March 2014

Water, water everywhere…

‘Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink’ sang the poet S T Coleridge. Despite 72 percent of earth’s surface being covered with water, only one percent is for the use and consumption of humans and land animals. Water is the only indispensable thing in the world and the one percent available to us is also not readily accessible. No wonder water is called the elixir of life!

India is facing a serious water crisis because of various reasons, but mainly due to heavy pollution, overexploitation, mismanagement and political expediency. These issues need to be addressed on a war footing by the government, environmentalists and even consumers, or else, very soon we will be facing an explosive situation due to water shortage. Underground water levels are dipping across the country and the problem is getting compounded by seepage of pollutants on the surface. People need to change attitudes towards water and use it thoughtfully. Intelligent solutions to conserve water and minimise leakage have to be found by our engineers, who need to be trained properly to improve our water supply systems and bridge the demand supply gap.

Water has many facets to it. While it gives life to all of us, it also takes them away, as we saw its fury during the Uttarakhand floods in 2013 and the overflowing of the Mithi River in Mumbai in 2005. OIOP’s March issue on the theme ‘Water’ focuses on the various issues related to water and finding solutions to make water sources sustainable. It also shows ways to optimise usage. The concept of water footprint and virtual water, a relatively new theory that urges people to use water judiciously and environmental governance to prevent colossal disasters are also covered in the issue. One hopes that attitudes change and we stop treating water with contempt.

In the lead article, ‘A crisis brewing underground’, Nitya Jacob says, India is facing an unseen underground water crisis due to pollution, exploitation, mismanagement and political expediency. Instead of looking for quick-fix solutions, he urges water bureaucrats to improve water supply systems that use surface water, minimise water losses due to leakage and improve water quality.

The writer is a research and policy advocacy professional and author with in-depth knowledge of the water sector. He was also the head, policy advocacy and research wing at Water Aid India, a leading NGO.

In the article, ‘Virtual view of a real problem’, Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma underscores the need to build awareness about water footprint and virtual water, in order to encourage people to use water judiciously. He feels reduction in water footprint ought to be a mandatory precondition for companies to remain in business.

The writer is a Delhi-based water expert and development analyst. He has worked with the United Nations for the World Bank’s water and sanitation programme. Policy analysis of water management and the role of traditional knowledge in human development are his special interests. He is Director of the Ecological Foundation.

In ‘Reviving the Mithi River’, environmentalist Rishi Aggarwal talks about how the Mithi River in Mumbai has become a dumping ground for dirt, pollutants and refuse. He says efforts by civic authorities to clean Mithi post 2005 floods have failed to yield any significant results, and calls upon the citizens of Mumbai to come together to save the river.

The writer is an environmental activist based in Mumbai and has been closely engaged with a number of issues of Mumbai for the past 15 years. He is also a Research Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Mumbai.

In ‘Lessons from  Uttarakhand floods’, Himanshu Thakkar says the most significant lesson from the 2013 Uttarakhand disaster is that we need to improve our environment governance hugely. However, in the absence of such an initiative from the government, he hopes that the apex court will take cognizance of the serious nature of these issues and take commensurate corrective measures.

The writer an engineer from Indian Institute of Technology; Mumbai is currently coordinator of SANDRP and editor of magazine “Dams, Rivers & People”.

In the article, ‘Don’t they deserve clean drinking water?’, Sonam Saigal talks about how the Bhopal Gas tragedy in 1984 rendered tens of thousands of people living near the guilty, but not convicted factory, orphans. She narrates the ordeal of people living their fate by consuming the long declared ‘unfit for consumption’ water.

The writer is sub-editor at One India One People.

 

In ‘Basin management in Himalayan region of South Asia’, Dr. Arvind Kumar writes about South Asia’s water problems can be significantly reduced through improved water governance of its major trans-boundary rivers which support the lives of about one billion people.

The writer is President India Water Foundation, New Delhi.

