Trip Report
Visited : Momnathan village in Tilwara GRID
Date: 3 August 2009
Project: River Health Index
Members:
Manoj Misra
Pushp Jain
Bhim
Sudha Mohan
Minutes
The village was visited in the afternoon as per the advice of the contact person, as the villagers were busy with agricultural activities in their fields during the forenoon.
As soon as we reached a number of villagers gathered as our visit had been informed in advance. We broke in two groups with one visiting the nearby river Hindon and the other initiating the dialogue with the villagers. The quality of the hand pump water as also the water from river Hindon (major tributary of river Yamuna) was also tested with the kit provided by the CPCB.
Observations:
- It is one of the oldest villages in the area. It was reported that Mughal time utensils were unearthed during a nearby recent excavations.
- Hindon meanders close to it.
- The village lies within the right bank embankment created recently by the authorities
- A temple boundary lies close to the river across the river from the village
- A nalla joins the river and widens the river channel close to the river
- There are about 80 – 85 households in the village
- There are on an average 10 members per HHs (very high population?)
- Jatav, Valmiki and Jats constitute the three main caste composition in the village
- The entire village subsists on agriculture
- Adult literacy is low
- It was reported that in recent past the river Hindon has changed its course thrice, once when it flowed even left of the village, as compared to its present flow which is to its (village right)
- It was reported that the water in river Hindon was of bathing quality if not exactly potable till the early 1990s
- Tractors are to be seen in almost every HHs
- The young generation does not even know how to plough using a bullock or a buffaloe
- There are no functional dug wells remaining in the village
- It was reported that the water quality of low depth hand pumps is extremely poor
- Bore wells could be seen pumping out water at almost every agricultural field
- The village is electrified, has a cement road running through it and now a black topped road over the RME originating from the Greater NOIDA expressway
- Many houses in the village are made of cement and brick, though thatch roof huts are also present
- It was reported that there is little love lost with the river Hindon. As its water quality is very poor, and it often floods (During floods in 2008 it flooded right upto the village from back flow in river Yamuna). Little prodding resulted in the villagers agreeing that their bore wells have abundant water just because of the river.
- A poorly laid and incomplete side drain (along the cement road) was cited as one of the greatest curse to visit the village as it has resulted in stagnant waste water, resulting in it becoming as a breeding ground for the mosquitoes. (last year one person in the village suffered from Dangue too). There was no response when they were asked, as to why they donot get the drain repaired on their own?
- The women folk in the village appeared a suppressed lot (observing pudah), but willing to come out and lead.
- The villagers agreed to form a Sangathan of some sorts.
- It was reported that although the quantity of food grains has increased as a result of mechanisation and massive doses of chemical inputs, but the quality has gone down drastically. (One estimate put it at less than 25% of its earlier quality)
- Despite visible signs of prosperity in the village, it was reported that for lack of educational opportunities in the village (There is only one primary school in the village) there was hardly any adult from the village earning a salary and agricultural earning is not enough since the average size of the HH is so large !!
- Villagers liked the CD that we carried and provided to them with songs composed and sung by Sri Kishori and others.
- One social and economic need of the village is a bridge (or even a causeway) across the river Hindon so that they can easily connect with the facilities like hospital, markets etc.
List of villagers present during the discussion:
S.No.
Name
Male/Female
Contact No.
1.
Ramdass
Male
2.
Dharamvir
Male
3.
Neem Singh
Male
4.
Hukam Singh
Male
5.
Mukesh
Male
6.
Ravi
Male
9.
Bijender
Male
10.
Jitendra
Male
11.
Saroj Bala
Female
09310479190
12.
Rakhi
Female
13.
Shantha
Female
14.
Mukesh
Female
15.
Uman
Female
16.
Simla
Female
17.
Rakesh
Female
18.
Krupali
Female
The Result from water test is given below in table.
Test
Hand Pump (Village)
Hindon
Permissible Standard*
Color
Transparent
Straw Yellow
Taste
Slightly Salty
NT
Odour
Normal
Unpleasant
Suspended Solids
Nil
High residue
pH
Between 7-8
NT
7
Residual Chlorine
Nil
NT
NK
Total Iron
0.5 mg/l
1.5 mg/l
0.3 to 1.0 mg/l
Fluoride
0.5 mg/l
1.0 mg/l
1.0 mg/l
Amonia
NT
More than 3.0 mg/l
Toxic for marine life
Phosphate
NT
0.6 mg/l
NK
NT : - Not Tested * CPCB
NK: - Not Known
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Minutes of meeting held on 7 and 8 March 09 at New Delhi and Agra
Draft Minutes of the Meeting/s held on 7 and 8 March 2009
(River Health Index)
Place: PEACE Institute Charitable Trust,
178-F, Pocket -4, Mayur Vihar – I
Delhi – 110 091.
Date and Time: 7 March 2009 (11.00 a.m – 1.00 p.m)
Core planning team members:
Giridhar A. Kinhal
Manoj Misra
Bhim S Rawat
Sudha Mohan
BMS Rathore and Pushp Jain, the other two Core Planning Team members regretted their absence.
Objectives:
Review progress.
Develop the methodology further.
REPORT:
MM welcomed the members present.
On the progress front it was reported that literature review on the question of river health is underway. In addition requests have gone out through a formal communication to several relevant government and non government agencies for help and collaboration in the proposed study. Positive response has already been received from the People’s Science Institute at Dehradun; ICFRE, Dehradun; Office of PCCF, Himachal Pradesh and the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi.
On the question of an appropriate methodology, a good discussion amongst the participants resulted in following consensus:
a) Four field level partner organizations are under identification at Dehradun, Agra, Etawah and Allahabad and are to be contracted for leading the field work. The basis of the identification of the said partner organizations is as under:
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF FLO
- The agency should preferably be a registered NGO / body (Society / Trust)
- The agency should have proven record of activities relating to protection, cleaning, revival of rivers (preferably of river Yamuna) or related to any of the natural resources
- The agency should have proven record of good social networking skills
- The agency should be in a position to spare the services of a point person who should work in a dedicated fashion for the identification and promotion of the activities of site level Task Teams
b) One location after an average of around 100 km down the river shall be selected for focused field assessment in a participatory manner to facilitate local action. Suggested tentative sites are as under:
· Yamunotri – Hathnikund Section :
Yamunotri
Barkot
Hathnikund
· Hathnikund – Delhi Section:
Kalanaur
Chaprauli
DELHI
· Delhi – Ettawah Section:
Chaensa
Shergarh
Farah
Batesar
· Ettawah – Allahbad Section
Jagmmanpur
Kalpi
Marka
Allahabad
At each of these sites the FLO would facilitate the development of Task Teams (consisting of knowledgeable and interested local persons) that shall be investigating the status of the river within a presumed concentric circular grid with centripetal depiction of the impacting elements and centrifugal array of effects on the ecosystem elements including humans as under:
- Activities, agencies, industries etc that impact the river positively or negatively in form of either being a source of water or of pollution or encroachment etc
- The zone of influence in which the river in its compromised state is affecting adversely the health and wellness of the dependent people and other ecosystem elements.
