Water map shows billions at risk of 'water insecurity'

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UP districts drinking arsenic

October 12, 2010 3:33:36 AM

Biswajeet Banerjee | Lucknow

Millions of people in Uttar Pradesh are drinking water contaminated with traces of cadmium, fluoride, arsenic, nitrates and lead, says a recently released Government report.

A report prepared by the Department of Minor Irrigation and Ground water has claimed that groundwater in 49 out of 71 districts of Uttar Pradesh is not fit for human consumption as it contains arsenic. "Water was tested from 20,000 hand-pumps across the State. Samples of 11,021 hand-pumps were found to contain water contaminated with carcinogenic elements," said the report.

Low concentrations of arsenic can slowly build up in the body, eventually causing cancers, skin diseases and other illnesses. Prolonged exposure to arsenic can cause kidney, liver, intestinal, neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders.

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water as nearly 80 percent of Uttar Pradesh's 18 crore population depends on this.

Scientists say improper disposal of industrial and municipal waste coupled with excessive use of insecticide and pesticides has led to contamination of groundwater source. Once the groundwater gets contaminated, it is almost impossible to undo the damage.

As per World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, safe arsenic content in drinking water is 10 ppb (parts per billion), which works out to 0.01 mg per litre. But at several places in UP, the arsenic content is measured up to 200 ppb. Government of India guidelines in this regard are more liberal and consider up to 50 ppb within normal limits.

The report, submitted to the State Government on June 10, said that majority of the districts in western Uttar Pradesh including Meerut, Agra, Bijnore, Saharanpur, Badaun, Bareilly, Moradabad, Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar and Muzaffar Nagar has arsenic traces in its groundwater. In eastern UP, the traces of arsenic were found in Ballia, Lakhimpur Khiri and Bahraich.

The report says that harmful effect of arsenic is passing on to the non-endemic region because this contaminated water is being used in irrigation purposes. "Crops and vegetables are infected with arsenic and people outside the affected areas are also falling ill," it said.

Experts blame excessive groundwater discharge for contamination of water with arsenic. They claim that arsenic is found between 150 ft to 200 ft below the ground. In rocks, it is in an insoluble form, but due to excessive groundwater exploitation, more and more iron and oxygen seeps underground making arsenic soluble. The concentration of arsenic will increase as the water-table goes down, the expert said.

Arsenic in water causes arsenocosis, a disease in which the skin first becomes hard and later cracks up. In a number of cases, victims contract skin cancer.

Calling the report as frightening the Urban Development Minister Nakul Dubey Government has identified the areas where groundwater contains arsenic. "A cross in red colour has been put on the hand-pumps indicating the water is not fit for human consumption. Process has been initiated to provide pipe-water to the identified areas," he said.
 

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One man's initiative ensures water-security in drought condition


M. J. PRABU



Planting lakhs of trees, designing hundreds of check dams, and evolving new techniques of irrigating tree saplings in dry regions are feats of an out-of-the-box thinker named Mr. Premjibhai Patel, Rajkot, Gujarat.

Mr. Patel's tree planting efforts first started from Rajkot, but soon spread to states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Every morning, carrying a bagful of seeds and a small spade, the farmer planted seeds on field bunds, along road sides, and vacant lands. Individuals and some institutions also volunteered to help in the farmer's effort at ecological restoration.

Since manual seed planting proved laborious, Mr. Patel developed a petrol-driven mechanical blower mounted on a jeep back for broadcasting seeds.

The blower, which cost about Rs 12,000, blows seeds upto a distance of 15 meters, says the farmer. Using the blower he broadcasted 10 tonnes of tamarind seeds in several villages.

Mr. Patel also developed a unique technique for tree planting in drought prone regions of Kutch, Bhuj, and Saurashtra. He selected plastic pipes of about seven inches diameter and 1-1.5 feet height.

"Bore two small holes on opposite sides at the top end of the pipe and place it inside a half foot pit. Keep the root of the seedling next to the pipe inside the pit. Add a mixture of sand, soil and gravel to fill the pipe. Insert a small stick through the two holes at the top of the pipe and remove the pipe. Water poured on the sand reaches the roots of plants without wastage or evaporation," he explains.

The rate of seedlings survival increases by this method, according to the farmer.

Now Mr. Patel is concentrating on watershed development through an organization called Vruksh Prem Seva Sanstha Trust. The trust works through about 150 nature clubs on nearly 1,000 hectares. The trust launched a campaign in several villages for ground water conservation through well recharge.

"Though the government introduced several schemes to encourage the development of checkdams' in drought prone regions of Gujarat and offered subsidies, villagers did not evince interest in them because they often considered check dams as government projects. To motivate people to actively participate in building dams and to bring awareness on groundwater recharging I introduced a scheme for people," says the farmer.

Mr. Patel himself bears the cost of checkdam construction except cement cost. (In some cases the farmer also bore the total cost including cement). Those interested in the scheme contacted him and he personally visited the area to get first hand information about the location and help them construct the dams.

Explaining the checkdam construction method Mr. Premjibhai says:

"I place large stones in the middle of the flowing water and use river sand, stones and cement to fill the gap between the stones. Iron rods are inserted into holes in the stones for added strength. The body wall of the dam is built in such a way that it slopes at an angle of 60 degrees and the width of the top wall maintained at one metre height (height can be increased in future)."

According to the farmer, circular dams are more economical than the straight ones, because the thin walls of the dams make them cost effective.

About 1,500 check dams and 50,000 feet of pipeline for recharging underground wells are his contribution to society.

Mr. Premjibhai's initiative in water conservation ensures water security even in a drought season. Today farmers no longer remain idle even during summer as ground water table has increased considerably and there is timely water availability for agricultural activities. He also bagged the National Water Award recently from the Ministry of Water Resources.

For more information readers can contact Mr. Premjibhai Patel, Fulara Mill Godown, Furniture Gali, Rajmarg, Upleta, Rajkot, mobile: 9426202340.
 

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Project on linking of irrigation tanks extended


Staff Reporter
DINDIGUL: With the successful implementation of a pilot project at Gujiliamparai union, the district administration has extended the project on linking of irrigation tanks and renovation of supply channels to all panchayat unions in the district except Kodaikanal.

Launching the project at Sukkampatti panchayat near here on Tuesday, Collector M. Vallalar said that 109-km supply channel would be rehabilitated and linked with 50 tanks.

A total of 62-km channel was partially silted and 14-km channel massively damaged, he said.

This project will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs.3.55 crore under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. It will generate 3.55 lakh man days providing jobs to lakhs of rural farm workers who have registered their names under MGNREGS.

Fourteen silt ravaged ponds in Gujiliamparai, two in Dindigul, six in Athoor, four in Reddiyarchatram, two in Sanarpatti, seven in Natham, one each in Nilakottai, Batlagundu and Vedasandur, three each in Oddanchatram and Thoppampatti and six in Vadamadurai unions will be renovated.

In Dindigul union alone, 28.27-km supply channel will be desilted and rehabilitated.

On completion of this project, rural people, particularly farmers, will reap maximum benefits. A total of 215 million cubic feet of water will be stored in these renovated tanks and 1,200 open wells and 3,750 bore wells will be recharged.

The water table at nearby villages will go up sharply. Besides, 22,725 hectares of land will be brought back to cultivation. Water stored in these tanks would feed 71,000 cattle and act as sustainable drinking water source to more than 30 habitations, he added.

The district administration has plans to plant 2.5 lakh saplings in the district in September to make the district green. Saplings will also be planted along the banks of these channels. Instructions were given to dig several pits along supply channels for planting saplings.
 

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Nanodams may be another answer. Nano Dam Development Foundation: The Foundation for developement of Nanodams in India and other parts of the world.

It's like having ponds all across the river, especially in summer when water is needed the most..


Welcome to Nano Dam Foundation


Nanodam development foundation is a non-profit organization involved in development of nanodams in India. We are working with various state governments of India to develop nanodams as a supplementary water storage system for benefit of people. Additional source of water will act as ponds for bird and aquatic life; helps to recharge ground water level in adjacent area and maintain humidity during summer conditions. Water storage is spread across the length of the riverbed, which helps to increase resource availability for the given geographic area.
 
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Dry district shows a nation how to get wet


Hamirpur, June 5 -- A small district in Himachal Pradesh, a traditionally dry area that has experienced water woes for several years, is showing India how to conserve water. To tackle water scarcity, villagers in the district began harvesting rain water in khatris (deep pits) lined with impervious rocks, several years ago.

