India's holy river needs cleansing from people's sins
Few will take very seriously the undertaking given by the government in the Supreme Court that River Ganga will be pure and free of pollution by 2020. Similar commitments were made to the public 25 years ago when, in 1985, the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) to clean this most treasured of the sub-continent’s rivers was launched. Even after spending several thousand crores of rupees on the project, the Ganga is today more polluted than ever before — a truth recently conceded by the knowledgeable Union minister for environment and forests in Parliament. Ironically, this is the state of affairs even though the Central Ganga Authority, rechristened as National Ganga River Basin Authority, came into existence years ago under the chairmanship of the prime minister to oversee the implementation of the Action Plan. The declaration of Ganga as a National River in 2008 seems to have made little difference. The river’s water, in many stretches, is unfit even for bathing and agricultural use, leave alone drinking, though millions of people still drink it, regarding it Holy. Not only has the content of pathogenic bacteria, notably Coliform (rod-shaped bacteria normally found in the colons of humans and animals) risen to menacing levels in the river, but the amount of biochemical oxygen has also dropped drastically, rendering it incapable of supporting any aquatic life. As a result, several stretches of the river are now bereft of fisheries resources. Rather than giving life, the Ganga seems to be taking it!
A true miracle is needed to make Ganga water drinkable in the next ten years. Little wonder that the amicus curiae of the public interest litigation in the apex court was quick to express his misgivings about the government’s ability to fulfil its time-bound pledge to restore Ganga’s pristine glory. Indeed, it cannot be denied that the task of tidying up the 2,525-km long river spanning nine states is far from easy. But it is not insurmountable either. The root cause of the river’s woes is that, even while being sacred for the believers, it serves virtually as a drain for carrying away sewage and other municipal wastes from nearly 30 Class-I cities, 25 Class-II cities and scores of small towns, besides thousands of villages, situated on its banks. Worse still, industrial wastes, agricultural and chemical residues, carcasses of thousands of animals and half-cremated human bodies are routinely disposed of in the river. Moreover, the discards of religious rituals and thousands of idols of gods also find their way into the river regularly. Unless the Ganga’s many devotees themselves address these issues, and adequate public mobilisation to clean the river is not forthcoming, there is little governments can do. “Clean Ganga” cannot be a bureaucratic top-down government administered programme alone. It also has to be a bottom-up people’s programme. A purely technological and technocratic approach, using a billion dollars of World Bank money and expertise from the Indian Institutes of Technology is not going to work on its own. There has to be a coming together of administrative, technological, scientific, socio-religious, cultural and popular interventions — all working in tandem with the singular aim of reclaiming a lost river — for the Ganga to be cleansed of our sins!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Chhath Puja devotees elated at ‘clean’ Yamuna this year (The Pioneer 10 November 2010)
Over a month-long festive season in the Capital is nearing completion with yet another important festival, the Chhath Puja on Friday and Saturday. Though the four-day long fast started on Tuesday, the festival would end with paying obeisance to the setting Sun on Friday evening followed by the one to the rising Sun on Saturday morning. However, lakhs of Poorvanchalis in Delhi will be a happier lot this year given the unprecedented cleansing of river Yamuna, thanks to the flood that purged the river of all dirt deposit with enormous volume of water flow. With nearly 50 lakh Poorvanchalis — people belonging to the States of Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern UP — staying in Delhi, the Surya Shashti (Chhath) festival has become an integral part of the various celebrations in Delhi after Dussehra, Diwali and Holi. The festival has, over the years, also gained political significance as various political parties have been wooing Poorvanchalis that form a major chunk of electorates in the Capital. But while the devotees are prepared for the festival, the administration and civic bodies are yet to begin cleaning of the 29 ghats where they will throng on the last two days to perform the puja. Delhi’s Urban Development Minister AK Walia on Monday inspected various ghats in east Delhi and directed the officials to carry out the necessary works at the earliest. PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan said the Government is making logistic arrangements on 29 ghats throughout the city besides cleaning them up for the festival. He said that proper water and electricity arrangements would be made on the ghats and tents and chairs would be arranged for the devotees. He further said that proper security measures would also be taken that includes the presence of police personnel, divers and boats to avert any untoward incident. “Doctors, mobile dispensaries and ambulances would also be there round the clock for two days,” he addedExpecting a large gathering of people on the ghats, the Delhi Traffic Police have also made arrangements for it. The police will impose restrictions on movement of commercial vehicles on major interstate road passages surrounding the ghats. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg said adequate deployment of traffic cops will be there to ensure proper movement of devotees and smooth flow of general traffic. Some of the major ghats include Purvi Ghat, Wazirabad, Ram Ghat, Sur Ghat and Shyam Ghat near Wazirabad (West), Kudasia and Geeta Ghat near Chandgi Ram Akhara on Ring Road, Geeta Colony Pusta, Rainy Well in Shakarpur and IP Estate and ITO Yamuna River on the eastern and western sides.Chhath Puja is observed with paying obeisance to the rising Sun on the 6th day from Diwali. This year it starts from November 10, with a ritual known as Nahaye-Khaye in which the worshippers take a meal of Lauki-Bhaat (Gourd and cooked rice) after a bath to begin with their almost three day fast. The next day —November 11 will be observed as Kharna, where on this day the family deity is worshipped and prasaad of Kheer, jaggery and poorie is distributed which marks the procedural beginning of the Chhath Puja. On October 12, the devotees would continue with their day long fast and offer prayers to the setting Sun known as Pehla Argh in the evening at the banks of rivers, ponds or artificial water bodies made in the premises of the residence like that of high profile people in the Capital. Lakhs of worshippers throng the roads of the city to reach the river banks by singing devotional songs which continues throughout the night even as interested worshippers perform the Kosi Puja.In the next morning the first rays of the Sun God is worshipped called as Subeh Ka Argh that would be on November 13. Finally the fast is broken and the prasaad constituting of Thekua, a traditional Bihari baked cake of maida, flour and gur, laddoos made out of rice and fruits are served and also distributed to all and sundry. The weeklong preparation of Chhath Puja which is done for the welfare of the family, especially son comes to an end with a feast on the spicy vegetables. Meanwhile, scores of people have also started moving from Delhi to their native places in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Monday, November 22, 2010
RHI Agra Meeting Minutes (13-14 Nov 2010)
RHI Agra Meeting Minutes
Prepared by Sri Bhim S Rawat, PEACE Institute
13-14 Nov 2010
Introduction:
The adverse impacts of high inputs like fertilizers and pesticides on agro-ecology as well as on human health can not for long remain hidden. Traditional and natural farming methods are again being widely discussed and appreciated as an alternate to rid the environment of the chemical menace. Several countries have now been promoting natural farming in place of high chemical inputs farming practices. It is now slowly gaining ground that the next green revolution shall be predominantly organic in nature.
Dr. Parikh a prominent citizen and Ravi Singh a staunch believer of natural farming have been practicing traditional farming in Agra, the historic city of India.
Point sources of pollution, in Indian rivers are quite visible and broadly discussed, but non-point sources like contamination (of the persistent variety) of river water by chemicals used in farming taking place in the catchment area and on the river banks still largely remain unnoticed and unaddressed.
Report
A two day trip was organized to Agra of the members of the Nadi Mitra Mandalis (NMMs) to sensitize and educate the farmers living along River Yamuna from Katapathar (Dehradun) to Raghupur (Allahabad) on the adverse impacts of agricultural chemicals which contaminate ground water and adversely impact the health of river, human and cattle alike.
Participants from different grids
In the morning hours of 14 Nov under cloudy sky a team of 26 members entered beautifully developed and maintained Dr. Parikh’s farmhouse on the outskirts of Agra. The green diversity and birds chirping pleased and greeted everybody inside the farm house manifesting the uniqueness of the place. After crossing a lane of variety (Popular, Ashoka, Avanla etc.) of trees, team members halted by a cow shelter where Sri Ashok Yadav the manager of the farm house welcomed all. Farmers were surprised to see the native breed of cows, calves and bulls that had been discarded by the farmers in favour of exotic high yielding varieties long ago.
Addressing the gathering at this place Sri Manoj Misra introduced the members to each other and broadly explained the purpose of the visit. He defined organic farming as a complex coexistence of different kinds of lives that enrich agro biodiversity and helps farmers in many ways. Establishing link between growing incidences of life threatening diseases and increased use of chemicals in agriculture he emphasized the value of natural farming practices.
Sri Ravi Singh who has re-settled himself in India after working as an advisor to a vinery production firm in London informed that he has been growing farm produce organically without much difficulties. Sharing his experiences with participants he said that switching over to natural farming will be all gain for everyone.
Leading the gathering to a lawn in the back yard, Sri Ashok Yadav shared the experiments, learning, advantages, he has earned through organic farming which he has been practicing for the past decade. He also cited his story from being an ordinary farmer to be among few organic producers. He has been motivating others and now planning to create a network of organic farmers and to open a shop in Agra to market organically grown vegetables. He stressed that organic farming becomes easier when we have cattle on our farms. He believed and successfully experimented that cow urine can replace chemicals of all sorts for pest control and as a weedicide. Now his yield of vegetables, crops and fruits is not only higher in comparison to those who use chemicals but cost effective and hygienic too.
Sri Ashok Yadav sharing his experiences with the participants
Participants from different Grids also shared about the farming practices being carried out in their own areas. They discussed and shared their experiences with chemicals and organic farming. After the discussion it turned out that
In Pachnada, Raghupur, Hamirpur marginal farmers are still using green farm practices whereas large land holders use fertilizers indiscriminately.
Organic farming is catching farmers’ attention in Ovah and Gadhaya after the contract farmers left from there, once the productivity of the land had been compromised from use of high inputs.
In Amipur, 50% farming is done traditionally whereas in Panipat people find it tough to avoid urea and fertilizers.
Farmers of Kanalsi having borne the brunt of chemical farming, are now returning back to traditional farming, whereas in hilly areas (Katapthar) still 80% farming is chemicals free.
During discussion farmers also revealed some amazing things that
The spray of 1 liter cow urine mixed in 15 liter water will keep the crops free from all diseases.
Stray wild animals also will not invade such farms.
Cows’ milk and urine are far more beneficial than of buffalos’.
It was estimated that on an average chemical and organic manure for one Beegha land will cost farmers around Rs 1100 and Rs 1200 respectively. Interestingly the cost of chemical farming will go up whereas the cost of organic farming will come down by 25 percent in the following years once organic practices have begun.
Organic farming boosts soil health, provides hygienic crops, takes less water, is cost effective, and employment generating in form of labour for deweeding and cattle maintenance.
In the end all agreed that organic farming is a practice that deserves a serious consideration and promotion.
Prepared by Sri Bhim S Rawat, PEACE Institute
13-14 Nov 2010
Introduction:
The adverse impacts of high inputs like fertilizers and pesticides on agro-ecology as well as on human health can not for long remain hidden. Traditional and natural farming methods are again being widely discussed and appreciated as an alternate to rid the environment of the chemical menace. Several countries have now been promoting natural farming in place of high chemical inputs farming practices. It is now slowly gaining ground that the next green revolution shall be predominantly organic in nature.
Dr. Parikh a prominent citizen and Ravi Singh a staunch believer of natural farming have been practicing traditional farming in Agra, the historic city of India.
Point sources of pollution, in Indian rivers are quite visible and broadly discussed, but non-point sources like contamination (of the persistent variety) of river water by chemicals used in farming taking place in the catchment area and on the river banks still largely remain unnoticed and unaddressed.
Report
A two day trip was organized to Agra of the members of the Nadi Mitra Mandalis (NMMs) to sensitize and educate the farmers living along River Yamuna from Katapathar (Dehradun) to Raghupur (Allahabad) on the adverse impacts of agricultural chemicals which contaminate ground water and adversely impact the health of river, human and cattle alike.
Participants from different grids
In the morning hours of 14 Nov under cloudy sky a team of 26 members entered beautifully developed and maintained Dr. Parikh’s farmhouse on the outskirts of Agra. The green diversity and birds chirping pleased and greeted everybody inside the farm house manifesting the uniqueness of the place. After crossing a lane of variety (Popular, Ashoka, Avanla etc.) of trees, team members halted by a cow shelter where Sri Ashok Yadav the manager of the farm house welcomed all. Farmers were surprised to see the native breed of cows, calves and bulls that had been discarded by the farmers in favour of exotic high yielding varieties long ago.
Addressing the gathering at this place Sri Manoj Misra introduced the members to each other and broadly explained the purpose of the visit. He defined organic farming as a complex coexistence of different kinds of lives that enrich agro biodiversity and helps farmers in many ways. Establishing link between growing incidences of life threatening diseases and increased use of chemicals in agriculture he emphasized the value of natural farming practices.
Sri Ravi Singh who has re-settled himself in India after working as an advisor to a vinery production firm in London informed that he has been growing farm produce organically without much difficulties. Sharing his experiences with participants he said that switching over to natural farming will be all gain for everyone.
Leading the gathering to a lawn in the back yard, Sri Ashok Yadav shared the experiments, learning, advantages, he has earned through organic farming which he has been practicing for the past decade. He also cited his story from being an ordinary farmer to be among few organic producers. He has been motivating others and now planning to create a network of organic farmers and to open a shop in Agra to market organically grown vegetables. He stressed that organic farming becomes easier when we have cattle on our farms. He believed and successfully experimented that cow urine can replace chemicals of all sorts for pest control and as a weedicide. Now his yield of vegetables, crops and fruits is not only higher in comparison to those who use chemicals but cost effective and hygienic too.
Sri Ashok Yadav sharing his experiences with the participants
Participants from different Grids also shared about the farming practices being carried out in their own areas. They discussed and shared their experiences with chemicals and organic farming. After the discussion it turned out that
In Pachnada, Raghupur, Hamirpur marginal farmers are still using green farm practices whereas large land holders use fertilizers indiscriminately.