Impact on the river
Positive
Negative
Better Catchment management
Better Tributaries management
Maintenance of river flow
Maintenance of Flood Plains
Functioning STPs
Any other
Poor drainage systems
Ill planned Drains
Encroachment / ‘Development’ / Agriculture (pesticides, inorganic manure)
Industries / Effluent
Degradation of local water bodies
Pollution (solid waste)
Ground water extraction
Barrage / Dam / Bridge
Any other
1
2
1111 Impacting elements Fig 1 2. Affected areas
Fig 1 Pictorial depiction of Impacts and Effects of River use
Effects of the compromised river on
Health (Humans and animals)
Religion
Culture
Traditions
Biota
Economic
Water bodies
Ground water
River structure
Having decided on the structural design of the study site a detailed discussion was held on the social grounding of the study methodology with clear mandate of sharpening and equipping the local communities with potential to take up regular assessment of river health and impact on human health, monitoring of changes and evolving processes/methods to combat or regulate the detrimental causative factors.
HOW ?
The identified Task Team facilitated by the FLO would be expected to reach out to local stakeholders like Farmer; Fishermen; Boatmen; Household; Priest / Temple; Teachers;
Businessmen; Others (Tourists, doctors, sarpanch) etc to develop a close association and understanding about the task at hand and to elicit local understanding about / causes of the manner in which the health of the river and in turn the health of the dependent people (ecosystem) as well as of the flora and fauna in the river has been affected adversely over time.
All these interactions shall be aimed at developing a popular consensus on local actions that the people in the targeted grid can / shall initiate for the revival of the river.
In each grid a MICRO ACTION PLAN shall be developed to facilitate a systematic scientifically oriented community based action.
It was also felt that to develop and implement the field methodology, facilitative props / tools will be needed. Some such props are
PROPS
· Informative posters regarding the project shall be developed for use during outreach as well as training of the members of FLO and the Task Team Members.
· A guidelines document for the preparation of the MICRO ACTION PLAN shall be developed.
· A handy and easy to use water testing kit shall be used for ready assessment of water quality at various places within the grid and the river. (This shall be used both as data gathering as well as an outreach tool)
Field Visit:
It was decided that on the next day 8 March 2009, GAK and MM shall visit Agra to interact with a potential Field Level Organisation (FLO) members who on the lines of the ongoing movement for the revival of river Yamuna in Delhi have been spearheading a Yamuna Campaign in Agra for more than 200 days.
Accordingly a one day visit was made and interactions were held with the following persons who are members of “Guru Vashishth Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samiti” (a regd community service organisation), that has been spearheading the Yamuna Campaign in Agra:
Sri Ashwini Kumar; Sri Mohan; Sri Ravi; Sri Raman; Sri Kamal Jit Singh and Sri Rajeev Saxena.
It was encouraging to find not only an obvious interest for the activity as proposed among the Samiti members but also good knowledge with them about the river and of the people in and around Agra. While Sri Ashwini Kumar is the key moving force behind the group, Sri Mohan has a number of innovative ideas regarding improved sanitation measures in human dwellings both in urban and in the rural settings, Sri Saxena is a storehouse of immense knowledge on the river and the drainage systems of past and present in the region.
Interaction in Agra with members of Guru Vashishth Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samiti
NEXT STEPS
a) Hiring of Field level Organisations as partner agencies
b) Preparation of posters and other training tools
c) Preparation of a guidelines document for MICRO ACTION PLANNING
d) Establishment of firm working relationship with other like minded government and non government agencies.
(River Health Index)
Place: PEACE Institute Charitable Trust,
178-F, Pocket -4, Mayur Vihar – I
Delhi – 110 091.
Date and Time: 7 March 2009 (11.00 a.m – 1.00 p.m)
Core planning team members:
Giridhar A. Kinhal
Manoj Misra
Bhim S Rawat
Sudha Mohan
BMS Rathore and Pushp Jain, the other two Core Planning Team members regretted their absence.
Objectives:
Review progress.
Develop the methodology further.
REPORT:
MM welcomed the members present.
On the progress front it was reported that literature review on the question of river health is underway. In addition requests have gone out through a formal communication to several relevant government and non government agencies for help and collaboration in the proposed study. Positive response has already been received from the People’s Science Institute at Dehradun; ICFRE, Dehradun; Office of PCCF, Himachal Pradesh and the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi.
On the question of an appropriate methodology, a good discussion amongst the participants resulted in following consensus:
a) Four field level partner organizations are under identification at Dehradun, Agra, Etawah and Allahabad and are to be contracted for leading the field work. The basis of the identification of the said partner organizations is as under:
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF FLO
- The agency should preferably be a registered NGO / body (Society / Trust)
- The agency should have proven record of activities relating to protection, cleaning, revival of rivers (preferably of river Yamuna) or related to any of the natural resources
- The agency should have proven record of good social networking skills
- The agency should be in a position to spare the services of a point person who should work in a dedicated fashion for the identification and promotion of the activities of site level Task Teams
b) One location after an average of around 100 km down the river shall be selected for focused field assessment in a participatory manner to facilitate local action. Suggested tentative sites are as under:
· Yamunotri – Hathnikund Section :
Yamunotri
Barkot
Hathnikund
· Hathnikund – Delhi Section:
Kalanaur
Chaprauli
DELHI
· Delhi – Ettawah Section:
Chaensa
Shergarh
Farah
Batesar
· Ettawah – Allahbad Section
Jagmmanpur
Kalpi
Marka
Allahabad
At each of these sites the FLO would facilitate the development of Task Teams (consisting of knowledgeable and interested local persons) that shall be investigating the status of the river within a presumed concentric circular grid with centripetal depiction of the impacting elements and centrifugal array of effects on the ecosystem elements including humans as under:
- Activities, agencies, industries etc that impact the river positively or negatively in form of either being a source of water or of pollution or encroachment etc
- The zone of influence in which the river in its compromised state is affecting adversely the health and wellness of the dependent people and other ecosystem elements.
Impact on the river
Positive
Negative
Better Catchment management
Better Tributaries management
Maintenance of river flow
Maintenance of Flood Plains
Functioning STPs
Any other
Poor drainage systems
Ill planned Drains
Encroachment / ‘Development’ / Agriculture (pesticides, inorganic manure)
Industries / Effluent
Degradation of local water bodies
Pollution (solid waste)
Ground water extraction
Barrage / Dam / Bridge
Any other
1
2
1111 Impacting elements Fig 1 2. Affected areas
Fig 1 Pictorial depiction of Impacts and Effects of River use
Effects of the compromised river on
Health (Humans and animals)
Religion
Culture
Traditions
Biota
Economic
Water bodies
Ground water
River structure
Having decided on the structural design of the study site a detailed discussion was held on the social grounding of the study methodology with clear mandate of sharpening and equipping the local communities with potential to take up regular assessment of river health and impact on human health, monitoring of changes and evolving processes/methods to combat or regulate the detrimental causative factors.
HOW ?
The identified Task Team facilitated by the FLO would be expected to reach out to local stakeholders like Farmer; Fishermen; Boatmen; Household; Priest / Temple; Teachers;
Businessmen; Others (Tourists, doctors, sarpanch) etc to develop a close association and understanding about the task at hand and to elicit local understanding about / causes of the manner in which the health of the river and in turn the health of the dependent people (ecosystem) as well as of the flora and fauna in the river has been affected adversely over time.