Sudhir Prasad

Kallol Saha

In the article, ‘Jharkhand shows the way’ bureaucrats Sudhir Prasad and Kallol Saha explain how the north eastern state of Jharkhand has successfully made optimum use of water and ensured sustainable water supply without burdening its people.

Sudhir Prasad is the Development Commissioner with Government of Jharkhand and a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Kanpur.

Kallol Saha is a Development Practitioner and Consultant to Jharkhand State Water and Sanitation Mission.

In ‘Not just taps and pipes but women’s lives’ writer Pamela Philipose highlights the lack of water and sanitation facilities for the least visible, articulate and influential lot — women, and how the apathy of government officials leads to serious health concerns.

Copyright - Women’s Features Services

know india better

Our Know India Better is on the wild side of Saurashtra. What began as an unplanned vacation going sour with no reservations available at Somnath and Gir - the mainstays of Saurashtra tourism; turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Akul Tripathi got to explore the wild side of Saurashtra's land, water and air - rich, feisty, raw and splendid beyond his expectations.

The writer is a media professional and freelance writer.

face to face

In Face to Face, Sonam Saigal has a free-wheeling interview with Justice

Sujata Manohar. She gives her candid views on reservations and other important issues. Justice Manohar has the distinction of being the first woman judge of the Bombay High Court. It was however, not an easy way to the top for Justice Sujata Manohar, despite the fact that she came from an illustrious family of lawyers. She proved her mettle with 20 years of substantial amount of public interest and pro-bono work, before she became a judge in 1978. Justice Manohar also held the position of the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before being elevated as a judge at the Supreme Court of India. As a judge, she took a strong independent stance defending the rule of law against political and public pressures. After her retirement, she was a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

In Youth Voice, Suman Barua, a teacher at Teach for India shares his experiences through, ‘Teaching the tough lessons’. He gave up a full time corporate life to take up the social responsibility of teaching children who are not entitled to right to education as they belong to the lower strata of the society.

In our Features sections, the write up is on, ‘An American in Madras’, where Shoma Chatterjee tells us about an interesting documentary made by an FTII alumnus on Ellis Roderick Dungan, an American who lived in India for 15 years and made some blockbuster films in Tamil and Telugu, in a very challenging scenario.

The writer is a freelance journalist, film scholar and author.  She has authored 17 published titles and won the National Award for Best Writing on Cinema twice. She won the UNFPA-Laadli Media Award, 2010 for ‘commitment to addressing and analysing gender issues’ among many awards. She is currently Senior Research Fellow, ICSSR, Delhi researching the politics of presentation of working women in post-colonial Bengali cinema 1950 to 2003.

Cultural Kaleidoscope is on ‘Bharata Natyam’, the glorious dance style from Tamil Nadu.  Dr. Kanak Rele writes that Bharat Natyam is designed as a votive offering to be placed at the feet of the lord and it is Devadasis and their great spirit which have perpetuated this art.

The writer is Director, Nalanda Dance Research Centre

In GEMS FROM THE PAST, B.M.N. Murthy, writes on ‘The glory of Nalanda’-- how Nalanda Univesity was an extraordinary centre of excellence for learning, and remained so for nearly 700 years. He takes us through the inception, the rise of this world renowned institution and the scope to revive it.

The writer, a retired Chief Engineer from the Life Insurance Corporation of India, is a prolific writer. He writes regularly on Indian heritage, tradition, Vedic wisdom, etc. If you wish to be on his mailing list, contact him at bmnmurty@gmail.com

Great Indians

In Great Indians we have profiled,

Honorary Captain Umrao Singh VC -- An imposing symbol of righteousness (1920-2005);

Suchitra Sen -- Reclusive diva of Indian cinema (1931 – 2014) and

Prof. Ila Pathak -- A feminist crusader (1933-2014)

And also read our regular columns and other features. To book a copy, email to oiopfoundation@gmai.com / oiop@vsnl.net or call Nagesh Bangera, OIOP Subscription-in-charge at 022- 2353 44 00.

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