Organic farming is catching farmers’ attention in Ovah and Gadhaya after the contract farmers left from there, once the productivity of the land had been compromised from use of high inputs.
In Amipur, 50% farming is done traditionally whereas in Panipat people find it tough to avoid urea and fertilizers.
Farmers of Kanalsi having borne the brunt of chemical farming, are now returning back to traditional farming, whereas in hilly areas (Katapthar) still 80% farming is chemicals free.
During discussion farmers also revealed some amazing things that
The spray of 1 liter cow urine mixed in 15 liter water will keep the crops free from all diseases.
Stray wild animals also will not invade such farms.
Cows’ milk and urine are far more beneficial than of buffalos’.
It was estimated that on an average chemical and organic manure for one Beegha land will cost farmers around Rs 1100 and Rs 1200 respectively. Interestingly the cost of chemical farming will go up whereas the cost of organic farming will come down by 25 percent in the following years once organic practices have begun.
Organic farming boosts soil health, provides hygienic crops, takes less water, is cost effective, and employment generating in form of labour for deweeding and cattle maintenance.
In the end all agreed that organic farming is a practice that deserves a serious consideration and promotion.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
China begins damming Brahmaputra river for hydropower project ( The Hindu- November 16, 2010)
Ananth Krishnan
Special Arrangement The hanging bridge on the Siang, as the Brahmaputra is called in Arunachal, is between Jidu and Tuting, about 35 km from the border with China.
Indian government has raised concerns about possible downstream impact of project
China has started damming the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra river, or the Yarlung Tsangpo as it is known in Tibet, to begin construction on a 510 MW hydropower project that has raised concerns in India.
The government for the first time revealed that it has, since November 8, begun damming the Tsangpo's flow to allow work to begin on the hydropower project at Zangmu. This is the first major dam on the Brahmaputra and has been billed by the Chinese government as a landmark hydropower generation project for Tibet's development.
A news report on Monday said the “closure of the Yarlung Zangbo river on November 12 marked the beginning of construction.” Work is expected to continue beyond 2014, when the first set of generators will be put into operation. The total investment in the project is 7.9 billion yuan ($1.2 billion).
The Indian government has raised concerns about the possible downstream impact of this project during talks with China earlier this year. Chinese officials have assured their Indian counterparts that the project would be “run of the river,” having little impact downstream.
China has said that its projects were only for hydropower generation, and were neither storage projects nor designed to divert the water.
Officials at India's Ministry of External Affairs have, however, voiced frustration over China's general lack of willingness to share information regarding the Zangmu project, meaning they had little means to verify claims on the specific construction plans and impact on flows.
According to Ramaswamy R. Iyer, former Water Resources Secretary of the Government of India, for India “the point to examine would be the quantum of possible diversion and the impact it would have on the flows to India.”
Usually, to ensure that the flow downstream remains unaffected during the period of construction of a dam, the water is diverted through streams around the construction site and returned to the river.
“Since the flow of the water cannot be stopped, the water will be diverted so there will be no reduction of flow in this stage,” Mr. Iyer, who is an authority on dams and transboundary water issues, told The Hindu on Monday, speaking from New Delhi.
He stressed that he was speaking in general terms regarding any dam construction, and did not have specific details regarding how China was carrying out this particular project.
There is still some uncertainty on what China intends for the project, and whether or not a storage reservoir, which could affect downstream flows, will be built beyond the minimal “pondage” required to operate the turbines.
Chinese media reports indicated that the Zangmu project is unlikely to be the last on the Brahmaputra. A news report on the widely read portal Tencent said the Zangmu dam was “a landmark project” for Tibet's development, being the first major dam in Tibet, and “a project of priority in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.”
The report said that such projects would “greatly relieve the energy stress in the middle regions of Tibet” and upgrade power capacity from 100 MW to over 500 MW.
‘No treaty'
Mr. Iyer said a larger concern for India was the absence of a water-sharing treaty with China, which does not allow India to either qualify or address Chinese claims regarding specific projects.
“Between India and Pakistan, we have a treaty which specifies what we should do,” he said. “We're not supposed to retain a drop, and [even] during a stated period of construction, inflow is equal to outflow.”
“But with China,” he added, “we have no treaty. So what they will do, we have no idea.”
Sir, would you let be, in the name of CWG, such brazen 'land grab' in the river bed by an agency of the state itself ? (YJA- Letter to LG 17 Nov 2010)
To,
Sri Tejendra Khanna,
Hon'ble Lt GovernorDELHI
17 Nov 2010
Respected Sir,
Greetings.
Please allow us to bring to your kind attention an admission by DTC of its clear intent of disrespecting your orders under which the land in the river bed was allotted to the DTC for temporary use for the period of the CWG 2010. It has now been a full month since the CWG 2010 concluded. To our query regarding the plans of the DTC regarding this bus depot post CWG 2010, the response dated 16.11.2010 goes on to inform us:
"Planning for post Commonwealth Games are as under:
1. Area falling in Logistic X-ray screening Centre will be utilised by Transport Deptt. for parking of cluster buses.
2. Remaining area is being divided into 4 parts for operation of 4 bus depots consisting of 200 buses each for city and NCR operation".
In short DTC has clearly admitted that it has no intent whatsoever, to vacate the river bed spread over 61 acres which was put in its possession under your honour's specific orders with very stringent and specific conditions which included the vacation of the river bed post CWG 2010.
This brazen admission of totally illegal, unauthorised, unethical and unjust, ill-intent by the DTC leaves us wondering if there is any democratic space left for the civil society to prevent such predatory take over of the common lands - like the river bed - by the agencies of the state themselves? What value are your honour's words and commitments? And if this is the state of respect accorded to your words by the agencies of your own government then is the common citizen living in a state that is marked by total lawlessness let loose by the state itself?
Such state of affairs make your honour's and all other leader's and officials - who wasted no time in visiting the site of the building collapse in east Delhi - promises of bringing the culprits of recent tragedy in east Delhi to book sound so very hollow and meaningless? Does public safety and interest remain any concern of the state functionaries any more?
Sir, kindly pardon us for airing our frustration and helpnessness in the manner above. And yet we remain firm in our belief in your honour's sense of fairness and justice. Please do not prove us wrong !
Warm regards,
manoj misra
Convener
Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan
There are lessons for DMRC to learn from the tragedy dated 15 Nov 2010 in east Delhi (YJA- Letter to DMRC, 17 Nov. 2010)
To,
Dr E.Sreedharan
Managing Director
Delhi Metro Railway Corporation, DMRC
New Delhi
Respected Dr Sreedharan,
Greetings from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan.
Sir, allow us to draw your kind attention to the entirely preventable tragedy witnessed on 15 November 2010 in the Lalita Park area of east Delhi. When we say preventable it is because such a high rise structure in the flood plain should never have been permitted to come up by the concerned authorities. Notwithstanding the alleged poor quality of the construction of the said building the primary contributory factor to the said collapse is its wrong location in the river bed/flood plain.
In this context, the under construction high rise consisting of 90 flats in the river bed proper by the DMRC almost diagonally opposite the site of the collapsed building raises a serious question mark on the desirability of the DMRC to go ahead with its construction in the river bed.
We are sure that you would have already directed the concerned DMRC officials to review the entire project in the light of the said happening. If not we once again request you for the needful.
Let DMRC shift its residential complex away from the river bed in its own as well as interest of the river and set an example for other agencies in the city to follow.
With warm regards,
manoj misra
Convener
Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan
YJA - MOEF must account for its share of responsibility for yesterday's (15 Nov 10) building collapse in east Delh (16 Nov. 2010)
To,
Sri Jairam Ramesh,
Hon'ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Ministry of Environment and Forest,
MOEFNew Delhi
Dear Sir,
Greetings from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan.
You may be aware about the tragic incidence with huge loss of life resulting from the collapse of a high rise (5 floored) building in the Lalita Park area of east Delhi. This colony is located in low lying area of the river flood plain just across the East Marginal Bund (also called as Yamuna Pushta).
This tragic incidence proves in the most unfortunate manner a point and serves as reminder to MOEF of its sovereign responsibility still to be shouldered. This incidence also puts a question mark on the safety of other impugned structures like the CWG Village and the DMRC residential high rise standing in the river bed, the structures that would have never come up at such risky sites if the MOEF had taken timely actions.
The point that this unfortunate incidence makes is that the natural character of a river's flood plain cannot be altered by a mere embankment as was regretfully held in 2009 by the Hon'ble SC in its own wisdom in the Yamuna case. And it is the sub surface aquifers, extending to Kms in some cases that play a critical role in the transmission of flood waters to replenish the ground water over large areas. This incidence also re-emphasises though in a tragic manner the fact that the entire east Delhi and NOIDA (UP) are part of the river's flood plains.
This tragic incidence also brings back in to focus the urgent need on the part of the MOEF to enact the long pending River Regulation Zone (RRZ) notification under the EPA 1986 on the lines of the CRZ notification, so that a river and its flood plains get a statutory definition/protection and unwitting people little reason to invite trouble onto themselves.
Sir, we are just back from a visit to areas along the river in the Agra area and it is a real need of the hour in the light of the flood waters of river Yamuna entering the city of Mathura and Agra, for the MOEF to enact the RRZ as a win-win action both for the river as well as the safety of unwitting people who get taken in by the tall claims of the land and real estate mafia which is all out to grab, build and sell the river bed/flood plain as a real estate in absence of the river land's statutory protection. The planned 'development' on either side of the so called Yamuna Expressway and the highly risky high rises coming up in the river bed in NOIDA, Greater NOIDA and Faridabad areas are classic example of such violation of the sanctity of the river's flood plains.
Sir, kindly recall that we had tried to present a similar case for the enactment of RRZ to your good self once before too in the context of the flooding of areas in Ambala and Moradabad in the month of August/Sep 2010.
We hope that MOEF would at least now rise to the occasion and secure our rivers and the lives and property of people, as well.
Warm regards,
manoj misra
Convener
Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan
YJA - Luxmi Nagar tragedy - Wake up call for the city planners (Letter to LG- YJA 16 Nov. 2010)
To prevent such recurrence, please ask DDA to revisit zonal plans of Zone E, PII and J (S Delhi II)
To,
Sri Tejendra Khanna
Hon'ble Lt GovernorDELHI
Nov 16, 2010Respected
Sir,
Greetings.
We hope and wish that the city planners would take a strong lesson from the yesterday's (15 Nov 2010) unfortunate tragedy of building collapse in the Luxmi Nagar area of East Delhi, a site which your honour is reported to have visited today.
Sir, while the reasons like possible illegality of the said structure and negligence on the part of the concerned officials is a contributory factor, the fundamental reason for such a collapse is its location in the river flood plains.
This tragic incidence also underlie the fundamental truth that the basic nature of the flood plains do not change no matter how many embankments are raised over it. Since it is the state of the aquifers in form of the sub surface water channels that determine the suitability or not, of a site for construction purposes, specially of the high rise variety.
It is well known that while the river zone (Zone O) carries the active flood plain of the river in the city, it is the entire East Delhi (Zone E), parts of south Delhi (Zone J), entire north Delhi (Zone P II) and NOIDA (in UP) that fall in the river's passive flood plain but would always remain vulnerable to flood risks and damage as has been witnessed yesterday in form of the tragic building collapse.
Accordingly we request that let the DDA revisit its zonal plans for Zone E, Zone P II, and Zone J to ensure that there are no provisions that might encourage construction of any high rises in these areas.
Sir, in particular we have concerns regarding the Zone P II (North Delhi) that was in all previous MPDs clubbed with the Zone O (river zone) and hence treated with the same degree of sensitivity as the river. As a matter of fact it is actually a part of the river's active flood plain due to the river's meander and it's previous flow. This area is also at present largely rural and is in a sense the city's granary. So we suggest that the basic character of human habitation in this zone (east of NH 1) may not be allowed to get drastically changed as it is not suitable for high density human habitation and certainly not for high rises. In addition it is close to the river proper with the similar deep layered and unconsolidated mass of sand and silt. In addition it is meeting part of the the food and water needs of the city and hence deserves to be treated with great care by the city planners to ensure that it does not fall prey to the machinations of the land mafia and that of the real estate agents in the name of city's development.
In the specific context of the current tragedy, please allow us to also wonder if the city of Delhi is indeed ready to face the worst case scenario in future? The worst case scenario is a flooded river like in 1947/1978, rain fall of 2010 and an earthquake of an intensity between 6-7 on the richter scale. Let the city planners try and visualize the worst case scenario as above happening at the same time and then work on an action plan to prevent/mitigate the sufferings of the victims in such a situation. The directive of your honour to identify all vulnerable high rises in east Delhi (Shahdara area) is a good beginning but it may actually be made the part of a larger action plan that turns the city into a worst case scenario ready city! By doing so while on one hand Delhi would be making its citizens more securer, it would on the other hand set a fine example for other city's in the country to follow.
We hope that your honour would find merit in these views.
Warm regards,
manoj misra
Convener
L-G poser on temporary shelter for DTC buses (The Hindu-07 Nov 2010)
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: The Lieutenant-Governor's office has written to the Delhi Government seeking its comments on the temporary shelter for buses constructed on the Yamuna floodplains.
The presence of the shelter on the riverbed even after the Commonwealth Games got over is in violation of the terms on which the site was allotted to the Delhi Transport Corporation.
“We have been drawing attention to the presence of this bus shelter on the riverbed, yet no action has been taken,” said Manoj Misra, convener of the ‘Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan', a non-government organisation that has been fighting for removal of the temporary shelter.
For the Games
Mr. Misra pointed out that the site was given to the DTC by the Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited (IPGCL) for temporary parking during Commonwealth Games. “A letter and a map dated November 13, 2009, clearly states that the transfer of land is purely on temporary basis and vacant possession of the same shall be given back to IPGCL after CWG-2010,” said Mr. Misra.
