Inconsistencies in Centre's flagship irrigation scheme, reveals CAG audit

A performance audit of the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) for the period 2008 to 2017, has revealed that the Centre's flagship irrigation scheme is laden with delays, deficiencies in planning and diversion of funds and financial irregularities. As per the audit report, projects and schemes were included in the programme in violation of its guidelines which had led to the irregular release of Rs 3,718 crore. The report also observed extra financial implications to the tune of Rs 1,337 crore owing to irregular, wasteful and avoidable expenditure. The report has further pointed out laxity in monitoring by central and state agencies in the projects evaluated under the audit.

Groundwater levels dip remarkably in Tamil Nadu

According to the Tamil Nadu Ground and Surface Water Resources Data Centre of the Water Resources Department, 20 out of 32 districts in the state have shown a significant decline in their water tables. In Perambalur district, which is the worst affected, the groundwater levels have dropped from 6.74 mt to 11.06 mt. Moreover, the failure of the northeast monsoon has aggravated the water crisis in the affected districts. Few districts like Coimbatore, Erode, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Tirunelveli and other delta districts, however, have recorded a marginal rise in groundwater levels.

Government data reveals diversion of over 20,000 hectares of forest land in past three years

The official data from the government has revealed that as much as 20,314.12 hectares of forest land has been diverted from 2015-2018 for developmental activities such as mining, thermal power plants, dams, road, railways and irrigation projects. With 5,137.38 hectares of forest land diverted, Telangana topped the list followed by Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. Apart from the country's environmentalists raising concerns about government's intent for forest conservation, even the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) has criticised India's definition of forests.  

Tamil Nadu's Karunguzhi town exemplifies complete sanitation via faecal sludge treatment plant

Karunguzhi in Kanchipuram district has built up a faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP), worth Rs 4.93 crore, specially designed to treat waste generated outside the underground sewage network. With the upcoming FSTP, the town has moved towards the full cycle of sanitation, that is access to toilets, safe containment, conveyance, and finally treatment and disposal of toilet waste. Being able to treat nearly 6,000 to 8,000 litres of waste daily, the Karunguzhi’s FSTP has become a model for towns with no underground sewage system.

Sixteen airports in the country declared single-use plastic free 

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has restricted the use of single-use plastic items at 16 of its airport— Indore, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Tirupati, Trichy, Vijayawada, Dehradun, Chandigarh, Vadodara, Madurai, Raipur, Vizag, Pune, Kolkata and Varanasi. With the ban, air travellers will not get any single-use plastic items at the passenger terminals and city side. The first batch of 16 airports was selected on the basis of the third-party assessment carried out by the Quality Council of India. 

This is a roundup of important news published between January 7 - 13, 2019. Also read policy matters this week.

Is there any policy of how the groundwater in urban residential area can be used? Can groundwater from these areas be used for commercial purposes? And how can one get the required licensed for the same?

I couldn't find any clear answer anywhere on this, pls advise.

Launched in 2015, Project Raahat, an initiative by students of a management institute, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS), Delhi University has been working on eradicating open defecation and providing safe sanitation in urban slums of India. They do this through innovations in management and operations of community toilet complexes and sensitising people on safe sanitary practices. The project is a part of Enactus, a global non-profit organisation. The Enactus SSCBS team comprises over 70 students and about 20 of them are directly involved in Project Raahat.

The model

Project Raahat aims at standardising and streamlining the procedures of operating, maintaining and monitoring community toilet complexes, ensuring proper implementation and enforcement of sanitation-related policies. The project went through various versions.

• Project Raahat started its operations with the Version 1.0. This included basic daily operations, infrastructural innovations like aesthetic modification and incorporation of normal pay per use model. The subsequent versions included some additions or improvements to the current model.

• Version 2.0 covered the commencement of open defecation campaigns, pass system, public address system and posters.

• Version 3.0 was focused on targeted sensitisation, ticket system, circulation of a helpline number and technological innovation like the people’s counter to avoid pilferage.

• Version 4.0 covered another pillar of Project Raahat i.e. monitoring of community toilet complexes in order to ensure proper upkeep of operations.

Community toilets can serve as a tool for bringing in behavioural change

In cities, as onsite sanitation option, urban local bodies have constructed community toilets. Community toilets not only provide sanitation facility but also have a demonstrative effect—people using these become habitual users of toilets, and in turn, realise the need for individual household toilets. Community toilets, thus, are the tools for bringing about behavioural changes among the public residing in the slum areas as well as in generating a demand for the use of individual toilets.

Sizeable investment has been made for the construction of community toilets but they have become either hazardous, unhygienic or abandoned due to poor construction and planning or lack of water supply and poor maintenance. Community toilets are specifically important for slums, especially where it may not be possible to construct individual household toilets due to the non-availability of space. It is not enough to just construct these, their operations and maintenance need to be strengthened, too.

Replicating the Raahat model designed for community toilet complexes to public toilets would require a certain degree of customisation. Aesthetic modifications would be based on generalised themes rather than community specific ones. The ticket and pass system need not be implemented as the population using a public toilet is always floating. Public address system can be employed to undertake passive sensitisation on proper usage of toilets for the floating population.

A viable financial model?

The time required for the toilet complex’s revenue to break even with expense depends on numerous demographic factors like the population of the community, their economic status and their average income. But within a period of six months (approx), the capital expenditure should ideally be recovered and the organisation should start earning profits. The expense for infrastructural changes is calculated and spread over a period of the useful life of the toilet complex to arrive at a depreciation rate annually. Since the rate charged for the usage of the complex cannot be changed, the cost is covered by the increased usage due to these changes (as a part of passive sensitisation). Vandalism and wear and tear costs are met by the reserves created by depreciating a part of the capital expenditure every year to avoid a situation of unanticipated deficit.

In case the policy of the government prohibits the complex owners from charging the users such as in Delhi, the government becomes the customer of the NGO, paying per seat. In this case, revenue can be increased by acquiring more complexes.

Awareness raising and sensitisation are important

Weekly or bi-weekly sensitisation camps focus on the importance of sanitation at home and in the community. This intervention can be systematically reduced after a few months but not terminated till the target sensitisation levels are achieved.

The Raahat model imparts wholesome skill learning to caretakers—from basic arithmetic and bookkeeping to soft skill training for personality enhancement. Raahat also tries to reduce employee absenteeism and turnover rate.

Raahat focuses on improving user experience to increase usage of the toilet complex. In terms of increased footfall and reduced vandalism, sensitisation camps usually bear results in two to three months. However, community sanitation is a continuous process, bearing visible results of a cleaner community in about six months with regular intervention.

Metrics for evaluating the benefits to the community after sensitisation sessions include increase in footfall, increased demand of sanitary products in local general store, increased demand of soaps in the complex and other activity specific metrics.

Whereas Sulabh toilet complexes are meant for public usage, Raahat specialises in community toilet complexes. Infrastructural modifications, sensitisation camps and innovation in operations are a few of the parameters which set the two apart. Through demographic specific camps like customised games for children, hygiene workshops for women and group discussions for men, it perpetuates cleanliness and healthy habits.

Community ownership is vital to ensure proper functioning and reduced vandalism in a community toilet complex. It is built by involving the community during aesthetic modification of the complex (through hand paintings on the wall by children, painting Bollywood and cartoon characters popular in the community etc), converting open spaces around the complex into community socialising hubs and conducting sensitisation camps focusing on the importance of the community complex built in the area.

About the SOP

As a part of Project Raahat, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was developed on ending open defecation and to defeat social stigma. The SOP analyses status of community toilets in terms of its infrastructure, operation and maintenance, uses, level of awareness and payment of user charges. The idea is to replicate the Raahat model across India for maintaining community toilet complexes. The document lists down certain steps that should be followed to enhance user experience, improve impact of operations and sensitisation activities, deal with government authorities and various other dimensions.

Please find the SOP as an attachment below

While India has experienced dynamic growth over the past few years, enormous challenges remain in the water supply and sanitation sector. As a part of the Nation’s vision various national initiatives are currently underway to improve the levels of cleanliness through solid and liquid waste management activities and providing every person in rural and urban India with adequate safe water for drinking, cooking and other domestic basic needs on a sustainable basis.

Nispana Innovative Platforms in association with leading NGOs successfully hosted the 4th Annual National Summit on Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Bangalore on 10 – 11 January 2019. The event was supported by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Govt. of India, Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Municipal Administration, Port & Inland Water Transport, Govt. of Karnataka, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, and City Managers Association, Karnataka. The event was inaugurated by Mr. Jagan Shah, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Dr. Dayanand Panse, Director, Ecosan Services Foundation, Ms. Abha Bahadur, Founder & President, Centre for Water, Sanitation & Health for Women, Mr. Satheesh Nair, Director, Elixir H2O and Mr. S. Damodaran, Founder, Gramalaya.

The summit gathered over 200+ attendee’s with a range of national & international water and sanitation experts, practitioners, government agencies under one roof and shared their experiences, technology best practices to address the current challenges & issues. The two day summit served as a capacity building platform for all attendees and decision makers with strategic knowledge, directions and plans. Concurrent to the sessions, the NSWSS-2019 featured exhibition and marketplace of water and sanitation related organizations, private companies, and other stakeholders demonstrated and provided information, innovation, and technology for the water and sanitation sector. The event featured keynotes, case studies, panel discussions and technology showcase for knowledge dissemination in the domains of Sustainable drinking water & sanitation, Policy reform in water and sanitation, Water quality & water management, Wastewater treatment, Developing cost effective & ecologically safe and sustainable sanitation, Fecal Sludge & Septage Management, Innovations and technologies for water and sanitation management, Women involvement in water and sanitation for rural India, Business & finance model for water and sanitation management, Achieving & Sustaining Open Defecation Free Communities.

The event was supported by leading NGO’s such as Ecosan Services Foundation, CDD Society, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat India, Gramalaya, BORDA, Sanitation First, India Water Foundation. Event partners and solution providers such as Elixir H2O, Bangalore Urban Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Tahal Group, Rostfrei Steels, Water Reach, Prince Piping Systems, C.R.I. Pumps, Enbio Green Solutions delivered technical presentations and also exhibited their products. Innovative technology solution provider Elixir H2O also launched their logo and new product, a self-sufficient, sustaining & eco-friendly solution to the drinking water crisis in India. 

The summit concluded with a high note while setting huge expectation for the next edition. Furthermore, the proceedings of the summit will be shared to all relevant government and regulatory authorities and participants to implement the learning of this programme.

© Nispana Innovative Platforms Pvt. Ltd 2017, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

+91 80 4933 1000, info@nispana.com | www.nswss.com 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of India Water Portal.

HC orders demolition of illegal prawn gheries in Odisha wetlands

The Odisha high court has ordered the state government to initiate the demolition of illegal prawn farms in Bhitarkanika National Park and Chilika Lake in order to restore the ecology of the two wetlands. Gheries are areas encroached for illegal prawn cultivation inside the wetland area. Nearly 23,000 acres of area is under illegal prawn culture in Bhitarkanika National Park and Chilika Lake, both of which are in the Supreme Court's list of wetlands to be preserved. Apart from illegal prawn culture, the other issues that need to be dealt with for the conservation of these wetlands are pollution, uncontrolled boat operation and oil spills, siltation and depletion of mangrove forest in Bhitarkanika.

Learn from Surat how to manage idol immersions: NGT to Delhi govt

The monitoring committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal has ordered the Delhi government to follow the Tapti example to effectively manage idol immersions during the festive season. In 2018, the city administration of Surat, Ahmedabad and Rajkot ensured that no idol was immersed in the Tapti river. The immersions took place either in the 22 artificial ponds or at the sea whereas in Delhi, organic pollution increased in the Yamuna river due to human influence and puja ingredients after the Durga Puja and Ganesh Chaturthi immersions. The committee has suggested the authorities in Delhi to construct sufficient artificial ponds and create awareness of health hazards due to idol immersions in rivers.

UP government debarred from carrying out works on Vrindavan riverfront project 

The National Green Tribunal has debarred the Uttar Pradesh government from carrying out any further works on the Vrindavan riverfront project without its approval. All the construction material has been ordered to be removed from the Yamuna riverbed. The work can be restarted only after the approval from the Taj Trapezium Zone authorities and a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the UP Pollution Control Board. The Vrindavan rejuvenation project proposes to expand, renovate and beautify work on a three-kilometres riverfront from Kesi Ghat to the Yamuna downstream. As per the plea filed by nature enthusiast Akash Vashishtha, however, the reclamation of Yamuna floodplain is being carried out in gross violation of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Raids conducted in connection with the money laundering probe into Gomti riverfront project

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted raids at 10 locations in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana in connection with the money laundering probe into the Rs 1,500-crore Gomti riverfront development project in Lucknow. In 2017, an investigation towards irregularities in the project was initiated by the Yogi Adityanath government. Following the CBI probe, an FIR was lodged against the then engineers involved in the project for misappropriation of funds and giving contracts to favourite companies. 

Panel seeks compensation for farmers in Pali region whose soil has been damaged

In 2018, the National Green Tribunal formed a committee to inspect the industrial units in Rajasthan’s Pali region as the farmers in the area complained of deterioration of their soil health due to wastewater discharge in the Bandi river. The committee report that came out in January has informed that most of the common effluent treatment plants in the region were not complying with standards and did not achieve zero liquid discharge. These units have been discharging wastewater into the river. The committee has now recommended compensation to farmers based on per unit area loss of money due to deterioration of soil health.

