nearly 70 per cent is frozen in the ice caps of …

Water in foreign policy

The gravity of the problem of freshwater scarcity on a global scale was recognised as far back as 1977, when the un Water Conference took place at Mar del Plata, Argentina. The action plan drawn up at Mar del Plata is considered by many as "an excellent road map", much …

Reality bites

"W e are dealing with a different type of reality,' said Nicky Nzioki, a non-governmental representative from Kenya. "In the South, it would be almost impossible to put an economic value on water that flows by in a stream in a village, far away from developed areas.' China reflected this …

Industrial vibes

Industry and freshwater. "The challenge is to create the market conditions whereby sustainability will form the basis of competitiveness," Bausuano added. "Voluntary commitment cannot be a substitute to legislation," said Bjorn Stigson, president, WBCSD. "It can only complement an on-going process. In developing countries, voluntary effort will have to come …

Managing freshwater resources

Do industry and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) make strange bedfellows? Not anymore, apparently. In what could be a trend-setting partnership, UNEP and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have come out with a report titled "Industry, Freshwater and Sustainable Development". Dubbed the "wake up call to …

When the old gods died

this is an amazing story. A story that shows that India can start eradicating poverty very fast and very cheaply. This is the story of the degradation and the regeneration of Jhabua - a poor tribal district of Madhya Pradesh bordering Gujarat. In 1985, when I first visited the district, …

Crossing the rainbow

the ecological carnage that Jhabua has witnessed in the last five decades is sporadically mentioned in official records. Elder residents, however, remember how the dense forests once enveloped the district. "Hardly 60 years ago, my home was surrounded by dense forests," says 90-year-old Dholji of Samoi village. "The forests belonged …

The angry giants

the pebbles in the fields have become potatoes in the Hathipawa microshed of Jhabua district. In Phoolgaodi village, the villagers are celebrating the Year as the year of the Grass. In 40 ha of degraded government land, the watershed mission took up pasture development, where the production of more than …

Mission control

When he was the irrigation minister in Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay Singh realised that big dams would only bring him unwanted unpopularity and fail to solve the problems of the largely tribal people of his state. "I realised that big dams were not going to help achieve sustainable growth," he said …

Rebirth of the forest

The marriage of Joint Forest Management (JFM) with watershed treatment under one mission was the touchstone for recovery of Jhabua. Even before the guidelines for watershed management were issued by the ministry of rural development, Government of India, in late 1995, the mission had commenced with the formation of 20 …

Ground realities

the pre-eminent position attained by groundwater in the field of irrigation in India must be duly recognised. It accounts for well above 50 per cent of the total irrigated area. Water management policies should aim at bolstering and upgrading the Central Groundwater Board and its research programmes. The state groundwater …

Parched future

march 22 was celebrated as World Water Day, a reminder that the water resources abounding the earth are being stressed out mainly due to the increase in human population. On March 21-22, Morocco hosted the world water forum to focus on the water scarcity around the world. According to the …

Evergreen options

The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) organised the Third Agricultural Science Congress in collaboration with the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, Punjab, on March 12. The three-day-long seminar which concluded on March 15, discussed the changing aspects of agriculture over the past 50 years and emphasised the need to …

Planning for a mega city

Planning for a mega-city in a poor developing country like India is not easy. Large investments are needed to keep the environment clean and to provide basic services like clean air and water, schools, hospitals, proper transport and road space. If the political leadership does not have adequate financial resources …

Reform begins at home

The South Korean non-governmental organisation Citizen's Coalition for Economic Justice (ccej), recently launched the Green Family campaign. The campaign specifically aims at the reduction of domestic waste and the conservation of water and energy. Attempts are also being made to simultaneously change people's behavioural patterns and values through environmental education. …

Oasis underneath

IMPATIENT shifting sand dunes and acacia shrubs dot the desolate landscape of Churu district, the gateway to the Thar. Almost invariably, the highest summer temperature is recorded here. Drinking water sources are scarce. The wells are very deep and the water saline. The erratic piped water supply doesn"t even meet …

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