Release more water for Delhi, Haryana told (Hindu 24 October 2012)

Letter from Union Ministry, Upper Yamuna River Board

The Union Water Resources Ministry and the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) have asked Haryana to ensure it releases adequate quantity of water to meet Delhi’s needs while the Ganga Canal is closed for annual cleaning and maintenance work.

The Uttar Pradesh administration has closed the Ganga Canal from October 22 midnight for three weeks to carry out cleaning and maintenance work. During this phase, Haryana has instructions to supply water to Delhi to make for the shortfall.

In a letter to the Haryana Irrigation Department, the Ministry and the UYRB have asked the State to adhere to the 2006 standing order of the Upper Yamuna Review Committee, which makes it mandatory for Haryana to release more water to Delhi during the time the Ganga Canal is closed for maintenance.

Delhi gets 140 MGD for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant and 100 MGD for the Bagirathi Water Treatment Plant from Uttar Pradesh through the Ganga Canal.

·  This is for the period when Ganga Canal is closed for maintenance

·  It is mandatory for Haryana to release more water during this time

Looking forward to a better ride and life (Hindu 22 October 2012)

The Hindu St. Stephen's College students with the modified rickshaw at their college premises in the Capital.

New Delhi: At first look it appears like any other cycle-rickshaw. Until you allow the back-rest for the seat to fall over, like the back seat of your Maruti 800 or Alto car, and it takes the form of a six-feet-long bed. With this simple innovation, along with many other thoughtfully improvised solutions such as a mosquito net and a solar panel that fuels a reading light and an electric fan, a mobile charging port and an FM radio, the lives of rickshaw-pullers look set for a qualitative improvement, if this prototype of the cycle-rickshaw of the future catches on.

The project began with the recognition that 30 per cent of the homeless in Delhi are rickshaw-pullers, and worse still, many of them slept in their rickshaws due to lack of means to rent accommodation or access to night shelters, besides the fear of theft or confiscation of their vehicles. “The human way of sleeping is with your body stretched out. But the limitations of money and space handicap these rickshaw pullers. I have seen rickshaw pullers cradle into impossible and dangerous and physically harmful postures to be able to sleep in the existing cycle rickshaws,” says Dr. Amod Kumar of the Mother NGO, the nodal agency for homeless persons in the Capital.

With financial assistance from Mi-India, and designs done by Deshardt Solutions, this prototype also boasts of a folding sun shade, a sleeping bag, locker for storage under the seat, USB player, head lamp and tail lights, double ball-bearings in the wheels, and a pouch for keeping a water bottle.

The project also comes with the promise of turning over the ownership of the rickshaw to the puller after completing the payment of EMIs, through a microfinance model.

Their inclusion into financial services is another highlight of the project through Aadhaar registration, opening of bank account and PPF account, and health insurance subscription. The Mother NGO has helped over 3,000 homeless persons getting Aadhaar cards in Delhi till date.

The rickshaw costs nearly Rs.16,000; this is Rs.7,000 more than the conventional ones. Dr. Kumar says that Shikhar, an NGO, will roll out 100 of these new cycle-rickshaws shortly, and also handle the financing aspect. The EMI will be Rs.1,500 per month or Rs.50 per day. The collection mechanism is yet to be worked out. The Indian Overseas Bank has also shown interest in financing the scheme.

Dr. Kumar is clear that the project should not degrade into the current ‘thekedari’ model where a contractor typically owns 50-100 rickshaws and leases it out to the pullers in eight-hour shifts. “We want the puller to be the owner. We are not too worried about the puller defaulting or selling it off before the loan is repaid or pawning the parts or of theft happening. Such risks are there in every trade and will be only a negligible percentage.”

Meanwhile, designer Ankur Rawal of Deshardt Solutions is looking at solutions to further improve the rickshaw. “It weighs 15 kg more than the normal ones. Some ergonomic adjustments can still be made. We are also looking at lighter options besides iron for the frame.”

The project has also been propelled forward by the enthusiastic assistance of faculty and students of the Physics and History department of the St. Stephen’s College. While the physics students have worked on wiring and giving finishing touches to the prototype, the history students have done a detailed socio-economic survey of rickshaw-pullers.