This is a roundup of important policy matters from January 23 - 28, 2019. Also, read news this week.

Country's groundwater crisis showcases need to enact model groundwater bill

As per the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) data, there is a rapid fall in water tables over the past decade with a fall of two to four metre in 61 percent wells between 2007 and 2017. Even the data on the depth of wells shows precarious state of groundwater with impacts from the groundwater-dependent farmers, rural water supply systems and industry. Moreover, the low recharge rate of groundwater due to low rainfall and rivers getting dry after monsoon has created an imbalance in the ratio of groundwater extraction and its recharge. The imbalance is further aggravated by the reduction in the area available for recharge owing to concretisation in urban sprawls. Such a scenario has raised the need to enact the long-pending model groundwater bill.

Water presents a material risk for banks: WWF report

As per the report, Hidden Risks and Untapped Opportunities: Water and the Indian Banking Sector launched by the WWF-India, the water crisis in the country could lead to stranded assets in the power and agriculture sectors, two sectors that account for the highest gross credit exposure of Indian banks. The report states that 40 percent of the gross credit exposure of Indian banks is in sectors where water risks are significant and the water crisis could pose more liquidity constraints on the strained balance sheets of banks. The report suggests a comprehensive and sustainable water management plan by various stakeholders to tackle the crisis. 

Unplanned development reduces forest cover and perennial streams in central Western Ghats: Study

According to a study focussed on the Kali river in Karnataka, dams and other large-scale activities have eroded the ecosystem in the central Western Ghats. The study, which was conducted between 1973 and 2016, has observed that the forest cover around the river reduced from 85 to 55 percent. The evergreen forests have also shrunk from 62 to 38.5 percent during this period, thanks to these large-scale projects. The study also noticed that the management practices adopted by engineers were contributing to the erosion of water retention capability in the river catchment. 

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme is set to escalate Telangana's debt

The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme worth Rs 80,000 crore is being constructed on the Godavari river in Telangana and is the costliest lift irrigation project in the country. The project envisages utilising nearly 200,000 million cubic feet (tmc) of Godavari river water for irrigation, drinking water and industrial purposes. So far, the state government has borrowed over Rs 40,000 crore for the project works and the outstanding borrowings of the state has gone up from Rs 70,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 1.7 lakh crore in 2017-18. To reduce its debt burden, the state government is seeking a national project status for the Kaleshwaram project with 100 percent funding from the Centre.

Microplastics found in sediments of Vembanad lake

A study by the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala has reported the presence of microplastics in the sediments of the Vembanad lake that is spread across the districts of Ernakulam, Alleppey and Kottayam. As per the study, northern parts of the lake, influenced by the sea, had a higher abundance of microplastics than the southern side. Lack of an efficient solid waste disposal system has been held responsible for the influx of plastic debris into the water body. Researchers have classified the plastic as fibre, pellets, fragments, foam and film with foam and film types of plastic dominating the lake. 

This is a roundup of important news published between January 23-28, 2019. Also read policy matters this week.

People of Ramra, a village in the Kairana block of Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh have warm recollections of river Katha that joins the Yamuna below Ramra. Mustaquim Mallah, a 30-year old river conservationist recalls how his grandfather held many pleasant childhood memories of the river. "My great grandfather fished in this river. Our ancestors fought the British colonialists and the 15-km patch of land in between the Yamuna and the Katha served as a good hidey-hole. This was a well-forested area and the river once had gharials and crocodiles and it was tough to cross it," says Mallah who has been trying to revive the river since 2006.

Where is its origin?

“Some accounts say that the Katha emerged from the springs in the hills of Shivalik. The construction of the Eastern Yamuna Canal in 1830 led to the blocking of the river flow which dried the river up between Saharanpur and Rampur. The irrigation department records reported the length of the river as 92 km instead of 130 km,” says Mallah.

A study refers to the Katha as a small, leftover channel of the river Yamuna, which flows along the north-west side of the Eastern Yamuna Canal command area and joins the Yamuna near the village Mawi. The study using remote sensing images confirms that the track of the Katha is clearly visible because of less elevation than the adjacent area. The construction of the Eastern Yamuna Canal put an end to the river. A report by the central ground water board states that the track between Krishna and Yamuna rivers is drained by the Eastern Yamuna Canal and the Katha nala flows through it forming a depression along the track with development of reh (a salty surface crust found on the soil) all along the course.

Distressed by the dead, lifeless river, Mallah, who was initially associated with the Yamuna Sewa Samiti, Ramra, set up the Kewat Mallah Ekta Sewa Samiti to raise awareness about the lost channel and the need for its revival. Most people were not convinced and Mallah knew his actions would provoke awe, mirth and confusion, and that many would question his sanity.

Despite being on the verge of giving up hope, Mallah was reassured by Bhim Singh Rawat, a river conservationist who was associated with PEACE, a Delhi-based NGO at that time. Mallah recalls how Rawat was confident that they have a chance to revive the river. Also, how Manoj Misra, convenor of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, a Delhi-based organisation working on the river Yamuna guided him in tracing the source of the Katha.

Misra, along with others, helped establish that the Katha is indeed a tributary and not just an old channel of the Yamuna. Sohan Pal, who was heading the Yamuna Sewa Samiti, Ramra updated them that its origin is from a johad (village pond) in Harpal village in Saharanpur district. Based on this firm lead, the group went and traced the Katha’s source in a johad in Nayagaon aka Nayabans village near Harpal village. Misra says that they found the johad lined by old trees of peepal and ber and a significant presence of birds. They also found the eroded channel of the stream both on the ground.

As per the Google map, the Eastern Yamuna Canal does not cross it. But, that’s the status now. It’s possible that the river emerged from the Shivaliks and was blocked by the Eastern Yamuna Canal. In either case, it is likely that the river also dried due to degradation of natural vegetation in the catchment area, valleys and plains; over-exploitation of groundwater, soil erosion and massive plantation of exotic trees which suck the groundwater table dry.

“Shivpal Yadav, then a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government, promised to divert excess water from the Yamuna during monsoons to revive the Katha. The proposal was passed but never implemented as it hurts the interests of the land mafia which has encroached a lot of land in the riverbed. The present government also has sanctioned Rs one crore for reviving the river but no work has been done yet,” says Mallah. 

A people’s movement to revive the Katha river

Reviving the entire river stretch was a tall order and looked impossible. So, the Kewat Mallah Ekta Sewa Samiti, with support from Dehradun-based Natural History Research and Conservation Centre (NHRCC), decided to take up one kilometre stretch of the riverbed and revive it. Prof. Umar Saif, a wildlife scientist led the work from the side of the NHRCC. The main work was done by the villagers from Malakpur, the site of the lake and a dozen other adjoining villages such as Ramra, Jhinjhana, Nanglarai and Mohammadpurrai which donated labour to retrieve the entire ecosystem of the barren riverbed to turn it into a lake. In Malakpur, they were supported by Anand Kumar Saini, gram sarpanch of Malakpur and Umed Alvi, a social worker.

The riverbed was dug up to level the surface, construct several check dams (five-ft high and 40-feet long) to utilise rainwater and nearby water sources to feed the lake. The idea was to prevent the water of the Katha drain straightaway into the Yamuna.

A “one house, one pot” symbolic water donation movement was conducted over the years in which children and adults participated enthusiastically by contributing labour for over two weeks in 2016. Sarpanches of several gram panchayats showed interest considering the work could be done through MGNREGA. The proposed work entailed the construction of check dams, ponds and biodiversity restoration.   

But unfortunately, the area received poor rains in 2016 (35 percent deficient) and 2017. The check dams were flattened by the land mafia. This meant the river needed augmentation from some other source like excess water of Eastern Yamuna Canal during monsoons. This can be stored in the check dams and used subsequently. In 2018, they were lucky and were able to reconstruct the check dams and store lakhs of cubic feet of water.

“There is a regulator in village Ramra on the Yamuna river from where water is released during excess monsoons. This can be done every year and the backflow can be used for recharging the groundwater in the area,” says Rawat.   

What Mallah and the locals in the riverside villages are trying to do is seminal. Mallah has received awards from the government of Delhi and UNICEF along with the government of Uttar Pradesh for his work in national pulse polio eradication programme and the Ram Manohar Lohia excellence award for his efforts on river revival.

After years of river protection-related activism, Mallah is now pursuing his Bachelor’s in Social Work from Jamia Millia Islamia and feels that children and youth should be the key players in river restoration work.

Indian Sunderbans gets recognition under Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 

The Indian side of the Sunderbans has been recognised as the Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. After the East Kolkata Wetlands, which got the tag in 2002, Sunderbans has become the second Ramsar site in Bengal to snag the tag. The tag will not only help the world’s largest mangrove to feature more prominently in international treaties on biodiversity and migratory birds but also help fight climate change and demand better conservation of the region. Sundarbans wetlands is located within the largest mangrove forest in the world and is also home to many rare and critically endangered species. 

Failure of northeast monsoon causes worry in south India

In its Statement on Climate in Indiaduring 2018, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has pointed that the rainfall over the country during the northeast monsoon had been substantially below normal. The failure of the northeast monsoon is a cause for worry as it is crucial for farming and water security in the south. The data analysis of the northeast monsoon has revealed that the highest rainfall departure occurred in Telangana followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In response to monsoon failure, the state governments have introduced water cuts. Moreover, Andhra Pradesh has declared 347 mandals in nine districts to be drought-hit.

Experts call relocation of crocodiles from Narmada dam mindless

To make way for seaplane services for the visitors to the Statue of Unity, the Gujarat government has decided to relocate 300 crocodiles from the Narmada dam. The conservationists have called the move drastic and mindless as it will have an adverse impact on the ecology of the area. Being apex predators, these crocodiles act as water cleaners and removing them is going to have a cascading effect on the quality of water in the dam. A legal notice against the translocation of crocodiles has been sent to the environment ministry, the chief minister, chief conservator of forest and chief secretary of Gujarat. 

Goa comes up with state biodiversity tag

The Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) has introduced a tagging system for organisations selling products which are made using ingredients from the state biodiversity zones. The aim behind the move is to provide access benefit share from the profits to the communities residing within these zones. With the new initiative in place, the sellers are supposed to pay 0.01 percent of their annual profit to the GSSB. The board had approached over 300 industries to join the scheme but currently only three organisations—Tanshikar Spice Farm, Krishna Plantation and Raika Honey—have agreed to it. 

CAG blames Chhattisgarh forest department for incurring avoidable expenses

As per the recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the Chhattisgarh forest department incurred excess and avoidable expenditure on unirrigated mixed plantations set up under the State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (State CAMPA) in 2014-2015. The department dug big pits for plantation which resulted in excess labour charges and increased consumption of vermin-compost and fertilisers leading to excess expenditure to the tune of Rs 2.03 crore. 

This is a roundup of important news published between  January 29 - February 4, 2019. Also read policy matters this week.

Identify farmers for income support scheme: NITI Aayog to states

NITI Aayog has ordered all states to identify small and marginal farmers who will receive Rs 2,000 as the first instalment by March-end under the Rs 75,000-crore income support package announced in the budget. Taking note of farmers' distress in the country, the budget provides Rs 6000 per year to farmers holding cultivable land of up to two hectares under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. For the current fiscal, the government has already earmarked Rs 20,000 crore to an estimated 12 crore farmers. The process of digitisation of landholding has already been started so as to accelerate the disbursal of financial benefits to the farmers. 

Drinking water projects worth Rs 3200 crore approved in Odisha

The Odisha government has approved five rural piped water supply projects worth Rs 3,200 crore. The projects, targeted for completion in two years, are aimed at benefiting over 15 lakh people residing in mining-hit and saline-affected areas in six districts. The cabinet has given a go-ahead to two water supply projects in coal-mining affected blocks in Angul district, Rs 979.82 crore pipe water supply project in mining-affected Keonjhar district, Rs 754 crore project for ensuring safe drinking water in salinity-hit blocks of Bhadrak district and another project in tribal-dominated blocks of Mayurbhanj district. 

Draft national plan for wetland protection excludes Karnataka's water bodies

The draft national action plan for the protection of wetlands has identified 20 major wetlands and nine wetland clusters across the country that play host to migratory birds. The draft does not, however, include any of the major wetlands from Karnataka. As per a study by Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, the state has 622 wetlands bigger than 52.25 hectares but lack of documentation and ignorance by officials have led to them being unnoticed. Moreover, the experts have claimed that several enthusiasts, including those in official circles, have spent years to compile data on birds but it was due to lack of policy-level measure that a comprehensive statistics could not be prepared.

Assam government declares Deopahar a reserve forest 

The Assam government has notified the 133.45-hectare area of Deopahar in Golaghat district as reserve forest. For several years, Deopahar has been at the centre of a legal battle over the boundary wall of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in the area and a proposed township. In 2016, the National Green Tribunal ordered the demolition of the wall. However, NRL filed a review application which was dismissed by both the NGT and the Supreme Court which finally led to legal recognition of Deopahar.