All these interactions shall be aimed at developing a popular consensus on local actions that the people in the targeted grid can / shall initiate for the revival of the river.
In each grid a MICRO ACTION PLAN shall be developed to facilitate a systematic scientifically oriented community based action.
It was also felt that to develop and implement the field methodology, facilitative props / tools will be needed. Some such props are
PROPS
· Informative posters regarding the project shall be developed for use during outreach as well as training of the members of FLO and the Task Team Members.
· A guidelines document for the preparation of the MICRO ACTION PLAN shall be developed.
· A handy and easy to use water testing kit shall be used for ready assessment of water quality at various places within the grid and the river. (This shall be used both as data gathering as well as an outreach tool)
Field Visit:
It was decided that on the next day 8 March 2009, GAK and MM shall visit Agra to interact with a potential Field Level Organisation (FLO) members who on the lines of the ongoing movement for the revival of river Yamuna in Delhi have been spearheading a Yamuna Campaign in Agra for more than 200 days.
Accordingly a one day visit was made and interactions were held with the following persons who are members of “Guru Vashishth Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samiti” (a regd community service organisation), that has been spearheading the Yamuna Campaign in Agra:
Sri Ashwini Kumar; Sri Mohan; Sri Ravi; Sri Raman; Sri Kamal Jit Singh and Sri Rajeev Saxena.
It was encouraging to find not only an obvious interest for the activity as proposed among the Samiti members but also good knowledge with them about the river and of the people in and around Agra. While Sri Ashwini Kumar is the key moving force behind the group, Sri Mohan has a number of innovative ideas regarding improved sanitation measures in human dwellings both in urban and in the rural settings, Sri Saxena is a storehouse of immense knowledge on the river and the drainage systems of past and present in the region.
Interaction in Agra with members of Guru Vashishth Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samiti
NEXT STEPS
a) Hiring of Field level Organisations as partner agencies
b) Preparation of posters and other training tools
c) Preparation of a guidelines document for MICRO ACTION PLANNING
d) Establishment of firm working relationship with other like minded government and non government agencies.
MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP ON RIVER HEALTH INDEX (RHI)
Date: 16 July 2009
Time: 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Venue: Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi
Purpose of the Workshop:
The key purpose of the workshop was to facilitate a discussion amongst the participants, so that:
a) The project, its objectives and its methodology is understood by all those present
b) There is greater familiarization with one another amongst the members of the Core Planning Team (at Delhi) and the members of the Field Level partner Organisations (FLO) based at Dehradun, Delhi, Agra, Gwalior and at Allahabad
c) The Operational Guidelines (in English and in Hindi) prepared by the project executant agency viz., PEACE Institute to help / guide the FLOs in their field work is understood by all, so that there is a consistency of approach and action in the field all along the length of the river
Report:
At the outset after formal introductions, MM on behalf of the organizing agency (PEACE) of the workshop, thanked all those present, for finding time and making it convenient to attend the one day workshop.
The workshop as per the program for the day (circulated in advance) began with few introductory presentations as under:
What are the elements of a Healthy River, by Manoj Misra (presentation is enclosed)
Introductory remarks by Sri Pushp Jain, member Core Planning Team
Presentation by Bhim on his outreach efforts to safeguard the Nizamuddin Bridge over the river. (Presentation enclosed).
Introductory remarks by Sri BMS Rathore explaining the technique of eliciting the people’s definition of the health of their river, giving an example from his own experience of similar defining by the people of the health of their forests.
In the afternoon, MM introduced the RHI project to all including what is a GRID; What is Task Team (Yamuna Mitra Mandali); Why it is important that we facilitate local people’s understanding to over ride our own knowledge and solutions to the problems facing the river etc] and responded to the participant’s queries regarding the project.
Later, participants from FLOs were requested to share their field experience till date. Sri Mittal from Environics Trust (Dehradun), Sri Bhim and Sri Jain from PEACE, Pandit Misra ji and Sri Ravi Singh ji from Agra, Sri Sitaram Taigor (PEACE) from Gwalior, and Sri Manoj Srivastava from Allahabd shared their experiences from the field.
Sri Prabhjot Sodhi, National Coordinator, UNDP-GEF project, shared his experiences of working in the field for over last two decades and the fact that the local people indeed know the best and that to document that leading to tangible actions should be our key objective in the project.
Finally MM, read out the salient features of the Operational Guidelines document and responded to queries from the participants. The document was found to be clear and useful by all the participants.
Following next steps were agreed:
a) The FLOs to identify and enumerate circular GRIDS of 2 Km radius at the identified sites in their area. A rectangular GRID to be enumerated in the Hill regions of Uttaranchal.
b) All villages falling within the GRID to be located on a map and visited by the FLO executives. In case no village falls within the 2 km radius, then the nearest village can be included.
c) FLO executives to develop good working relation with local people in villages falling within the GRID and as a first step the local people’s understanding and definition (key elements) of a Healthy river to be enumerated. Through FGD (Focussed Group Discussion) technique the villagers to be encouraged to grade the various health elements (as identified by them) of the river as existing now in their area onto a scale of 0 -10 (as per their prioritization) and then reasons for such grading by them to be listed. Later the key players responsible for such state or those who can play a key role in improving the the state of the river to be enumerated. IT MAY BE REMEMBERED THAT THIS PROCESS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SPREAD OVER NUMBER OF VISITS SO THAT ALL ELEMENTS THAT CONSTITUTE THE RIVER HEALTH ARE COVERED AND LISTED WITH GOOD CONSENSUS AMONGST THE PEOPLE. It was agreed that the FLO executives would try and get the local village level (within GRID) water supplies (government or private) tested for quality status (as a useful sample data as also being part of confidence building and educational measure for the local people) using the services of either some local laboratory or the facilities of local colleges or government (CWC) or NEERI regional centre facilities. (NB: Sri Pushp Jain may be contacted for advice in the matter by the FLOs).
d) During the process of interactions in the villages, a select group of interested and enthusiastic representative local shall be located to be encouraged to group themselves into the local Task Team (Yamuna Mitra Mandali). While ideally there may be one Mandali per GRID, but in case it is found that it is more convenient to have one mandali on either side of the bank of the river then two Mandali per GRID could be encouraged to be formed.
e) It shall then be the role of the YMM (Yamuna Mitra Mandali) to collect village information on the parameters as given in the Operational Guidelines Document (Annex ).
f) Once we have completed the tasks as listed in c) and e) above, then the FLO executives shall prepare the Local level Action Plan (LAP) on the lines of the format provided in the Operational Guidelines Document.
g) It is estimated that this process shall be completed within 6 months time.
CAVEAT: It was agreed in the workshop that the FLO executive while interacting with the villagers in the GRID shall refrain from either suggesting or imposing his / her ideas or solutions in the matter. The success of this exercise is only possible when the local people’s own views are given primacy and they are encouraged to express themselves in full free and frank manner.
List of participants
S.No.