He went on to add: “ Commonwealth Games 2010 were held between October 3 and 14 and it is now almost a month since its conclusion. Yet, there is no attempt being made to rid the floodplains of the structure.”
In a letter to Tejendra Khanna, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, the YJA has pointed out that over 61 acres of floodplains are being occupied in violation of the L-G's conditions under which the land was temporarily allotted only for the duration of Commonwealth Games.
“The DTC's continuing occupation and concretisation of the land at the site in the river bed is not just in violation of the L-G's orders and the transfer of land by the IPGCL but also in violation of the Master Plan 2021 and all the regulatory agencies and statutory authorities concerned in the matter,” said Mr. Misra.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
NEW DELHI: The Lieutenant-Governor's office has written to the Delhi Government seeking its comments on the temporary shelter for buses constructed on the Yamuna floodplains.
The presence of the shelter on the riverbed even after the Commonwealth Games got over is in violation of the terms on which the site was allotted to the Delhi Transport Corporation.
“We have been drawing attention to the presence of this bus shelter on the riverbed, yet no action has been taken,” said Manoj Misra, convener of the ‘Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan', a non-government organisation that has been fighting for removal of the temporary shelter.
For the Games
Mr. Misra pointed out that the site was given to the DTC by the Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited (IPGCL) for temporary parking during Commonwealth Games. “A letter and a map dated November 13, 2009, clearly states that the transfer of land is purely on temporary basis and vacant possession of the same shall be given back to IPGCL after CWG-2010,” said Mr. Misra.
He went on to add: “ Commonwealth Games 2010 were held between October 3 and 14 and it is now almost a month since its conclusion. Yet, there is no attempt being made to rid the floodplains of the structure.”
In a letter to Tejendra Khanna, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, the YJA has pointed out that over 61 acres of floodplains are being occupied in violation of the L-G's conditions under which the land was temporarily allotted only for the duration of Commonwealth Games.
“The DTC's continuing occupation and concretisation of the land at the site in the river bed is not just in violation of the L-G's orders and the transfer of land by the IPGCL but also in violation of the Master Plan 2021 and all the regulatory agencies and statutory authorities concerned in the matter,” said Mr. Misra.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Metro flats on riverbed: DDA, DMRC differ on land use (Times of India 05 November 2010)
NEW DELHI: The housing project of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on the Yamuna riverbed near Akshardham Temple has run into trouble. Though DMRC claims that change in land use was never required, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials told TOI that any housing project coming up on the riverbed needs change in land use and clearance from the agency. Then why no questions were raised by it remains a mystery. The project's former architect, Kuldip Singh, says the agency got conceptual plan approval from the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) in 2008. Singh said the housing complex, comprising 90 flats, was part of the original plan from the beginning. ''Though I am no longer associated with the project, I had drawn up the conceptual plan for approval from the DUAC and submitted the same in December 2007. It was a detailed plan, with area statements, use statements, elevations used etc. A model along with photo of the site had been given to the DUAC," said Singh. Interestingly, though, Singh adds that he had advised DMRC about the need for change in land use. DUAC had carried out an inspection of the illegal constructions on the riverbed on Wednesday. According to DMRC, the staff quarters coming up on 39 hectares of land at the Yamuna Bank depot have got all the required clearances from the authorities. ''Land use change was not required as the staff quarters are being constructed on the land allotted to DMRC by the DDA and UP irrigation department for operations-related work. The staff quarters are being constructed for the essential staff involved in operations related work like maintenance of rolling stock, electrical and mechanical works at the Yamuna depot. Similar flats exist at all the other Delhi Metro depots in the city," said a DMRC spokesperson. Manoj Mishra of Yamuna Jiye Andolan refuses to accept this. According to Mishra, both the housing project as well as the Millennium DTC depot, are flouting environmental norms. "According to the Master Plan 2021 (MPD), no new construction on the riverbed is allowed. While the Metro depot and the yard are part of the MPD, the housing project didn't have clearances and there was no change of land use. We had written to the lieutenant governor two weeks ago about the need to restrict constructions on the riverbed... both cases are classic examples of the state encroaching on the Yamuna riverbed," said Mishra. Under the MPD, the Yamuna riverbed is earmarked for green development, with only specific plots like the Akshardham Temple, Commonwealth Games Village, the Metro station and yard/depot and the Indraprastha power plant being given different land uses. Sources in DDA admitted that the re-development of the riverbed under the aegis of the Yamuna River Development Authority is being supervised by the LG, after the notification of zone 'O', the riverbed. Meanwhile, DMRC says it has followed procedures for the housing project. When the matter was raised earlier, the courts had ruled in its favour. ''The high court and Supreme Court had also given the decision in favour of DMRC for constructing a depot, Metro station and staff quarters on the said land. "The permission by the Yamuna Standing Committee was also obtained in its 69th meeting held on September 8, 2005. The Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, conducted a study and the Yamuna Standing Committee gave clearance for the construction,'' the spokesperson added. Of the 39 hectares, 32 hectares fall under DDA, while the remaining seven hectares is with UP irrigation department.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Millennium Depot land was to be vacated, agrees DTC (Times of India 10 November 2010)
NEW DELHI: In response to an RTI query, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has accepted that the 61.59 acre land on the Yamuna river bed which it is using as the Millennium Bus Depot was meant to be vacated and given back to Indraprastha Power Generation Corporation Limited (IPGCL) as soon as the Commonwealth Games got over. However, having made its intentions to not vacate the land clear, DTC officials now refuse to even discuss the matter. On the plans for the depot attached with the response it is clearly mentioned that "the transfer of land is purely on temporary basis and vacant possession of same shall be given back to IPGCL after CWG 2010''. According to sources, DDA did not issue any allotment letter to DTC for the land and it had been handed over to the corporation by IGPCL which had been using it to dump fly ash. "We have written to both the LG and the chief secretary and highlighted the violation that DTC is intent on carrying on. Despite all that has been said, DTC is refusing to move out and is in fact now claiming it to be one of their biggest depots so far,'' said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan. The bus depot, that is currently being used for parking about 600 DTC buses, also came under the scanner last week when members of the Delhi Urban Arts Commission reviewed various constructions on the river bed, claiming that many of them had not taken the mandatory clearance from them. The land for the bus depot had been allotted amid much controversy with the LG by then having passed a moratorium that no construction would be allowed on the river bed. The bus depot, meant to house buses to be used for ferrying athletes and officials during the Games, got special clearance with the rider that no permanent construction would be carried out. In a letter dated May 5, 2010, Ranjan Mukherjee, OSD to the LG had said, "The bus parking facility...will be a temporary arrangement for DTC for the duration of the CWG-2010 and there is no plan for any permanent structures. The structures are to be completely removed post Games.'' The conditions outlined that there would be no permanent construction, soft parking of compressed earth or perforated paved blocks be used, it was to be given to DTC on lease and no servicing of buses was to have taken place. DTC was to dismantle all structures and move out within 10 days of the Games getting over. DTC sources, meanwhile, maintain that they have no plans of vacating the land and will use it to park 600 AC buses. They did claim that the structure is temporary, including the flooring that was flexible pavement.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Historic Stepwells Full Of Modern Filth (Hindustan Times 08 November 2010)
Stepwells across the Capital lie in ruins, filled more with filth than water. This, despite Delhi recording the wettest monsoon in decades
Despite Delhi witnessing the wettest monsoon in decades, baolis (stepwells) across the Capital continue to present a pitiable spectacle. Under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), these stepwells are filled more with polybags, plastic bottles and filth than water.
Baolis or stepwells form an important part of the Capital's architectural and cultural heritage.These stepwells have been in use for ages as a popular method of water conservation.
While some of the baolis in Delhi are known for their medicinal properties (like the one at Nizamuddin Dargah), others are known for their beautiful architecture (Agrasen ki Baoli). The one inside the Red Fort is unique in design with a huge tank just outside the actual well and steps leading to the tanks from two sides in L-shape.
In connection with a court case, the ASI as a sample showcase, had earlier repaired and revived the Agrasen ki Baoli near Connaught Place.However, it was supposed to carry out similar jobs for the remaining wells across the Capital. The stepwell at Red Fort, for instance, is brimming with water.
Delhi witnessed one of the wettest monsoons this year with 1031.5 mm rainfall as against the normal rainfall of 645.7 mm (data as on Septemberend), as per the Met office.
Source: Hindustan Times By Nivedita Khandekar Historic Stepwells Full Of Modern Filth
Click On "Full Story" For More....
However, when the Hindustan Times visited some of the baolis , it was found that all that the ASI-maintained baolis can hold is not more than a few buckets of rain water out of the total rainfall received.
For instance, the level of water at the Gandhak ki Baoli in Mehrauli at the end of the monsoon was very low.
Mohammad Rizwan (38), a resident of Adhchini and a regular visitor to the nearby Bakhtiyar Kaki ka Dargah, says, "This monsoon, the water level hardly reached the first step of the well. I have been coming here for more than 20 years now. I had never seen the water level so low. The steps are mostly broken and nobody seems to be bothered about repairing them." Echoing Rizwan's sentiments, Surendra Kumar (50), who runs a grocery shop opposite the baoli at Mehrauli, says, "It is not just a maintenance problem. The authorities dug up two bore wells, one each on the south and north side around 10-12 years ago.The water level started going down since then."
The ASI on its part blames the shortage of manpower for the continuing problem. "We agree that the ASI needs to maintain it properly. But with very less people at hand to carry out the work, we are helpless," said a senior ASI official on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to the media.
"According to an affidavit filed in the court, the ASI had claimed that they would regularly maintain and clean the baolis under their protection," says Vinod Jain of Tapas, an NGO. Jain has been pursuing a case in the Delhi High Court to save the water bodies across Delhi.
All that Jain and others of his ilk feel is the ASI should ideally maintain the 13 baolis across the Capital as promised besides working on the nine-point formula for water harvesting.
Despite Delhi witnessing the wettest monsoon in decades, baolis (stepwells) across the Capital continue to present a pitiable spectacle. Under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), these stepwells are filled more with polybags, plastic bottles and filth than water.
Baolis or stepwells form an important part of the Capital's architectural and cultural heritage.These stepwells have been in use for ages as a popular method of water conservation.
While some of the baolis in Delhi are known for their medicinal properties (like the one at Nizamuddin Dargah), others are known for their beautiful architecture (Agrasen ki Baoli). The one inside the Red Fort is unique in design with a huge tank just outside the actual well and steps leading to the tanks from two sides in L-shape.
In connection with a court case, the ASI as a sample showcase, had earlier repaired and revived the Agrasen ki Baoli near Connaught Place.However, it was supposed to carry out similar jobs for the remaining wells across the Capital. The stepwell at Red Fort, for instance, is brimming with water.
Delhi witnessed one of the wettest monsoons this year with 1031.5 mm rainfall as against the normal rainfall of 645.7 mm (data as on Septemberend), as per the Met office.
Source: Hindustan Times By Nivedita Khandekar Historic Stepwells Full Of Modern Filth
Click On "Full Story" For More....
However, when the Hindustan Times visited some of the baolis , it was found that all that the ASI-maintained baolis can hold is not more than a few buckets of rain water out of the total rainfall received.
For instance, the level of water at the Gandhak ki Baoli in Mehrauli at the end of the monsoon was very low.
Mohammad Rizwan (38), a resident of Adhchini and a regular visitor to the nearby Bakhtiyar Kaki ka Dargah, says, "This monsoon, the water level hardly reached the first step of the well. I have been coming here for more than 20 years now. I had never seen the water level so low. The steps are mostly broken and nobody seems to be bothered about repairing them." Echoing Rizwan's sentiments, Surendra Kumar (50), who runs a grocery shop opposite the baoli at Mehrauli, says, "It is not just a maintenance problem. The authorities dug up two bore wells, one each on the south and north side around 10-12 years ago.The water level started going down since then."
The ASI on its part blames the shortage of manpower for the continuing problem. "We agree that the ASI needs to maintain it properly. But with very less people at hand to carry out the work, we are helpless," said a senior ASI official on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to the media.
"According to an affidavit filed in the court, the ASI had claimed that they would regularly maintain and clean the baolis under their protection," says Vinod Jain of Tapas, an NGO. Jain has been pursuing a case in the Delhi High Court to save the water bodies across Delhi.
All that Jain and others of his ilk feel is the ASI should ideally maintain the 13 baolis across the Capital as promised besides working on the nine-point formula for water harvesting.
NGOs demand relocation of Delhi Metro flats (The Hindu 07 November 2010)
“All the rules, norms are being violated”
Present land use of the area as per the Master Plan is ‘green/agriculture and water body'
The Yamuna crusaders want DMRC to abandon the site and move to an alternate location
NEW DELHI: Citing a looming threat to the Yamuna riverbed, non-government organisations in the Capital are demanding relocation of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's upcoming flats away from the river's floodplains.
Members of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan and Tapas have called for relocation of the construction, citing violations of rules and the threat to the floodplains. The flats, which the NGOs say have come up in gross violation of norms, are to be used by the DMRC as residential quarters for its maintenance staff.
“There is more land available with the Delhi Development Authority just across the site on the Noida Link Road. Earlier also, we requested the DMRC to abandon the site and move to an alternate location,” said YJA convenor Manoj Misra over the weekend.
Even as the DMRC claims to have the required permissions to construct the building, the Delhi Urban Arts Commission will hold a meeting this week to assess the construction. A DMRC spokesperson said it “got the clearance from DUAC for construction of staff quarters on the said land in January 2008,” but a DUAC member refuted the claim.
“DMRC is misleading the public by claiming DUAC approval for the illegal construction of 90 flats on the riverbed. DMRC was only given conceptual approval in January 2008 while being asked to ensure change of land use from the DDA and no sanction for construction has been given. They were supposed to come back to the DUAC for sanction for the construction, but they never did,” said DUAC member Ratish Nanda.