NGT fines Rajasthan government over pollution in Bandi river

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a fine of Rs 20 crore on the Rajasthan government for not being able to control pollution in the Bandi river by local textile industries. The state government and the agriculture secretary have been directed to assess the damages caused to the agricultural lands and the health of the farmers from using the contaminated water of the Bandi river and submit a report within a month suggesting compensation to the farmers. As per the tribunal, the state government has failed to ensure compliance of installed common effluent treatment plants and has taken no action against discharge of effluents into the Bandi river.

This is a roundup of important policy matters from January 29 - February 4, 2019. Also, read news this week.

India is undergoing a major transition with changes in rainfall patterns leading to increased frequency of droughts, floods, heat waves amidst fear of a major water crisis in the years to come. Why are these threats increasing? Head of Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Climate Application and User Interface Group, Dr Pulak Guhathakurta, speaks to India Water Portal on what the current research on rainfall shows and what can be done to cope with these changes.

Why do you think it is important to study the rainfall in India?

The south-west (SW) monsoon (June to September), often referred to as the lifeline of India, contributes 75 percent to the annual rainfall in the country with some areas like Gujarat receiving more than 95 percent of its annual rainfall from the SW monsoon. The contribution of the pre-monsoon (March, April and May) and post-monsoon (October, November and December) rainfall is 11 percent.  The SW monsoon plays a very important role in agriculture, water resources, power management and consequently the economy of the country but shows considerable variation in terms of onset, withdrawal and amount of rainfall leading to years of excess rainfall or droughts.

The average annual rainfall patterns over different parts of the country show that it ranges from less than 13 cm over Ramgarh in western Rajasthan to 984 cm in Mawsynram in Meghalaya. The rainfall pattern also influences the climate of the country which varies from humid northeast (with 180 days rainfall in a year) to arid Rajasthan (with less than 20 days rainfall in a year). Even the mean rainfall patterns for the country as a whole are variable with the mean monthly rainfall during July (289.2 mm) being highest, contributing about 24.4 percent of annual rainfall (1187.6 mm). The mean rainfall during August contributes about 22 percent of annual rainfall while that during June and September contribute 13.8 percent and 14.6 percent to the annual rainfall, respectively. 

Rainfall in India is currently undergoing further changes due to climate change, leading to increasing instances of floods, droughts, making it important to study the trends in rainfall patterns to design better coping strategies for the future. Also, the Indian economy is still dependent on agriculture and the SW monsoon. Droughts and famines can prove to be lethal for the country.

How are rainfall patterns changing? What are the trends seen? Are there any region wise variations?

We, at the IMD, have recently conducted an analysis of long-term (1901–2010) district data to examine the variability and trends in rainfall during the south-west (June–September) and north-east monsoon (October–December) over 36 meteorological subdivisions of India. The analysis shows that there has been an increase in dry days with the decades beginning from 1971–1980 being drier than normal and 2001–2010 being the driest. Rainfall during the month of July is decreasing over many parts of central India while it is increasing during June and August over the west-central and south-western parts of the country.

A decreasing trend in rainfall during the south-west monsoon is seen in 10 subdivisions namely Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, NMMT (Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura), sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Kerala, east Uttar Pradesh and east Madhya Pradesh. Eight subdivisions that include Madhya Maharashtra, Saurashtra and Kutch, south interior Karnataka, coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep and Gangetic West Bengal show increasing trends.

Has there been a rise in extreme events?

Analysis of rainfall data for the period 1901–2010 and data on rainstorms over the period 1951– 2015 show that the frequency of very light and light-to-moderate rain events during the monsoon season has decreased over most of the country while frequency of very heavy and extreme rainfall events over shorter time spans has increased over many parts of northern, eastern and southern India.

Heat waves are increasing in the north, northwest, central, east India and northeast peninsula during hot weather season (April-May-June). Similarly, during cold weather season (December–January–February), northern parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir are experiencing cold waves. Studies also show that there has been a noticeable increase or decrease in frequency of heat or cold wave days during the El Nino or La Nina events.

Analysis of tropical cyclones and monsoon depressions based on data from 1901–2010 shows that the frequency of cyclones is increasing during the post-monsoon season (October–December). Studies also show that there has been a significant decline in cloud cover which is responsible for a good monsoon in most parts of the country leading to a loss of one rainy day during the study period. This decrease in cloud cover is seen in the central and the west coast of the country while an increase in cloud cover is seen over the Indo-Gangetic plains. The high rate of urbanisation and growing particulate pollution in the central and west coast of the country could be one of the reasons for this decline in cloud cover.

What do studies reveal about the frequency of droughts in India, specifically Maharashtra?

Droughts in India: The analysis on meteorological droughts made using monthly rainfall data of the period 1901–2015 finds that the probability of droughts is increasing in all parts of the country except in northeast India. Most affected are east Uttar Pradesh (16 districts), Bihar (15), Assam and Meghalaya (13), east Madhya Pradesh (nine), Kerala (eight), Uttaranchal (seven) and Chhattisgarh (seven) where number of districts (given in the bracket) show a significant increase in drought occurrences.

The intensity of droughts is also increasing. The area affected by drought is showing an alarming increase in states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Assam and Meghalaya and Tripura. Many districts of states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha, east Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Vidarbha, Marathwada in Maharashtra, north interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and sub-Himalayan West Bengal are also showing worrying trends with a significant increase in drought-affected areas. Drought occurrences have also been found to be high in most of the southern districts of Tamil Nadu during the northeast monsoon. The ENSO has found to have a significant role to play in the meteorological drought occurrences over the Indian region.

Droughts in Maharashtra: Since Maharashtra has been the epicentre of droughts over the last few years, IMD conducted the first in-depth, district-level climatological study on Maharashtra by analysing rainfall data from 1901 to 2006 obtained from 335 rain-gauge stations. The study reveals that rainfall during the pre-monsoon and winter season has decreased considerably while there has been a rise in rainfall in August in most of the districts of the state while eastern and southeastern parts of Maharashtra show decreasing rainfall in July and September. All the districts in the western and central parts of the state receive less than 10 mm of rainfall during the winter season (January and February), while there is a shift during the pre-monsoon season (March to May), with high rainfall area shifting from the eastern to south-western parts of the state.

Rainfall activity is thus getting more and more confined to the monsoon months, which will not fare well for agricultural activities in non-monsoon months and result in less groundwater recharge. This will also impact pre-monsoon temperatures leading to very high summer temperatures and consequent soil-moisture loss. Mean summer temperatures are already rising in most parts of Maharashtra.

Why are these changes happening? Are these inevitable?

Many of these changes are being triggered by climate change. Increasing urbanisation, deforestation, land use changes, pollution due to particulate matter seem to exacerbate these conditions affecting rainfall patterns in major ways. These will continue to influence not only the agriculture and economy but water resources and even the health and survival of populations in the long run.
 
What do you think needs to be done to cope with these changes?

While rainfall patterns are changing, heavy amounts of rain in shorter spans of time call for the need to have better adaptation strategies to cope with these changes. While there are areas that have less rainfall, it seems that droughts triggered in Maharashtra are more due to poor management and lack of equitable distribution of the available water resources, faulty cropping patterns such as the emphasis on water-guzzling crops like sugarcane etc.

With so much rainfall over short spans of time, we must focus on harvesting and storing as much water as possible and catching the rainwater where it falls besides making efforts at saving our environment by preventing deforestation, focusing on reforestation, identifying and protecting groundwater recharge areas, saving and making judicious use of available water resources.

The decline in public, as well as private investment, has led to a slowdown in the growth of agriculture and allied sectors in the last five years. The crisis in the agrarian sector had intensified over the last few years. It is now the political talking point with many farmers' rallies, marches and protests being held all over the country. The good news, however, is that this year’s budget has a slew of initiatives for farmers. But will that bring relief to them?

An income transfer scheme has been introduced for small farmers having cultivable land of up to two hectares under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. Farmers will be provided direct income support at the rate of Rs 6000 per year. This will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers, in three equal instalments of Rs 2000 each. The scheme, proposed to be fully funded by the central government, expects to benefit around 125 million small and marginal farmer households. Will this give a boost to agriculture and change the focus from the country’s food security to farmers’ income security?

Plenty of problems in the offer

Speaking at the panel discussion on budget organised by the Centre for Budget and Governance Analysis (CBGA), New Delhi on February 2, 2019, Yogendra Yadav, president, Swaraj Abhiyan says that the budget turned out to be a “disappointment” that “rubs salt into the wounds of farmers”. Tenants, women farmers, sharecroppers and the landless have been excluded in this programme that replicates the income guarantee models introduced in the states, Odisha, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh by the state governments in the recent past.

Income support scheme could be fraught with implementation issues, especially where the land records system is weak. “Policy-makers should leave entitlement programmes like direct income support to the states to announce and implement. It is really about which tier of governance is suited for implementing which programmes,” says Pinaki Chakraborty, professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi.

The budget kept silent on whether the implementation of Swaminathan Commission report that recommended raising the minimum support price to at least 1.5 times of the comprehensive cost of cultivation is underway. “In the guise of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, farmers will be provided direct transfer. Simply put, each person in a household of five people would receive a share of Rs 3.33 per day, which is not even enough to buy a cup of tea,” says Yadav taking a dig at Prime Minister’s pet programme ‘chai pe charcha’ (discussion over tea).

The average farmer household debt is Rs 47,000 in India as per official records and the amount of Rs 6000 a year seems to be miserly. “While it is understandable that the government is trying to blow its own trumpet with promises for the future in an election year, it lost the opportunity to provide an account to the citizens of the last five years achievements through the elaborate outcome framework developed under the budget process,” Yadav says. There has been a decline in real wages in rural India since 2014 and agriculture is facing one of its worst slumps with farm gate prices crashing, yet the government continues to talk about doubling farmers’ income by 2022. “The government should present a report card on the progress on doubling income so far,” says Yadav.

The government made the scheme effective from December 1, 2018, so as to pay the first instalment by March 31, 2019, right before the national elections. “It is unconstitutional on the part of the government to make massive budgetary commitments to the tune of Rs 75,000 crore payable by the incoming government just for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi in a vote-on-account (interim budget),” says Jayati Ghosh, professor of economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi speaking at the panel discussion.

“Farmers have been demanding a resolution of issues of land rights; ensuring affordable inputs; resolving problems of water management; access to credit; fair system of crop insurance; and, a more responsive trade policy. These issues have not been resolved yet,” says Ghosh.

Ghosh writes in an article in The Telegraph (Feb 1, 2019) how this amount of Rs 6000 per household is tiny "relative to the average costs of cultivation of most crops across India”. If we take only the costs of all purchased inputs plus the imputed cost of family labour, then the average cost of production for wheat is slightly more than Rs 30,000 per hectare and that for rice is above Rs 40,000 per hectare. “If a farmer cultivates both crops (and almost all crops are part of double or triple cropping patterns), then the cost per hectare is at least Rs 70,000 per year. For a holding of two hectares, the costs come to at least Rs 1,40,000,” she says.

While the income support programme is a short-term relief to a structural crisis, a programme like MGNREGA, which has the potential to boost rural wages and purchasing power, has received an allocation of Rs 60,000 crore this year, which is less than last year’s revised estimates (over Rs 61,000 crore), despite a backlog of pending payments. 

The budget does not deliver enough for the social sector this year. Even while the government made all the right noises regarding the rural sector, key infrastructure programmes like rural roads and rural housing saw a decline in allocation. The budgetary allocations for flagship programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) did not see increased focus, nor has an attempt been made to revive Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to incentivise the states to increase public investment in agriculture and allied sectors.

“The budget has a focus on the rural economy, employment and welfare of the poor while being fiscally prudent. The pro-farmer, pro-poor budget is in the right direction,” says Tuhin Ghosh, spokesperson, BJP, speaking at the panel discussion held by CBGA. Priyanka Chaturvedi, spokesperson of Congress, speaking at the panel discussion says that “the Congress would introduce a minimum assured income to each poor person supporting around 300 million people. This would obviate the need for periodic farm loan waivers to farmers”. The details of this will be clear later but there is a growing consensus among India’s two major political parties that a targeted basic income is the new future for welfare in India.

Dubbing the farmers' income support programme as fiscal impropriety, Yamini Aiyar, president and chief executive of Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi was critical of “the brazen budget declaration on increased spending and revised taxation policies that hand out many concessions without focussing on the much needed reforms to improve the quality of public services. The last five budgets have seen a push for an insurance-based public-private partnership. It remains to be seen if a state that has failed to get basic provision right can perform the far more complex task of regulation that includes addressing issues of pricing, quality control etc.”

Water and sanitation

• The finance minister, while presenting the budget, talked of the fifth dimension of Vision 2030 of having “clean rivers, with safe drinking water to all Indians, sustaining and nourishing life and efficient use of water in irrigation using micro-irrigation techniques”. He added that the government “has initiated the world’s largest behavioural change movement with the Swachh Bharat Mission. India has achieved 98 percent rural sanitation coverage and as many as 5.45 lakh villages have been declared open-defecation free.”

• As per the budget documents, the government has built 2.13 crore household toilets in 2018-19 and more than nine crore household toilets have been constructed so far since 2014-15. As regards budgetary allocations, the total allocation for the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is Rs 12750 crore of which SBM (rural) got Rs 10,000 crore and SBM (urban) Rs 2750 crore in 2019-20. This is lower than the previous year’s allocation of Rs 17843 crore for 2018-19 (BE).