Name
Short Name
Organization
Grid
1 Manoj Mirsa MM Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Delhi - Coordinator of the Project
2 Dr. Brij Mohan Singh Rathore BMS, Winrock India, Delhi - Advisor of the Project
3 Sri. Pushp Jain PJ Nature and People, Delhi
4 Sudha Mohan, SM Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Delhi
5 Bhim B Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Delhi
6 Sri Ravi Mittal RM Environics Trust, , Himalayan Stretch
7 Himanshu Upadhyay, HU Environics Trust, Delhi, Himalayan Stretch
8 Ashwini Kumar Mirsha MVS Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi, Agra
9 Sanjay Kumar Mishra SK Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi, Agra
10 Ravi Singh RS Agra
11 Bahadur Singh BS President, Panchayat, Agra
12 Sitaram Taigore ST Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Ettawah
13 Manoj Shrivastava MS Easy Global Organisation, Allahabad
14 Sanjay Shrivastava Easy Global Organisation, Allahabad
15 Prabjot Sodhi PS UNDP-GEF National Coordinator
Date: 16 July 2009
Time: 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Venue: Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi
Purpose of the Workshop:
The key purpose of the workshop was to facilitate a discussion amongst the participants, so that:
a) The project, its objectives and its methodology is understood by all those present
b) There is greater familiarization with one another amongst the members of the Core Planning Team (at Delhi) and the members of the Field Level partner Organisations (FLO) based at Dehradun, Delhi, Agra, Gwalior and at Allahabad
c) The Operational Guidelines (in English and in Hindi) prepared by the project executant agency viz., PEACE Institute to help / guide the FLOs in their field work is understood by all, so that there is a consistency of approach and action in the field all along the length of the river
Report:
At the outset after formal introductions, MM on behalf of the organizing agency (PEACE) of the workshop, thanked all those present, for finding time and making it convenient to attend the one day workshop.
The workshop as per the program for the day (circulated in advance) began with few introductory presentations as under:
What are the elements of a Healthy River, by Manoj Misra (presentation is enclosed)
Introductory remarks by Sri Pushp Jain, member Core Planning Team
Presentation by Bhim on his outreach efforts to safeguard the Nizamuddin Bridge over the river. (Presentation enclosed).
Introductory remarks by Sri BMS Rathore explaining the technique of eliciting the people’s definition of the health of their river, giving an example from his own experience of similar defining by the people of the health of their forests.
In the afternoon, MM introduced the RHI project to all including what is a GRID; What is Task Team (Yamuna Mitra Mandali); Why it is important that we facilitate local people’s understanding to over ride our own knowledge and solutions to the problems facing the river etc] and responded to the participant’s queries regarding the project.
Later, participants from FLOs were requested to share their field experience till date. Sri Mittal from Environics Trust (Dehradun), Sri Bhim and Sri Jain from PEACE, Pandit Misra ji and Sri Ravi Singh ji from Agra, Sri Sitaram Taigor (PEACE) from Gwalior, and Sri Manoj Srivastava from Allahabd shared their experiences from the field.
Sri Prabhjot Sodhi, National Coordinator, UNDP-GEF project, shared his experiences of working in the field for over last two decades and the fact that the local people indeed know the best and that to document that leading to tangible actions should be our key objective in the project.
Finally MM, read out the salient features of the Operational Guidelines document and responded to queries from the participants. The document was found to be clear and useful by all the participants.
Following next steps were agreed:
a) The FLOs to identify and enumerate circular GRIDS of 2 Km radius at the identified sites in their area. A rectangular GRID to be enumerated in the Hill regions of Uttaranchal.
b) All villages falling within the GRID to be located on a map and visited by the FLO executives. In case no village falls within the 2 km radius, then the nearest village can be included.
c) FLO executives to develop good working relation with local people in villages falling within the GRID and as a first step the local people’s understanding and definition (key elements) of a Healthy river to be enumerated. Through FGD (Focussed Group Discussion) technique the villagers to be encouraged to grade the various health elements (as identified by them) of the river as existing now in their area onto a scale of 0 -10 (as per their prioritization) and then reasons for such grading by them to be listed. Later the key players responsible for such state or those who can play a key role in improving the the state of the river to be enumerated. IT MAY BE REMEMBERED THAT THIS PROCESS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SPREAD OVER NUMBER OF VISITS SO THAT ALL ELEMENTS THAT CONSTITUTE THE RIVER HEALTH ARE COVERED AND LISTED WITH GOOD CONSENSUS AMONGST THE PEOPLE. It was agreed that the FLO executives would try and get the local village level (within GRID) water supplies (government or private) tested for quality status (as a useful sample data as also being part of confidence building and educational measure for the local people) using the services of either some local laboratory or the facilities of local colleges or government (CWC) or NEERI regional centre facilities. (NB: Sri Pushp Jain may be contacted for advice in the matter by the FLOs).
d) During the process of interactions in the villages, a select group of interested and enthusiastic representative local shall be located to be encouraged to group themselves into the local Task Team (Yamuna Mitra Mandali). While ideally there may be one Mandali per GRID, but in case it is found that it is more convenient to have one mandali on either side of the bank of the river then two Mandali per GRID could be encouraged to be formed.
e) It shall then be the role of the YMM (Yamuna Mitra Mandali) to collect village information on the parameters as given in the Operational Guidelines Document (Annex ).
f) Once we have completed the tasks as listed in c) and e) above, then the FLO executives shall prepare the Local level Action Plan (LAP) on the lines of the format provided in the Operational Guidelines Document.
g) It is estimated that this process shall be completed within 6 months time.
CAVEAT: It was agreed in the workshop that the FLO executive while interacting with the villagers in the GRID shall refrain from either suggesting or imposing his / her ideas or solutions in the matter. The success of this exercise is only possible when the local people’s own views are given primacy and they are encouraged to express themselves in full free and frank manner.
List of participants
S.No.
Name
Short Name
Organization
Grid
1 Manoj Mirsa MM Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Delhi - Coordinator of the Project
2 Dr. Brij Mohan Singh Rathore BMS, Winrock India, Delhi - Advisor of the Project
3 Sri. Pushp Jain PJ Nature and People, Delhi
4 Sudha Mohan, SM Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Delhi
5 Bhim B Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Delhi
6 Sri Ravi Mittal RM Environics Trust, , Himalayan Stretch
7 Himanshu Upadhyay, HU Environics Trust, Delhi, Himalayan Stretch
8 Ashwini Kumar Mirsha MVS Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi, Agra
9 Sanjay Kumar Mishra SK Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi, Agra
10 Ravi Singh RS Agra
11 Bahadur Singh BS President, Panchayat, Agra
12 Sitaram Taigore ST Peace Institute Charitable Trust, Ettawah
13 Manoj Shrivastava MS Easy Global Organisation, Allahabad
14 Sanjay Shrivastava Easy Global Organisation, Allahabad
15 Prabjot Sodhi PS UNDP-GEF National Coordinator
RHI First Meet - Minutes of the meeting held on 10.12.09 at New Delhi
RIVER HEALTH INDEX
Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 December 2008
at INTACH, New Delhi
Present:
Sri Samar Singh (SS) – Chair
Sri Ramaswamy Iyer (RI)
Sri Rajendra Singh (RS)
Prof. Brij Gopal (BG)
Sri Giridhar A. Kinhal (GAK)
Sri Himanshu Thakkar (HT)
Sri Sharad Gaur (SG)
Ms Manisha Choudhary (MC)
Dr Suresh Kumar Rohilla (SKR)
Sri Sachidanand Mukherjee (SDM)
Sri Pushp Kumar Jain (PKJ)
Sri Pankaj Kumar (PK)
Sri Ritwick Dutta (RD)
Sri Vyom Raghuvanshi (VR)
Sri Nishant Alag (NA)
Sri Himanshu Upadhyay (HU)
Ms Ramya (R)
Ms Maya Parena (MP)
Ms Swati Kittur (SK)
Ms Adain (A)
Sri Manoj Misra (MM)
Ms Sudha Mohan (SM)
The meeting began with a warm welcome by SS and self introductions by all those present.