DMRC's other claim that the land use change was not required as the quarters are being constructed on land allotted to DMRC by DDA and the U.P. Irrigation Department for operations-related works has also been refuted. A DMRC spokesperson said: “The staff quarters are being constructed for the essential staff involved in operations-related works like maintenance of rolling stock, electrical and mechanical works at Yamuna Depot.”
However, Mr. Misra disagreed saying: “There are two kinds of land in the riverbed involved here. One is the strip of land along the Yamuna Pushta (now called the Noida Link road) that belongs to the U.P. Irrigation Department. The staff quarters (90 flats) and the Metro Mall by Parsvnath Builders are under construction in this strip of land. The present land use of this strip as per the Master and Zonal Plan is ‘green/agriculture and water body'. The other is the rest of the riverbed/floodplain (khadir) that belongs to the DDA. The DMRC's Yamuna Bank complex that consists of a depot, yard, alignment and station is located here.”
“Any construction in the riverbed in Delhi requires prior approval of the Yamuna Standing Committee (YSC), an executive body of the Central Water Commission. But this is only an executive and not a statutory body. Any construction in the riverbed would also require environmental clearance either from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests or the State environment department depending on the size of the construction,” he added.
Vinod Jain, founder of non-government organisation Tapas, said even YSC had earlier asked the DDA to offer alternate site to DMRC for construction. “In their (DMRC) affidavit presented in the High Court, they did not specify anything about these staff quarters. It has also been proven that the eastern side of the floodplains -- where these quarters are coming up -- allows more recharge of groundwater than the western part. Keeping the scarcity of water in mind, the DMRC should look for an alternate place,” Mr. Jain said.
Present land use of the area as per the Master Plan is ‘green/agriculture and water body'
The Yamuna crusaders want DMRC to abandon the site and move to an alternate location
NEW DELHI: Citing a looming threat to the Yamuna riverbed, non-government organisations in the Capital are demanding relocation of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's upcoming flats away from the river's floodplains.
Members of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan and Tapas have called for relocation of the construction, citing violations of rules and the threat to the floodplains. The flats, which the NGOs say have come up in gross violation of norms, are to be used by the DMRC as residential quarters for its maintenance staff.
“There is more land available with the Delhi Development Authority just across the site on the Noida Link Road. Earlier also, we requested the DMRC to abandon the site and move to an alternate location,” said YJA convenor Manoj Misra over the weekend.
Even as the DMRC claims to have the required permissions to construct the building, the Delhi Urban Arts Commission will hold a meeting this week to assess the construction. A DMRC spokesperson said it “got the clearance from DUAC for construction of staff quarters on the said land in January 2008,” but a DUAC member refuted the claim.
“DMRC is misleading the public by claiming DUAC approval for the illegal construction of 90 flats on the riverbed. DMRC was only given conceptual approval in January 2008 while being asked to ensure change of land use from the DDA and no sanction for construction has been given. They were supposed to come back to the DUAC for sanction for the construction, but they never did,” said DUAC member Ratish Nanda.
DMRC's other claim that the land use change was not required as the quarters are being constructed on land allotted to DMRC by DDA and the U.P. Irrigation Department for operations-related works has also been refuted. A DMRC spokesperson said: “The staff quarters are being constructed for the essential staff involved in operations-related works like maintenance of rolling stock, electrical and mechanical works at Yamuna Depot.”
However, Mr. Misra disagreed saying: “There are two kinds of land in the riverbed involved here. One is the strip of land along the Yamuna Pushta (now called the Noida Link road) that belongs to the U.P. Irrigation Department. The staff quarters (90 flats) and the Metro Mall by Parsvnath Builders are under construction in this strip of land. The present land use of this strip as per the Master and Zonal Plan is ‘green/agriculture and water body'. The other is the rest of the riverbed/floodplain (khadir) that belongs to the DDA. The DMRC's Yamuna Bank complex that consists of a depot, yard, alignment and station is located here.”
“Any construction in the riverbed in Delhi requires prior approval of the Yamuna Standing Committee (YSC), an executive body of the Central Water Commission. But this is only an executive and not a statutory body. Any construction in the riverbed would also require environmental clearance either from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests or the State environment department depending on the size of the construction,” he added.
Vinod Jain, founder of non-government organisation Tapas, said even YSC had earlier asked the DDA to offer alternate site to DMRC for construction. “In their (DMRC) affidavit presented in the High Court, they did not specify anything about these staff quarters. It has also been proven that the eastern side of the floodplains -- where these quarters are coming up -- allows more recharge of groundwater than the western part. Keeping the scarcity of water in mind, the DMRC should look for an alternate place,” Mr. Jain said.
A major shift in perception of national water policy (Hindu 04 November 2010)
The success of the new approach will depend on political will and an infrastructure to facilitate science-based watershed management.
THE ISSUE: India faces the task of a transition from an infrastructure of existing water structures to making them part of a watershed-based local management system. Photo: U. Subramanyam
The success of the new approach will depend on political will and an infrastructure to facilitate science-based watershed management.
In the article “Approach to new national water policy”, its author Ramaswamy R. Iyer (Editorial page, October 29, 2010) argues eloquently for a departure from incrementally building on the Ministry of Water Resources' National Water Policy of 2002 to a holistic approach starting from scratch. At its core, the new approach recognises that water availability is finite and variable, and that economic growth is incompatible with limited water availability. Painful choices are to be made in sharing the vital resource under an overarching philosophy of ecological health and social justice, guided by Gandhiji's dharma of balancing rights with responsibility. In the new approach, mega projects will play a subordinate role, with water management being implemented at local levels.
Placed in context, Mr. Iyer's approach signals an unmistakable shift from a supply-demand mindset to holistic science-based management. In its mid-term appraisal report of the XIth Plan, the Planning Commission recognised, based on persuasive scientific evidence, that India's water situation is even more serious than originally assessed, and concluded that a solution cannot be found unless “we can come out of the silos into which we have divided water and take a holistic view of the hydrological cycle”. In May, the Prime Minister's Climate Council presented its Water Mission to the people, suggesting that water conservation should be a people's movement in India, and that all water data be in the public domain to mobilise citizens, and local and State governments for dedicated actions on water conservation and augmentation. The mission also envisions an approved National Water Policy in place by 2013.
Considering that Mr. Iyer is a former Secretary of Water Resources, it is clear that there is a definite shift in perception of a national water policy at the highest levels of governance. The shift eschews supply-demand philosophy, embracing, instead, science-based management with people's participation at various levels of decision-making. The new vision is radical, and introduces extraordinary challenges to get a National Water Policy approved by 2013.
The challenges
Perhaps the greatest challenge confronting the new approach concerns adaptation to limited water availability, and wean away from an aspiration for growth. The concept is deceptively simple, but the political difficulties involved are enormous. Will there be a will to find a way out?
The second challenge confronting the new approach concerns “local management”, which may be understood differently by different people. In the context of holistic management based on the hydrological cycle, local management implies management over watersheds, rather than administrative units. In turn, watersheds are hierarchical structures, with numerous small ones imbedded in larger ones. In general, a viable watershed as a unit for management will be a collection of watersheds whose size, disposition and boundaries will depend on local physiographical and geological conditions. The implication is that local management will entail many communities (villages, towns, cities) cooperatively coming together to conjunctively share their surface water and groundwater, drawing upon expertise from scientists and engineers.
The California example
As an example of local management, the well known Silicon Valley of California is instructive. The citizens of the Valley have assumed ownership of all water in their watershed, and have been operating a water system for over seven decades, integrating surface water, groundwater, artificial recharge, imported water, water reuse, water treatment, and public education. Comprising over 15 cities, the Silicon Valley watershed is a collection of some 23 smaller watersheds, covering an area of about 3,400 sq.km. At the core of this democratically managed watershed is a competent cadre of scientists, engineers, and biologists, aided by a well laid out network of monitoring stations. A democratically elected board makes management decisions based on input from its technical staff, portraying an admirable synergism between science and policy.
Against this backdrop, one finds India faced with an immense task of a transition from an infrastructure of existing tanks, canals and other water structures, to making them part of a watershed-based local management system. This transition has to be achieved through holistic principles guided by the hydrological cycle. I
n sheer scope, this transition will be unprecedented anywhere in the world, requiring the imaginative application of hydrological, hydro-geological and ecological principles. Such an application will have to be aided by well-designed long-term monitoring systems, the data from which will form the basis of dynamic sustainable management.
It is obvious that the success of the new approach, founded on local management, requires for its success the setting up of a science-engineering infrastructure, supported by adequate trained personnel and academic research. Simultaneously, appropriate legal mechanisms have to be set in place enabling local citizens to take ownership of water as a necessary prerequisite for management. It is almost certain that the new venture will require the creation of new institutions.
The emerging holistic perception of a national water policy based on the hydrological cycle is ambitious and audacious. Its success will depend on courageous leadership from the Central Government, and its ability to persuade a well-informed citizen to rise up to Gandhiji's concept of dharma in which rights flow from responsibilities.
(T.N. Narasimhan is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley. Email: tnnarasimhan@LBL.gov)
THE ISSUE: India faces the task of a transition from an infrastructure of existing water structures to making them part of a watershed-based local management system. Photo: U. Subramanyam
The success of the new approach will depend on political will and an infrastructure to facilitate science-based watershed management.
In the article “Approach to new national water policy”, its author Ramaswamy R. Iyer (Editorial page, October 29, 2010) argues eloquently for a departure from incrementally building on the Ministry of Water Resources' National Water Policy of 2002 to a holistic approach starting from scratch. At its core, the new approach recognises that water availability is finite and variable, and that economic growth is incompatible with limited water availability. Painful choices are to be made in sharing the vital resource under an overarching philosophy of ecological health and social justice, guided by Gandhiji's dharma of balancing rights with responsibility. In the new approach, mega projects will play a subordinate role, with water management being implemented at local levels.
Placed in context, Mr. Iyer's approach signals an unmistakable shift from a supply-demand mindset to holistic science-based management. In its mid-term appraisal report of the XIth Plan, the Planning Commission recognised, based on persuasive scientific evidence, that India's water situation is even more serious than originally assessed, and concluded that a solution cannot be found unless “we can come out of the silos into which we have divided water and take a holistic view of the hydrological cycle”. In May, the Prime Minister's Climate Council presented its Water Mission to the people, suggesting that water conservation should be a people's movement in India, and that all water data be in the public domain to mobilise citizens, and local and State governments for dedicated actions on water conservation and augmentation. The mission also envisions an approved National Water Policy in place by 2013.
Considering that Mr. Iyer is a former Secretary of Water Resources, it is clear that there is a definite shift in perception of a national water policy at the highest levels of governance. The shift eschews supply-demand philosophy, embracing, instead, science-based management with people's participation at various levels of decision-making. The new vision is radical, and introduces extraordinary challenges to get a National Water Policy approved by 2013.
The challenges
Perhaps the greatest challenge confronting the new approach concerns adaptation to limited water availability, and wean away from an aspiration for growth. The concept is deceptively simple, but the political difficulties involved are enormous. Will there be a will to find a way out?
The second challenge confronting the new approach concerns “local management”, which may be understood differently by different people. In the context of holistic management based on the hydrological cycle, local management implies management over watersheds, rather than administrative units. In turn, watersheds are hierarchical structures, with numerous small ones imbedded in larger ones. In general, a viable watershed as a unit for management will be a collection of watersheds whose size, disposition and boundaries will depend on local physiographical and geological conditions. The implication is that local management will entail many communities (villages, towns, cities) cooperatively coming together to conjunctively share their surface water and groundwater, drawing upon expertise from scientists and engineers.
The California example
As an example of local management, the well known Silicon Valley of California is instructive. The citizens of the Valley have assumed ownership of all water in their watershed, and have been operating a water system for over seven decades, integrating surface water, groundwater, artificial recharge, imported water, water reuse, water treatment, and public education. Comprising over 15 cities, the Silicon Valley watershed is a collection of some 23 smaller watersheds, covering an area of about 3,400 sq.km. At the core of this democratically managed watershed is a competent cadre of scientists, engineers, and biologists, aided by a well laid out network of monitoring stations. A democratically elected board makes management decisions based on input from its technical staff, portraying an admirable synergism between science and policy.
Against this backdrop, one finds India faced with an immense task of a transition from an infrastructure of existing tanks, canals and other water structures, to making them part of a watershed-based local management system. This transition has to be achieved through holistic principles guided by the hydrological cycle. I
n sheer scope, this transition will be unprecedented anywhere in the world, requiring the imaginative application of hydrological, hydro-geological and ecological principles. Such an application will have to be aided by well-designed long-term monitoring systems, the data from which will form the basis of dynamic sustainable management.
It is obvious that the success of the new approach, founded on local management, requires for its success the setting up of a science-engineering infrastructure, supported by adequate trained personnel and academic research. Simultaneously, appropriate legal mechanisms have to be set in place enabling local citizens to take ownership of water as a necessary prerequisite for management. It is almost certain that the new venture will require the creation of new institutions.
The emerging holistic perception of a national water policy based on the hydrological cycle is ambitious and audacious. Its success will depend on courageous leadership from the Central Government, and its ability to persuade a well-informed citizen to rise up to Gandhiji's concept of dharma in which rights flow from responsibilities.
(T.N. Narasimhan is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley. Email: tnnarasimhan@LBL.gov)
More funding for Ganga clean-up (The Hindu 03 November 2010)
To maintain projects to clean the river and restore its environmental health
Centre to consider Uttarakhand's demand for free power in compensation for scrapped projects
Conservation Action Plan approved for Gangetic dolphin, the national aquatic animal
New Delhi: States through which the Ganga flows will soon be given additional funding to operate and maintain projects to clean the river and restore its environmental health. However, States lobbied for more aid and free power to those affected by scrapping of hydel projects.