• With less than a year left to meet the SBM target of an open defecation free India, the decrease in funding for sanitation in this year’s budget is unexpected. The focus should now have been ODF plus, which goes beyond toilet construction and is for sustainable WASH services.

• The allocation for National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) has improved (Rs 8200 crore) as compared to last year (Rs 5500 crore) but is still less than that in 2014-15 (Rs 9242 crore). “The allocation for SBM has been made at the cost of the allocation under NRDWP over the years. The government could have simultaneously focused on the water supply programme as well,” as per a CBGA report. This is especially considering that just 18.5 percent of total rural households have piped water supply as on Jan 2019.

• Again, in the budget speech, the government remained silent on the implementation status of the National Water Quality Sub Mission (NWQSM) on arsenic and fluoride launched in 2017 to provide safe drinking water to about 28,000 affected habitations in the country by March 2021 with an outlay of Rs 25,000 crore.  

So, from the perspective of social sectors, budget 2019 is high on optics even with a meagre allocation for farmers but poor on how the actual delivery will happen.

Wildlife clearance granted to Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed train corridor

The committee led by Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has granted wildlife clearance to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train corridor. The project clearance has been given to divert around 216 hectares of land from in and around Creek Flamingo Wildlife Sanctuary (CFWS) in Thane, Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivali and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWLS) in Vasai for the project. The State Board for Wildlife, however, has recommended several conditions and measures to mitigate the harm done by the project. In Gujarat, farmers from 29 villages have staged a protest against the bullet train project as it is going to disturb the green zone. 

Environment ministry grants forest clearance to Adani's coal mines in 'no-go' zone in Chhattisgarh

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the environment ministry has granted stage-1 preliminary forest clearance to Adani's Parsa opencast coal mine in the forested Surguja and Surajpur districts of Chhattisgarh. The mine falls in one of the stretches of Hasdeo Arand, which was categorised as a 'no-go' area for mining in 2009 because of its rich forest cover. As per the activists, the entire area that is proposed to be opened up to mining is a pristine forest area and an important elephant corridor. Moreover, the project has been granted in-principle approval for mining without the completion of several legal requirements. 

Chhattisgarh allowed Mohar Reservoir Project without green clearance: CAG

As per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, the Chhattisgarh Water Resources Department (CWRD) commenced the work on Mohar Reservoir Project in Balod district without ensuring proper land acquisition or obtaining environment and forest clearances. The CWRD had entrusted the task of preparing the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report and Environment Management Plan (EMP) to the same contractor who was to execute the construction work. Moreover, the department did not draw any programme to acquire the land required for the project. The non-compliance has led to an unfruitful expenditure of Rs 9.28 crore in the Rs 228.23 crore project.

HC seeks report on utility of check dams in Rajasthan

Expressing concern over the reservoirs turning dry in the state, the Rajasthan high court has ordered the government to conduct a survey on the utility of the check dams constructed on the catchment areas. The decision has come following a petition filed regarding the revival of Ramgarh dam which was once the lifeline of Jaipur. Nearly 400 check dams were constructed in the upstream of Ramgarh dam which is being attributed to the slow death of the dam. In 2012, the high court gave several directions against the obstruction of flow to the dam but lack of coordination among various departments led to non-compliance of the court's order.

Andhra government approves extension of SS Link Canal worth Rs 292 crore

The Andhra government has given the go-ahead to extend Somasila-Swarnamukhi Link Canal (SSLC) to utilise Krishna water under the Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi (GNSS) project. The project aims to augment drinking water supply to Tirupati and will also provide irrigation facility to about 50,000 acres under the GNSS project. The extension of SSLC is an alternative to the GNSS project which hit a roadblock in Koduru area due to the hostile terrain including dense forests where many wildlife sanctuaries are located. The project envisages pumping water from Kandaleru dam into the SSLC at Arithpadu from where the water will be carried to the reservoir at Merlapaka. 

This is a roundup of important policy matters from  February 5 -12, 2019. Also, read news this week.

Navigation lock at Farakka Barrage redesigned for Hilsa migration

This monsoon, the Hilsa fish will be able to swim down the Ganga all the way up to Allahabad from the Bay of Bengal. The migration of the fish till Allahabad had been stopped after the Farakka Barrage was built on the Ganga in the 70s. The navigation lock in the barrage that blocked the free movement of Hilsas has now been redesigned to ensure smooth and safe migration of the Hilsa shoal during the three mating seasons. The provision has been made in consultation with ICAR Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Central Water Commission and Farakka Barrage Project Authority. 

Between 2015-18, four new polluted stretches of rivers identified in Uttarakhand: CPCB

In its recent report, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has identified four more polluted stretches of rivers--Kichha, Kalyani, Nandour and Pilkhar--in Uttarakhand in the period between 2015 and 2018. With this, the total number of polluted stretches of rivers in Uttarakhand has shot up to nine as against five recorded by the board in 2015. As per the activists, the revelation implies that the civic and industrial wastes are not being handled at the village and city level. Also, it has been suggested that the state government must focus on decentralising the wastewater management system for the treatment of untreated civic waste in smaller towns. 

Bhopal tagged as low-water availability zone 

Concerned over the water crisis in the city, the authorities have tagged Bhopal as a 'low-water availability zone'. With this, a ban has been put on drilling borewell for any purpose other than drinking water in the city under Madhya Pradesh Peyajal Parirakshan Adhiniyam 1986. The authorities have also ordered a fine of up to Rs 2,000 or two years of jail or both in case of violation. For the past two years, rainfall has been less than normal in the city. Moreover, the major source of drinking water in Bhopal, the Upper Lake is expected to touch the dead storage level by April. 

Mass fish death in Narmada dam: Experts say tremors may be the cause

Last month, there was sudden mass death of fish in Narmada dam in Gujarat raising an alarm about the quality of water in the dam. Following the incident, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has begun the comprehensive process of qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the dam water. As per the GPCB officials, the mass fish death occurred due to the turbulence at the base of the dam that possibly caused the water to temporarily turn toxic. The board has sought the seismology report of the Narmada basin from January 25 onwards to ascertain if a tremor could have triggered the toxicity.

Nagpur civic body de-chokes 3,600 trees along cement roads 

In the last two-three months, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has de-choked nearly 3,600 fully-grown trees along roads which were concretised under phase I and II of the cement concrete road project. The NMC has also proposed to de-choke trees alongside tar roads and pavements which do not come under the concretisation project. The NMC has put forward the plan to plant and maintain trees along roads proposed to be concretised under the phase-III of the project. 

This is a roundup of important news published between  February 5 - 12, 2019. Also read policy matters this week.

The river Cauvery—an inter-state river shared by the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as the Union Territory of Pondicherry—has often been in the news for the fight over its waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. What dominates the issue is the conflicting demands for irrigation from the plateau region of Karnataka and the delta region in Tamil Nadu.

How has the conflict fared so far? What have been the developments in the Cauvery conflict in the context of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award in 2007 and the recent ruling on the Cauvery conflict delivered by the Supreme Court in 2018? Has a lasting and appropriate solution to the conflict been reached? What can be the learnings from this experience for similar cases in other river basins?

The book, Conflict over Cauvery Waters: Imperatives for Innovative Policy Options by Observer Research Foundation dwells on these concerns. The book traces the roots and the changing dimensions of the Cauvery conflict in the context of changing agricultural needs of the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the increasing pressures exerted by urbanisation, changing rainfall patterns and the impact of climate-change-related factors on the water resources of the Cauvery. It analyses the significance of the recent ruling of the Supreme Court on the Cauvery water sharing delivered on February 16, 2018 in the context of the long standing dispute and the final award of CWDT in 2007.

Complexities of the Cauvery conflict

The authors argue that although the conflict superficially appears to be scarcity-based, the connected institutional issues, diverse perspectives on property rights, political drivers of the conflict and a lack of holistic perspective in water governance, render multiple layers to the conflict that need to be addressed while trying to understand it.

The conflict over Cauvery has been complicated due to the diverse perceptions of rights by the states over the river water. Karnataka has been arguing for its rights in terms of the Harmon doctrine that states that it has the right over the river water as it is located upstream while Tamil Nadu downstream defines its rights in terms of the doctrine of Historical Use of the river waters. Negotiations to find a resolution have failed so far.

The existing statutes of the Interstate Water Dispute (ISWD) Act as well as those existing in the Indian Constitution seem inadequate to resolve these two different stands. The states have moved to courts to voice their concerns since then till the Final Award of CWDT in 2007, and have continued to rely on the judicial process to redress grievances, rather than exploring the route of bilateral discussions and negotiations.

The CWDT award in 2007 has not helped to change the situation

The Final Award of the CWDT in 2007 set up under provisions of the Inter State Water Disputes Act, 1956, too has not helped to resolve the conflict. It has failed to address the ecosystem concerns based on scientific criteria that are important components of integrated river basin management.

This is because it follows a purely reductionist and arithmetic hydrological approach that focuses on measurement and quantification of water and finding supply side solutions. For example,  the Interim Order of water allocation passed by the CWDT in 1991 asked Karnataka to release 205 TMC of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. The amount was calculated by considering the mean flow of 10 years from 1980-81 onwards and by eliminating the outlier years regarding annual rainfall. Other important concerns regarding groundwater, ecosystem, rainfall variations from year-on-year, low rainfall years and the impacts of global warming and climate change were not been taken into consideration. This reductionist thinking led to the further aggravation of the disputes.

The Final Order in 2007 is not very different from the interim order in terms of water allocations and in its reductionist approach. It has failed to create any mechanism to encourage efficient use of water among farmers in the Cauvery delta who use large amounts of water from the river over long periods with low end-use efficiency. The most critical reason for this inefficient use of water has also to do with the negligible cost of water that the farmers in the basin have to pay. The CWDT thus missed the opportunity to provide a holistic and interdisciplinary solution to the Cauvery conflict.

The Supreme Court award provides opportunities for resolution

The February 2018 verdict of the Supreme Court of India on the issue of allocation of the waters of the river Cauvery, between the States of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in south India, does, however, open up possibilities for a sustainable resolution of the dispute through an integrated and holistic approach to river basin governance, argue the authors. The ruling is significant as it not only marks the end of an old inter-state water dispute that has been a striking example of hostile hydropolitics in India but also sends a signal to the agricultural economy to practice demand management of water for better and efficient use of water and crop-choice consistent with water availability.

Although the idea behind the ruling appears to be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul—reducing water for Tamil Nadu to provide Karnataka—it acknowledges the bigger global phenomenon of intersectoral water conflicts and the agriculture versus urban-industrial water demand. Although the ruling seems to favour allocation for urban-industrial supplies over water for irrigation, there is a push in favour of crops with lower water demand like Ragi as opposed to paddy.

The judgement is a move away from the existing view of water being a State subject thereby leading to divergent definitions of property rights. The Supreme Court states that the water of the Cauvery river is a “national asset and no single state could claim ownership over it”. The verdict can be said to be a benchmark ruling in Indian water governance as it moves away from age-old practices.

The authors argue that the judgment opens up possibilities of looking at river basin conflicts from a more comprehensive perspective. The Supreme Court acknowledges the criticality of River Basin Organisations (RBOs) as a crucial institution for integrated and participatory river basin governance and calls for the need to set up the Cauvery Management Board immediately.

Holistic and interdisciplinary river basin governance needed

On June 1, 2018, the Centre constituted the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in place of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB). However, the authors argue that by adhering to the CWT-recommended institutional structure and disciplinary competence of the Cauvery Water Management Authority, the Centre might miss the opportunity to propagate a more holistic and interdisciplinary paradigm of river basin governance.

Cauvery disputes show that one of the major reasons for conflicts is the failure of institutions where laws are inadequate to deal with situations arising out of a conflict over different perceptions of property rights. No standardised mechanism or principle for water allocation has emerged for the Cauvery basin so far.

Current global thinking recognises the integrated approach to river basin governance based on the understanding of the multidimensionality of water in terms of its social, political and ecological importance. The Tribunal, in contrast, has missed out on the critical ecosystem perspective of the basin and resorted to a reductionistic understanding of the hydrology of the basin.

The authors call for the need to exercise caution and a more detailed analysis while setting up of the CWMA and argue that it needs to have a multidisciplinary approach with the use of knowledge and expertise from various disciplines, include many more stakeholders at various levels including those from the ecosystems so as to follow a bottom-up approach.

While the Supreme Court order of 2018 opened up the opportunity for more holistic thinking on the Cauvery issue, it needs to be capable of delivering a lasting solution and set an example for other river basins to follow, states the book.

Compiled by Pankaj Kumar S., Resource Person and Ramya Gopalan, Research Associate

From Aniruddhe Mukerjee, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Bhopal

Dear Members,

I work for the UN-Habitat on the Water for Asian Cities Programme, which aims to support developing countries in Asia and Pacific to achieve sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation for the poor, particularly in urban areas. In Madhya Pradesh, the programme is working in four cities of the state, viz. Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore and Jabalpur for improvement and expansion of urban water supply, sewerage and sanitation, water drainage and solid waste management.

Traditionally, augmenting supplies has been a strategy for meeting the demand for water requiring huge capital investments, search for new water sources, laying new transmission network, construction of treatment systems, and so on. However, this approach is exerting more and more pressure on available water resources and is also leading to over-exploitation of groundwater in some cases. Consequently, the approach being followed by our programme consists of influencing water usage practices, minimising losses and leakages and thereby managing the demand to meet the supply of water.

