Asia Water Wire - India

Water Aplenty, Nor a Drop to Drink

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:18:40 -0500

By Keya Acharya

NEW DELHI, Apr 18 (IPS) - Over 37.7 million people in India are affected by water-borne diseases due to contaminated drinking water supply and an estimated 1.5 million children die of diarrhoea each year, according to newly available statistics.

INDIA: More Dams Come Up But Irrigated Area Declines

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:18:02 -0600

By Bharat Dogra

NEW DELHI, Feb 7 (IPS) - Recent official irrigation statistics have revealed a curious situation in which, after spending 25 billion U.S. dollars on various irrigation projects during 1990-2004, the actual area under irrigation declined from 17.4 million hectares to 14.3 million hectares in the period.

ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: MANTRA for Tribal Development

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 06:40:00 -0500

By Kalinga Seneviratne*

ORISSA, India, Oct 29 (IPS/AMIC) – Gram Vikas, one of India’s largest non-government organisations, has a simple solution to uplift rural Adivasi (tribal) communities across this eastern Indian state – it’s a MANTRA (Movement and Action Network for Transformation of Rural Areas) of all in, or all out.

INDIA: Lack of Water, Lack of Education

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:17:29 -0500

By Kalinga Seneviratne*

The lack of clean water in their own homes prevents women from having good education and deprives them of a safe and secure future.

BANGALORE, India, Oct 8 (IPS/AMIC) - It is often said that social taboos hinder the education of girls in India’s poor communities. But as the experience of some slum communities in this southern Indian city indicates, it is also the lack of access to water that deprives them of an education.

INDIA: Fisherwomen Question Tourism's 'Magic'

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:14:53 -0500

By M Martin

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala, Oct 1 (IPS) - Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney described his 2002 Kerala tour in one word – 'magical'. For thousands who throng the state's green villages, picturesque backwaters and beaches, the experience is no less than a 'Magical Mystery Tour’. But local fisherwomen say it means new and harsh realities for them.

INDIA: Women Hold Key to Accepting Indoor Toilets

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:30:53 -0500

By Nitin Jugran Bahuguna

RAIPUR, Chattisgarh State, Sep 17 (IPS) - Like other women in this largely tribal, central Indian state, Draupati Bhosale was averse to the idea of having toilets built within homes, but went along because the government was building them at heavily subsidised costs. ‘’I thought it would give me extra storage space,’’ she said.

INDIA: Dwindling Fish Stocks Spell Trouble

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:41:58 -0500

By Soma Basu

TAMIL NADU, India, Jun 22 (IPS/IFEJ) - Small waves gently lap at the 15 by 15 feet white platform here, which used to be the venue for happy occasions ranging from pleasant evening sit-outs, marriage functions and Independence Day celebrations for the 2,000 residents of this coastal village in India.

INDIA: Business as Usual on the Kerala Coast

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:17:02 -0500

By Max Martin

THRISSUR, Kerala, Jun 1 (IPS) - Andrews Ambrose never misses a chance to share the wisdom he gained from 40 years of life as a fisherman on this coastal strip. He has to his credit two books and a map of the seabed.

INDIA: Neglecting Ancient Reservoirs Carries a Price

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 01:43:54 -0500

By Soma Basu

MADURAI, Tamil Nadu, May 5 (IPS/IFEJ) — The carved granite pagodas that dominate this town in southern Tamil Nadu state have earned it a place on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites. Less noticeable, though, are the vast reservoirs that once took care of the water requirements of this millennia-old cultural centre.

Dam-Displaced Tribes Lose Fishing Rights

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:50:34 -0600

By Bharat Dogra

ITARSI, India, Feb 9 (IPS) - The philosophy of 'satyagraha' or non-violent resistance, first employed by Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, has been adopted by tribal fisherfolk in 44 hamlets on a dammed river in central India to protest the loss of their livelihoods.

Large Dams Blamed for Floods

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 23:15:09 -0500

By Bharat Dogra

NEW DELHI, Sep 4 (IPS) - While they are a perennial feature of the
Indian subcontinent, this year's floods have left leading
environmental activists pointing fingers at the many large dams built
with the idea of controlling natural water systems.

Private Hydro Project on Narmada River Halted

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:08:49 -0500

By Bharat Dogra

NEW DELHI (IPS) - Once again, the government has been compelled to suspend work on the Maheshwar dam over the Narmada River in central India.

Under pressure from civil society groups, that organised a sit-down strike for close to three weeks here in May, the central Ministry of Forests and Environment ordered the state government of Madhya Pradesh, where the project is located, to halt work until project authorities have complied with conditions laid down for the rehabilitation of all people who stand to lose their lands, livelihoods or homes.

Rainwater Club Brings Hope Amidst Gloom

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 05:16:16 -0500

By Anita Raokashi

On average, Bangalore receives nearly 3,000 MLD of annual rainfall of which experts say 20-50 percent can be harvested for household use.

The Rainwater Club, a non profit organisation, has set up a harvesting model at the Raj Bhavan – the residence of the Governor, the state’s top official – and the building does not have to rely on the BWSSB supply anymore.

Water Shortage Could Cause IT Bubble to Burst

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 03:43:02 -0500

By Anita Raokashi

Waiting for water at public taps in some parts of Bangalore is a continuous affair, so much so that such containers are found throughout the day.

BANGALORE, India (Asia Water Wire) – India’s IT capital has become notorious for a problem that does not make headlines even though it affects every one behind the bits- and-bytes boom.

As if the crippling traffic of India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and slow infrastructure growth were not enough, Bangalore now faces an additional problem to reckon with – an acute shortage of drinking water.

Low Cost Toilets Change the Face of Bhopal's Slums

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 00:22:11 -0500

By Sushmita Malaviya

Before the arrival of low-cost toilets, villagers used this field for open defecation.

MADHYA PRADESH, India (Asia Water Wire) – Fourteen-year-old Asha Gaur is preparing to go for a marriage ceremony and is coloured in turmeric – the colour for the occasion.

Asia Water Wire - India

Water Aplenty, Nor a Drop to Drink

INDIA: More Dams Come Up But Irrigated Area Declines

ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: MANTRA for Tribal Development

INDIA: Lack of Water, Lack of Education

INDIA: Fisherwomen Question Tourism's 'Magic'

INDIA: Women Hold Key to Accepting Indoor Toilets

INDIA: Dwindling Fish Stocks Spell Trouble

INDIA: Business as Usual on the Kerala Coast

INDIA: Neglecting Ancient Reservoirs Carries a Price

Dam-Displaced Tribes Lose Fishing Rights

Large Dams Blamed for Floods

Private Hydro Project on Narmada River Halted

Rainwater Club Brings Hope Amidst Gloom

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Water Shortage Could Cause IT Bubble to Burst

Low Cost Toilets Change the Face of Bhopal's Slums