At a meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, held on Monday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal demanded that his State be granted 2,000 MW of free power in compensation for scrapped projects.
The NGRBA ratified the decision of the three-man Ministerial committee — comprising Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh — to abandon three major hydel projects along the Bhagirathi which runs through the State. The Loharinag Pala, Bhaironghati and Pala Maneri projects were shelved following protests by local communities, environmental activists and religious leaders.
The NGRBA also gave in principle approval to declare the 135-km stretch between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi an eco-sensitive zone. This means no hydel project will be allowed there, according to Mr. Ramesh. Much industrial and developmental activity will also be banned, while the rest will be governed by strictly monitored eco-management plans.
The NGRBA said the Central government would bear 70 per cent of the cost of operating and maintaining projects set up to prevent pollution, clean the river and improve its environmental status, for up to five years. The Centre already funds the cost of setting up these projects.
However, the affected States lobbied for a burden-sharing formula of 90 per cent by the Centre and 10 per cent by States. The Centre said it would consider this request, as well as Uttarakhand's demand for compensatory free power.
By April 2011, the government also expects to finalise a $ 1 billion line of credit from the World Bank for NGRBA projects. Last year the NGRBA approved Rs. 1,400 crore worth of projects.
The meeting also approved a Conservation Action Plan for the Gangetic dolphin, recently declared the national aquatic animal.
“There are less than 2,000 Gangetic dolphins left,” said Mr. Ramesh. “One of the main aims of the Ganga river cleaning programme will be to increase the number and distribution of the dolphin.”
Centre to consider Uttarakhand's demand for free power in compensation for scrapped projects
Conservation Action Plan approved for Gangetic dolphin, the national aquatic animal
New Delhi: States through which the Ganga flows will soon be given additional funding to operate and maintain projects to clean the river and restore its environmental health. However, States lobbied for more aid and free power to those affected by scrapping of hydel projects.
At a meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, held on Monday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal demanded that his State be granted 2,000 MW of free power in compensation for scrapped projects.
The NGRBA ratified the decision of the three-man Ministerial committee — comprising Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh — to abandon three major hydel projects along the Bhagirathi which runs through the State. The Loharinag Pala, Bhaironghati and Pala Maneri projects were shelved following protests by local communities, environmental activists and religious leaders.
The NGRBA also gave in principle approval to declare the 135-km stretch between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi an eco-sensitive zone. This means no hydel project will be allowed there, according to Mr. Ramesh. Much industrial and developmental activity will also be banned, while the rest will be governed by strictly monitored eco-management plans.
The NGRBA said the Central government would bear 70 per cent of the cost of operating and maintaining projects set up to prevent pollution, clean the river and improve its environmental status, for up to five years. The Centre already funds the cost of setting up these projects.
However, the affected States lobbied for a burden-sharing formula of 90 per cent by the Centre and 10 per cent by States. The Centre said it would consider this request, as well as Uttarakhand's demand for compensatory free power.
By April 2011, the government also expects to finalise a $ 1 billion line of credit from the World Bank for NGRBA projects. Last year the NGRBA approved Rs. 1,400 crore worth of projects.
The meeting also approved a Conservation Action Plan for the Gangetic dolphin, recently declared the national aquatic animal.
“There are less than 2,000 Gangetic dolphins left,” said Mr. Ramesh. “One of the main aims of the Ganga river cleaning programme will be to increase the number and distribution of the dolphin.”
Bengal gets Rs 539 cr for cleansing Ganga (The Hindu Business Line 03 November 2010)
The West Bengal government will receive Rs 539 crore from the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) for cleaning up the Ganga river basin. An additional Rs 800 crore worth of proposals have also been sent to the authority for clearance.
Giving this information here on Tuesday, the State Urban Development Minister, Mr Asok Bhattacharya, who had attended a meeting organised by the NGRBA in Delhi on Monday, said that 17 proposals worth Rs 139 crore had already been sanctioned while another Rs 400 crore worth of projects would be sanctioned soon.
An additional Rs 800 crore worth of proposals relating to upgradation of sewage lines along river banks and their networking with the Ganga river have also been presented for clearance.
“Under Phase I of the Ganga Action Plan, work on 110 schemes has started and another 177 schemes have begun under Phase II. Around Rs 186 crore and Rs 248 crore has already been spent in carrying out schemes under the two phases,” Mr Bhattacharya said.
Giving this information here on Tuesday, the State Urban Development Minister, Mr Asok Bhattacharya, who had attended a meeting organised by the NGRBA in Delhi on Monday, said that 17 proposals worth Rs 139 crore had already been sanctioned while another Rs 400 crore worth of projects would be sanctioned soon.
An additional Rs 800 crore worth of proposals relating to upgradation of sewage lines along river banks and their networking with the Ganga river have also been presented for clearance.
“Under Phase I of the Ganga Action Plan, work on 110 schemes has started and another 177 schemes have begun under Phase II. Around Rs 186 crore and Rs 248 crore has already been spent in carrying out schemes under the two phases,” Mr Bhattacharya said.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
“DMRC residential complex is Delhi's Adarsh society” (The Hindu 04 November 2010)
It has come up in violation of laws and needs to be thoroughly probed: NGO
Delhi Urban Arts Commission inspects construction site after complaint
‘Complex does not have mandatory clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forests'
NEW DELHI: A sprawling residential complex being constructed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and a temporary bus shelter built by the Delhi Transport Corporation were inspected by the Delhi Urban Arts Commission in the Capital on Wednesday. These buildings, ostensibly with “permissions”, have come up on the Yamuna riverbed, a restricted site for concrete constructions.
The residential complex being built by the DMRC has come up on a piece of land that was cleared of over 400 shanties under the pretext that the slums were encroaching upon the riverbed. “This (the residential complex) is Delhi's equivalent of the infamous Adarsh Housing Society of Mumbai. It has come up in violation of laws and without any clearances and needs to be thoroughly probed,” says Manoj Misra, Convenor of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, a non-government organisation drawing attention to rules that have allegedly been flouted in constructing this building.
‘Green land'
Based on YJA's complaints and news reports published in The Hindu, a team of DUAC officials visited the riverbed to examine the constructions including the bus shelter set up by DTC and the residential complex of the DMRC.
“The land on which the complex with over 100 flats is coming up is marked as ‘green land'. The land use for this site does not allow construction. The land belongs to the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department and they had made it evident that the land use allows only greening and no construction can be allowed without obtaining permission for change of land use. The DMRC has not approached the DDA for change of land use and the construction is on in full swing,” said Mr. Misra.
While DUAC officials declined to comment, sources said the DMRC would have a lot of explaining to do. “The complex does not have the mandatory clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and from the DUAC as well. The structure can very well be demolished because it is illegal. The site on which is stands has been shown as a green area in the Master Plan as well,” said sources.
Bus shelter
Mr. Misra, who is also fighting for removal of the temporary bus shelter that was meant to be dismantled after the Commonwealth Games, adds: “The DMRC had the permission to construct only a yard, alignment and a station (the Yamuna Bank metro station) on the land, but they are going ahead with the construction of a depot and a residential complex as well. When the DDA sold them the land, it was only for the yard, alignment and station.”
Senior architect Kuldip Singh, who has been shown as the architect on the drawings for the complex, said he is no longer associated with the project.
“I was working with the DMRC for the yard, but I am no longer associated with it and therefore cannot comment on whether the clearances have been received or rules violated,” he said.
The DMRC for its part maintains that no norms have been flouted. A spokesperson said: “We have all the required clearances and certifications that are needed. The land was given for constructing a depot for Lines 3 and 4, Yamuna Bank metro station and staff quarters for the operations and maintenance staff.”
Delhi Urban Arts Commission inspects construction site after complaint
‘Complex does not have mandatory clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forests'
NEW DELHI: A sprawling residential complex being constructed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and a temporary bus shelter built by the Delhi Transport Corporation were inspected by the Delhi Urban Arts Commission in the Capital on Wednesday. These buildings, ostensibly with “permissions”, have come up on the Yamuna riverbed, a restricted site for concrete constructions.
The residential complex being built by the DMRC has come up on a piece of land that was cleared of over 400 shanties under the pretext that the slums were encroaching upon the riverbed. “This (the residential complex) is Delhi's equivalent of the infamous Adarsh Housing Society of Mumbai. It has come up in violation of laws and without any clearances and needs to be thoroughly probed,” says Manoj Misra, Convenor of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, a non-government organisation drawing attention to rules that have allegedly been flouted in constructing this building.
‘Green land'
Based on YJA's complaints and news reports published in The Hindu, a team of DUAC officials visited the riverbed to examine the constructions including the bus shelter set up by DTC and the residential complex of the DMRC.
“The land on which the complex with over 100 flats is coming up is marked as ‘green land'. The land use for this site does not allow construction. The land belongs to the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department and they had made it evident that the land use allows only greening and no construction can be allowed without obtaining permission for change of land use. The DMRC has not approached the DDA for change of land use and the construction is on in full swing,” said Mr. Misra.
While DUAC officials declined to comment, sources said the DMRC would have a lot of explaining to do. “The complex does not have the mandatory clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and from the DUAC as well. The structure can very well be demolished because it is illegal. The site on which is stands has been shown as a green area in the Master Plan as well,” said sources.
Bus shelter
Mr. Misra, who is also fighting for removal of the temporary bus shelter that was meant to be dismantled after the Commonwealth Games, adds: “The DMRC had the permission to construct only a yard, alignment and a station (the Yamuna Bank metro station) on the land, but they are going ahead with the construction of a depot and a residential complex as well. When the DDA sold them the land, it was only for the yard, alignment and station.”
Senior architect Kuldip Singh, who has been shown as the architect on the drawings for the complex, said he is no longer associated with the project.
“I was working with the DMRC for the yard, but I am no longer associated with it and therefore cannot comment on whether the clearances have been received or rules violated,” he said.
The DMRC for its part maintains that no norms have been flouted. A spokesperson said: “We have all the required clearances and certifications that are needed. The land was given for constructing a depot for Lines 3 and 4, Yamuna Bank metro station and staff quarters for the operations and maintenance staff.”
Metro flats on riverbed may run into trouble (Times of India 04 November 2010)
NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) residential flats coming up next to the Akshardham Metro station might be in for major trouble. The organisation has neither got the land use changed from green to residential, nor has it reportedly got the mandatory clearances from Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC). According to sources, 90 flats are coming up in two 10-storey buildings. This was ironically the same spot where some years back Delhi government had removed over 600 jhuggis claiming that the land was on the riverbed and permitting residential use would be detrimental for the river. 'In 2009, DMRC had told the high court that it would not carry out construction of the flats but when the case was taken up to the Supreme Court, it said that the housing complex was required for its train cleaning and maintenance staff and that it would take necessary clearances before work was started. However, even then it did not submit to the court the plans for the building, how many flats it was proposing to construct, etc,'' said Vinod Jain of NGO Tapas. Manoj Mishra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan added that the land was given to DMRC by the UP irrigation department on the condition that it would change the land use before starting construction. ''However, DMRC has violated the master plan by going ahead with construction without any such changes. It also did not apply to DUAC for any clearances,'' he said.
The towering similarity (Hindustan Times 04 November 2010)
As we left the meeting on November 12, 2007 with the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Commonwealth Games (CWG), then headed by Arjun Singh and which included all the high and mighty of the UPA 1 — including a current Union minister who had, in 2000 as a senior Opposition MP, questioned in Parliament the construction of the Akshardham complex on the river bed — we hoped that our appeal to relocate the proposed Games Village (khel gaon) away from the Yamuna river bed had struck a positive chord with the GoM. For our delegation led by veteran journalist and diplomat Kuldip Nayar had been told by the GoM, "you have made your case well, now leave it to us to decide."
Soon enough our faint hopes were dashed to the ground as the GoM began to troop out of the meet just after we left. An overwhelming political consideration for choosing the river bed as the site of the Games Village had overridden our appeal against the construction of the high-rise luxury apartments strangely called 'village' on the ecologically fragile and seismically risky river bed. It's notable that during all our meetings with senior political and executive functionaries involved with the planning of the CWG, no one ever disputed the facts we presented to them. Yet, most defended the location of the Village on the ground that there was little time left or little of the river bed is involved or, a rather bizarre reasoning, that 'I can cite you ten more reasons why the site is wrong, but I have a duty to perform'.
We were once even advised to pray when we raised an obvious query: what would happen if the floods were to come calling just before the Games in 2010? We all know that floods in Yamuna in September almost led to the Games being called off. Incidentally when the MCD, which was battling both an outbreak of dengue and a flooding river, blamed the wrong site selection for the Village, it only strengthened the argument that we had been trying to bring to the attention of the authorities since 2007.
No one was willing to look into the encroachment of the river bed by a state agency, while a committee constituted by the Delhi High Court went about removing, at times even forcefully, jhuggi jhopris from around the same river bed. That an unsavoury precedence was about to be set by the state using an existing wrong, the Akshardham complex, to justify another mattered little to anyone.
So now after the Games, when a number of investigating agencies are looking into the cases of corruption and mismanagement, we remain flabbergasted as to why the fountainhead of it all, namely the politically-instigated and motivated selection of a site on the river bed for the Village in the eastern part of a city whence all but one of the Games venues were located there, remains un-investigated.
Moreover, the ripple effects of the decision come in the form of the construction of an unnecessary flyover over a bridge and an elevated road on a drain, raising of sound barriers along the nearby railway track and the national highway, conversion of a temporary parking space on the river bed into a permanent bus depot etc.
In view of the recent high-profile land grab incident in Mumbai, it's odd as to how, on environmental grounds, the construction of a multi-storey building on the river bed is any different from a similar construction on a coast? While the latter doesn't have a clearance from the environment ministry, the former has a clearance that saw four versions and three ultimatums before permission to construct temporary structures got converted into allowing the construction of permanent ones.