The programme intends to influence water usages practices, policies and measures for optimisation of available water in the municipal water supply system. Specific steps proposed in the “Water Demand Management” strategy are:

• Formulation of strategy and implementation plan for water demand management.
• Assessment of current water supply situation and estimation of Unaccounted for Water (UFW) in the entire water supply system from intake to final distribution to the consumer; preparation of a proper water balance.
• Taking up water auditing, flow metering, extensive leak detection and the establishment of district-metered areas.
• Appropriate technical, financial and institutional interventions for water demand management.

The Water Community members are requested to please share experiences, suggestions and best practices in other parts of India on the above steps. Your inputs will help us enhance the design and implementation of this programme, and will be deeply appreciated.

Responses were received with thanks from:

1. Sacchidananda Mukherjee, Madras School of Economics, Chennai
2. Ramakrishna Nallathiga, Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad (Response 1; Response 2)
3. S. Vishwanath, Rainwater Club and Arghyam Trust, Bangalore 
4. Irene Stephen, UNDP, New Delhi
5. Surendra Kumar Yadav, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi
6. Debadutta K. Panda, MP Associates, Bhubaneswar
7. Rahul Banerjee, Aarohini Trust, Indore  
8. G. Misra, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Port Blair 
9. Shashidharan Enarth, University of British Columbia, Canada
10. Jyotsna Bapat, Independent Consultant, New Delhi
11. Nandini Gopalamenon, Health and Family Welfare Training Centre, Kozhikode
12. A. Prabaharan, Public Action, New Delhi
13. Ajit Seshadri, The Vigyan Vijay Foundation, New Delhi
14. R.C. Chhipa, Centre for Air and Water Modelling, Gyan Vihar, Jaipur
15. R. Jagannathan, FABCON Engineers (P) Ltd., Chennai
16. N. K. Agarwal, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Dehradun (Response 1; Response 2)
17. D. K. Paul, KAB-II, PUSA, ICAR, New Delhi
18. Mrinalinee Vanarase, IORA for Environmental Solutions, Pune

Summary of Responses

In the context of a program in four cities of Madhya Pradesh for enhancing water availability for the poor, the query sought inputs from members in designing and implementing water demand management interventions. Members responded by providing general principles for designing such a system and outlined technical, economic and institutional issues related to the same.

Respondents agreed that there was an urgent need to take up demand management in the face of increasing water scarcity. They also stressed that judicious and non-wasteful use of water was immediately required to ensure that water could be made available to a large chunk of the poorest sections in India, and cited an ADB study endorsing this. Additionally, the sustainability of water sources has been falling due to degrading ecological conditions, and as water is brought from long distances, the costs of treatment and transportation have increased drastically. Members also pointed out that the current structure of subsidies does not induce conservative water use. In this context, they recommended collective action for the protection of local sources and for enhancing groundwater recharge both in urban and rural areas as the only way to ensure the sustainability of water resources.

Discussing the process of formulating the strategy for such a programme, participants stressed that often, lack of adequate, reliable and realistic data led to poor planning and delivery of water supply schemes. Such data should include the exact and projected data on population, actual demand of water both for resident populations from all sections of society as well as from tourists, the types of sources which were currently being used by this population, the difference in the quality of water between various sources, etc. Some respondents disagreed with the paradigm that 24 X 7 piped water supply was the only way to provide water supply, and stressed that current use of other water sources should be studied, and if possible, incorporated in the planning process. This would ensure that while low-quality water could be used for needs such as flushing, drinking water requirement could be met through safe piped water, thereby reducing the pressure on the piped system. Members also added that during planning, the Unaccounted For Water should not be always seen as a loss to society, as many a time, leakages in large pipelines served the need of the poorest populations who did not have access to regular water supply in urban and peri-urban areas.

The group also pointed out that demand calculations must look at the impact on groundwater resources which meets water need in a large number of settlements. In this connection, they also explored the linkages of urban water demand with spiralling water demand in agriculture. Since irrigation is one of the major consumers of water, participants stressed the urgent need to improve water use efficiency in agriculture, thus freeing up water for drinking. They suggested a number of measures that could be taken up to enhance water use efficiency in agriculture such as crop breeding for efficient water utilization and drought tolerance; improved cultural, agronomic and field practices; low-cost supplemental irrigation technologies for rainfed/water scarce areas (especially in watershed management projects); improved irrigation management practices and precision irrigation; integrating recycling and reuse of wastewater into basin and irrigation management and resource management to ensure sustainability of water resources within basins.

Discussants emphasised that any programme for demand management of water must start with building awareness of water users towards conservation of water. They proposed a number of methods for reuse, recycling and reducing wasteful use of water. For example, quoting a case study from Orissa, they mentioned that underground leakage in water distribution pipeline was often not detected for days, leading to a loss of pressure, reduction in time of availability and loss of water due to leakage. Respondents also pointed out that water infrastructure had a tendency of being distributed in an uneven manner – in some colonies, multiple modes of water supply were available (such as handpumps, pipelines, etc.), in other colonies (especially of the marginalised sections), not even one mode of water supply was available. They also described an instance from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands where water supply had no correlation to water needs and stressed for the need to collect data for ensuring better matching the demand and supply.

Discussants also emphasised that while demand management is an important issue, it is also necessary to look at the supply of water, which can be enhanced through ensuring that every source is protected, and through measures such as watershed development and roof water harvesting. Another reason for poor availability of water supply discussants mentioned was the sectoral nature of various line departments associated with water supply such as lack of clarity between functions and responsibilities, unfavourable cost-benefit analysis, inadequate demand assessment, insufficient allocation of funds, inter-state disputes, etc.

The centralised system of collecting and transporting water has proved itself unsustainable due to the extremely high energy, water and capital investments it requires, felt members. They proposed that instead of investing in wasteful centralised systems, subsidised loans should be provided to collectives to install decentralised waste management systems. In this regard, they described a system being used in Indore for such treatment.

Economic measures suggested by respondents included proper metering of water supply, block tariffs to ensure that consumption above a slab was charged at an extra rate and tariff structures to induce conservation in domestic water use. Use of pro-poor measures such as tariff structures based on house or plot area as being done in Bangalore in this regard could also be used. Additionally, the group stressed the primary need to involve local users and communities in planning and to create and support proper institutional mechanisms for the management of water. Suggestions from members ranged from supporting multi-stakeholder (government-community-CBOs) institutions, self-help groups, to empowering water user associations and decentralised community-based organisations. Among technical measures related to demand management, members gave a number of suggestions for treatment, reuse and recycling of water and mentioned biological measures such as reeds for leaching away contaminants.

In conclusion, members agreed that demand management was crucial, and stressed the importance of collecting the right data for proper planning and enhancing awareness of water users. Sustainability of water resources and interlinkages with agricultural water use are other areas that need to be looked at. In the long run, members reiterated, effective water demand management will depend on crafting appropriate economic, technical and institutional interventions with an aware user population.

Comparative Experiences

Madhya Pradesh

From Rahul Banerjee, Aarohini Trust, Indore

Urban Water Supply and Environmental Improvement

This Asian Development Bank (ADB) study indicates that the no-revenue component in all the state’s cities is over 50% with transmission and distribution losses over 20%. Substandard services led to declining water availability, now only 30 litres/capita/day and with no wastewater/sewage treatment. ADB acknowledged the cost ineffectiveness of water supply and wastewater disposal services and initiated better cost recovery systems.

Soak Pit System in Indore

In the Aarohini Trust, office-cum-residence, installed a soak pit system and planted near the soak pit big leafy creepers. This system treats wastewater before it goes into the subsoil. The creepers have grown to cover walls and roof of the building, absorbing and evapotranspirating the wastewater, which along with the leaves keep the building cool. Thus, even at the peak of summer when the temperature hits 45 degrees C there is no need for fans.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Need and Availability of Water Supply in Port Blair (from G. Misra, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Port Blair) 

In the Port Blair Municipality, residences receive water once every three days. Irrespective of the family size, tanks are installed on roofs and filled with water (500 litres/1,000 litres according to the type of quarter i.e. Type III or Type IV). No studies have been to understand the correlation between water needs and availability of water resources, thus the Municipality cannot effectively plan for the future.

Orissa

Design of Water Supply System in Berhampur and Chhatrapur (from Debadutta K. Panda, MP Associates, Bhubaneswar)

A study found, that in most towns, the supply of drinking water is much less than the demand. Households receive water for 2-3 hours/day and sometimes less, which is insufficient for their needs. Additionally, the faulty design of the water transportation and water supply system contributes to the leak. The situation is so bad several roads are submerged due to continuous water line leakage. Registered complaints on the situation are only attended to after 2-3 days.

Karnataka

City Level Efforts to Reduce Water Consumption in Bangalore (from S. Vishwanath, Rainwater Club and Arghyam Trust, Bangalore)

To address their water supply problems, Bangalore instituted several measures. It monitors, via a metre system, all legal water connections, so losses can be reduced. It increased block tariffs for industries resulting in demand reduction; however, there was no reduction in household level demand since they still receive water at subsidised rates. The city also adopted a policy of treating and reusing wastewater, especially for flats and apartments.

Related Resources

Recommended Documentation

From Ramakrishna Nallathiga, Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad (response 1 and response 2)

Reforming Water Sector Governance and Institutions for Improving Efficiency: The Case of Mumbai

Ramakrishna Nallathiga; International Journal of Regulation and Governance

http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030701.pdf (Size: 731 KB)

Provides a quantitative/analytical overview of Mumbai’s water resource status and outlines need for reforms on several fronts, particularly water institutions and governance

Water Resource Management in Urban Context: Potential for Reforms in Mumbai

Ramakrishna Nallathiga

http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030702.doc (Size: 32 KB)

Reviews the supply and demand component of water resources as part of the urban infrastructure in cities featuring necessary reforms in the context of Mumbai

Clean Water Needs Survey, Kentucky (from G. Misra, Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Port Blair)

Environmental Planning Agency (EPA), United States Government; 1996

http://www.epa.gov/cwns/1996report1/ky1.htm

Provides names and locations of publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities currently in operation recommended as a good example of needs assessment surveys

Human Development Report 2006- Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty, and the Global Water Crisis (from Sacchidananda Mukherjee, Madras School of Economics, Chennai)

United Nations Development Programme; 2006

http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/report.cfm

Discusses poverty, increasing demand and the rising crisis in the water sector and helps establish a framework of tools, concepts and actions to address this issue 

Report on Women and Water (from Nandini Gopalamenon, Health and Family Welfare Training Centre, Kozhikode)

Research Foundation for Science -Technology and Ecology; January 2005

http://ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/Women%20&%20Water.pdf (Size: 3.22 MB)

The Jalnidhi Project principals are the same as in the Swajal Project- addressing demand-driven community participation as a key factor for the sustainability of the water supply schemes

From Ajit Seshadri, The Vigyan Vijay Foundation, New Delhi

Initiatives by Community Participation on Ground Water Management– An NGO Experience

Ajit Seshadri; The Vigyan Vijay Foundation

http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030704.doc (Size: 51 KB)

Paper presented at the International Ground Water Conference, Delhi that details the specifics of the initiatives possible within the context of groundwater management

Eco-Components of Green Building Campus

http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030703.xls (Size: 72 KB)

The schematic plan implemented for economic water use in a campus aimed at initiating more micro-level, green buildings/campuses to get the optimum use of available water

Water Scarcity and the Role of Storage in Development (from D. K. Paul, KAB-II, PUSA, ICAR, New Delhi)

David Seckler, et al; International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Research Report Series; 2000

http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/pubs/pub039/RR039.htm

Paper reveals that by 2025, nearly one-third of the world’s population (especially India and China) will live in regions facing absolute water scarcity and groundwater depletion

From Surendra Kumar Yadav, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi

Groundwater Conservation for Ecosystem Development in Urban Environment Using Remote Sensing: A Case Study

Hydrology Journal, Vol. 26, Issue 4, pages 65-74; 2003

Explores the use of remote sensing to enhance conservation and management of groundwater for ecosystems particularly in urban environments

Groundwater Management using Remote Sensing Data in Urban Environment: A Case Study of South Delhi region (India)

Journal of Human Ecology, Vol. 14, Issue 5, pages 337-342; 2003

Studies the Southern Region of Delhi, examining how groundwater can be better managed by using remote sensing data

From Ramya Gopalan, Research Associate

Issues of Pricing Urban Water

Rajan Padwal; University Of Mumbai, Working Paper No. 13

http://www.mu.ac.in/Department/economics/wp13.pdf (Size: 514.2 KB)

The paper focuses on the role of pricing in Water Demand Management and on issues crucial for determining appropriate price policy and the need to initiate reforms therein

Water Demand Management (WDM): A Case Study from South Africa

A. R. Turton; MEWREW Occasional Paper No. 4; 1999

Click here to view PDF (Size: 153 KB)

Paper examines the need to manage demand for water against the background that at best, supply-side solutions on its own can only buy time

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Efficient Water Use in Urban Areas - Innovative Ways of Finding Water for Cities

Newsletter and Technical Publications, UNEP

http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/publications/reportseries/ietcrep9/4.paper-F/4-F-wege1.asp

Defines and discusses WDM as the preferred alternative to meet increasing water demand and to improve efficiency and sustainable use of water resources

Water Demand Management in Cities

Water and Sanitation, UN Habitat Publications; 2002

http://www.unchs.org/pmss/getPage.asp?page=bookView&book=1629

Documents good practices of water demand management in practice in five African cities namely- Cape Town, Durban, Hermanus, Johannesburg and Windhoek

Recommended Organisations

Asian Development Bank (ADB), New Delhi (from Rahul Banerjee, Aarohini Trust, Indore)

India Resident Mission, P.O. Box: 5331, 4 San Martin Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021; Tel.: 91-11-2410 7200; Fax: 91-11-2687-0955; adbinrm@adb.org;

http://www.adb.org/INRM/activities.asp

Recommended for their study aimed at improving urban water supply and the environment in Madhya Pradesh

Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode (from Nandini Gopalamenon, Health and Family Welfare Training Centre, Kozhikode)

Kunnamangalam, Kozhikode 67357, Kerala; Tel.: 91-495-2357151/2356242/2355864; Fax: 91-495-2357827; ed@cwrdm.org;http://www.cwrdm.org/Projects.htm

For information on water-related projects with in-built programmes on water conservation and cost-effective water use

Full Responses

Sacchidananda Mukherjee, Madras School of Economics, Chennai

Thank you very much for the issue that you have raised on the forum. I give below my comments on the same.