This simple form of water conservation caught the eye of the district administration, and, 11 years ago, it launched a water conservation drive in the region. They began by experimenting with harvesting water from rooftops of about 14 village houses.

Soon, a series of check dams were built to hold rain water for using after rains. Today, Hamirpur has 4,339 small and big check dams and 507 farm ponds.

"We have achieved it by involving the community," says Abhishek Jain, deputy commissioner, Hamirpur. "We also brought all the departments, working separately on water conservation under one roof for effective results.

" In the last six months, 666 traditional water sources in as many villages have been rejuvenated in government land. Rooftop rain water harvesting tanks have been installed in schools and village council offices and buildings.

The results are there to see. The ground water level in Hamirpur has shown an increase of over a metre from 2000 to 2008, according to NASA satellite data.

"We are able to use the water stored through check dams as per our own needs, for household requirement or for irrigating our fields," says Mathu Ram (54), a farmer from Kasiri village. "The hand pumps near the dams are re-charged.

" Inspired by Hamirpur's success, the state government has decided to spend 40 per cent of the Rs 900 crore.
 

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Water in the wells


view the slideshow embedded in the above article.

From above link

Impacts of water harvesting

Regeneration of the river Fofal

The river Fofal, like all the other rivers in the region, was not a perennial river. Water would be available in the river only up to November. As a result of the check dam building, the river has been regenerated. Today, water is seen in the river through out year including the lean months and the river flow is observed in almost nine months. Villagers use the river water for meeting all their needs, from drinking to irrigation. Women no longer have to walk miles to get water, and are able to devote time for education and other social activities.

Other ecological impacts

Villages, which once looked like a desert, have now turned into green areas. An integrated approach has been made to the watershed development including wasteland development, plantation of forest species and checking of soil erosion. The construction of dams helped to increase the water level in the wells from 152.4 m to 6 m below ground level. The sarpanch of another village, Mespar, said that water is now available for 24 hours.

Because of the increased availability of irrigation water, the land that was lying fallow came under cultivation and the total area under farming increased from 890 hectare (ha) in 1995-96 to 22275 ha in 2006-07. More than 5000 hectares of land was brought under irrigation. Farmers began to raise three crops per year and there is no shortage of drinking water. The average yield of cotton, groundnut, wheat and chilly increased substantially. The villagers reaped a profit of 15 crore (approximately US $ 3 million) at the end 2004 from agricultural products.

As the salinity of the soil decreased, the farmers can now grow cotton in almost 80 % of the cultivated area, replacing groundnut in many fields. According to VPSST, the cotton production at the end of 2004 increased ten times in the villages under watershed project. Jerambhai Patel, chairman of Watershed Committee says that in 2003, he earned only Rs. 50,000 (US $ 1000) from cotton and groundnut crops, whereas, in 2004, after water harvesting, his income shot up to Rs. 4 lakh (Us $ 8000).

The availability of the fodder has also increased the milk production (5 litres/day to 8 litres/day) from the cattle in the area. As a result about 16,000 litres of milk is produced per day in the areas under the watershed program.

Socio-economic impacts

The ecological regeneration arising from increased availability of water has led to socio-economic and lifestyle improvements. Newly constructed houses can be seen in almost all the villages under this watershed project. Villagers have purchased tractors and constructed pucca (cement construction) houses. More than 150 families have purchased motorcycles and increase in percentage of admission in schools increased from 50 to 90 %. More numbers of girl children are being sent to school. Womenfolk now do not have to travel very far for washing, cleaning or collecting water for potable uses. Other small streams villages have appreciable water even during peak summer.

The increase in agricultural activities not only assured employment to the local people but also provided jobs to the villagers of the neighbouring areas. The villagers went back to their original profession of farming and gave up polishing of gems and jewelleries. The migration to nearby cities has completely stopped and people in the villages concentrate on farming. Today not a single inhabitant of the village depends on drought relief.

6.4 Community mobilisation

The VPSST acknowledges that local communities have an excellent knowledge of the geology, topography of the land and are thus best placed to decide on the design, height, location etc of the check dam. The role of VPSST was to secure and manage the finances and to provide training to the villages on construction technologies.

VPSST also encouraged villagers to involve themselves in the construction work. This would reduce the costs and also ensure quality of construction. Village communities, led by the sarpanch, would decide on the cost of the project, based on detailed calculations for stone, sand, cement etc. Villagers were then convinced of the genuineness of the cost estimates and contributed their share more willingly.

Initially people were not interested in the public participation for the construction of the check dams. Villagers were distrustful of government programmes and were reluctant to participate. The trust had to hold several meetings to convince the villagers that they stood to gain from the building of check dams to hold rainwater. VPSST therefore, started the movement by going ahead with the construction without any contribution from the villagers. Once the benefits of the check dams were visible to the people, they then came forward to be part of this endeavour.

By the end of 2005, the trust was successful in this movement and many farmers joined the user group for an assured source of irrigation. Due to availability of water in the river/rivulets through out year, there is no competition between the farmers for lifting water from the water bodies. Any one, irrespective of caste and creed, can use the river water for irrigation.



Traditional Water Harvesting In india
 

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Lords of Water
Finding Our Way Out of the World's Water Crisis


By Jeff Conant


An Indian boy fetches water from a non-purified source. Diseases resulting from consumption of unsanitary water cause 1.8 million deaths each year.
© John Maas, Global Water Challenge
year ago, the World Water Forum (WWF), the world's largest water policy gathering, met in Istanbul, Turkey. Organized every three years by the World Water Council (WWC), the forum is billed as "an all-inclusive, multi-stakeholder process" where governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses and others "attempt to find solutions to achieve water security." But, as at previous forums in Mexico City (2006), Kyoto (2003) and The Hague (2000), 2010's forum felt less like a civil gathering attempting to find solutions and more like a flashpoint for heated debate and acrimony over the future of the world's increasingly scarce water resources. While it would be overly simplistic to suggest that there are only two sides to the debate, there is little doubt that water has become a deeply polarizing issue.
"Water is a political issue," says Daniel Zimmer, the executive director of the WWC. "But politicians need to understand why they should care more about water."

The fate of the world rests on its water policies. With 1.4 billion people worldwide lacking access to clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion lacking access to sanitation, the issue sparks anger in many who are close to the problem, especially in poor countries where lack of safe water is the leading cause of illness and death.

The WWF's slogan last March was "Bridging Divides for Water." Yet with its 400€ price tag (about $515), tight security and extravagant promotion of high-input technological solutions, critics charged the WWF of representing the very divisions it hopes to bridge. While 35,000 people attended the official forum, several alternative gatherings were organized around Istanbul, two by Turkish opposition groups and one by a coalition of some 600 international adherents of so-called "water justice" under the name "People's Water Forum."

An attendee of the People's Water Forum, Mary Ann Manahan of the Philippine-based environmental human rights group Focus on the Global South, says, "For the water justice movement, these are the best and the worst of times. The worst because the crisis is so grave; and the best because we now see the clear need for real, structural change."



Children in Myanmar use a hand pump installed by nonprofit Action Against Hunger.
© N. Villemenot/Action Against Hunger
Or, as Loïc Fauchon, president of the WWC, said in his opening remarks to the forum in Istanbul, "the time of water-come-easy is over."
Paying for Water

The water crisis is, in large part, a crisis of financing. Estimates are that the U.S. will have to invest $23 billion annually for the next 20 years to maintain water infrastructure at its current level. To expand water services and achieve the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation, developing countries will need to double spending to about $18 billion per year. In addition, they will have to maintain existing water infrastructure, which will add another $54 billion in spending per year.

The WWC knows about big money: It is led by two of the world's largest private water corporations, Suez Environnement and Veolia Water. Fauchon, president of the Council, is also the president of Groupe des Eaux de Marseille, a company owned jointly by Veolia and a subsidiary of Suez. Critics such as Maude Barlow, director of Canada's Blue Planet Project and recent appointee as senior advisor on water to the U.N. General Assembly, contend that the Council's links to private water operators and to AquaFed, the industry lobby group strategically headquartered across from the European Union Parliament in Brussels, compromise its legitimacy.

"I call them the Lords of Water," says Barlow.