Let the investigating agencies probe the Village ab initio so that the uncanny parallels between it and the Adarsh society scam are brought to light. For example, if flats in Adarsh society were meant for the Kargil war heroes and war widows, then the Games Village, which is now being eyed by many within and outside the government, was originally meant to become university accommodation.
Thus, while issues of morality and avarice may be the foundation of the 'wrong' in the case of Adarsh, in this case it's khel gaon's dangerous location, which is prone to both floods and earthquakes. But is anyone either listening or interested?
Manoj Misra is Convener, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan. The views expressed by the author are personal.
Soon enough our faint hopes were dashed to the ground as the GoM began to troop out of the meet just after we left. An overwhelming political consideration for choosing the river bed as the site of the Games Village had overridden our appeal against the construction of the high-rise luxury apartments strangely called 'village' on the ecologically fragile and seismically risky river bed. It's notable that during all our meetings with senior political and executive functionaries involved with the planning of the CWG, no one ever disputed the facts we presented to them. Yet, most defended the location of the Village on the ground that there was little time left or little of the river bed is involved or, a rather bizarre reasoning, that 'I can cite you ten more reasons why the site is wrong, but I have a duty to perform'.
We were once even advised to pray when we raised an obvious query: what would happen if the floods were to come calling just before the Games in 2010? We all know that floods in Yamuna in September almost led to the Games being called off. Incidentally when the MCD, which was battling both an outbreak of dengue and a flooding river, blamed the wrong site selection for the Village, it only strengthened the argument that we had been trying to bring to the attention of the authorities since 2007.
No one was willing to look into the encroachment of the river bed by a state agency, while a committee constituted by the Delhi High Court went about removing, at times even forcefully, jhuggi jhopris from around the same river bed. That an unsavoury precedence was about to be set by the state using an existing wrong, the Akshardham complex, to justify another mattered little to anyone.
So now after the Games, when a number of investigating agencies are looking into the cases of corruption and mismanagement, we remain flabbergasted as to why the fountainhead of it all, namely the politically-instigated and motivated selection of a site on the river bed for the Village in the eastern part of a city whence all but one of the Games venues were located there, remains un-investigated.
Moreover, the ripple effects of the decision come in the form of the construction of an unnecessary flyover over a bridge and an elevated road on a drain, raising of sound barriers along the nearby railway track and the national highway, conversion of a temporary parking space on the river bed into a permanent bus depot etc.
In view of the recent high-profile land grab incident in Mumbai, it's odd as to how, on environmental grounds, the construction of a multi-storey building on the river bed is any different from a similar construction on a coast? While the latter doesn't have a clearance from the environment ministry, the former has a clearance that saw four versions and three ultimatums before permission to construct temporary structures got converted into allowing the construction of permanent ones.
Let the investigating agencies probe the Village ab initio so that the uncanny parallels between it and the Adarsh society scam are brought to light. For example, if flats in Adarsh society were meant for the Kargil war heroes and war widows, then the Games Village, which is now being eyed by many within and outside the government, was originally meant to become university accommodation.
Thus, while issues of morality and avarice may be the foundation of the 'wrong' in the case of Adarsh, in this case it's khel gaon's dangerous location, which is prone to both floods and earthquakes. But is anyone either listening or interested?
Manoj Misra is Convener, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan. The views expressed by the author are personal.
NGO demands removal of bus shelter from Yamuna bed (The Hindu 03 November 2010)
Expressing concern over the presence of a parking lot on the riverbed, non-government organisation Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has written to Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna seeking restoration of the river land and removal of the structure put up by the Delhi Transport Corporation.
During the Commonwealth Games the DTC was permitted to set up a temporary bus shelter for vehicles to be used to ferry the athletes and Games staff. However, the shelter continues to remain on the riverbed, much to the disappointment of environmentalists and water conservation activists.
YJA convenor Manoj Misra has now written to the L-G to issue “appropriate directions” to the Delhi Development Authority for urgent action against the DTC so that the riverbed can be rid of encroachments.
In his letter, Mr. Misra has written: “….despite it being more than a fortnight since the CWG 2010 concluded in the city, the DTC seems to be making no efforts to remove their structures erected on the riverbed along Ring Road opposite the Indraprastha Park, while your honour had given them only a week's time after the conclusion of the games.”
Pointing out that the shelter is in violation of the terms and conditions set by the L-G himself, the YGA functionary said the shelter was in temporary possession of the DTC to park 300 of their buses meant for the ready use by the athletes and officials residing at the nearby Games Village.
‘Illegal occupation'
“Your (L-G's) conditions as under were very clear and specific and we fail to understand as to where from is the DTC getting a mandate to continue their increasingly becoming unauthorised and even illegal occupation of the said land,” the letter states.
As per an earlier order, no permanent construction will be allowed at the site (riverbed), soft parking will be developed only by compressing the earth or by providing perforated paver blocks, land will remain with the DDA and will be licensed to the Delhi Government and DTC for temporary stabling of buses till one week after the Games are over.
The temporary infrastructure was to be dismantled soon after the Games got over.
A team of officials from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission will inspect the riverbed on Wednesday to examine the encroachments that the YJA has alleged have come up on the critical zone. The YJA had earlier drawn attention towards a residential complex being built by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which is being constructed without the mandatory clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and of the DUAC.
During the Commonwealth Games the DTC was permitted to set up a temporary bus shelter for vehicles to be used to ferry the athletes and Games staff. However, the shelter continues to remain on the riverbed, much to the disappointment of environmentalists and water conservation activists.
YJA convenor Manoj Misra has now written to the L-G to issue “appropriate directions” to the Delhi Development Authority for urgent action against the DTC so that the riverbed can be rid of encroachments.
In his letter, Mr. Misra has written: “….despite it being more than a fortnight since the CWG 2010 concluded in the city, the DTC seems to be making no efforts to remove their structures erected on the riverbed along Ring Road opposite the Indraprastha Park, while your honour had given them only a week's time after the conclusion of the games.”
Pointing out that the shelter is in violation of the terms and conditions set by the L-G himself, the YGA functionary said the shelter was in temporary possession of the DTC to park 300 of their buses meant for the ready use by the athletes and officials residing at the nearby Games Village.
‘Illegal occupation'
“Your (L-G's) conditions as under were very clear and specific and we fail to understand as to where from is the DTC getting a mandate to continue their increasingly becoming unauthorised and even illegal occupation of the said land,” the letter states.
As per an earlier order, no permanent construction will be allowed at the site (riverbed), soft parking will be developed only by compressing the earth or by providing perforated paver blocks, land will remain with the DDA and will be licensed to the Delhi Government and DTC for temporary stabling of buses till one week after the Games are over.
The temporary infrastructure was to be dismantled soon after the Games got over.
A team of officials from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission will inspect the riverbed on Wednesday to examine the encroachments that the YJA has alleged have come up on the critical zone. The YJA had earlier drawn attention towards a residential complex being built by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which is being constructed without the mandatory clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and of the DUAC.
DUAC to carry out checks on Yamuna riverbed today (The Times of India 02 November 2010)
NEW DELHI: With reports of several unauthorized constructions and occupation of the Yamuna riverbed pouring in, Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) has decided to undertake an inspection of the riverbed on Wednesday.
K T Ravindran, chairman, DUAC, told TOI that members would go around to see what new constructions had sprouted up on the riverbed and whether they had the required clearances from the commission. ''There are many things that are happening on the riverbed right now and we do not have a clear picture of things as they stand. A lot has been reported in papers while there are some things that we have seen while driving past. While there is nothing specific that we are looking at, members will go across and identify the structures that have come up and whether they have done so legally. Let us first see what is going on and then we will take a call on possible action if necessary,'' he said.
Sources meanwhile said that the commission was prompted to undertake the visit specially after reports came in that Delhi Transport Commission was unwilling to vacate the Millennium bus depot that had been given to it specifically for the duration of the Commonwealth Games. ''The LG's office had made it very clear that the bus depot was to have been a temporary structure and was to have been vacated by DTC within a week or so after the Games got over. However, so far DTC has not made any effort to move out and are in fact claiming it to be one of their biggest depots,'' said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Sources also added that under scrutiny would be the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's living quarters that are coming up next to the Akshardham Metro station. ''A lot of work that was undertaken in the garb of Games-related projects came up without any clearances, specially from DUAC. The government needs to take a call on what it will allow on the riverbed and accordingly grant it a protected status,'' said an environmentalist.
K T Ravindran, chairman, DUAC, told TOI that members would go around to see what new constructions had sprouted up on the riverbed and whether they had the required clearances from the commission. ''There are many things that are happening on the riverbed right now and we do not have a clear picture of things as they stand. A lot has been reported in papers while there are some things that we have seen while driving past. While there is nothing specific that we are looking at, members will go across and identify the structures that have come up and whether they have done so legally. Let us first see what is going on and then we will take a call on possible action if necessary,'' he said.
Sources meanwhile said that the commission was prompted to undertake the visit specially after reports came in that Delhi Transport Commission was unwilling to vacate the Millennium bus depot that had been given to it specifically for the duration of the Commonwealth Games. ''The LG's office had made it very clear that the bus depot was to have been a temporary structure and was to have been vacated by DTC within a week or so after the Games got over. However, so far DTC has not made any effort to move out and are in fact claiming it to be one of their biggest depots,'' said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Sources also added that under scrutiny would be the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's living quarters that are coming up next to the Akshardham Metro station. ''A lot of work that was undertaken in the garb of Games-related projects came up without any clearances, specially from DUAC. The government needs to take a call on what it will allow on the riverbed and accordingly grant it a protected status,'' said an environmentalist.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Approach to a new national water policy (Hindu 29 October 2010)
In place of the current slogan of Integrated Water Resource Management, we should look at Responsible, Harmonious, Just
and Wise Use of Water.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources has undertaken a review and revision of the National Water Policy (NWP) 2002. The present article is intended as a contribution to that process. It will not offer a detailed critique of the Ministry's discussion paper, but will outline an approach for its consideration.
Need for radical overhaul
Ideally, a review at this stage should take climate change into account, but while we know that climate change may mean increased precipitation in some areas, increased drought in some others, and increased variability of precipitation, we do not yet know in detail precisely what will happen, when and where. Studies on these matters are still going on. A policy response will have to wait for some reasonably definitive findings on them.
However, an overhaul of the NWP is necessary even without reference to the issue of climate change. The reason for saying so is that there has been a gross mismanagement of water, as evidenced by the following selective list:
• intermittent, unreliable, unsafe and inequitable water supply in urban areas;
• rivers turned into sewers or poison, and aquifers contaminated;
• intractable water-related conflicts between uses, sectors, areas, States;
• major and medium irrigation systems in disarray, rendering poor and unreliable service, and characterised by inequities of various kinds;
• alarming depletion of aquifers in many parts of the country;
• inefficiency and waste in every kind of water-use;
• the environmental/ecological impacts of big water-resource projects, poor EIAs, the displacement of people by such projects and the general failure to resettle and rehabilitate project-affected persons; and so on.
The need for a radical reform of water policy is evident.
Not revision but new start
If so, the kind of transformation that is needed will not be achieved by incremental changes in the NWP 2002. If we start from NWP 2002, our thinking will quickly fall into well-worn grooves, and getting out of them will be difficult. It is necessary to put aside the NWP 2002, and start from scratch.
Reversals of past approaches
Such an exercise will involve many reversals of past approaches. For instance, reversing the usual approach of projecting a future demand and bringing about a supply-side response to meet that demand, we must start from the fact that the availability of fresh water in nature is finite, and learn to manage our water needs within that availability. This will mean a stringent restraint on the growth of ‘demand' for water (other than basic needs) which will be difficult and will involve painful adjustments; but the effort is inescapable.
A second reversal will have to be on the supply side. Primacy will have to shift from large, centralised, capital-intensive ‘water resource development' (WRD) projects with big dams and reservoirs and canal systems, to small, decentralised, local, community-led, water-harvesting and watershed-development programmes, with the big projects being regarded as projects of the last resort; and the exploitation of groundwater will have to be severely restrained in the interest of resource-conservation as well as equity.
A third reversal will have to be in relation to rivers, from massive interventions in flows and maximal abstraction of waters to letting the rivers flow and keeping interventions to the minimum. Instead of killing rivers and then trying to revive them, we must learn to keep rivers alive, flowing and healthy. A fourth reversal will have to be in the relative roles of the state and the community (from ‘eminent domain' or sovereign powers of the state to the state as trustee holding natural resources in public trust for the community). There may have to be other reversals. The intention is not to discuss these matters in detail but to indicate the kind of changes that will be needed.