MM made a brief power point presentation (copy enclosed) highlighting the salient points regarding the project as well as the challenges that the project proponents presume in the light of the innovative nature of the assignment with emphasis on community participation. Specifically, MM highlighted the following as the key challenges of the assignment:
To underscore a river as a “community heritage”, requiring community ownership of and participation in the RHI (River Health Index) process in conjunction with pure academic scientific assessment processes requiring high degree of scholarship and laboratory expertise.
AND
How to identify and integrate physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a river system into ‘popular’ and ‘doable’ measures constituting the RHI as a community devised, owned and utilized tool for river health assessment, advocacy and popular actions
Following the above, GAK made a power point presentation (copy enclosed) regarding some notable relevant initiatives and efforts underway in other parts of the world, including Nepal, South Africa,
Commenting on these presentations, SKR and SDM on behalf of WWF India, informed about their ongoing project on river Ganga (Living Ganga Project).
Responding to a query, MM informed that the focus of the project is proposed to be selected sites in identifiable sections of the river, namely hilly stretch (Dehradun), plains (Delhi and Agra), the revived stretch (Etawah) and confluence with Ganga (Allahabad).
RI wondered that:
1. An RHI might be useful when a river appears to be in a good state but might in fact not be so, or when the deterioration is incremental and slow. However, when a river is in a very bad state (dying or dead) as with the Yamuna or the Ganga, we do not need an RHI to tell us this.
2. The purpose of an RHI is to prompt appropriate action. Everyone in Delhi - the Central Government, the Chief Minister, the LG - knows that the Yamuna has ceased to be a river, but what action has followed? Should we not focus on action rather than on measurement?
3. Concepts such as 'Minimum Flow' or 'Environmental Flow' may be well-meant, but could in fact be not so benign. 'Minimum Flow' could mean 'maximum abstraction'. The thinking in the Water Establishment continues to be that 'use' means abstraction from the river, and that so long as one has (reluctantly) left a small flow in the river one can abstract or divert the rest. This has to be reversed. Flow must be treated as the norm and abstraction or diversion as the exception. What we need is not minimum flow but minimum interference with the natural flow.
GAK clarified using the example of forest density classification that it has often been seen that logically arrived numerical values often make easy sense to many people who matter like the politicians and the decision makers. RI cautioned that any such attempt should not be allowed to become a tool for facilitation of ‘developmental’ projects on rivers in place of the visualized protection, revival and conservation of the rivers.
BG opined that the use of the term ‘health’ has anthropocentric connotations and hence when applied in terms of an ecosystemic entity like a river calls for a very careful use. He also cautioned that a single index for a complex system like a river may not work. In response MM clarified that the term ‘health’ in the project title been used on purpose since it makes easy sense to people at large, but concurred that it required careful definition in relation to an entity like a river. He also informed that the term ‘health’ of river has been often alluded to by various researchers in relation to the ‘state of a river’ against a reference standard.
RS expressed his deep sense of concern on the sad state of rivers in India.
SS shared his views on the matter using the dictionary definition of a river as one, which:
- should carry a large volume of water
- should have a natural catchment
- should have flowing water in it
- should ultimately meet the sea/ocean
RS concurred that if any one of the above mentioned characteristic is missing then the river is as good as a ‘dead’ river. He also emphasized the importance to look at a river in its entirety and that the safety of flood plains is as critical as the unhindered flow in the river.
BG agreed and added that it is important to understand the uniqueness of Indian rivers whereby their flow dynamics is much different from those in western rivers and hence experiences if any from the western rivers must not be considered for application under Indian conditions without careful and stringent assessments.
HT sought to bring focus onto the governance issues and how these needed to be integrated into the RHI initiative. This is important since ultimately it is the government that is responsible and been invested with public trust to manage well ecological entities like the rivers.
Discussion then turned led by SKR to the role of sub surface water flows in Indian rivers during the non monsoon months. BG commented that now when the ground water table has already gone down alarmingly at various places the role of sub surface water flow in the rivers has become a question mark. A notable instance is at Okhla Barrage where there are reports of back flow from the river channel into the surrounding aquifers and polluting them from the dirty water present in the main river channel / reservoir.
SS suggested that in order to emphasise the community centric approach of the assignment, whether the project could be renamed as the River Health Community Index? RI also opined that an alternative term for ‘health’ and ‘index’ say like ‘Living’ river ‘assessment’ might provide better meaning and usefulness to the assignment.
SKR cautioned regarding the sensitivities involved with community participation and the dangers of the process getting hijacked by vested interests. MM remarked that the project proponents were fully aware of such pit falls, but their reassurance about the community’s willingness and a ‘felt need’ participation, emerged from their personal experience of community interaction of over two years of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan as well as recent Yamuna Yatra along the river from Delhi to Agra and back.
Finally, MM requested the house to kindly provide names and references like contact details etc of such individuals and institutions, whose advice / involvement might be of use for the success of the project.
RI suggested the name of Dr Latha from Kerala. Thanking RI for the same, MM requested all to kindly suggest the details of such people and institutions through email.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the chair and to all those present.
Manoj Misra
Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 December 2008
at INTACH, New Delhi
Present:
Sri Samar Singh (SS) – Chair
Sri Ramaswamy Iyer (RI)
Sri Rajendra Singh (RS)
Prof. Brij Gopal (BG)
Sri Giridhar A. Kinhal (GAK)
Sri Himanshu Thakkar (HT)
Sri Sharad Gaur (SG)
Ms Manisha Choudhary (MC)
Dr Suresh Kumar Rohilla (SKR)
Sri Sachidanand Mukherjee (SDM)
Sri Pushp Kumar Jain (PKJ)
Sri Pankaj Kumar (PK)
Sri Ritwick Dutta (RD)
Sri Vyom Raghuvanshi (VR)
Sri Nishant Alag (NA)
Sri Himanshu Upadhyay (HU)
Ms Ramya (R)
Ms Maya Parena (MP)
Ms Swati Kittur (SK)
Ms Adain (A)
Sri Manoj Misra (MM)
Ms Sudha Mohan (SM)
The meeting began with a warm welcome by SS and self introductions by all those present.
MM made a brief power point presentation (copy enclosed) highlighting the salient points regarding the project as well as the challenges that the project proponents presume in the light of the innovative nature of the assignment with emphasis on community participation. Specifically, MM highlighted the following as the key challenges of the assignment:
To underscore a river as a “community heritage”, requiring community ownership of and participation in the RHI (River Health Index) process in conjunction with pure academic scientific assessment processes requiring high degree of scholarship and laboratory expertise.