What Dr. Kumar is more worried about is the support of the State. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has consented to unveil the prototype officially on Tuesday (October 23). The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has promised to grant licences without delays.

However, the problem of parking at night and threat of confiscation and persecution by the MCD and police officers still looms large. St. Stephen’s students say that ideally cycle-rickshaws should be allowed to stand at the DMRC and MCD parking lots, which are empty at night, on a payment basis.

Even as the ongoing review of the DDA Master Plan – 2021 is recognising the valuable contribution of cycle-rickshaws in providing a cheap, non-polluting feeder service to mass transit hubs, this modified model promises a better life to these hardy, hard-working men on our streets.

Munak canal will address water woes in Dwarka, says Sheila (Hindu 22 October 2012)

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday said water problems of the residents of Dwarka and nearby colonies would be resolved with the commissioning of the Munak canal on which the Delhi Government has made a lot of investment.

Speaking at the inauguration of a bridge across the across Najafgarh drain at Ambarahi village in Dwarka, Ms. Dikshit acknowledged that there was an acute water shortage in Dwarka and declared that her government would exhort Haryana Government to render constructive help in commissioning the Munak canal. “Immediately on commissioning of this canal, Dwarka's water problems would get resolved,” she said, adding that while certain people were creating obstacles in this matter, efforts were being made to overcome these.

Ms. Dikshit said the new 119-metre long and 11-metre wide bridge constructed at a cost of Rs. 5 crore would connect a number of colonies near Ambarahi to other developed parts in Dwarka. She said four more such bridges are being constructed in the area to improve its connectivity.

Ms. Dikshit said the Delhi Government would soon also launch a bus service from the area to aid those residents who travel around five kilometres to catch a bus.

The event was also attended by Health Minister A. K. Walia, PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Urban Development Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely and West Delhi MP Mahabal Mishra apart from several legislators.

The Chief Minister also spoke about how the recent move to regularise some colonies after a three decade gap was aimed at providing relief to around 40 lakh residents of unauthorised colonies.

Dr. Walia said Rs. 350 crore has been sanctioned for developmental plans under Matiala Assembly segment, while Mr. Chauhan spoke about how the Government plans to spend Rs. 1,800 crore on strengthening more than 600 roads transferred to it from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

New policy makes case for meters, water audit (Hindustan Times 19 October 2012)

Measuring water demand through meters, metering ground water usage, water audit for ascertaining and changing usage pattern and increasing distribution efficiency to bring down leakages are some of the highlights of the ‘Water Policy for Delhi’ in the making. Focusing on “learning to live with water we already have”, the draft document for ‘Water Policy for Delhi’ is being worked out by the natural heritage division of Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

INTACH and DJB held a consultative workshop, third such meeting, two days ago wherein views of experts, NGOs and other stakeholders were sought with a felt need to ensure Delhi’s water security in future.

Welcoming suggestions to bring down losses and control water demand, Nitya Jacob, director (Water), Centre for Science and Environment, said, “There is a broad recognition that Delhi cannot sponge off its neighbours and therefore must learn to live within its means.” Pointing out a “good thing” that there is less input from the government and more from the civil society, Jyoti Sharma of NGO Force said, “The document mentions increasing efficiency in water distribution, but there is no overt mention of how it should be done.”
Manu Bhatnagar of INTACH said, “There are various issues that we are seeking to address. For instance, we are looking at aquifer management policy. Groundwater is our only internal source. We need to regulate that.”
Dunu Roy of Hazard Centre said, “The way the DJB is outsourcing and privatising its services and operations, will there be a DJB in 2030? Will the private players abide by this?”
To this Debashree Mukherjee, DJB CEO, said, “Policy document is never legally binding but we can evolve a legal framework. (But) Private operators or any one employed by the Jal Board would be bound by the policy we adopt.”