Inside the 2009 World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey.
© Mehmet Kaxmaz/Narphotos
"When you look at the themes set down for discussion in some of the sessions here, the alarms go off," says Richard Girard of Canada's Polaris Institute. Girard cited sessions called "Sustainable Means of Financing Local Water Authorities and Systems" and "Optimising Public and Private Roles in Water Services" as cause for concern.
For some, alarms went off strongly enough to engender outright protest. Hundreds of Turkish activists attempted to blockade the Forum's entrance on opening day, leading to a police riot in which three people were hospitalized and 26 arrested. Two international activists, unfurling a banner denouncing large dams at the inaugural session, were quickly arrested and summarily deported.

This is not the first time global water policy has led to violent clashes. Throughout the '90s and into the first decade of our century, the World Bank, which provides the lion's share of funding for infrastructure in the developing world, slashed funding for water and sanitation, promising that private investments would make up the shortfall. But only 600,000 new water connections have been made in all of sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia from private investment—99% short of the World Bank's goal of getting water and sanitation services to an additional billion people.

At the same time, due in part to the overconfidence in private investment, public financing for water hit an all-time low, leaving government utilities throughout the world high and dry. Between 2000 and 2003, some 94% of World Bank loans for water and sanitation forced recipients to contract private operators, rather than use the loans to strengthen public utilities.

The WWC and the four previous forums have strongly promoted public-private partnerships (PPPs) that put water services under private ownership. PPPs in Argentina, Bolivia, the U.S. and other countries have resulted in price hikes, decreased pollution control and water cut-offs, which, in the language of the water justice movement, "deny people the right to water." It's a form of violence, contest water-justice activists. But despite these and other harmful impacts, the Istanbul Water Consensus, a key document of the 5th Forum, attempts to secure the commitment of local authorities to similar water policies, including private sector management.

Another point of controversy was the release at the Forum of a new report from the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), "Managing Water for All." The report, which is focused on pricing and financing, says that "Full cost recovery based on tariffs should be the long-term goal [of financing in the water sector]."



A woman and child fetch water in Yemen.
© Abdu Ghalib/Gender Water Alliance
On first appearance, "full cost recovery based on tariffs" would appear harmless; after all, we all have to pay the water bill. But research shows that private water operators (as opposed to government-run utilities) hike household water rates to recoup investments and to earn profits; to proponents of public water delivery, "cost recovery" has become a buzzword for "profit."
Vibhu Nayar, project director with the Tamil Nadu Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Scheme in India, speaking at a People's Water Forum event, said, "We've never had this phrase 'cost recovery' before. Irrigation and industry use much more water than drinking and sanitation, yet we don't hear the words 'cost recovery' there. Why take money from the poor for drinking water when there are perfectly good public ways raise money for roads, for education, and so on?"

The alternative, say members of the People's Water Forum, is public utility partnerships, or PUPs. Developed as a distinct alternative to public-private partnerships, PUPs are a cooperative model of water management based on capacity-building and exchange of knowledge; they encourage public utilities, municipalities and communities to jointly develop sustainable solutions, outside of the world of profit-driven development. They exclude profits for private businesses.

As Steve Bloomfield of Public Services International, a global organization with 620 affiliated unions in 160 countries that represents 20 million workers said in an interview at the Forum, "If anyone has the experience to address the world water crisis, it is public sector workers—we are the greatest single body of experience that exists in this field, and we should be given the opportunity to put that experience to the test."

A Human Right or a Human Need?

The debate, at its core, is between market-based and rights-based water governance. Ever since an explosion of dissent at the 4th WWF in Mexico, the Forum's ministerial process has become the platform for this debate. The ministerial process, a series of roundtable discussions between government ministers, corporate lobbyists and NGOs, leads to a final statement which, while it has no teeth in international law, plays a significant symbolic role in projecting policies on the ground.

As in Mexico in 2006, last year's debate centered on concern that the words "human right to water" had been excluded from the ministerial statement, replaced by the phrase "access to safe drinking water" and "sanitation is a basic human need." In the minutiae of political verbiage, this slight difference in terminology can have a profound significance. If water is defined as a human need, it implies no obligation on the part of governments to ensure access to it. If it is a human right, a series of policy procedures follow suit to make compliance obligatory.

Juan Carlos Alurralde, advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Water of Bolivia, says, "Many countries tried to introduce the right to water into the ministerial declaration. However, there's been a strong opposition to this from the ministers of Brazil, Egypt, and the United States."

Aaron Salzberg, the special coordinator for water resources with the U.S. State Department, and head of the U.S. delegation in Istanbul, says, "We don't oppose any government that wants to implement the right to water. But before we'd ever recommend that all governments should do this, we need data that shows that a rights-based approach can actually make a difference."

For people whose rights have been denied, whether by high tariffs on water or by having multinational companies guide water policy in less-than-democratic ways, there is little doubt that a rights-based approach can make a difference. By the final day of the forum, a block of southern country governments had developed a statement declaring that "access to water and sanitation is a human right," and gained the sign-on of 25 nations. They also produced another statement linking water scarcity to climate change, recognizing what they call "an ecological debt" which must be paid by the wealthier nations to the poorer ones in order to bring about equity.

Finding Water Solutions that Work

Most of the square footage at the WWF is taken up by a trade expo: miles of booths boasting glossy signage and promoting the latest in filtration, pumps, pipes, pollution control and other water service accessories. Private engineering firms and water industry giants like Vivendi, Suez, Vitens, chemical companies like Dow and DuPont, and beverage businesses like Nestlé, all paid generous sums to display their wares. Government agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which contracts its dam-building and flood control services to governments around the world, were prominent at many of the forum's meet-and-greets.

What was not apparent, however, were small, decentralized solutions, such as rooftop rainwater catchment, domestic gray water reuse, village- and neighborhood-level ecological sanitation—the kinds of technologies that small water operators in poor countries—and arguably everywhere—need in order to confront the water crisis within their means.

The answers promoted by many critics of the WWF are not technical solutions, but community-based approaches that tap into ancient water stewardship principles.

"Our struggles," says Manahan, "have brought about alternatives such as public-public water partnerships, communities reclaiming control over their water, and the establishment of publicly and democratically managed water systems. In the Philippines, neighborhood associations in slum communities are laying down pipes and boring wells. In Tamil Nadu in India they were able to transform a moribund and corrupt water utility into one of the most effective in the region, where engineers are working with and alongside communities. But these positive models have to be supported by state and public investment."

Dr. V. Suresh, Director of the Centre for Law, Policy and Human Rights Studies in Chennai, India—and the man behind the Tamil Nadu program—told the People's Water Forum, "When we were approached by the World Bank Water and Sanitation Project we said, 'Well, with such help we will have technical support for water management, and we already have the construction skills—but will we have the right knowledge of what water is?'"

Rajendra Singh, of Rajasthan, India, whose work with villagers over three decades has restored surface water sources once thought long-gone, said, "We learned to value traditional knowledge, where knowledge is shared for the good of all people and not for the good of some people to keep others down. Knowledge of the land's contours, of the land's capacity to hold water, and of the people's capacity to manage it—geo-cultural knowledge. So, we have revived seven rivers in Rajasthan with the participation of people who were thought of as poor, as illiterate—and this not only brought the rivers back; it has brought back the meaning to their lives."

Corporations, and Water Control

While community-based approaches to water management are surging from the grassroots, the corporate sector, recognizing that both water scarcity and social unrest can affect its bottom line, is taking an increasingly strong interest in water conservation. In just the past few years corporate social responsibility has met water scarcity head-on and evolved the concept of the "water footprint"—a metric of how much water an individual, business, or industry uses, taking into account the entire supply chain of products. Corporations such as Dow, IBM, DuPont and Pfizer are all racing to reduce their water use—and to demonstrate such a reduction to their shareholders.

In early 2008, for example, the Coca-Cola Company began making public claims that it would become "the most efficient company in the world in terms of water use in the beverage industry."

"Water is our number-one ingredient; so water stewardship is very important to us," says Scott Vitters, Coke's global sustainability officer. Central to the company's PR campaign is the claim that it is working toward the goal of becoming "water neutral." What this means is somewhat unclear. But from the perspective of the water justice movement, it's not enough.