AND
How to identify and integrate physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a river system into ‘popular’ and ‘doable’ measures constituting the RHI as a community devised, owned and utilized tool for river health assessment, advocacy and popular actions
Following the above, GAK made a power point presentation (copy enclosed) regarding some notable relevant initiatives and efforts underway in other parts of the world, including Nepal, South Africa,
Commenting on these presentations, SKR and SDM on behalf of WWF India, informed about their ongoing project on river Ganga (Living Ganga Project).
Responding to a query, MM informed that the focus of the project is proposed to be selected sites in identifiable sections of the river, namely hilly stretch (Dehradun), plains (Delhi and Agra), the revived stretch (Etawah) and confluence with Ganga (Allahabad).
RI wondered that:
1. An RHI might be useful when a river appears to be in a good state but might in fact not be so, or when the deterioration is incremental and slow. However, when a river is in a very bad state (dying or dead) as with the Yamuna or the Ganga, we do not need an RHI to tell us this.
2. The purpose of an RHI is to prompt appropriate action. Everyone in Delhi - the Central Government, the Chief Minister, the LG - knows that the Yamuna has ceased to be a river, but what action has followed? Should we not focus on action rather than on measurement?
3. Concepts such as 'Minimum Flow' or 'Environmental Flow' may be well-meant, but could in fact be not so benign. 'Minimum Flow' could mean 'maximum abstraction'. The thinking in the Water Establishment continues to be that 'use' means abstraction from the river, and that so long as one has (reluctantly) left a small flow in the river one can abstract or divert the rest. This has to be reversed. Flow must be treated as the norm and abstraction or diversion as the exception. What we need is not minimum flow but minimum interference with the natural flow.
GAK clarified using the example of forest density classification that it has often been seen that logically arrived numerical values often make easy sense to many people who matter like the politicians and the decision makers. RI cautioned that any such attempt should not be allowed to become a tool for facilitation of ‘developmental’ projects on rivers in place of the visualized protection, revival and conservation of the rivers.
BG opined that the use of the term ‘health’ has anthropocentric connotations and hence when applied in terms of an ecosystemic entity like a river calls for a very careful use. He also cautioned that a single index for a complex system like a river may not work. In response MM clarified that the term ‘health’ in the project title been used on purpose since it makes easy sense to people at large, but concurred that it required careful definition in relation to an entity like a river. He also informed that the term ‘health’ of river has been often alluded to by various researchers in relation to the ‘state of a river’ against a reference standard.
RS expressed his deep sense of concern on the sad state of rivers in India.
SS shared his views on the matter using the dictionary definition of a river as one, which:
- should carry a large volume of water
- should have a natural catchment
- should have flowing water in it
- should ultimately meet the sea/ocean
RS concurred that if any one of the above mentioned characteristic is missing then the river is as good as a ‘dead’ river. He also emphasized the importance to look at a river in its entirety and that the safety of flood plains is as critical as the unhindered flow in the river.
BG agreed and added that it is important to understand the uniqueness of Indian rivers whereby their flow dynamics is much different from those in western rivers and hence experiences if any from the western rivers must not be considered for application under Indian conditions without careful and stringent assessments.
HT sought to bring focus onto the governance issues and how these needed to be integrated into the RHI initiative. This is important since ultimately it is the government that is responsible and been invested with public trust to manage well ecological entities like the rivers.
Discussion then turned led by SKR to the role of sub surface water flows in Indian rivers during the non monsoon months. BG commented that now when the ground water table has already gone down alarmingly at various places the role of sub surface water flow in the rivers has become a question mark. A notable instance is at Okhla Barrage where there are reports of back flow from the river channel into the surrounding aquifers and polluting them from the dirty water present in the main river channel / reservoir.
SS suggested that in order to emphasise the community centric approach of the assignment, whether the project could be renamed as the River Health Community Index? RI also opined that an alternative term for ‘health’ and ‘index’ say like ‘Living’ river ‘assessment’ might provide better meaning and usefulness to the assignment.
SKR cautioned regarding the sensitivities involved with community participation and the dangers of the process getting hijacked by vested interests. MM remarked that the project proponents were fully aware of such pit falls, but their reassurance about the community’s willingness and a ‘felt need’ participation, emerged from their personal experience of community interaction of over two years of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan as well as recent Yamuna Yatra along the river from Delhi to Agra and back.
Finally, MM requested the house to kindly provide names and references like contact details etc of such individuals and institutions, whose advice / involvement might be of use for the success of the project.
RI suggested the name of Dr Latha from Kerala. Thanking RI for the same, MM requested all to kindly suggest the details of such people and institutions through email.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the chair and to all those present.
Manoj Misra
Agra Grid - Farah Trip Report (8,9 May 09)
Field visit Minutes
(River Health Index Project)
A Visit to FARAH a village on the banks of River Yamuna in Mathura (UP)
Date: 8 and 9 May 2009
Venue: Village Farah, Mathura (UP) about 25 km upstream of Agra (on Delhi –
Agra (NH – 2) highway which is but 2 km from the river
Purpose:
Gain first hand knowledge (including visual image) about one of the identified 14 grid sites (for intensive field work) along the river; initiate a dialogue with local people about their river; build lasting relationship with Baba Man Singh ji (a local saint) for the river and hold on site discussions with the executive members of the field level partner NGO.
Investigators:
Bhim S Rawat
Sudha Mohan
Manoj Misra
Brij Mohan Singh Rathore (Advisor)
Partner NGO
Mohan
Arun
Rajeev Saxena
Mahant Ashwini Kumar Misra
Minutes:-
Reached the ashram of BABA Man Singh ji located 2 km downstream of the Farah village late in the evening of 8 May 2009. After introductions and exchange of pleasantries with Baba ji and those present, a brief discussion about the project objectives and the key role that the Babaji could play in the entire exercise was held. Baba ji readily agreed to provide all possible support in the endeavour. (See pics). Incidently it was the Buddh Purnima and Janmotsav of Yamuna ji the next day, when a large number of local villagers would visit the Ashram and congregate on the banks of the river Yamuna.
Meeting with villagers as they celebrated the Yamuna Janamotsav
Villagers from several nearby villages gathered to celebrate the birthday of River Yamuna on 9 May 2009.
An informal dialogue was initiated with a group of local villagers. They were from a village called Naya Bans located across the river on its left bank.
An impromptu mapping exercise on the sand bank with the villagers informed that the proposed grid would include villages like Ruso garhi and Bhim Nagar on the right bank and Naya Bans and Baldev on the left bank. The river meanders frequently here (see the google image) and hence the flood plain is quite extensive on either bank. Presently the river is shifting west wards. There is an extensive patch of government forest on the right bank and the Govardhan drain meets the river nearby in the downstream region.
The water quality of the river was poor but still people especially kids could be seen taking bath and frolicking in it. Notably there was a sustained flow in the river, which could be a reason for the bathing quality of the river water. The proposed 10 sq km circular grid covers Baldev, Mahaban, Gokul, Mathura on the left bank and Naya Bans, Rousu Garhi, Bhim Nagar on the right side of river Yamuna.