To meet the growing demand for safe drinking water, the challenges that urban water supply agencies are facing today are not only to find the sustainable source(s) of drinking water but also to meet the costs of treatment and transmission of water. Over the years, the urban drinking water footprint has been expanding at a faster rate away from urban areas, as a result of which the costs of transmission are growing up. The cost of treatment of water is also going up, and still covers (in most cities in India) only the costs of bacteriological and select chemical treatment of water ( e.g. Total Dissolved Salts, Total Suspended Solids, etc.), but does not treat water for all possible pollutants (e.g., Flouride, Nitrates, Arsenic, pesticides etc.). If we include the full costs of water treatment, the costs of the supplied water would be much higher. However, the challenge for rural water supply is not always the availability of water, but the quality of drinking water sources.  

Also, as a researcher in environmental and water resources economics, I don't think that tackling only supply and demand side aspects of drinking water management through improvement in efficiency of water supply and use could reduce the costs of water supply substantially in the long run. Improvements in efficiency, both in water transmission and delivery, and efficiency in utilization of water (voluntary judicious utilization of water), could only reduce the costs of water supply to a limited extent. A large section of our urban population still does not have access to the basic minimum level of water supply (i.e., 40 lpcd, National Human Development Report, 2006). Those who have access (water-rich) are not going to reduce their usage (voluntarily) unless they are compelled to pay full cost price of water as well as the cost of wastewater disposal. In the context of Indian cities, transmission and distribution loss of water is not always wasted from a social point of view, as often meet the drinking water needs of urban and peri-urban slum dwellers, and are also a source of income for water vendors.    

In the long run, for sustainable access to safe drinking for a large section of the population, we could rely not only on supply and demand side aspects but also on alternative aspects of water supply management. One of such alternatives could be the protection of drinking water sources at the most disaggregated/decentralised level (e.g., household level). Since, groundwater is a major source of drinking water for a large section of the people, protection of groundwater quality and groundwater recharge, both for urban and rural areas could be effective to augment water supply from local sources, with reduced cost in transmission, distribution and treatment. Over time, too much importance on centralization of drinking water sources has resulted in systematic neglect of local source(s) (e.g., groundwater, tanks, ponds, lakes, etc.). Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of drinking water (groundwater) protection could be effective to meet the drinking water needs of the people in both urban and rural areas. However, it requires large-scale voluntary participation (collective action) of the public, in terms of rainwater harvesting, maintaining groundwater recharge structures and also controlling non-point source pollution (e.g., sewage and sanitations, animal wastes, fertilisers and pesticides etc.). Though it will take time to make the protection of drinking water sources as a responsibility of the consumers, it will be sustainable as compared to the present system, which will continuously look for an alternative safe source(s) of drinking water.

Ramakrishna Nallathiga, Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad (response 1)

Good to know about your efforts. Please find some arguments for the same in the context of Mumbai in the paper titled “Reforming water sector governance and institutions for improving efficiency: the case of Mumbai” attached in link below:http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030701.pdf (Size: 731 KB)

S. Vishwanath, Rainwater Club and Arghyam Trust, Bangalore 

Here is my take on the important question that Aniruddhe asks.

1. At the root of the issue lies the question of water governance. How are institutions to be made democratically accountable and responsible for a medium to long-term agenda on water? The experience here in Bangalore presents learnings on several fronts, which can lead to delivery of water to the poor:
2. Metering - If connections are not metered there is no way that you measure unaccounted for water or non-revenue water or leaks in the system. Bangalore has all legal connections metered and therefore has a fairly good idea of losses. It can, therefore, work towards reducing the losses.
3. Increasing block tariff - This manages demand very effectively. Industries, for example, pay Rs 60 a kiloliter for water plus a 20% sewage cess. This makes water at Rs 72 per kiloliter a clear economic good. Industries in Bangalore focus on and reduce demand for water very much.
4. The increasing block tariff structure still sends subsidised water to domestic homes and therefore does not send any economic signals for correct use and that is a problem. There is also no ceiling on the availability of water per connection.
5. A pro-poor policy- Any house less than 150 square feet does not have to pay a connection charge but only the meter charge. There is also a reduced connection fee for houses less than 600 feet in plinth area. These connections also pay a minimum tariff of Rs 6 per kiloliter individual connections are planned for every household.
6. A policy of encouraging treatment of wastewater and its reuse especially for flats and apartments. Also at the city level, wastewater receives tertiary treatment and is used for the industrial and non-domestic purpose at rates far below fresh water rates.

The ceiling on water availability to the city at 1,500 million litres per day and an exploding demand is a ripe pre-condition to look at demand management, integrated water management and the use of recycled wastewater.

Irene Stephen, UNDP, New Delhi

In response to your last point on technical, financial and institutional interventions for Water Demand Management, I am sharing with you points on the institutional challenges faced while formulating plans for water demand management.

As a community, we have the right to demand access to adequate potable water. However, during the course of planning to meet the demand of the community, water demand issues are segregated along sectoral Government Departments such as Department of Irrigation, Department of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Department of Environment and Forests, Department of Agriculture, Department of Finance and various water supply authority/boards. These departments are generally not in a position to coordinate implementation of schemes/projects but instead practice a disjointed sectoral approach. An integrated approach, therefore, does not evolve due to the disjointed institutional operation, lack of local level presence of these institutions, and lack of accountability and responsibility toward meeting the demand of water by communities in urban and rural settlements. 

Secondly, the government departments and local governance institutions responsible for the development, maintenance and management of water sources and supply networks face difficulties in performing their stipulated functions due to poor on-site coordination, overlapping functions and limited funds.

Thirdly, WUAs are not able to work effectively as the decision-making process is not lucid or participatory enough at the community level.

Fourthly, planned projects and approved schemes face long delays in implementation due to a combination of function and feasibility concerns among authorities/departments, non-favourable cost-benefit analysis, inadequate demand assessment, insufficient allocation of funds, inter-state issues on sharing of water resources. These factors have influenced demand calculations for viable water schemes. Often, in most situations, there is also no long-term guarantee of water supply from the water source, due to degraded watershed conditions.

Within the above background, I wish to emphasise two points that should be considered while designing institutional implementation plans:

1.      In any project, there should a multi-stakeholder (Government-community-CBOs) body of participants to streamline coordination, clarify roles and responsibility, mechanisms for access to good quality information and institutional procedures to improve water services.

2.      Strategies for ongoing capacity building at all levels i.e. within government institutions, local communities and CBOs should be given a priority in order to improve the interaction and decision-making process on a range of water demand issues.

Surendra Kumar Yadav, National Institute of Health & Family Welfare, New Delhi

You are really working on a good topic. There are really a lot of challenges for sustainable water resources management in urban settings.

Water conservation, reusing water for other important activities, construction of check dams at most suitable sites are some of the important issues that need to be looked at. The following papers may also be useful for you:

1.  Groundwater Conservation for Ecosystem Development in Urban Environment using Remote Sensing: A case study. Hydrology Journal, 26 (4): 65-74 (2003)

2.  Groundwater Management using Remote Sensing data in Urban Environment: A case study of South Delhi Region (India). Journal  of Human Ecology, 14 (5): 337-342 (2003)

Debadutta K. Panda, MP Associates, Bhubaneswar

There is a constant demand of drinking water in southern Orissa. For more than a decade, the supply of drinking water is much lesser than the demand in the major towns i.e., Berhampur and Chhatrapur.

In my experience, the supply has reduced due to heavy leakage in water transportation. In a preliminary study, I found that every household complained that they receive water from the municipal water supply for only 2-3 hours/ per day and sometimes even less than an hour. They complained that this is insufficient for a big family and the water supply timings start very early in the morning i.e., 5’ o clock in the morning. However, I found leakages in the water supply line in most streets/localities. Generally, a complaint is registered in 5-8 days, as underground water leakage is generally neglected. The repairing work starts after 2-3 days of a complaint getting registered. Also in many cases, outsiders have registered complaints about the repair rather than local residents. In many areas, roads get submerged due to continuous leakage in the underground pipes.

Additionally, I found three hand pumps lying defunct for the last 6 months in a street where households had open wells inside their house complex as well as access to municipal water supply. In another street, I found neither hand pump, nor municipal water supply to households (because they could not afford the water rates). In the same area, when I asked 25 households about indigenous technologies for water harvesting and water treatment, only one person could respond, therefore, feel there is a fault on the design of the water supply system than on availability of water.

Rahul Banerjee, Aarohini Trust, Indore  

The crucial fact with regard to water management in cities is that in both industrial and domestic use ninety percent of the treated water supplied is converted into wastewater, which then has to be treated and disposed of. The more the water supplied the more is the wastewater generated that has then to be disposed of. The treating and transport of both supply water and wastewater is a very expensive proposition. Traditionally most of these expenses have been borne by the state with the users reluctant to pay the full costs regardless of their financial situation. Thus according to the rough estimates made by the Asian Development Bank as part of its "Urban Water Supply and Environmental Improvement in Madhya Pradesh Project" the non revenue component in all the cities in the state is well over fifty percent with transmission and distribution losses themselves being well over twenty percent. This in turn means that the services provided are substandard leading to a declining water availability currently at 30 litres per capita per day ( the recommended national standard is 70 lpcd) and absolutely no treatment of waste water and sewage. So people are forced to seek the private supply of groundwater and disposal of wastewater and sewage.  However, there are no reliable estimates of the extent of this private activity and the quality of the water supplied and the treatment of the sewage and wastewater. Septic tanks which are the most common method of private disposal of sewage are ill designed and in most cases are not accompanied by soak pits and so the over flow water is let out into the surface drains without treatment. This is a dismal scenario.

Surprisingly the ADB while acknowledging the fact that both these centralized water supply and waste water disposal systems are in disarray in cities in Madhya Pradesh due to being cost ineffective has initiated a refurbishment of the same and insisted that better cost recovery systems be put in place to eventually compensate both the capital and the running costs of these systems (In the case of Indore the cost of water supply is exorbitant because water has to be pumped up from the River Narmada which is fifty kilometers away and at a level five hundred meters below that of Indore). The Indore municipal corporation has now begun to recover pending property taxes and water and sanitation charges under pressure from the ADB and it has been revealed that the biggest defaulters are large institutions both government and private. These entities, which are all very capable of meeting the nominal charges that were due, were nevertheless defaulting and have run up bills in lakhs and crores of rupees.

Thus the question is not just one of demand management as Aniruddhe has said but also of the choice of proper systems of water supply and wastewater disposal. And the answer to this is that we should choose decentralized systems because then it is much easier and cheaper not only to supply and dispose of water but also to recover the costs of doing so at the source itself. So stress must be compulsorily laid on proper treating and recharge/recycling of storm water, wastewater and sewage at source either individually or in small collectives. There will be no flooding and no stinking rivers and drains flowing within the city. This will also obviate the need for a centralised water supply from a distance because the groundwater will be adequately recharged to be able to meet the needs of the population. Instead of making massive capital investments in wasteful centralized systems, subsidized loans should be provided to collectives of the needy to install such decentralized systems and those who are financially capable should be forced to adopt such systems.

In our office cum residence, here in Indore, we have installed such a system. We have in fact gone a step further. Near the soak pit which treats all the wastewater before it goes into the subsoil, we have planted big leafy creepers. These creepers have grown to cover not only the walls of our building but also trellises made for the purpose on the roof. They suck up a lot of the wastewater and evapo-transpirate it and this along with the leaves keep our building cool. Thus even at the peak of summer when the temperature in Indore hits 45 degrees centigrade we do not need to turn on the fans let alone use air-conditioners and air-coolers, which we do not have. Since electrical energy in Madhya Pradesh is mostly from coal burning thermal power stations this means a saving on green house gas emissions also. Incidentally, we also do not let out a single gram of solid waste from our building. The only flaw is that in the absence of any better disposal method we are at the moment incinerating our non-bio-degradable waste.

So, my suggestion is that a thorough rehaul of the theory and practice of urban water supply and waste-water management is necessary for reorienting it away from the present unsustainable centralised model to an eminently sustainable and rational decentralized one.