In an article published on Earth Day 2009, Indian economist Devinder Sharma made a novel proposal that resonates with many points raised at the People's Water Forum. Referring to the fact that, according to The Economist (August 27, 2008) "Nestlé, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch and Danone consume almost 575 billion litres of water a year, enough to satisfy the daily water needs of every person on the planet," Sharma says, "Wouldn't it make sense if we were to close down these five companies? Closing these five companies will not result in more hunger. Closing these five companies will only mean that a few of us will be deprived of their products, nothing more. This will also enable us to seek suitable change in our unsustainable lifestyles that are harming the earth."

This line of thinking would not have found much sympathy at the WWF, where many of the members of the U.N. CEO Water Mandate held their annual meeting. The CEO Water Mandate is a public-private initiative "designed to assist companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices." "As leaders of business organizations," the mandate's website says, "we recognize that the private sector has an important stake in helping to address the water challenge faced by the world today."

Coke, Pepsi, DuPont, General Electric, Suez, Pfizer, Merck and Newmont Mining—all of them with spotty environmental and human rights records—are key participants. Historically, the U.N. separated itself from the corporate sector. Many developing countries, newly independent from their colonial powers, were particularly critical of the impact of multinational companies on their economic and human development, and insisted that the U.N. act as a counterweight to the private sector, especially in light of the promotion of trade liberalization, privatization and deregulation by the World Bank, IMF and the regional development banks.

But in the 1990s, a rapprochement was forged to further cooperation between the private sector and the U.N. institutions; business is no longer seen as part of the problem, but as part of the solution. Few would argue against the idea that businesses should play a role in cleaning up the world's water mess. But critics fear that comingling U.N. agencies and corporate leaders is akin to putting the fox in the henhouse. In a letter signed by more than 125 organizations in 35 countries just before the WWF, Rafael Colmenares of Colombia's Comité Nacional en Defensa del Agua y de la Vida wrote, "The United Nations should play a vital and active role toward protecting water as a human right and ecological trust. Instead, through the CEO Water Mandate, the U.N. is helping to advance corporate control of water."

The next World Water Forum is planned for South Africa in 2012, and it can be expected that that nation's social movements, led by the militant South African Anti-privatization Forum, will be ready for a fight.

Here in the U.S., sales of bottled water are down and President Obama's stimulus package is giving a much-needed injection of funds to public infrastructure, while the Water for the World Act will allocate more generous funding to foreign aid in water and sanitation, underwriting both public and private water service. But with the predicted impacts of climate change far outpacing improvements in service, and without the vast paradigm shift that water justice advocates in the global south are demanding, it is unlikely that, in three years, the debate will be any less heated.

JEFF CONANT is the former director of international programs at Food & Water Watch.
 

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IITs to propose Ganga basin management plan


A consortium of the seven Indian Institutes of Technology or IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Guwahati and Roorkee) will propose a Ganga river basin management plan to the ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). The proposal was mooted at the first joint Environmental Energy and Climate Change Education and Research meet at IIT Bombay on Saturday.

It was proposed by the minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh. While inviting the IITs to submit a proposal, Ramesh emphasised that the IITs should take up the challenge of the Ganga basin clean-up.

The 16-crore project will be developed over a period of one year and will subsequently produce an action plan for cleaning the Ganga including sewage treatment.

If the plan developed by the IITs is approved, it will be an example of best practices wherein the project could get implemented by a consortium of IITs nominated by the ministry."The responsibility of cleaning (the Ganga) is not only in the hands of the government but also the common man. The emphasis should be on projects like development of sewage treatment plants for all the major water bodies like Ganga and Yamuna across the country. Ganga has a very important place in our culture," said Ramesh.

The minister also proposed an Indian Council for Environmental Research on the lines of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. While deputation from the IITs is on the anvil at the National Environmental Protection Agency, environmental sciences and engineering will now also be included as one of the qualifications for entry into the Indian Forest Service (IFS).

"The research meet was an attempt to engage the IITs to create an action plan for the next 15 years in the areas of environment, energy and climate change so that we can serve the needs of country," said Virendra Sethi, Head of the Centre for environmental Sciences and Engineering at IIT Bombay.

Based on some thrust areas outlined by Ramesh including water, solar energy and cleaner coal, the IIT consortium will also work on research proposals. It can also include other areas. The basic framework for the proposals to be submitted to MoEF for grant of seed money will be coordinated by IIT Bombay.

Another proposal includes annual doctoral research scholars' congress in the areas of environment and climate change and an Indian Environmental Science Congress at the IITs. The first Phd congress is scheduled to be held at IIT Kharagpur by the end of 2010. "The first draft of the proposals discussed at the research meet will be prepared by first week of April, while the next meeting of the IITs for further deliberation on the proposals will be held by May-June," said Sethi.
 

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A man of ideas




Gujja Biksham is a man who marshals information to push the envelope of ideas. Serish Nanisetti discovers more about the man with ideas about water

You can be taken in by a man by three things: Appearance, impressions and ideas. It is easy to grasp the import of the first two qualities, but to know the third quality you have to sit down and wrestle. Gujja Biksham is one such person. He can easily be called the water man of India considering his immense contribution to the study of ebb and flow of life. A man who knows, researches and understands water: The source of life that is increasingly going to be in short supply. "Water is my turf," says Biksham, who is a policy advisor of Fresh Water Program at WWF-International. Hailing from Turpugudem in Nalgonda where his mother still lives, Biksham knows what is agriculture and what is water. Currently he is associated with Icrisat-WWF collaborative project. "In the 80s it was discovered that tiger conservation cannot happen in isolation. Sustainable development and ecological balance became the buzz words and that's how I got involved with WWF," says Biksham who has been with the organisation working from Switzerland for the past 18 years. Discovering the fact that water is the key to conservation, WWF wanted someone with specialisation in water and Biksham came into the picture.

He moved from his role in the Deccan Development Society to the WWF's International Fresh Water Program in 1993. How he moved from an ordinary neighbourhood school in Turpugudem to JNU where he did his PhD in water management and a post-doctoral in McGill University is a success story that can be a moral for a generation of young men who see the end of rainbow beyond their ken.

In 2001, Biksham Gujja led a study about the bottled water business and came up with a stunning find that the bottled water is no more safer than tap water. The findings included a fact that 1.5 million tonnes of plastic is used to bottle water every year (now this figure would be much higher as the developed countries have taken to the magic of bottled water). The key findings included the fact that tap would help not only one's pocket but also the environment.

Biksham also has authored or teamed up with others in writing a number of books that put a fresh perspective on water. Biksham is also involved with the WWF project on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) that seeks to reduce the usage of seeds for paddy crop and also lower the usage of water, helping improve the lifestyles of farmers at a time when labour is in short supply.

When it comes to water management, Biksham is a contrarian who advocates community based small and medium projects. "Earlier building dams was a technical challenge now the infrastructure is so well developed that the industry can build huge dams anywhere. And the dam building industry has become so big that we are building the dams not for the sake of the people but for the sake of the industry," says Biksham.

"I don't like the phrase water wars, I prefer water conflict. It is a conflict that has to be resolved. We need simpler mechanism to solve them. Look at the Krishna basin problem, if the decision was arrived at earlier, there would not have been so much bad blood," he says. Many years ago when Sir Arthur Cotton was questioned about the expensiveness of the Dowleswaram anicut he told the British Parliament that: "My Lord, one day's flow in the Godavari river during high flood is equal to one whole year's flow in the Thames River of London." Now, Biksham Gujja who has created a forum for eclectic debate with his: Perspectives on Polavaram was almost prescient with his warning on Polavaram and flooding: "Based on climate models, it is highly likely that daily discharges could reach 120,000 cu m/sec and if trends continue, discharges could possibly even touch 200,000 cu m/sec. Even without factoring in the proposed dam, such daily discharges will cause immense damage to people, property and ecosystems." It is no surprise that Biksham blames the 2009 Kurnool flood on sloppy water management. "The decisions were driven by greed and ignorance. If only the decision makers had done some calculations the flood and suffering would not have occurred," says Biksham. Another book that Biksham co-authored that follows the footsteps of Arthur Cotton is that of inter-linking the rivers of India for irrigation and flood control, but here also it is about evaluating the pros and cons of a mega project.

"When building dams was a technical challenge, the location was based on feasibility and cost. Now, locating a dam is a political choice. And that is the reason why there is so much opposition as most of the decision making processes are non-transparent. Perspectives on Polavaram was an effort at informed decision-making. Where a minister held forth on the need for the dam and people opposing it also got their say," says Biksham. It might appear like informed decision making, evaluating all perspectives but at the end of the day, it is obvious that Gujja Biksham believes in small is big as against the decision makers' fancy for big and mega. But are we willing to learn from him?