Other changes over time that the villagers seem to recall as regards the river were:
a) The extensive seasonal growing of watermelon in the khaddar has given way to permanent agriculture
b) There is far less water flowing in the river now as compared to conditions about 20-25 years back. The water is also not worth drinking anymore. Although the cattle still drinks the river water. Sometimes the water turns blue from discharge of effluents from industries upstream in Mathura.
c) Since the practice of digging tubewells became commonplace the local johads, ponds etc (there used to be one johad per village) have almost disappeared as have the local wells most of which have either dried or are in a state of disuse (see pic).
d) The ground water near villages has plummeted to extremely deep levels of more than 300 – 400 ft.
e) The ground water over large patches is saline and hence unfit either for personal consumption or for farming purposes. Resultantly people are largely rainfall dependent for their agricultural activities.
f) The rainfall over the years has decreased and hence there is less water in the river now.
g) River sand mining is rampant in the area and annual lease is granted by the concerned authorities for sand mining. Contractors reportedly carry out their mining activities even mid stream in search for better quality sand.
h) Villagers appreciate the fact that sooner or later there would be water crises in the villages. Hence they seem eager for the revival of their traditional sources of water. (Johads, Wells)
i) The area is still relatively untouched by the ill influences of urban settlements.
List of persons contacted in Farah
SN
Name
Village
Contact No.
1
Dharm Veer
Nagla Bhalla
2
Ranjeet singh
Naya Vaas
97611 75702
3
Tika Ram
Nagla Bhalla
4
Shiv Singh
Naya Vaas
5
Dharm Veer
Naya Vaas
6
Vijendar
Naya Vaas
7
Banke Lal
Naya Vaas
8
Amar Singh
Kamoura
9
RN Tripathi
Local teacher
93589 98358
Later a discussion session held with the members of the partner NGO helped firm up the next course of activities under the project. Following was discussed and agreed:
1) The role of partner NGO, its facilitating role in identification of local level Task Team/s (one for each bank representing the cluster of villages lying within the grid on the either bank) and supervising their actions for compilation of requisite baseline information from the villages (in accordance with a ‘guidelines document’ prepared and shared with them for the purpose) with emphasis on river’s state of health and the local people’s understanding and prescriptions for actions (dealing with proximate and non proximate causes for the worsened state of the river) was brought home to them
2) It was agreed that the partner NGO would cover at least two grid sites (one upstream of Agra at Farah and the other downstream of Agra at Bateswar)
3) A formal agreement and an MOU shall be formalized soonest between the PEACE Institute and the partner NGO based in Agra.
(River Health Index Project)
A Visit to FARAH a village on the banks of River Yamuna in Mathura (UP)
Date: 8 and 9 May 2009
Venue: Village Farah, Mathura (UP) about 25 km upstream of Agra (on Delhi –
Agra (NH – 2) highway which is but 2 km from the river
Purpose:
Gain first hand knowledge (including visual image) about one of the identified 14 grid sites (for intensive field work) along the river; initiate a dialogue with local people about their river; build lasting relationship with Baba Man Singh ji (a local saint) for the river and hold on site discussions with the executive members of the field level partner NGO.
Investigators:
Bhim S Rawat
Sudha Mohan
Manoj Misra
Brij Mohan Singh Rathore (Advisor)
Partner NGO
Mohan
Arun
Rajeev Saxena
Mahant Ashwini Kumar Misra
Minutes:-
Reached the ashram of BABA Man Singh ji located 2 km downstream of the Farah village late in the evening of 8 May 2009. After introductions and exchange of pleasantries with Baba ji and those present, a brief discussion about the project objectives and the key role that the Babaji could play in the entire exercise was held. Baba ji readily agreed to provide all possible support in the endeavour. (See pics). Incidently it was the Buddh Purnima and Janmotsav of Yamuna ji the next day, when a large number of local villagers would visit the Ashram and congregate on the banks of the river Yamuna.
Meeting with villagers as they celebrated the Yamuna Janamotsav
Villagers from several nearby villages gathered to celebrate the birthday of River Yamuna on 9 May 2009.
An informal dialogue was initiated with a group of local villagers. They were from a village called Naya Bans located across the river on its left bank.
An impromptu mapping exercise on the sand bank with the villagers informed that the proposed grid would include villages like Ruso garhi and Bhim Nagar on the right bank and Naya Bans and Baldev on the left bank. The river meanders frequently here (see the google image) and hence the flood plain is quite extensive on either bank. Presently the river is shifting west wards. There is an extensive patch of government forest on the right bank and the Govardhan drain meets the river nearby in the downstream region.
The water quality of the river was poor but still people especially kids could be seen taking bath and frolicking in it. Notably there was a sustained flow in the river, which could be a reason for the bathing quality of the river water. The proposed 10 sq km circular grid covers Baldev, Mahaban, Gokul, Mathura on the left bank and Naya Bans, Rousu Garhi, Bhim Nagar on the right side of river Yamuna.
Other changes over time that the villagers seem to recall as regards the river were:
a) The extensive seasonal growing of watermelon in the khaddar has given way to permanent agriculture
b) There is far less water flowing in the river now as compared to conditions about 20-25 years back. The water is also not worth drinking anymore. Although the cattle still drinks the river water. Sometimes the water turns blue from discharge of effluents from industries upstream in Mathura.
c) Since the practice of digging tubewells became commonplace the local johads, ponds etc (there used to be one johad per village) have almost disappeared as have the local wells most of which have either dried or are in a state of disuse (see pic).
d) The ground water near villages has plummeted to extremely deep levels of more than 300 – 400 ft.
e) The ground water over large patches is saline and hence unfit either for personal consumption or for farming purposes. Resultantly people are largely rainfall dependent for their agricultural activities.
f) The rainfall over the years has decreased and hence there is less water in the river now.
g) River sand mining is rampant in the area and annual lease is granted by the concerned authorities for sand mining. Contractors reportedly carry out their mining activities even mid stream in search for better quality sand.
h) Villagers appreciate the fact that sooner or later there would be water crises in the villages. Hence they seem eager for the revival of their traditional sources of water. (Johads, Wells)
i) The area is still relatively untouched by the ill influences of urban settlements.
List of persons contacted in Farah
SN
Name
Village
Contact No.
1
Dharm Veer
Nagla Bhalla
2
Ranjeet singh
Naya Vaas
97611 75702
3
Tika Ram
Nagla Bhalla
4
Shiv Singh
Naya Vaas
5
Dharm Veer
Naya Vaas
6
Vijendar
Naya Vaas
7
Banke Lal
Naya Vaas
8
Amar Singh
Kamoura
9
RN Tripathi
Local teacher
93589 98358
Later a discussion session held with the members of the partner NGO helped firm up the next course of activities under the project. Following was discussed and agreed:
1) The role of partner NGO, its facilitating role in identification of local level Task Team/s (one for each bank representing the cluster of villages lying within the grid on the either bank) and supervising their actions for compilation of requisite baseline information from the villages (in accordance with a ‘guidelines document’ prepared and shared with them for the purpose) with emphasis on river’s state of health and the local people’s understanding and prescriptions for actions (dealing with proximate and non proximate causes for the worsened state of the river) was brought home to them
2) It was agreed that the partner NGO would cover at least two grid sites (one upstream of Agra at Farah and the other downstream of Agra at Bateswar)
3) A formal agreement and an MOU shall be formalized soonest between the PEACE Institute and the partner NGO based in Agra.