G. Misra, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Port Blair 

So far, the issues have come out very well on this discussion forum. However, one point which I wish to reemphasize (though others have also touched upon it) is that there is increasing water demand. I agree. But I think before that every panchayat, tehsil, district, state and the whole nation should have actual figures on water NEED.

There should be water NEED assessment in form of data with governance bodies involved in water management. In another discussion, we discussed on the need for a Database for District Planning. One very important aspect here was to have a database about the population. Once we have data on population, its composition or demography, then we can at least visualize the needs of water, food, shelter livelihood, education etc.

There have been many studies in the US and other countries. Good examples are like Kentucky water needs survey etc. Similar survey should be prerequisites for any type of water planning in our country. If we have data on water needs of villages, then we can surely be able to chalk out a strategy for the supply of water. This database should be correlated with the database on water resources available in the area, only then the planning would be good for everybody. The database will also be used for the future projections of water needs. I am only stressing the need of having a database on water need and projections before making any strategy for water management.

In Port Blair municipality, at our home, we are getting water supply once in three days. Irrespective of the family size the tanks installed on the roof is filled (500 litres, 1000 litres according to the type of quarter i.e. Type III or Type IV etc). Once, we got a supply of 200 liters to be used for three days. There are reservoirs also. But the correlation between the water need data and availability of water resources etc needs to be done to plan for future needs.

The need also increases due to the influx of tourists, which nobody can predict. This year there is pressure on water due to this tourist need also.

I feel that we need to have data on various factors beforehand, only then can any strategy be worked out.

Shashidharan Enarth, University of British Columbia, Canada

Irene's observation about the institutional setup for managing water set me thinking about how demand management is perceived, perhaps unwittingly, among development professionals. The planning process seems to follow boundaries that are decided by the jurisdictions of the number of government departments dealing with it. These "territorial boundaries" are so firmly entrenched that even policy reforms usually get confined within these boundaries. In most cases, such an approach is heavily constrained by the departments which will safeguard their interests -- almost to the point of being self-serving. While we are working on new approaches with these boundaries (it is unavoidable politically and administratively at present), we have to simultaneously find ways of putting users interest above those of the departments and other agencies. One action that can kick start this change in is to bring in the concept of legal entitlement of water to users. This will be quite a fundamental change and therefore not happen without a fight.

I do not know if the issue of water entitlements was discussed in the visioning workshop. I would really want to hear the responses from this group.

I agree with Irene that an important pre-requisite for enhanced stakeholder participation is the capacity of Water User Associations to truly function in a participatory and democratic way.

Ramakrishna Nallathiga, Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad (response 2)

I subscribe to some of your viewpoints here in this text and a detailed paper is given in the link below:http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030702.doc (Size: 32 KB)

Jyotsna Bapat, Independent Consultant, New Delhi

The query on water demand management in cities focuses on a basic assumption of piped water supply provided by the city government as the only 'legitimate' way of providing water to urban areas and as a way to provide water in cities.

To the best of my knowledge and experience I know that in every city like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, practically all the middle-class households tap into groundwater for the domestic need of water other than drinking water and depend on municipal water for drinking.

If this is the norm then we should begin by 'water audit' first mapping the sources of water, its capacity and viability of meeting domestic demands from this means and then worry about municipal water supply later. By legitimising and institutionalising water sources other than piped municipal water the local government can map and charge people for use of all water in the municipal limits with very little investment. Then since the municipal water as 'safe water' for drinking will be the only demand it will be easy to manage it by providing it for twice a day for a limited time.

I know this is what is already happening in cities and towns Why not legitimize it, instead of talking of a 24*7 water supply that is a pipe dream and not practical.

Hope this will stir up a debate.

Nandini Gopalamenon, Health and Family Welfare Training Centre, Kozhikode

I am pleased to inform about the Jalanidhi projects in Kerala.  They have to share their success stories. Water literacy is lacking even in the most literate state in the country. Hence, any water-related projects must have an in-built programme on water conservation and cost-effective water use. CWRDM, Calicut may also be able to contribute more.

A. Prabaharan, Public Action, New Delhi

In India, there is no adequate awareness about water conservation. Without people having the knowledge to save the water, it will be difficult to implement water reforms. Higher pricing and other taxing methods may not give desirable results. Like the environmental revolution in the eighties, women's movement in the nineties, today we need water revolution.

The water shortage and pricing have created electoral setbacks for the ruling parties. Especially the water-starved Tamil Nadu. Now desalination plants and water transportation across 200 miles are initiated. Using television, radio, newspapers and other modes of communication a movement for water conservation is mandatory to reform this sector.

Ajit Seshadri, The Vigyan Vijay Foundation, New Delhi

Responding to the urban water issues and feasible initiatives, we give below our observations:

The observations sent by N. Ramakrishna and S. Mukherjee are appreciated and taking the concepts and methodologies to implementation of practices, we have observed that Decentralization and public participation is the need of the hour and very vital now.

Our paper presented during the International Ground Water Conference, Delhi that details the specifics of the initiatives which is possible is linked below: http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030704.doc (Size: 51 KB)

More micro-level, green buildings/campuses initiatives should also be initiated to get the optimum use of available water. Please also find a schematic plan implemented for economic water use in a campus at the following link: http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/res07030703.xls (Size: 72 KB)

Approaches towards supply enhancement by UWBs (Urban Water Bodies) are long drawn and gets delayed. Innovative institutional and governance strategies in the water sector need to be initiated by Ward Committees, NGOs, CVOs and Citizens’ groups on the application of the Bhagidari [participation and contribution] concept. Also, communication on eco-water literacy needs to be shared with communities.     

R.C. Chhipa, Centre for Air and Water Modelling, Gyan Vihar, Jaipur

To the best of my knowledge and experience, in every city groundwater is the major resource used for domestic need and other necessities.  The important things that need to be kept in mind for demand management are the following:

1. Estimating the needs of human beings
2. Methods to recycle, reuse water and to remove water pollutants
3. Harvesting rainwater both in micro-watersheds and roof water harvesting from buildings
4. Water conservation techniques for available groundwater and surface water
5. General awareness and information, education and communication tools
6. Management of sewage wastes and water supply and sanitation information systems
7. Water purification techniques, water-borne diseases and health hazards
8. Water conservation in irrigation
9. Encouragement for water recharging systems
10. Regulatory measures for ensuring that water supply and sanitation is safe and affordable
11. Water audits for sanitation and providing planning support and management

Hope this will further stir up a debate.

R. Jagannathan, FABCON Engineers (P) Ltd., Chennai

I am participating in the discussion after a very long time.

I totally agree with Rahul Banerjee that the entire system should be handled by the local community with the help of Self-Help Groups so that they are able to handle the system/ problem in a better way than the govt. officials.

I appreciate your idea of preserving your building and other neighbourhoods. Good luck.

N. K. Agarwal, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Dehradun (response 1)

Hi Misra, This is a wonderful idea. For any demand and supply equation, such data is the missing link, if not assessed properly, or if assessed inadequately. All projections fail if such data requisites are not met. This holds good for water too and water is going to be the most sacred commodity in the near future. Our planning has failed on many fronts due to the inadequate database. As a geologist, I totally agree with you.

D. K. Paul, KAB-II, PUSA, ICAR, New Delhi

Please refer to your query on best practices for demand management in cities. With my background in agricultural water management, I would like to suggest the following for improving macro level water use:

A study by the International Water Management Institute, Colombo on water scarcity (Seckler et. al., 1998) reveals that by 2025, nearly one-third of the world’s population (1/3rd of India’s population will be 465 million people) will live in regions that will face absolute water scarcity. Groundwater reserves will be increasingly depleted in large areas of the world, and more so in fast developing economies like India and China. This will be accompanied by increased waterlogging, salinisation and pollution of soils. The people most affected by growing water scarcity will continue to be the poor, especially the rural poor. The women and children are expected to suffer the most.

A policy change is needed for increasing water allocation for urban settlements (which is mostly sold to consumers at whatever the rate may be) compared to the allocation for the highly inefficient agricultural sector (mostly free water as consumers/farmers pay practically a pittance). So the basic change or “best practice” should start with administrative/political action in making agricultural water use more responsible. 

There are three basic approaches for meeting the increased water demand whereby the same water can be used for more food production (Jinendradasa, 2002):

1. Supply Side: Develop more infrastructure and increase irrigation to the rainfed area.
2. Conservation: Reduce wastage and loss of water by agriculture and other sectors.
3. Increase the Unit Productivity of Water for each drop consumed by agriculture (demand side management).

The supply side approach is aimed at improving overall food production by supplying more water for more land. This can be done by large projects, such as dams, diversions, and canals, but also by small-scale works like pumps and water harvesting structures. India has already completed more than 232 major irrigation projects and another 187 projects are under different stages of construction. More than 900 medium projects have also been completed. Groundwater now constitutes 58 per cent of the total irrigated area in the country. But, most of the potential sites have been exhausted and future financial costs and social implications have become prohibitive for taking up new projects. Clearly, improving the process of developing more supplies to minimize social and environmental costs through better management is the need of the day.

The conservation approach focuses on eliminating wastewater and pollution of water supplies by agriculture and other users for productive use and is a method of improving the productivity of water supplies to agriculture. In basins like Indus and Cauvery - and probably many more areas - farmers within the area are responsible for converting more than 80 per cent of supplies to productive evapotranspiration – a practice that could be considered highly "efficient". The real problem in these areas is the threat to agricultural sustainability and ecosystem degradation by growing crops driven by economic necessity (e.g. rice inPunjab and Haryana and sugarcane in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu). When ill managed, this situation leads to exploitation of non-renewable groundwater resources, mining it from important ecosystems, or build up of pollution or salinity (Molden, 2002). This calls for changing the whole set of institutional management rules and enhancing the willingness of the users to comply with these rules in association with administrators and in the light of the changed market scenario.

Under this existing scenario of supply side augmentation and resource conservation, the following water management policies and institutional arrangements become highly relevant:

Improving Water Productivity

Producing more food with the same amount of water is an alternative to the supply side approach. In highly stressed areas, producing more food with less water may be the only option to ensure food security, and to restore systems so that they can sustain long-term agricultural practices.

There are a variety of inter-connected paths that can improve the productivity of water:

• Crop breeding for efficient water utilization/drought tolerance
• Improved cultural, agronomic and field practices
• Low-cost supplemental irrigation technologies for rainfed/water scarce areas especially watershed management projects
• Improved irrigation management practices and precision irrigation
• Integrating recycling and reuse of wastewater into basin and irrigation management
• Integrated natural resource management within basins
• Reforming of policies, institutions and incentives

Increase in water productivity with a focus on alleviating poverty and improving livelihoods in India will help the poor reap the gains of increases in water productivity in agriculture and would release more water for urban sector/municipalities.

Mrinalinee Vanarase, IORA for Environmental Solutions, Pune

I agree with Rahul on the issue of treating wastewater, at least grey water, at point source, which is possible in cities. The system, which Rahul has installed, is also called a zero discharge system through Soil Bed Treatment or a subsurface treatment system. There is a scientific method of installing such systems, and there is plenty of information available on the internet on this technology. However, where it is not possible to use this technology in a completely scientific manner and where we need something less sophisticated and easy to install, I would suggest using different 'reeds' downstream as soakpits. These have a heavy root mass, which are very effective in treating wastewater. So, along with evapo-transpiration, we also achieve subsoil treatment, if at all there is any discharge. There are different types of reeds found in different parts of our country; most common amongst them are Phragmities spp, Typha and Cyperus spp.

There is enough literature available on reeds and their effectiveness in treating contaminants.

N. K. Agarwal, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Dehradun (response 2)

Hi Rahul, most of your points are valid except that in M.P. most of the electricity is from thermal power stations. Electricity generated from different sources like hydro, thermal, nuclear etc. cannot be separated out at the consumer end. It is a mix of all through grid supply except in case of captive power plants, which are mostly with some industries or with industrial townships.

Many thanks to all who contributed to this query!

If you have further information to share on this topic, please send it to Solution Exchange for Water Community at se-wes@solutionexchange-un.net.in with the subject heading “Re: [se-watr] Query: Best Practices on Water Demand Management in Cities– Experiences. Additional Reply.”

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The Odisha Water Honours, the only of its kind in the state, are meant to recognise dedicated individuals and communities for their pioneering contributions in the field of water/river/ecology conservation and restoration through various actions such as conservation, awareness, education, advocacy, grassroots initiatives.

The Odisha Jala Joddha Samman is given for individual contributions while Ajira Bhagiratha Samman is conferred for commendable efforts by a community/organisation, informed Ranjan Panda, Convenor of Water Initiatives, also popularly known as Water Man of Odisha.

For the Odisha Jala Joddha Samman, applications are invited from individuals who have contributed positively towards building awareness on issues like water and water-forest-biodiversity interlinkages or have done pioneering work through their publications, individual actions or other means that have influenced policy decisions and initiated community mobilisation on these issues, Panda added.

For the Ajira Bhagiratha Samman nominations are invited from communities/groups/organisations who have been doing exemplary work in conservation of water resources, protection of natural forests that have increased the availability of water resources in the locality, or any such efforts in water conservation/management that has empowered communities assert their rights over water and impacted their lives, livelihood and local ecology positively.