Keywords: Gujja Biksham, WWF, water
 

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Expert opposes nomination of in-house agency for river links study


A member of the Expert Committee of the Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) has opposed the government's move to nominate its in-house agency for conducting an environment impact assessment (EIA) for the Par-Tapi-Narmada and Damanganga-Pinjal links.

Seeking "urgent attention" before the next ILR meeting on March 5, the expert, Himanshu Thakker, who heads the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, questioned the awarding of the work to m/s Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Pvt. Limited (WAPCOS), a government enterprise under the aegis of the Ministry of Water Resources.

The norm is to hire an independent agency for EIA to avoid a conflict of interest and get an independent and competent assessment.

Quoting from the discussion papers for the forthcoming meeting, Mr. Thakker has written to the Water Resources Secretary and the chairman of the Committee of Environmentalists, Social Scientists and other Experts on Interlinking of Rivers voicing his concern.

"The work of the EIA study should be an independent assessment of the environment impact of the proposals, and the study is supposed to include a 'No project' option, listing of 'unacceptable impacts,' and the possible option of concluding that the project is 'not viable.' Such independent assessment cannot be done by an in-house organisation like WAPCOS, which is a part of the same house as the Water Resources Ministry and the National Water Development Agency," Mr. Thakker said.

According to Mr. Thakker, WAPCOS has done surveys and investigations justifying river links and other such projects in the past.

"It has done such studies for river linking projects [the Pranhita Chavella link, for example] for Maharashtra and Gujarat, including projects like the Damanganga and Sardar Sarovar that have direct involvement in projects under discussion. An organisation in the business of doing such works cannot be entrusted to take up an EIA work as that is in direct conflict with other businesses of the organisation," he said.

'No opportunity'

Emphasising the "track record" of the company/agency selected to do the EIA, Mr. Thakker said the expert committee on ILR appointed by the government was not given an opportunity to apply its mind in the selection of the consultant for EIA studies even for the Ken-Betwa link, which is against its Terms of Reference (TOR) of the expert panel.

"If this committee is to do justice to the TOR given to it, it must get opportunity to apply its mind to issues of relevance"¦I urge the chairman to take urgent action to ensure that an inappropriate organisation like WAPCOS does not get EIA work for any river links, leave aside the two under discussion," he said.

The expert committee was appointed after the United Progressive Alliance government dismantled the Task Force on the Inter-Linking of Rivers. While the Water Resources Secretary is the chairman, the committee has as members the Director-General of the National Water Development Agency, water expert Vijay Paranjpaye, waterman Rajinder Singh, Mala Kapoor, Former secretary Z. Hasan and Mr. Thakker, among others.
 

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Interlinking of Rivers





Himalayan Rivers Development Component
The Himalayan component envisages construction of storage reservoirs on the main Ganga and Brahmaputra Rivers and their principal tributaries in India and Nepal so as to conserve monsoon flows for irrigation and hydro-power generation, besides flood control. Links will transfer surplus flows of the Kosi, Gandak and Ghagra to the west. In addition, the Brahmaputra-Ganga Link will augment dry-weather flow of the Ganga. Surplus flows that will become available on account of inter-linking of the Ganga and the Yamuna are proposed to be transferred to the drought prone areas of Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. With this proposal about 14 Mha-m of additional water would be available from these river systems for irrigating an estimated 22 M-ha in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin apart from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. It would also provide 1120 cumec to Calcutta Port and would provide navigation facility across the country. It will also provide flood moderation in the Ganga-Brahmaputra system. The Himalayan component will benefit not only India but also Nepal and Bangladesh. Fourteen links are proposed in the Himalayan component.

Proposed Fourteen Links in the Himalayan Component
1
Kosi-Mechi
2
Kosi-Ghagra
3
Gandak-Ganga
4
Ghagra-Yamuna
5
Sarda-Yamuna
6
Yamuna-Rajasthan
7
Rajasthan-Sabarmati
8
Chunar-Sone Barrage
9
Sone Dam-South Tributaries of Ganga
10
Brahmaputra-Ganga (MSTG)
11
Brahmaputra-Ganga (JTF)(ALT)
12
Farakka-Sunderbans
13
Ganga-Damodar-Subernarekha
14
Subernarekha-Mahanadi

In view of the ongoing dispute on the sharing of the Ganga water with Bangladesh, little details of this component are available. In broader terms, storages and links of the Himalayan component are of mammoth size. Due to size, topography and other reasons, construction and environmental problems might be enormous. Further, there appears to be some anomalies in the planning of this component. Since no additional storages are proposed on the Ganga and the Yamuna, their monsoon flows will continue to go to the Bay of Bengal while huge funds are to be spent to transfer water of Kosi, Ghagra, Gandak and Sarda to the West. The Satluj Yamuna link (which has not been made operational due to inter-state dispute) would transfer water from west to east, the proposed Sarda-Yamuna link towards east will flow in the opposite direction. Similarly, the Narmada canal transfers Narmada waters across Sabarmati towards North-West, the proposed Rajasthan-Sabarmati link will flow in the opposite direction towards South-east.

Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga (MSTG) Link
Interlinking of the Brahmaputra with the Ganga, the Subernarekha and the Mahanadi is proposed to transfer waters of the Brahmaputra to benefit areas in Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. The Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga link is an important link in this component. This link envisages diversion of surplus water from Manas and Sankosh rivers in the Brahmaputra basin to augment flows of the Ganga upstream of Farakka. A link to the Peninsular component through Subernarekha and Mahanadi is also envisaged. For this link high dams are proposed at Manas and Sankosh with storage capacities of 8.75 BCM and 4.93 BCM, respectively (Singh 2002). A substantial part of the cost of these dams will be allocated to hydropower generation. The 114 km long link canal between Manas and Sankosh will have a discharge capacity of 3,725 m3/s. Beyond Sankosh and up to the Teesta barrage, the link canal is 137 km long with a capacity of 1,092 m3/s. Clearly, this will be a huge canal which will cross major drainages. The MSTG link passes through the narrow chicken neck in West Bengal (north of Bangladesh) and may have security aspects.

Ghaghra-Yamuna Link
The Ghagra-Yamuna link project is an inter-dependent link under the Himalayan Component of NPP. A study reveals that the Ghagra River (known as Karnali in Nepal) at the proposed the Chisapani dam site has surplus water. It is proposed that the existing requirement of water for the Sarda Sahayak Pariyojna, Saryu Nahar Pariyojna and various pump canals would be met from the proposed Gandak - Ganga link project and the water saved thereby could be diverted from the proposed Chisapani reservoir through the Ghagra - Yamuna link canal. The height of proposed dam is 175 m. A regulating dam downstream of the Chisapani dam is proposed with a full reservoir level of 200 m and a minimum drawdown level 193 m. The link canal shall join Yamuna River in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. The total length of the link canal would be about 417 km with its depth varying from 8 m in the head reach to 5 m in the tail reach and the width varying from 85.5 m in the head reach to 18 m towards the tail end.

Sarda-Yamuna-Rajasthan-Sabarmati Link Canal
This is a continuous link having a combination of three links, viz., the Sarda-Yamuna link, the Yamuna-Rajasthan link, and the Rajasthan-Sabarmati link. This link canal is planned to divert 17,906 MCM (14.52 MAF) water of Himalayan rivers. Its length will be 1,835 km out of which 75 km will be in Gujarat State. A total of 4 states, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, are to be benefited by this link. About 1,627 MCM (1.32 MAF) water has been allocated to North Gujarat which is only 9% of the total divertible water at the canal head. A total 7.38 lakh ha area is to be irrigated by the Rajasthan-Sabarmati link, out of which 5.35 lakh ha in Rajasthan and 2.03 lakh ha in Gujarat.