Multiple perspectives
The changes cannot be piecemeal and fragmented. They need to be integral parts of a holistic vision. One difficulty in this regard is the multiplicity of perspectives on water that need to be taken into account. For instance, consider the following:
• the rights perspective, focussing on the fundamental or human right to water, traditional rights of access of communities (tribal or other) to rivers, lakes, forests, and other sources of sustenance and livelihoods, and so on;
• the social justice/ equity perspective, concerned with issues of inequity in urban and rural water and sanitation services, injustices to the poor and to the Scheduled Castes or Tribes, forced displacement by major projects and deficiencies or failures in resettlement /rehabilitation, inequities in access to irrigation water in the command areas of projects, etc;
• the women's perspective stressing the burden on women of fetching water from long distances as well as managing water in the home, with no voice in water-planning or water-management institutions;
• the community perspective urging the right relationship between state and civil society, the empowerment of people vis-à-vis the state (or the corporates), the community management of common pool resources, mobilisation of people for local water augmentation and management, social control of water use and sanctions against misuse, voice in water policy formulation and water management, etc;
• the state perspective, concerned with legislation, policy formulation, planning, administration, ‘governance' at all three levels, ensuring/enforcing rights, providing or facilitating or regulating water supply and sanitation services, preventing or resolving or adjudicating inter-state/inter-sector/inter-use/inter-area water disputes, prescribing and enforcing quality standards, managing water relations with other countries, ensuring compliance with international law, and so on;
• the engineering perspective (which needs no explanation);
• the water quality perspective concerned with the enforcement of water quality standards, and the prevention and control of pollution and contamination of water;
• the citizen/ water-user perspectives tending to assert requirements for various uses (drinking, domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, etc) quite strongly, but showing poor recognition of the obligations of economical and efficient use, avoidance of waste and conflict, conservation of the resource, and protection of the environment;
• the economic perspective that sees water as economic good subject to market forces, and argues for water markets, the full economic pricing of water, the privatisation of water services, private sector participation in water resource projects, etc;
• the ‘growth' perspective focussing on economic growth at a certain desired rate, and tending to be impatient with social, community, rights, equity, environmental or other perspectives;
• the business perspective, concerned with a supply response to demand, the objective being profits, professing ‘corporate social responsibility' but tending to subordinate it to the imperative of profits;
• the legal perspective, which is not really a separate perspective, as legal issues arise in all perspectives; but specifically concerned among other things with the constitutional division of legislative powers, Centre-State and inter-State relations on water, inter-State river-water disputes, riparian law, international water law, questions of ownership and/or control of water, etc. (all these being not merely legal but also socio-political questions); and
• the environmental/ecological perspective, concerned with the protection of the environmental/ecological system from the impacts of ‘developmental' activity, and the prescription/monitoring of remedial measures.
The foregoing enumeration of perspectives will immediately show that a multiplicity of disciplines is involved. The formulation of a national water policy must necessarily be an inter-disciplinary exercise.
Overarching perspective
If these perspectives are to be integrated and harmonised into a coherent whole, some will have to be regarded as the overarching, governing perspectives, and all others subsumed under them. In the author's view, the ecological and social justice perspectives will have to be the overarching perspectives, and all other perspectives subordinated to them. In particular, engineering and economics, which have so far been the dominant disciplines, must be firmly kept under check by ecology and by the idea of social justice.
Dharma perspective
Keeping in mind Gandhiji's firm conviction that rights flow from responsibilities, we can consider combining the ecological and social justice perspectives into a moral responsibility perspective or, in other words, an ethical or dharma perspective. Let us think in terms of our responsibility or dharma in relation to:
• the poor, deprived, disadvantaged, or disempowered;
• other humans sharing the resource with us, including those in our State or other States, our country or other countries, our generation or future generations;
• other species or forms of life;
• rivers, lakes, aquifers, forests, nature in general, Planet Earth itself.
That is the overarching perspective that this writer would like to propose. In place of the current slogan of Integrated Water Resource Management or IWRM about which he has strong reservations, he would like to offer the alternative formulation of Responsible, Harmonious, Just and Wise Use of Water.
Alas, RHJWUW is not a catchy term like IWRM. The latter term has come to stay, but it should really be understood to mean the former.
and Wise Use of Water.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources has undertaken a review and revision of the National Water Policy (NWP) 2002. The present article is intended as a contribution to that process. It will not offer a detailed critique of the Ministry's discussion paper, but will outline an approach for its consideration.
Need for radical overhaul
Ideally, a review at this stage should take climate change into account, but while we know that climate change may mean increased precipitation in some areas, increased drought in some others, and increased variability of precipitation, we do not yet know in detail precisely what will happen, when and where. Studies on these matters are still going on. A policy response will have to wait for some reasonably definitive findings on them.
However, an overhaul of the NWP is necessary even without reference to the issue of climate change. The reason for saying so is that there has been a gross mismanagement of water, as evidenced by the following selective list:
• intermittent, unreliable, unsafe and inequitable water supply in urban areas;
• rivers turned into sewers or poison, and aquifers contaminated;
• intractable water-related conflicts between uses, sectors, areas, States;
• major and medium irrigation systems in disarray, rendering poor and unreliable service, and characterised by inequities of various kinds;
• alarming depletion of aquifers in many parts of the country;
• inefficiency and waste in every kind of water-use;
• the environmental/ecological impacts of big water-resource projects, poor EIAs, the displacement of people by such projects and the general failure to resettle and rehabilitate project-affected persons; and so on.
The need for a radical reform of water policy is evident.
Not revision but new start
If so, the kind of transformation that is needed will not be achieved by incremental changes in the NWP 2002. If we start from NWP 2002, our thinking will quickly fall into well-worn grooves, and getting out of them will be difficult. It is necessary to put aside the NWP 2002, and start from scratch.
Reversals of past approaches
Such an exercise will involve many reversals of past approaches. For instance, reversing the usual approach of projecting a future demand and bringing about a supply-side response to meet that demand, we must start from the fact that the availability of fresh water in nature is finite, and learn to manage our water needs within that availability. This will mean a stringent restraint on the growth of ‘demand' for water (other than basic needs) which will be difficult and will involve painful adjustments; but the effort is inescapable.
A second reversal will have to be on the supply side. Primacy will have to shift from large, centralised, capital-intensive ‘water resource development' (WRD) projects with big dams and reservoirs and canal systems, to small, decentralised, local, community-led, water-harvesting and watershed-development programmes, with the big projects being regarded as projects of the last resort; and the exploitation of groundwater will have to be severely restrained in the interest of resource-conservation as well as equity.
A third reversal will have to be in relation to rivers, from massive interventions in flows and maximal abstraction of waters to letting the rivers flow and keeping interventions to the minimum. Instead of killing rivers and then trying to revive them, we must learn to keep rivers alive, flowing and healthy. A fourth reversal will have to be in the relative roles of the state and the community (from ‘eminent domain' or sovereign powers of the state to the state as trustee holding natural resources in public trust for the community). There may have to be other reversals. The intention is not to discuss these matters in detail but to indicate the kind of changes that will be needed.
Multiple perspectives
The changes cannot be piecemeal and fragmented. They need to be integral parts of a holistic vision. One difficulty in this regard is the multiplicity of perspectives on water that need to be taken into account. For instance, consider the following:
• the rights perspective, focussing on the fundamental or human right to water, traditional rights of access of communities (tribal or other) to rivers, lakes, forests, and other sources of sustenance and livelihoods, and so on;
• the social justice/ equity perspective, concerned with issues of inequity in urban and rural water and sanitation services, injustices to the poor and to the Scheduled Castes or Tribes, forced displacement by major projects and deficiencies or failures in resettlement /rehabilitation, inequities in access to irrigation water in the command areas of projects, etc;
• the women's perspective stressing the burden on women of fetching water from long distances as well as managing water in the home, with no voice in water-planning or water-management institutions;
• the community perspective urging the right relationship between state and civil society, the empowerment of people vis-à-vis the state (or the corporates), the community management of common pool resources, mobilisation of people for local water augmentation and management, social control of water use and sanctions against misuse, voice in water policy formulation and water management, etc;
• the state perspective, concerned with legislation, policy formulation, planning, administration, ‘governance' at all three levels, ensuring/enforcing rights, providing or facilitating or regulating water supply and sanitation services, preventing or resolving or adjudicating inter-state/inter-sector/inter-use/inter-area water disputes, prescribing and enforcing quality standards, managing water relations with other countries, ensuring compliance with international law, and so on;
• the engineering perspective (which needs no explanation);
• the water quality perspective concerned with the enforcement of water quality standards, and the prevention and control of pollution and contamination of water;
• the citizen/ water-user perspectives tending to assert requirements for various uses (drinking, domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, etc) quite strongly, but showing poor recognition of the obligations of economical and efficient use, avoidance of waste and conflict, conservation of the resource, and protection of the environment;
• the economic perspective that sees water as economic good subject to market forces, and argues for water markets, the full economic pricing of water, the privatisation of water services, private sector participation in water resource projects, etc;
• the ‘growth' perspective focussing on economic growth at a certain desired rate, and tending to be impatient with social, community, rights, equity, environmental or other perspectives;
• the business perspective, concerned with a supply response to demand, the objective being profits, professing ‘corporate social responsibility' but tending to subordinate it to the imperative of profits;
• the legal perspective, which is not really a separate perspective, as legal issues arise in all perspectives; but specifically concerned among other things with the constitutional division of legislative powers, Centre-State and inter-State relations on water, inter-State river-water disputes, riparian law, international water law, questions of ownership and/or control of water, etc. (all these being not merely legal but also socio-political questions); and
• the environmental/ecological perspective, concerned with the protection of the environmental/ecological system from the impacts of ‘developmental' activity, and the prescription/monitoring of remedial measures.
The foregoing enumeration of perspectives will immediately show that a multiplicity of disciplines is involved. The formulation of a national water policy must necessarily be an inter-disciplinary exercise.
Overarching perspective
If these perspectives are to be integrated and harmonised into a coherent whole, some will have to be regarded as the overarching, governing perspectives, and all others subsumed under them. In the author's view, the ecological and social justice perspectives will have to be the overarching perspectives, and all other perspectives subordinated to them. In particular, engineering and economics, which have so far been the dominant disciplines, must be firmly kept under check by ecology and by the idea of social justice.
Dharma perspective
Keeping in mind Gandhiji's firm conviction that rights flow from responsibilities, we can consider combining the ecological and social justice perspectives into a moral responsibility perspective or, in other words, an ethical or dharma perspective. Let us think in terms of our responsibility or dharma in relation to:
• the poor, deprived, disadvantaged, or disempowered;
• other humans sharing the resource with us, including those in our State or other States, our country or other countries, our generation or future generations;
• other species or forms of life;
• rivers, lakes, aquifers, forests, nature in general, Planet Earth itself.
That is the overarching perspective that this writer would like to propose. In place of the current slogan of Integrated Water Resource Management or IWRM about which he has strong reservations, he would like to offer the alternative formulation of Responsible, Harmonious, Just and Wise Use of Water.
Alas, RHJWUW is not a catchy term like IWRM. The latter term has come to stay, but it should really be understood to mean the former.
Sheila out to privatise Jal Board: BJP (Hindu 28 October 2010)
NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra on Wednesday charged Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit with attempting to privatise the Delhi Jal Board.
Expressing his opposition to the decision taken by the Jal Board at a meeting chaired by Ms. Dikshit on Tuesday to hand over meter reading and maintenance to Tata Consultancy Services, Prof. Malhotra said this was “merely the first step” in the process leading to privatisation.
The BJP leader said the Chief Minister was creating conditions similar to privatisation of the power sector in Delhi and alleged that this move had been on her agenda for a long time. He said the “effective opposition” to the proposal by the BJP had forced the Chief Minister to backtrack on “various occasions”.
Noting that a contract of Rs. 53 crore has been awarded to TCS for discharge of its duties, Prof. Malhotra warned that water bills could become higher following privatisation. “Already the people of Delhi are suffering on account of fast meters for power. Lately, water bills are also showing a five to ten fold increase,” he added.
Ms. Dikshit of turning “insensitive to popular feelings” on various issues ever since she was elected to the Chief Minister's post for the third time, he said.
Expressing his opposition to the decision taken by the Jal Board at a meeting chaired by Ms. Dikshit on Tuesday to hand over meter reading and maintenance to Tata Consultancy Services, Prof. Malhotra said this was “merely the first step” in the process leading to privatisation.
The BJP leader said the Chief Minister was creating conditions similar to privatisation of the power sector in Delhi and alleged that this move had been on her agenda for a long time. He said the “effective opposition” to the proposal by the BJP had forced the Chief Minister to backtrack on “various occasions”.
Noting that a contract of Rs. 53 crore has been awarded to TCS for discharge of its duties, Prof. Malhotra warned that water bills could become higher following privatisation. “Already the people of Delhi are suffering on account of fast meters for power. Lately, water bills are also showing a five to ten fold increase,” he added.
Ms. Dikshit of turning “insensitive to popular feelings” on various issues ever since she was elected to the Chief Minister's post for the third time, he said.
Drought brings Amazon tributary to lowest level (Hindu 28 October 2010)
Meteorologists and activists are divided on causes of the drought, with some pointing to climate change as a factor.
One of the most important tributaries of the Amazon river has fallen to its lowest level in over a century, following a fierce drought that has isolated tens of thousands of rainforest inhabitants and raised concerns about the possible impact of climate change on the region.
The drought currently affecting swaths of north and west Amazonia has been described as the one of the worst in the last 40 years, with the Rio Negro, which flows into the world-famous Rio Amazonas, reportedly hitting its lowest levels since records began in 1902 on October 24.
In 24 hours the level of the Rio Negro near Manaus in Brazil dropped 6cm to 13.63 metres, a historic low.
The Solimoes and Amazonas rivers have also seen their levels plunge since early August, stranding village dwellers who rely on the Amazon's waterways for transport and food and marooning wooden boats on brown sand banks.
According to local authorities nearly half of Amazonas state's 62 municipalities have declared states of emergency, among them Manaquiri, one of the worst hit areas during the last major drought in the region in 2005. That year thousands of families were forced to abandon their homes and schools closed for lack of students.
Authorities say around 62,000 families have been affected by this year's receding rivers and on October 22 the federal government announced $13.5m in aid for the region.
More intense near border
The problem has been particularly intense up river from state capital Manaus towards the border with Peru and Colombia. But the area around the city has also been badly hit. In Iranduba, 24km from Manaus, authorities are reportedly planning to hack a small road through the rainforest in order to reconnect their community with the outside world.
“In my whole life I have never seen a drought like this one,” 50-year-old river-dweller Manoel Alves Pereira told the local A Critica newspaper.
Colonel Leite, from Manaus' Regional Air Force Command, said two Hercules cargo planes had ferried around 830 tonnes of food aid to isolated regions near the Amazon towns of Tefe and Tabatinga.
