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.
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.
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
Honorary Captain Umrao Singh VC -- An
imposing symbol of righteousness (1920-2005);
Suchitra Sen -- Reclusive diva of Indian cinema (1931 – 2014) and
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