Yamuna-Rajasthan Link Canal Project
The Yamuna-Rajasthan link proposal is an extension of the proposed Sarda–Yamuna Link beyond the Yamuna to provide irrigation to the drought prone areas of Haryana and Rajasthan. It envisages diversion of 8,657 Mm3 of water from the Sarda basin at Purnagiri. The Yamuna - Rajasthan link is to take off from the right bank of proposed Yamuna barrage and passes through the Karnal, Sonipat, Jind, Hisar and Bhiwani districts of Haryana and Churu, Hanumangarh, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan and ends on the Jaisalmer-Hamira-Shri Mohangarh Road at a distance of 4.5 km from village Kanod towards Jaisalmer. The length of the link canal is 786 km, out of which 196 km lies in Haryana and the rest 590 km in Rajasthan. The design discharge at head and tail are 572 cumec and 344 cumec, respectively. The longitudinal slope of the canal is 1:20,000. The full supply depth and bed width of the canal at head are 7 m and 53 m, respectively. The Yamuna - Rajasthan link will provide an annual irrigation of 244,200 ha in the districts of Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan-Sabarmati Link Project
The Rajasthan-Sabarmati link canal is an extension of the proposed Yamuna–Rajasthan Link. The link envisages a transfer of 5,924 Mm3 water available at the tail end of the Yamuna- Rajasthan link for drought prone areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The length of the canal is about 725 km out of which 650 km lies in Rajasthan and the rest 75 km in Gujarat. The design discharge at the head and the tail are 344 cumec and 60 cumec, respectively. The full supply depth and bed width of the canal at its head are 6 m and 39 m, respectively. The link canal on its way will cross the Luni River & its tributaries and the Banas River.

The Rajasthan-Sabarmati link will provide an annual irrigation of 535,000 ha in the districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer and Jalor of Rajasthan. The total annual irrigation thus envisaged in Rajasthan State through the above two interbasin water transfer links works out to be 779,200 ha.

Further, interlinking the Gandak, the Ghagra, the Sarda and the Yamuna, all tributaries of the Ganga, on to Rajasthan and the Sabarmati aims at transferring the waters of Gandak and Ghagra Rivers to benefit areas in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar and Jharkhand. Other important links proposed in the Himalayan component are the Kosi-Ghagra, Gandak-Ganga, Ghagra-Yamuna and Sarda-Yamuna links to supplement the supplies of the Ganga and the Yamuna and for further transfer of water towards the west to Rajasthan and Gujarat. A large canal parallel and to the east of the existing Rajasthan canal is proposed which will be extended beyond the tail of the present Rajasthan canal and be linked to the Sabarmati.

Peninsular Rivers Development Component
The main component of Peninsular Rivers Development is the "Southern Water Grid" which is envisaged to link Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, and Cauvery rivers. The peninsular scheme was envisaged to provide additional irrigation benefits of over 13 million ha. The Peninsular component comprises the following four parts:
Diversion of surplus flows of Mahanadi and Godavari to Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery and Vaigai.
Diversion of west-flowing rivers of Kerala and Karnataka to the east.
Inter-linking small rivers flowing along the west coast, north of Mumbai and south of Tapi.
Inter-linking the southern tributaries of Yamuna.
The peninsular component of ILR has 13 major water storage/diversion structures situated in four basins. Three non-storage structures, viz., Dowlaiswaram barrage, Prakasam barrage, and Grand Anicut and storage node (Narayanpur) cater to only irrigation, while six storage nodes, viz., Inchampalli, Almatti, Nagarjunasagar, Pulichintala, Krishnarajasagar, and Mettur will serve both irrigation and power needs. One storage node, viz., Somasila is operated to meet domestic and irrigation needs and two storage nodes, viz., Polavaram and Srisailam are multi-purpose projects serving domestic, irrigation, and hydropower demands.

Among these, the interlinking of Mahanadi, Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery rivers will require the construction of a number of large dams and big canals. This system will be one of the largest and ambitious water transfer projects. The system will require huge financial outlays and will have immense influence on economic, social and environmental growth of the region. Logically, therefore, it would be necessary to closely examine the various components and arrive at the best solution. It is pertinent to note that water need not be transferred from a surplus basin, just because it is available. Before adopting such transfers, it would be necessary that all the resources of the recipient basin are put to the optimum use. Sixteen links are proposed in the Peninsular Component.

Proposed links in the Peninsular Component
1
Mahanadi(Manibhadra)-Godavari (d/s)
2
Godavari (Inchampalli)-Krishna (Nagarjunsagar)
3
Godavari (Inchampalli Low Dam)-Krishna (Nagarjunsagar Tail Pond)
4
Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijaywada)
5
Krishna (Almatti) – Pennar
6
Krishna (Srisailam) – Pennar
7
Krishna (Nagarjunsagar) – Pennar (Somasila)
8
Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut)
9
Cauvery (Kattalai) – Vaigai – Gundar
10
Ken-Betwa
11
Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal
12
Par-Tapi-Narmada
13
Damanganga-Pinjal
14
Bedti-Varda
15
Netravati-Hemavati
16
Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar

Mahanadi (Manibhadra)-Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) Link
This link has been proposed between the Manibhadra reservoir on Mahanadi River to the Dowlaiswaram barrage on the Godavari. It will divert 11,176 Mm3 of water out of which 3,854 Mm3 is proposed to be used for irrigation of en-route command area and 6,500 Mm3 would be delivered at the Dowlaiswaram barrage. The Manibhadra reservoir has gross and live storages of 9,375 Mm3 and 6,000 Mm3, respectively. The total length of the link canal is about 932 km. The design discharge of the link canal is 627 cumec as its head. The full supply levels at the head and tail are 74.00 m and 13.81 m, respectively.

Godavari (Inchampalli)-Krishna (Nagarjunsagar) Link
This link canal is proposed to divert 16,426 Mm3 from the Inchampalli dam on Godavari River. Out of this, 14,200 Mm3 will be transferred to the Nagarjunsagar reservoir on the Krishna River. The total length of the link canal will be about 298.7 km, including a 9 km long tunnel. The FSL at the head and tail are 142.00 m and 182.765, respectively, with a design discharge of 1,219 cumec. The link would involve a total lift of 116 m in four stages. For this purpose, power needed would be 1,705 MW.

Inchampalli-Pulichintala Link
This link has been proposed to divert 3,901 Mm3 of surplus water from the Godavari and 470 Mm3 of Inchampalli Right Bank Canal. Each year, the link would provide 1,382 Mm3 of water in the existing Nagarjunasagar Left Bank Canal command, 746 Mm3 in the proposed new area by extension of the Nagarjunasagar Left Bank Canal command, 1,623 Mm3 in the existing Nagarjunasagar Right Bank Canal command through the proposed Pulichintala Right Bank Canal and 470 Mm3 in the command of the Inchampalli Right Bank Canal. In addition to the dam at the Inchampalli, a dam at Pulichintala on the Krishna River has been proposed. The total length of the lift channel will be 270 km including a 25.5 km long tunnel. The FSL at the head and tail will be 106.68 m and 69.68 m, respectively. The link is proposed to be operated for only 240 days in a year with a head discharge of 263 m3/sec.

Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijaywada) Link
This link canal has been proposed to divert 4,903 Mm3 which include 1,448 Mm3 for Polavaram RBC command, 2,265 Mm3 for the Krishna delta as committed under the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal award and 1,190 Mm3 for existing ayacut in the Krishna Delta. The proposed Polavaram Barrage will be used to divert the Godavari water to the existing Prakasam Barrage of the Krishna River at Vijayawada. The total length of the link canal will be 174 km and head discharge will be 361 cumec. The canal will operate round the year. The FSL at the head and tail are 40.23 m and 27.96 m, respectively.

Krishna (Srisailam)-Pennar Link
The link has been proposed to divert 2,310 Mm3 of water from the Srisailam reservoir to Adinimmayapalli Anicut. The water would mostly flow through natural rivers and it is expected that about 2,095 M m3 would reach the Somasila reservoir. This water is in exchange for surplus waters of the Mahanadi transferred from the Godavari to the Nagarjunasagar. The total length of the channel would be 171.30 km and design discharge will be 186 cumec. This channel would run for 180 days in a year.

Krishna (Nagarjunsagar) - Pennar (Somasila) Link
This proposed link would divert 12,146 Mm3 of water from the Nagarjunasagar reservoir to Pennar River at Somasila. Out of this quantity, 2,356 Mm3 will be utilized to irrigate part of the command of the Nagarjunasagar RBC, about 810 Mm3 will be used for en-route irrigation and 8,648 Mm3 will be transferred to the Somasila reservoir. It is important to note that in most interlinking canals, provision has been made for en-route irrigation. Without this, farmers in the en-route area are likely to oppose water transfer and this might create many problems. The total length of the canal is 394 km and its design discharge is 555 cumec. The canal will be operated for 240 days in a year.

Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) Link
The aim of this link is to transfer 8,565 Mm3 of water from the Pennar to the Cauvery. Of this quantity, 3,170 Mm3 would be used for en-route irrigation, 279 Mm3 for en-route domestic and industrial uses, 876 Mm3 for the Chennai city water supply and 3,855 Mm3 would be transferred to the Cauvery River at Grand Anicut. About 385 Mm3 water is likely to be lost during transmission. The total length of the canal will be 538 km and its design discharge will be 616.38 cumec. The canal will be operated for 365 days in a year.

Cauvery (Kattalai Regulator) - Vaigai - Gundar Link
The link has been proposed to transfer 2,252 Mm3 of water from the Cauvery River to the Vaigai River to provide irrigation to 353,337 ha annually. The FSLs of the 250 km long link canal at the head and the tail will be 100.75 m and 78.865 m, respectively. This will be a lined canal which would be operated round the year.

Krishna (Almatti) - Pennar Link
The canal linking Krishna (Almatti) with Pennar (587 km long) will take off from right bank of the Almatti dam across the Krishna River in Karnataka with FSL of 510.00 m. The canal will run through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh before joining Maddileru, a tributary of the Pennar near the Malakavemula village. A balancing reservoir is also proposed at Kalavapalli in Anantapur district. The canal will also supplement the Bukkapatnam tank across Chitravathi River. The link canal will carry about 1,980 Mm3 water during the Kharif season and irrigate about 70,000 ha in Karnataka and 190,000 ha in the Anantapur district of AP. Allocation of 56 Mm3 has also been made for domestic and industrial uses. There is a possibility of additional ground water recharge around the Kalavapalli reservoir and the Bukkapatnam tank.

Ken - Betwa Link
The Ken-Betwa and the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal links of the ILR project are the links on which urgent attention is being focused by the Government. The feasibility report of the Ken-Betwa link is available in the public domain at www.riverlinks.nic.in.

The Ken-Betwa link envisages diversion of surplus waters of Ken basin to water deficit Betwa basin. This link canal will provide irrigation to water short areas of upper Betwa basin of MP and also to en-route areas of MP & UP. It is proposed to transfer 1,020 Mm3 of water from Ken basin to provide irrigation in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from drinking water facility and en-route irrigation of 47,000 ha in Chhatarpur & Tikamgarh districts of Madhya Pradesh and Hamirpur & Jhansi districts of UP, provision for downstream commitments of 1,375 Mm3 for MP and 850 Mm3 of water for UP has also been kept.

A dam is proposed on Ken River at Daudhan, 2.5 km upstream of existing Gangau weir. The 75% dependable yield of Ken at Daudhan site has been assessed as 6,188 Mm3. The net water availability at dam site after accounting all the upstream requirements is 3,291 Mm3. The downstream commitments from Ken at Daudhan are 2,225 Mm3. Out of which, 850 Mm3 is provided to UP and 1,375 Mm3 to MP as per Interstate agreement (1981) on Ken River. The surplus water for diversion at Daudhan is 1,020 Mm3. Out of which, 659 Mm3 will be transferred to Betwa River upstream of Parichha weir and 312 Mm3 will be utilized in the en-route command.
The dam proposed at Daudhan is an earthen dam with two power houses (installed capacities of 3 x 20 MW and 2 x 6 MW). One Power House will be a pumped storage scheme. The design discharge of the link canal at its head is 72 cumec. The link canal after traversing about 230 km will outfall in existing Barwa Sagar reservoir from where the diverted water will join Betwa river through a natural stream in the upstream of Parichha weir. An area of 1.27 lakh ha in the Raisen and Vidisha districts of Madhya Pradesh will be benefited by water from this link. This link will also provide annual irrigation to 47,000 ha area en-route in the drought prone Chhatarpur and Tikamgarh districts of MP and Hamirpur and Jhansi districts of UP. The link will also provide 11.75 Mm3 water for domestic uses in the en-route villages of Chhatarpur and Tikamgarh districts of MP and Hamirpur and Jhansi districts of UP.

Par - Tapi - Narmada Link Canal
This link canal was proposed to divert surplus water of the rivers, like Par, Auranga, Ambica, Purna and Tapi, up to Vadodara branch of Narmada Command. About 1,350 MCM surplus water is proposed to be diverted by the Par-Tapi link canal up to Ukai Dam and 2,904 MCM surplus water is proposed to be diverted by the Tapi-Narmada link canal (including 1,554 MCM surplus water of Tapi at Ukai). The total length of the Par-Tapi-Narmada link canal is 402 km – the length of the Par-Tapi link will be 177 km and the Tapi-Narmada link will be 225 km. Seven reservoirs are proposed in the upstream catchment area of 2,573 sq. km. The link canal passes through dense forest and hilly region.

Damanganga - Pinjal Link Canal
The proposed Damanganga-Pinjal Link Project envisages the construction of reservoirs at Bhugad and Khargihill. The gross storage of these two reservoirs will be 426.39 & 460.79 million cubic meters (MCM) and live storage will be 400 & 420.56 MCM, respectively. The FRL will be 163.87 m and 154.52 m, respectively. The reservoirs will be connected by 16.85 km long pressure tunnel of 5.00 m diameter. Another 25.70 km long and 5.25 m diameter tunnel will connect Khargihill and Pinjal reservoirs. The surplus water from Bhugad and Khargihill reservoirs will be transferred through pressure tunnels to Pinjal reservoir for onward transmission to Greater Mumbai. This link canal is proposed to supply 909 MCM water annually to Mumbai City to improve the existing inadequate availability of domestic and industrial water.

The project lies partly in the Valsad district of Gujarat and partly in Nasik and Thane districts of Maharashtra. The Bhugad dam site on Damanganga River will intercept 141 km2 catchment area of Gujarat State. It will be located near Bhugad village in the Nasik district and Modushi village in Valsad district. The Khargihill dam will be constructed on the Vagh River near Behapada village in Thane. The Bhugad-Khargihill and Khargihill-Pinjal tunnels lie entirely in Maharashtra.

Pamba - Achankovil - Vaippar Link Project
The proposed Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar Link project has three storage reservoirs, two tunnels, necessary canal system and a few power generating units. The Punnamedu reservoir (reservoir-2) is located on river Pamba Kal Ar in Pamba basin in Kerala state, which serves a part/full of its downstream mandatory requirements and supplies surplus water to reservoir-1 through tunnel-2. The Achankovil Kal Ar reservoir (reservoir-1) located on the Achankovil Kal Ar River in the Achankovil river basin of Kerala state, supplies water for irrigation purposes to the state of Tamil Nadu, through tunnel-1 to the main canal. The water from the main canal is then distributed to the command area of Vaippar basin in Tamil Nadu state. Besides this, reservoir-1 releases 10 MCM of water daily during six hours of peak load period for power generation. The Achankovil reservoir (reservoir-3), which is located on Achankovil River in the Achankovil river basin of Kerala state, besides acting as a pumped storage scheme accommodating the water drawn from the upstream reservoir-1, also serves the purpose of releasing water downstream to meet its downstream mandatory demands. The 10 MCM of water drawn to the downstream reservoir-3 from reservoir-1 for power generation is pumped back to reservoir-1 in a 16 hours period. Also, if there is deficit at reservoir-1, the surplus water of reservoir-3 can be pumped back to reservoir-l.
 

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NGRBA-its objectives, approach and functions​

11:22 IST
Backgrounder

The Central Government, by a notification dated 20.2.2009, as set up 'National Ganga River Basin Authority' (NFRBA)as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga river,in exercise of the powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act,1986. The Prime Minister is ex-officio Chairperson of the Authority, and it has as its members, the Union Ministers Concerned and the Chief Ministers of states through which Ganga flows, viz., Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, among others. The objective of the Authority is to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a holistic approach with the river basin as the unit of planning. The functions of the Authority include all measures necessary for planning and execution of programmes for abatement of pollution in the Ganga in keeping with sustainable development needs.

The Central Government by a Notification dated 20.02.2009, has set up the 'National Ganga River Basin Authority' (NRGBA) as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga River, in exercise of the powers conferred under the Environment (Protection)Act, 1986. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairperson of the Authority, and it has as its members, the Union Ministers concerned, and the Chief Ministers of the State thought which Ganga flows, viz., Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, among others, the objectives of the Authority is to take all measures necessary for planning and execution of programmes for abatement of pollution and conservation of their river Ganga is keeping with sustainable development needs.