He continued: “These honours are not only a tribute to people and communities who are endeavouring hard to work on water/ecology conservation, but also aimed at raising awareness about the dire need of such work at a point of time when water has already become a scarce resource and impacting millions of people and other species adversely.”

These applications need to be emailed to ranjanpanda@gmail.com or sent via messages in the Mahanadi River Waterkeeper page in Facebook. The nominations can be made either by the concerned individuals/groups or by others on their behalf.  The last date of sending nominations is 15^th March 2019.

For further details, people are requested to write emails or post messages on Mahanadi River Waterkeeper Facebook page. 

These awards will be conferred on the selected persons and communities at Baripada on 24^th March during the 3^rd Odisha River Conference to be organised, along with Similipal River Festival, by the WIO in collaboration with more than 30 partner organisations, Panda briefed. He requested all the media outlets to spread this message by giving ample coverage so that deserving persons/communities can file their nominations.

He further said, “This time we are encouraging nominations from women and women-led community organisations for these honours.”

Other Awards -

In countdown to the 3rd Odisha River Conference, several local competitions are also being organised by WIO and local hosts at Baripada. 

In the Selfie with Budhabalanga Contest, youths in the age group of 18-25 from Odisha can participate. The competition, a part of WIO’s river-youth connect programme, aims at motivating the youth to get closer to rivers, love them, understand their plight and help save them.

A series of drawing and quiz competitions on Budhabalanga River and Similipal bio reserve will also be organised among school and college students at Baripada, the host town. Exciting prizes await youth and children who participate and win in these competitions.  Prizes will be given away at the inaugural session of the conference.

3^rd Odisha River Conference -

This time around, the theme for the Odisha River Conference is ‘Forest-River-Communities Nexus for Conservation of Rivers and Combating Climate Change’, to be held at Baripada on 24-25 March.  More than 100 participants including community members involved in forest and conservation; villagers, indigenous communities and farmers;  local and national level experts on river/water, forest and climate change issues; representatives from civil society organisations from across the nation; researchers, academics and other concerned people are expected to join the two day long intense deliberation that would lead to formulating future strategies of working together to conserve our rivers, lakes, other water resources, natural forests and promote nature based solutions to combat climate change with complete participation of local and indigenous communities, Panda said.

As this conference reaches its third episode, it has turned into a huge collective endeavour to save the rivers and other ecosystems. More than 30 organisations from local, state, national and international levels have already given their consent to collaborate in this year’s river conference and more organisations have shown their interest to join, informed Panda.

For further information, please contact:

Ranjan Panda

Convenor, Water Initiatives

On behalf of the 3^rd Odisha River Conference organising committee

Mobile: +91 9437050103/7008706434

Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com

Tweets @ranjanpanda and @MahanadiRiver

World Bank to provide Rs 11,000 crore for dam safety

Under the ongoing Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP), the World Bank has approved Rs 11,000 crore for improving the safety and operational performance of 733 large dams across 18 states over the next 10 years. Besides operation, maintenance and emergency action plans, the programme will also focus on revenue generation at dams through tourism, fisheries, water recreations and solar and hydropower. The major dams which are to be covered in phase-II and III of the DRIP include Bhakra and Pong dam in Himachal Pradesh, Srisailam in Telangana, Koyna and Jayakwadi in Maharashtra, Matatila, Ramganga and Raj Ghat in UP, Ukai in Gujarat, Rana Pratap Sagar and Mahi in Rajasthan, Hirakud and Rengali in Odisha and Umiam in Meghalaya. 

Centre approves only 19 percent funds for states to tackle droughts

As per the data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Centre provided just Rs 23,190 crore funds as against the financial assistance of Rs 1,23,605 crore sought by the state governments under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). The data further shows that Tamil Nadu was the least favoured as it received just four percent funds against the total demand, followed by Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh that received 11 and 21 percent of assistance sought. The States that received maximum funds are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

Nearly half of India’s waste-to-energy plants are defunct: CSE

According to the analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, nearly half of India’s waste-to-energy (WTE) plants, meant to convert non-biodegradable waste, are defunct. The primary reasons for this are the plants’ inability to handle mixed solid waste and the high cost of electricity generated by them. The WTE plants produce power at nearly Rs seven per unit as against the thermal and solar sources that offer power at Rs three to five. Despite the poor track record, the government proposes setting up more WTE plants in the country.  

Maharashtra's groundwater laden with heavy metals: CGWB

As per a recent study by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), groundwater in 30 of the 36 districts in Maharashtra has the presence of heavy metals, such as lead and nitrate. Nitrate enters groundwater primarily through fertilisers, septic systems and manure storage and its ingestion in humans causes damage to the brain and nervous system. The study also indicated a decline in groundwater level in around 53 percent of the monitored wells across the state. The CGWB monitored a total of 1,623 wells in Maharashtra, of which 857 showed a decline in groundwater level over the decades average. The groundwater decline is attributed to severe over-extraction of water in the state. 

BWSSB initiates mega drive to clean 2.4 lakh manholes

Taking note of overflowing manholes in the city, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has taken up a massive exercise to clean 2.4 lakh manholes in the city. The board plans to complete the new project in 18 months. The move comes as a major relief to citizens who have to pay between Rs 1,500-Rs 5,000 to get the manholes near their houses cleaned. The Board will be using jetting machines for the purpose. All the jetting machines are being equipped with GPS and all manholes are being tracked. 

This is a roundup of important news published between  February 13 - 18, 2019. Also read policy matters this week.

NGT slaps a fine of Rs 100 crore on TN government for failing to restore Chennai's waterways

Taking note of the consistent failure of the state in restoring the Chennai waterways—Adyar, Cooum and Buckingham Canal—the National Green Tribunal has slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on the Tamil Nadu government. The tribunal has also accused the state government of complacency and colluding with the polluters. Also, to assess the causes and damage to the environment, the NGT has directed setting up of a joint committee comprising representatives of the CPCB, Indian Institute of Sciences, Madras School of Economics, NEERI and the State Pollution Control Board. Further, the state government has been ordered to furnish performance guarantee to the CPCB within one month to complete the restoration work within the specified timelines. 

Vedanta's Sterlite plant in Tamil Nadu to remain shut: SC

The Supreme Court has set aside the National Green Tribunal's order to reopen the Sterlite copper plant at Thoothukudi. The SC decision has come as a major relief to the Tamil Nadu government and protesters. In December, the NGT allowed consent renewal for the plant that was permanently shut down by the state government for causing irreversible damage to the area's groundwater. As per the latest decision of the Supreme Court, the tribunal did not have the jurisdiction to have entertained Vedanta’s plea against the plant’s shutdown. Moreover, the NGT also failed to consider the entire gamut of data, documents and evidence placed to show plant causing environmental pollution.  

Telangana notifies state wetland authority

The Telangana government has constituted the State Wetland Authority which was due since the Centre notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules in September 2017. The Authority would be chaired by the minister in charge of the environment department and will have 16 officials as its ex-officio members from the environment, forest, urban and rural development, water resources, fisheries, irrigation, among other departments. The state has also formed the Telangana Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for the management of the State CAMPA Fund and its utilisation for the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.

Parliamentary panel raises serious concerns on the Draft National Forest Policy 

Taking note of its bent towards commercialisation of forest and industry interests, the Parliamentary panel has raised serious concerns on the Draft National Forest Policy which will supersede the National Forest Policy, 1988. The panel has criticised the environment ministry for not holding consultations with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) while drafting the policy. Moreover, while ignoring the role of tribals in forest conservation, the draft emphasises on commercialisation of forests through the public-private partnership model. The panel has recommended a discussion with MOTA along with state and local governments, NGOs and civil society groups before notifying final policy document.

Punjab government releases blueprint to clean the Sutlej

The Punjab government has come up with the Clean River Sutlej 2019 plan for the cleanup of the river over the next two years. The state government has come up with the action plan more than two months after the National Green Tribunal slapped a fine of Rs 50 crore on the government over the Sutlej river pollution. As part of the plan, the government has identified 42 places, which includes 30 major towns, for the installation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). The plan also proposes to upgrade the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CEPTs) at Ludhiana and Jalandhar for tackling the industrial untreated waste that gets discharged directly into the river.

This is a roundup of important policy matters from  February 13 -18, 2019. Also, read news this week.

In a decade, only a quarter of centrally funded major to medium irrigation schemes completed: Report

As per the government's audit report, between 2008-17, only 31 percent of 201 big projects and 71 percent of 11,291 minor schemes have been completed under the accelerated irrigation benefit programme (AIBP). Moreover, while the overall target for 115 major to medium projects was 8.5 million hectares of irrigation, only 23 percent of these projects achieved full irrigation potential. The cost overrun for 84 of the projects audited was found to be Rs 120,772 crore. The report has blamed delayed payments, fraudulence and diversion of funds as the reason for the failure of the programme. 

About 1,150 Gangetic dolphins thrive in Bihar: Census

A Census has found that about 1,150 Gangetic dolphins are present in 1,000 kilometres of the Ganga river and its two tributaries, the Gandak and the Ghaghara, in Bihar. The extensive survey which lasted for 23 days was conducted by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Tilka Manjhi University, Bhagalpur between November 18 and December 10, 2018. The survey traced 700 dolphins in the 300-km stretch of the Ganga from Mokama to Manihari, 300 dolphins in another 300 stretch of the Ganga from Buxar to Mokama, a 100 in the Gandak river and 50 in the Ghaghara river. 

Ganga basin states to witness a three-fold rise in crop failures by 2040: World Bank assessment

According to an assessment commissioned by the World Bank, the Ganga river basin could witness a three-fold rise in crop failures along with shortage in drinking water. The assessment further stated that Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are likely to see a deficit in irrigation water from 28 to 10 percent in 2040 as compared to the current levels. Moreover, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh would see a deficit in drinking water from 39 to 22 percent during the same period. The report is based on a modelling study that simulates river flow, water quality and groundwater levels in different states and regions within the Ganga river basin.

Largest groundwater depletion in north India: NGRI

As per new research by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), the largest groundwater depletion in the world is happening in northern India with Delhi at the epicentre of the global crisis. The report further states that the groundwater is being pumped out 70 percent faster than what the Central Groundwater Board of India estimated earlier. The research has also shown that with the surge in population and shrinking of surface water resources, the level of water in underground aquifers in the region is falling by over 10 cm per year. 

Website launched to tackle Yamuna river pollution

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) appointed monitoring committee has launched a new website for lodging complaints and suggestions regarding pollution of the Yamuna river. The website will be a one-stop destination for all information related to the river and will have various NGT orders related to the Yamuna, the monitoring committee’s action plans and reports, notes on flood plain rejuvenation and improvement of e-flow, information regarding wetlands, relevant laws and several other important information. The website will also serve as a knowledge sharing platform where members of the public may register suggestions or provide information regarding river pollution. 

This is a roundup of important news published between February 19 - 26, 2019. Also read policy matters this week.

Lead image source: Nvvchar via Wikipedia

Forced eviction ordered for more than one million tribals and forest-dwellers

After the government failed to defend the Forest Rights Act, the Supreme Court has ordered forced eviction of more than 1,000,000 tribal and other forest-dwelling households from forestlands across 16 states. The order will lead to the eviction of nearly 1.89 million households countrywide. The SC order has come a year after the apex court asked the states to provide a status report on evictions and what action had been taken in case of rejected claims. However, the tribal groups have argued that the rejections in many cases are faulty and need to undergo a review under new regulations. 

Rs 75,000 crore PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana launched

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana worth Rs 75,000 crore. Under the scheme, Rs 6,000 in three equal instalments would be given to farmers to supplement their financial needs in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields. The scheme is going to benefit as many as 12 crore farmers who have less than two hectares of land. In the first instalment, Rs 2,000 crore will be digitally transferred to the accounts of over one crore small and marginal farmers. 

India plans to stop its share of Indus water to Pakistan: Nitin Gadkari

In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, the government has decided to stop the share of Indus water flowing to Pakistan and instead divert the water to Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. The union water minister Nitin Gadkari has confirmed that India has started the construction of a dam at Shahpur-Kandi on Ravi river and the Ujh project will store India's share of water for use in Jammu and Kashmir and balance water will flow from the second Ravi-Beas link to provide water to other basin states.

Aravalli range in Gurugram to be categorised natural conservation zone

Bringing cheers to the activists, nature lovers and birders, the Haryana forest department has recommended that all parts of the Aravalli range in Gurugram be categorised as natural conservation zone (NCZ) where construction is not allowed. Another decision by the Haryana Town and Country Planning department could, however, leave large stretches of Aravallis in Faridabad out of the conservation zone. The recommendation of including all Aravalli areas in Gurugram, if accepted, will ensure the protection of the area from infrastructure and real estate projects. 

Schools and colleges with non-functional rainwater harvesting systems should be fined: Panel

A committee headed by a former high court judge has suggested to the National Green Tribunal that a fine of Rs five lakh be imposed on schools and colleges where rainwater harvesting systems are not functional. The panel has compiled a list of schools and colleges where either RWHS were inadequate or non-functioning and visited several education institutions and suggested steps for making RWHS functional. There are also plans to create awareness among the student community regarding rainwater harvesting. Besides, the panel has issued revised guidelines for recycling of water. 

This is a roundup of important policy matters from February 19 -26, 2019. Also, read news this week.