“Medium and large boats have not been able to reach various places across the Amazon,” he said. “Our planes take the supplies to the airport and from there the transport has to be done in small boats or on foot — these are the only ways of reaching some communities.” Meteorologists and activists are divided on the drought's causes — some point to hurricanes in the Atlantic which may have sapped humidity from the Amazon while others blame forest fires for stifling rainfall or speculate that early effects of global warming may already be reshaping the region's climate patterns.
Rafael Cruz, a Greenpeace activist in Manaus who has been monitoring the drought, said while the rise and fall of the Amazon's rivers was a normal process, recent years had seen both extreme droughts and flooding become worryingly frequent.
Although it was too early to link the droughts to global warming directly, Cruz said such events were an alert about what could happen if action was not taken.
“The photographs we are seeing of boats stranded in dry riverbeds are photographs that show the face of climate change, that show the impact climate change could have on the 20 million people who live in the Amazon region.” “If this situation continues the state of Amazonas will live in a permanent state of emergency. The changes in people's lives would be horrific.”
One of the most important tributaries of the Amazon river has fallen to its lowest level in over a century, following a fierce drought that has isolated tens of thousands of rainforest inhabitants and raised concerns about the possible impact of climate change on the region.
The drought currently affecting swaths of north and west Amazonia has been described as the one of the worst in the last 40 years, with the Rio Negro, which flows into the world-famous Rio Amazonas, reportedly hitting its lowest levels since records began in 1902 on October 24.
In 24 hours the level of the Rio Negro near Manaus in Brazil dropped 6cm to 13.63 metres, a historic low.
The Solimoes and Amazonas rivers have also seen their levels plunge since early August, stranding village dwellers who rely on the Amazon's waterways for transport and food and marooning wooden boats on brown sand banks.
According to local authorities nearly half of Amazonas state's 62 municipalities have declared states of emergency, among them Manaquiri, one of the worst hit areas during the last major drought in the region in 2005. That year thousands of families were forced to abandon their homes and schools closed for lack of students.
Authorities say around 62,000 families have been affected by this year's receding rivers and on October 22 the federal government announced $13.5m in aid for the region.
More intense near border
The problem has been particularly intense up river from state capital Manaus towards the border with Peru and Colombia. But the area around the city has also been badly hit. In Iranduba, 24km from Manaus, authorities are reportedly planning to hack a small road through the rainforest in order to reconnect their community with the outside world.
“In my whole life I have never seen a drought like this one,” 50-year-old river-dweller Manoel Alves Pereira told the local A Critica newspaper.
Colonel Leite, from Manaus' Regional Air Force Command, said two Hercules cargo planes had ferried around 830 tonnes of food aid to isolated regions near the Amazon towns of Tefe and Tabatinga.
“Medium and large boats have not been able to reach various places across the Amazon,” he said. “Our planes take the supplies to the airport and from there the transport has to be done in small boats or on foot — these are the only ways of reaching some communities.” Meteorologists and activists are divided on the drought's causes — some point to hurricanes in the Atlantic which may have sapped humidity from the Amazon while others blame forest fires for stifling rainfall or speculate that early effects of global warming may already be reshaping the region's climate patterns.
Rafael Cruz, a Greenpeace activist in Manaus who has been monitoring the drought, said while the rise and fall of the Amazon's rivers was a normal process, recent years had seen both extreme droughts and flooding become worryingly frequent.
Although it was too early to link the droughts to global warming directly, Cruz said such events were an alert about what could happen if action was not taken.
“The photographs we are seeing of boats stranded in dry riverbeds are photographs that show the face of climate change, that show the impact climate change could have on the 20 million people who live in the Amazon region.” “If this situation continues the state of Amazonas will live in a permanent state of emergency. The changes in people's lives would be horrific.”
Sheila asked to make use of a full Yamuna (Hindu 27 October 2010)
NEW DELHI: Good monsoon this year has ensured that the Yamuna is finally full in the Delhi stretch after a gap of 30 years. Taking note of this, the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has written to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit “to make good use of this opportunity to restore the health of the river''.
Noting that action will be needed soon to ensure that “this opportunity is not lost”, the Minister listed the problems, efforts being made to tackle the situation and the approach to restore water on the stretch of the Yamuna passing through the Capital. In the letter, the Minister said he had forwarded a concept paper prepared by the National Ganga River Basin Authority on water augmentation in the Yamuna for the Delhi stretch.
In order to restore water in the river, he noted that the Government could look at construction of storage dams at the upstream to provide flow to the river and creation of ponds and recharging wells in the floodplains so that excess water could be stored during the monsoon and released during the lean season. Ponds may also be recharged with treated waste water wherever feasible, he noted. The Minister's note also looks at the negative aspects of the approach.
Speaking about water management in the Yamuna floodplains he noted: “The Yamuna floodplain in Delhi is the most promising area with regard to fresh surface water and ground water resource potential. Thus an insight into the groundwater resources, groundwater recharge potential and storage of surface water options in these floodplains is a necessity.”
He also noted that there is a need to store a portion of the water that Delhi's Yamuna gets through inter-State agreement, out of which monsoon run-off account for a large part, in artificially-created surface and sub-surface reservoirs for utilising during non-monsoon period.
Noting that action will be needed soon to ensure that “this opportunity is not lost”, the Minister listed the problems, efforts being made to tackle the situation and the approach to restore water on the stretch of the Yamuna passing through the Capital. In the letter, the Minister said he had forwarded a concept paper prepared by the National Ganga River Basin Authority on water augmentation in the Yamuna for the Delhi stretch.
In order to restore water in the river, he noted that the Government could look at construction of storage dams at the upstream to provide flow to the river and creation of ponds and recharging wells in the floodplains so that excess water could be stored during the monsoon and released during the lean season. Ponds may also be recharged with treated waste water wherever feasible, he noted. The Minister's note also looks at the negative aspects of the approach.
Speaking about water management in the Yamuna floodplains he noted: “The Yamuna floodplain in Delhi is the most promising area with regard to fresh surface water and ground water resource potential. Thus an insight into the groundwater resources, groundwater recharge potential and storage of surface water options in these floodplains is a necessity.”
He also noted that there is a need to store a portion of the water that Delhi's Yamuna gets through inter-State agreement, out of which monsoon run-off account for a large part, in artificially-created surface and sub-surface reservoirs for utilising during non-monsoon period.
To plug water revenue leaks, Delhi dials TCS (Indian Express 27 October 2010)
Jal Board clears Rs 53-cr IT project for five years, digitised bills from next year
The Delhi Jal Board on Tuesday got the approval to go ahead with a Rs 53-crore Information Technology project outsourcing revenue management to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). If all goes according to plan, water meters across the city would get a hi-tech makeover by next year, with manual billing being replaced by digitised metering, billing and bill collection.
TCS won the tender which had other high-profile bidders like Infosys and Wipro. Senior officials said 50 per cent of the entire cost of the project would be paid to TCS in the first nine months. “The total cost of Rs 53 crore includes Rs 21 crore capital cost and Rs 32 crore cost for operations and management,” DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said.
Jal Board officials say outsourcing revenue management would help them check revenue losses, which are huge due to the difficulties in monitoring 90 zonal offices across the city. Now, on behalf of the water utility, TCS would develop a comprehensive hardware and software solution.
The revamped model proposes to be an integrated system that would provide advanced features like on-the-spot bill generation and payment, GIS mapping of water connections to cap non-revenue water and thefts, SMS alerts and automated generation of notices for late payments or defaulters.
For metering, the project will have separate modules for water and sewerage connections and meter status. While the entire data would be digitised, the water utility would also make use of the GIS map prepared by the Delhi government and Survey of India to properly analyse revenue flow and track consumers missing from the DJB’s records. The state-of-the-art equipment will also allow consumers to pay their bills at the Delhi government’s Jeevan centres.
According to officials, TCS would implement the system — develop the complete software and hardware application for DJB, develop a data centre, and a data recovery centre for a total back-up — in nine months. The company will continue to work on the project for five years.
Apart from other approvals, at its 100th Board meeting, the DJB also got a green signal for deployment of an Intelligent Transport System for water tankers in the city. Worked out at the cost of Rs 62 crore, the project proposes to monitor system operations, ensure compliance to schedules and service quality, minimise revenue leakages, optimise costs, enhance safety and generate valuable traffic information for fine-tuning mobility plans for tankers.
The Delhi Jal Board on Tuesday got the approval to go ahead with a Rs 53-crore Information Technology project outsourcing revenue management to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). If all goes according to plan, water meters across the city would get a hi-tech makeover by next year, with manual billing being replaced by digitised metering, billing and bill collection.
TCS won the tender which had other high-profile bidders like Infosys and Wipro. Senior officials said 50 per cent of the entire cost of the project would be paid to TCS in the first nine months. “The total cost of Rs 53 crore includes Rs 21 crore capital cost and Rs 32 crore cost for operations and management,” DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said.
Jal Board officials say outsourcing revenue management would help them check revenue losses, which are huge due to the difficulties in monitoring 90 zonal offices across the city. Now, on behalf of the water utility, TCS would develop a comprehensive hardware and software solution.
The revamped model proposes to be an integrated system that would provide advanced features like on-the-spot bill generation and payment, GIS mapping of water connections to cap non-revenue water and thefts, SMS alerts and automated generation of notices for late payments or defaulters.
For metering, the project will have separate modules for water and sewerage connections and meter status. While the entire data would be digitised, the water utility would also make use of the GIS map prepared by the Delhi government and Survey of India to properly analyse revenue flow and track consumers missing from the DJB’s records. The state-of-the-art equipment will also allow consumers to pay their bills at the Delhi government’s Jeevan centres.
According to officials, TCS would implement the system — develop the complete software and hardware application for DJB, develop a data centre, and a data recovery centre for a total back-up — in nine months. The company will continue to work on the project for five years.
Apart from other approvals, at its 100th Board meeting, the DJB also got a green signal for deployment of an Intelligent Transport System for water tankers in the city. Worked out at the cost of Rs 62 crore, the project proposes to monitor system operations, ensure compliance to schedules and service quality, minimise revenue leakages, optimise costs, enhance safety and generate valuable traffic information for fine-tuning mobility plans for tankers.
To plug water revenue leaks, Delhi dials TCS (Indian Express 27 October 2010)
Jal Board clears Rs 53-cr IT project for five years, digitised bills from next year
The Delhi Jal Board on Tuesday got the approval to go ahead with a Rs 53-crore Information Technology project outsourcing revenue management to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). If all goes according to plan, water meters across the city would get a hi-tech makeover by next year, with manual billing being replaced by digitised metering, billing and bill collection.
TCS won the tender which had other high-profile bidders like Infosys and Wipro. Senior officials said 50 per cent of the entire cost of the project would be paid to TCS in the first nine months. “The total cost of Rs 53 crore includes Rs 21 crore capital cost and Rs 32 crore cost for operations and management,” DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said.
Jal Board officials say outsourcing revenue management would help them check revenue losses, which are huge due to the difficulties in monitoring 90 zonal offices across the city. Now, on behalf of the water utility, TCS would develop a comprehensive hardware and software solution.
The revamped model proposes to be an integrated system that would provide advanced features like on-the-spot bill generation and payment, GIS mapping of water connections to cap non-revenue water and thefts, SMS alerts and automated generation of notices for late payments or defaulters.
For metering, the project will have separate modules for water and sewerage connections and meter status. While the entire data would be digitised, the water utility would also make use of the GIS map prepared by the Delhi government and Survey of India to properly analyse revenue flow and track consumers missing from the DJB’s records. The state-of-the-art equipment will also allow consumers to pay their bills at the Delhi government’s Jeevan centres.
According to officials, TCS would implement the system — develop the complete software and hardware application for DJB, develop a data centre, and a data recovery centre for a total back-up — in nine months. The company will continue to work on the project for five years.
Apart from other approvals, at its 100th Board meeting, the DJB also got a green signal for deployment of an Intelligent Transport System for water tankers in the city. Worked out at the cost of Rs 62 crore, the project proposes to monitor system operations, ensure compliance to schedules and service quality, minimise revenue leakages, optimise costs, enhance safety and generate valuable traffic information for fine-tuning mobility plans for tankers.
The Delhi Jal Board on Tuesday got the approval to go ahead with a Rs 53-crore Information Technology project outsourcing revenue management to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). If all goes according to plan, water meters across the city would get a hi-tech makeover by next year, with manual billing being replaced by digitised metering, billing and bill collection.
TCS won the tender which had other high-profile bidders like Infosys and Wipro. Senior officials said 50 per cent of the entire cost of the project would be paid to TCS in the first nine months. “The total cost of Rs 53 crore includes Rs 21 crore capital cost and Rs 32 crore cost for operations and management,” DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said.
Jal Board officials say outsourcing revenue management would help them check revenue losses, which are huge due to the difficulties in monitoring 90 zonal offices across the city. Now, on behalf of the water utility, TCS would develop a comprehensive hardware and software solution.
The revamped model proposes to be an integrated system that would provide advanced features like on-the-spot bill generation and payment, GIS mapping of water connections to cap non-revenue water and thefts, SMS alerts and automated generation of notices for late payments or defaulters.
For metering, the project will have separate modules for water and sewerage connections and meter status. While the entire data would be digitised, the water utility would also make use of the GIS map prepared by the Delhi government and Survey of India to properly analyse revenue flow and track consumers missing from the DJB’s records. The state-of-the-art equipment will also allow consumers to pay their bills at the Delhi government’s Jeevan centres.
According to officials, TCS would implement the system — develop the complete software and hardware application for DJB, develop a data centre, and a data recovery centre for a total back-up — in nine months. The company will continue to work on the project for five years.
Apart from other approvals, at its 100th Board meeting, the DJB also got a green signal for deployment of an Intelligent Transport System for water tankers in the city. Worked out at the cost of Rs 62 crore, the project proposes to monitor system operations, ensure compliance to schedules and service quality, minimise revenue leakages, optimise costs, enhance safety and generate valuable traffic information for fine-tuning mobility plans for tankers.
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