Key Features of New Approach

· River basin will be the unit of planning and management. This is an internationally accepted strategy for integrated management of rivers.

· Accordingly, a new institutional mechanism in the form of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) will spearhead river conservation efforts at the national level. Implementation will be by the State Agencies and Urban Local Bodies

· The new strategy will take into account the competing demands on water and will seek t ensure minimum ecological flows. STPs minimise the pollution load up to discharge standard of BOD of 30mg/litre requiring dilution to achieve river water quality of 3mg/ litre.

· The minimum ecological flows or the entire Ganga will be determined through modelling exercises. NGRBA

· will take appropriate measures to regulate water abstraction for maintaining ecological flows in the river.

Functions of NGRBA

· The NGRBA would be responsible for addressing the problem of pollution in Ganga in a holistic and comprehensive manner. This will include water quality, minimum ecological flows, sustainable access and other issues relevant to river ecology and management.

· The NGRBA will not only be regulatory body but will also have developmental role in terms of planning & monitoring of the river conservation activities and ensuring that necessary resources are available.

· The NRGBA would work for maintaining the water quality of the river Ganga upto acceptable standards. The pollution abetment activities will be taken through the existing implementation mechanisms in the State and also through special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs0 at the pollution hotspots.

· The NGRBA will ensure minimum ecological flow in the Ganga by regulating water abstraction and by promoting water storage projects.

· The NGRBA will plan and monitor programmes for cleaning of Ganga and its tributaries. To being with, it will concentrate on Ganga main stream.

· The NGRBA would draw upon professional expertise within and outside the Government for advice on techno-economic issues.

· The technical and administrative support to NGRBA shall be provided by the Ministry of Environment & for advice on techno-economic issues.

· The technical and administrative support to NGRBA shall be provided by the Ministry of Environment & Forests.
 

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Glacier shrinkage may affect Brahmaputra
Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 3 – The Ministry of Environment and Forest hinted that water flow in the Indian rivers especially Brahmaputra and Ganga rivers were at risk because of shrinkage of glaciers in Tibet.
The studies conducted by the Geological Survey of India indicate that the glaciers of Himalaya are receding at varying rates in different regions. The likely impacts include changes in river hydrology, increased debris production and siltation of rivers in downstream regions, said Minister of State for Environment and Forest, Jairam Ramesh in a Rajya Sabha reply.

The Government of India has developed guidelines and best practices for sustaining Himalayan eco-system (G-She), which has been shared with all State Government in the Himalayan region, the Minister added.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change, which was launched in June 2008, includes a National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-System. A new mission centre on Himalayan Glaciology has been set up at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology at Dehradun, he stated.

The shrinkage of glaciers in Tibet posing a threat to the Brahmaputra river system may be another headache for the Government of India after reports of China planning to divert Brahmaputra. China has last month officially confirmed to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna that it is building a number of dams in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra river in Tibet.
 

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SPU researcher's invention to revive Ganges

VADODARA/ANAND: In a move aimed to save the Ganges from pollution and give its aquatic life a breather, devices developed by a researcher of Sardar Patel University ( SPU) will be installed at Mathura. S N Jha, a technical assistant at SPU's department of physics has developed the hydro-powered (river water stream) aeration-cum-ozonation system for cleaning and maintaining the health of flowing rivers.

While the system was first tested at Mahi river in Gujarat and later at Vrindavan, now Barsana-based NGO Manmandir Seva Sansthan Trust, which is being supported by NRIs, has received funding from United States to install 100 such devices at Mathura to clean Yamuna the largest tributary of Ganges that has turned into one of the most polluted rivers of the world.

"During Kumbh Mela' last month, we had installed one such device at Vrindavan. After successful demonstration of this device, the trust has received funding to install 100 such devices. Although one requires installing around 400 such devices to clean up the 100-kilometre stretch of the river near Mathura, with this funding the project to clean Yamuna and thereby the Ganges will receive a major push," says Jha, who was recently invited to give presentation of his invention at Delhi in a meeting-cum-panel discussion arranged by Save Ganga Movement' at Rajghat hosted by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi, in presence of Union minister of environment and forest Jairam Ramesh.

"The main concern for Ganges and Yamuna is the dissolved oxygen (DO) level and biological oxygen demand (BOD) level to resolve the problem of coliform bacteria," says Jha, adding that the system designed by him does not need any electricity or conventional fuel. "It works as its waterwheel rotates in the water flow on a float. As the water flows, specially designed blades of the waterwheel rotate in direction of the flow and ultimately air is inserted into the water through diffuser, which oxygenates the water and improves DO level. Simultaneously, ozonized air will be inserted in aerator pump which will dispersed through the diffuser ultimately reducing BOD level by killing coliform bacteria. These two processes - aeration and ozonation - will improve quality of water by reducing pollution and help aquatic life's survival," adds Jha.


Read more: SPU researcher's invention to revive Ganges - The Times of India SPU researcher's invention to revive Ganges - The Times of India
 

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Rain Water Harvesting in Punjab- An Experience

Er. SS Saini, Chief Conservator of Soils, Punjab, Chandigarh.

Water is a critical input for the land based production system. Since 1950-51, a massive investment has been made for the development of irrigation in India and the area under irrigation increased from 22.61 mha in 1950-51 to 86.26 mha in 2000-01. Despite such substantial increase of area under irrigation, the share of irrigated area to gross cropped area is about 40% as of today. At the National level, there are concerted efforts to bring more area under irrigation and the focus is on rainwater management for increasing the production in rainfed areas.
In Punjab, 5.38 lakh hectare area, nearly 10% of the total geographical area of the state, comprising of Shivalik foothills known as Kandi area, water is a precious resource. Although the average rainfall in this area varies from 1000 mm to 1200 mm, the irrigated area is far below than the rest of the state where more than 97% of the area is under assured irrigation. In comparison, only about 20% of the cultivated area in Kandi is under assured irrigation. Therefore, the management of rainwater in this region is a key to environmental, economical & social sustainability.

Scope and Potential of Rainwater Harvesting in Punjab
Punjab is one of the smallest States of India with geographical area of 50362 Sq. Km. It lies between 29-30' to 32-30' N Latitude and 73-55' to 76-55' E Longitude. It is bounded by Pakistan in the west, Jammu and Kashmir in the north, Himachal Pradesh in North and North East, Haryana in the east and South west and Rajasthan in the south west.

Based on soil and climatic parameters, Punjab is divided into the following Agro Climatic regions:-
1. Sub Mountainous undulating region or Kandi region.
2. Undulating plain region.
3. Central plain region.
4. Western plain region.
5. Southern plain region.
6. Flood Plain/Bet Area.

Although the Punjab State has highest production of crops in the country, there are few areas in sub-mountainous region lying in the Shivalik foothills where lands are not intensively cultivated. The development of irrigation potential through surface and subsurface has reached up to the level of approx. 98% of the cultivated area in central plain regions and western and south western regions. Although the average annual rainfall in the Kandi region is more by about 1.5 times the rainfall in the Central region and more by about 2.5 times the rainfall in the western and south western regions, but its distribution is erratic and uneven. The 80% of average annual rainfall of 1000 mm in Kandi region is received within 3 months of monsoon period resulting into severe soil erosion with flash floods and frequent droughts due to erratic rainfall. Therefore, the management of the runoff in the sub-mountainous region known as the Kandi region is crucial for increasing productivity of this region.

Kandi Area of Punjab
Location
The Kandi area is located in North-Eastern part of Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahar, Ropar and Patiala districts lying between 30o21'48" to 32o30" north latitudes and 75o32' 12" to 75o56' east longitudes covering an area of 5,38,000 hect about 10.6% of 5.03 million hect. geographical area of Punjab state. The watershed and sub watershed lying in the Kandi area of the Punjab covers 2154 villages of Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshaher, Ropar and Patiala district. The average height of hills range from 415m to 500m above mean sea level.
Fluvial action of choes, erosion and deposition are free geomorphic processes prevalent in the Kandi area of Punjab.
Geologically, the area forms a part of the Shivalik hills constituting piedmont and alluvial piedmont. The piedmonts are sited on the upper conglomerate beds mainly on a bed of clay intermixed with pebbles and cobbles and nodular concretions and in the plains, it is alluvium deposits.
Physiography
There are two major physiographic units:-
 

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