Rowing against the tide (Hindu 19 October 2012)

The Hindu Education eludes most young mallahs, who follow the hereditary occupation. Photos: Omar Rashid

The mallahs on Yamuna’s banks in Allahabad passionately clutch on to their profession though the returns are hardly enough to make ends meet

Survival for the mallahs has for ages revolved around boating and fishing. They are mostly found rowing commuters, tourists and merchandise across rivers in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal.

The rush of pilgrims to the Sangam in Allahabad ensures regular business. Yet, with growing competition and changing life trends, their flow of income has become as unsteady as the waters they paddle past. Moreover, they must find ways to get behind the boating restrictions on the Ganga, where most pilgrims prefer to go, and interference from unions in determining their wages and number of passengers per ride. “Sometimes it is Rs. 250 per day; on good days, it goes up to Rs. 500. But the union takes away most of it. I get only Rs. 60-70 per trip. They have written on our boats the maximum number of passengers that can ride on it. Earlier we could take as many as we wanted,” says Ram Mallah.

To keep their kitchen fire alight, the mallahs have taken to sand mining, rampant on the banks of the Yamuna. This ensures an improved daily wage of Rs. 300-700. Yet, they seem unaware of or plainly overlook the malicious circle of illegal sand mining, which goes unabated in the region. They simply follow instructions.

“We just do what we are told. We don't ask where the sand is going, what the purpose is. How do we care? All we know is that big thekedaars are involved and we get paid,” explains another mallah.

When the rivers recede during summer, they expose extensive sandbars on their banks. This gives the mallahs a chance to do some farming of their own. They plant some of the finest local watermelons, cantaloupes and cucumbers, but unreliable rain wipes out most of it.

Nonetheless, the mallah culture demands that one stays active all the time. “We are brought up like this, we don't want to stay stagnant, and we always want to move, work. We run after vehicles, just to get hold of customers,” says Vikash Nishad.

The mallahs have been a historically depressed caste and fall under the Scheduled Castes category in Delhi and West Bengal, while in Uttar Pradesh they are under the Most Backward Castes category. These benefits have enabled them to hold a few jobs in government offices, but they are restricted to low rank posts.

They have also had to bear the ignominy of being included in the Criminal Tribes Act 1924, which criminalised entire tribes by birth. Even after Independence, they have been branded as anti-social and ‘criminal minded’, with the dacoits of Chambal valley generating folklore and movie scripts aplenty. Need we mention Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi, another mallah?

Today, too, the mallah existence is rife with poverty, alcoholism and pigeonhole depiction. “Even if we do other work, like open a shop or do service, we are seen as boatmen. That’s how we are known. The other castes do not look beyond that,” Vijay says.

And as a measure to avenge that historical injustice, some mallahs like Vijay do not miss any occasion to remind others whose domain the waters are.

“This is what we do. We can’t do anything else. How can we allow others to do our work? Even if they are capable, we won’t let them enter our waters, when we aren’t allowed to enter their fields.”

Traditionally, the mallah women stay at home, but some can be found selling knick-knacks on the ghats.

Makhan Mallah, now 18, started out at six — not so young by mallah standards. They strictly follow hereditary occupation and begin early to “master the right techniques”. And like most mallahs here, education has eluded Makhan. But he has no regrets.

“I know my name, and that’s enough. What will we do with education? We do what our fathers have always done.”

If you get past the hassles of bargaining and agree to take a ride on their boat, the mallah, be it young or old, is likely to treat you to the story of their ancestor Balram, who ferried Lord Rama and Sita across the Ganga in Banaras. According to the legend, Balram was given a horse as token of gratitude, after which he placed the bridle on the horse’s tail instead of its head. From this arose the custom of having a rudder at the stern and not the bow of a boat.

The mallah keep many other legends, including one version about the origin of the river Saraswati at the Sangam, whom they believe emerged to pacify her warring sisters Ganga and Yamuna.

The mallahs are also proud of their life-saving ability. If anyone is drowning, the mallahs will surely save them, goes the adage here. “Nobody else dares go deep, only the mallahs. The waters are ours,” says 35-year-old Vijay.

However, he has different plans for his four children. He hopes to educate them. But what if they dropout or fail to land jobs? He steals a glance of the Yamuna on his right and smiles.