Delhi Grid - Amipur Trip Report (4.6.09)
Field visit Minutes
(River Health Index Project)
A Visit to Amipur (Haryana) a village in the floodplain (Khadar) River Yamuna
Date: 04 June 2009
Venue: Village Amipur (Haryana) about 30 km downstream of Delhi
Purpose: Making one self familiar with the local people and to initiate a dialogue on people’s perception and relationship with the river. This village falls within the Tilwara Grid, but on the Haryana side of the river.
Visitors: Pushp Jain
Sudha Mohan
Baljeet Singh Chouhan
Pritam Singh
Bhim
Minutes: - Setting out in the morning the village could be reached only towards noon time. It is a village with about 200 households and population of around a 1000 persons. Majority (more than 95%) of the people in the village practice agriculture and dairying for their livelihood.
First a visit in the company of a local youth (Sonu) was made to the river side. A forest patch could be seen on one side while the construction of residential properties was seen quite close to the river. (See pictures). There were properties in the name of old age homes and other residential purposes. The state of the river as expected was in a bad polluted stage.
Later the village was visited and a dialogue was established with a group of local people. (see list). Following information could be elicited from them:
a) Encroachment into the flood plain (Khadar) is an ongoing process.
b) As a result of the river meandering often, the villagers have their land also on the other side of the river, which otherwise falls in UP
c) The state of the river started to deteriorate about 15-20 years back. Now the villagers think twice before entering it. Even the cattle avoid it.
d) Delhi is responsible for all the pollution seen in the river.
e) Floods in the river are regular happening. Just the last year (2008) the village had seen floods in the river.
f) We loved the river. But not anymore. It has brought the menace of mosquitoes and disease to us. There were no mosquitoes when the river was clean and flowing.
g) We grow only paddy and wheat. Nilgai (Blue Bull) is a major problem and hence we cannot grow any vegetables in our fields.
h) There is a johad in the village. Though all our wells are gone. The ground water has receded far below the well depth. Hand pumps are functional at a depth of 60 m and provide us kaccha paani. For drinking purposes (pucca paani) the fresh ground water is available (through borewells and submersible pumps) only at a depth of 120 – 130 m.
i) There is a state of hopelessness widespread in the village regarding the river. While the government has made bunds to save the village from the floods, but little is being done to improve the condition of the river.
j) The village at Amipur was relocated from an earlier village called Motipur, which was located quite close to the river and hence went under water frequently during the floods. Amipur is now located at a distance of 1.5 km from the river channel.
k) For higher education the students go to nearby Tigaon town. There are 3 persons who are employed in a government job and few people work for private firms.
l) There is a dispensary in the village for cattle but none for humans.
List of contact persons
Name
Village
Contact NO.
Gajraj
Amipur
Satbeer
Amipur
97 18441426
Pribhu
Amipur
Ramveer
Amipur
Budhi
Amipur
Nathi
Amipur
Balvanta
Amipur
Manoj
Amipur
98 91111011
Shiv Singh
Amipur
98 11711011
PICTURES FROM THE VISIT
Local village Pond at Amipur
Discussion with villagers
Old age home next to River Yamuna at Amipur
Residential cottages next to River Yamuna at Amipur (Encroachment)
Residential cottages next to River Yamuna at Amipur (Encroachment)
Encroachment free flood plain on the left side of the river Yamuna
(River Health Index Project)
A Visit to Amipur (Haryana) a village in the floodplain (Khadar) River Yamuna
Date: 04 June 2009
Venue: Village Amipur (Haryana) about 30 km downstream of Delhi
Purpose: Making one self familiar with the local people and to initiate a dialogue on people’s perception and relationship with the river. This village falls within the Tilwara Grid, but on the Haryana side of the river.
Visitors: Pushp Jain
Sudha Mohan
Baljeet Singh Chouhan
Pritam Singh
Bhim
Minutes: - Setting out in the morning the village could be reached only towards noon time. It is a village with about 200 households and population of around a 1000 persons. Majority (more than 95%) of the people in the village practice agriculture and dairying for their livelihood.
First a visit in the company of a local youth (Sonu) was made to the river side. A forest patch could be seen on one side while the construction of residential properties was seen quite close to the river. (See pictures). There were properties in the name of old age homes and other residential purposes. The state of the river as expected was in a bad polluted stage.
Later the village was visited and a dialogue was established with a group of local people. (see list). Following information could be elicited from them:
a) Encroachment into the flood plain (Khadar) is an ongoing process.
b) As a result of the river meandering often, the villagers have their land also on the other side of the river, which otherwise falls in UP
c) The state of the river started to deteriorate about 15-20 years back. Now the villagers think twice before entering it. Even the cattle avoid it.
d) Delhi is responsible for all the pollution seen in the river.
e) Floods in the river are regular happening. Just the last year (2008) the village had seen floods in the river.
f) We loved the river. But not anymore. It has brought the menace of mosquitoes and disease to us. There were no mosquitoes when the river was clean and flowing.
g) We grow only paddy and wheat. Nilgai (Blue Bull) is a major problem and hence we cannot grow any vegetables in our fields.
h) There is a johad in the village. Though all our wells are gone. The ground water has receded far below the well depth. Hand pumps are functional at a depth of 60 m and provide us kaccha paani. For drinking purposes (pucca paani) the fresh ground water is available (through borewells and submersible pumps) only at a depth of 120 – 130 m.
i) There is a state of hopelessness widespread in the village regarding the river. While the government has made bunds to save the village from the floods, but little is being done to improve the condition of the river.
j) The village at Amipur was relocated from an earlier village called Motipur, which was located quite close to the river and hence went under water frequently during the floods. Amipur is now located at a distance of 1.5 km from the river channel.
k) For higher education the students go to nearby Tigaon town. There are 3 persons who are employed in a government job and few people work for private firms.
l) There is a dispensary in the village for cattle but none for humans.
List of contact persons
Name
Village
Contact NO.
Gajraj
Amipur
Satbeer
Amipur
97 18441426
Pribhu
Amipur
Ramveer
Amipur
Budhi
Amipur
Nathi
Amipur
Balvanta
Amipur
Manoj
Amipur
98 91111011
Shiv Singh
Amipur
98 11711011
PICTURES FROM THE VISIT
Local village Pond at Amipur
Discussion with villagers
Old age home next to River Yamuna at Amipur
Residential cottages next to River Yamuna at Amipur (Encroachment)
Residential cottages next to River Yamuna at Amipur (Encroachment)
Encroachment free flood plain on the left side of the river Yamuna
Delhi Grid - Minutes of the WS dated 7.1.09
Workshop with villagers / farmers from East Delhi
Date: 7 January 2009
Place: Yamuna Satyagrah Sthal
Participants:
Mahaveer Singh (Age 55, Shakarpur Village)
Pritam Singh, (Age 60, Samaspur Village)
Bhoop Singh (Age 75, Samaspur Village)
Prithvi Singh (Age 30, Patpar Village)
Shayam Veer (Age 60, Samaspur Village)
Tula Ram, (47, Patpar Village)
Rohtas Bhati (Age 43, Mandavali Village)
Hukam Singh (Age 45, Patpar Village)
Avtar Singh (Age 50, Patpar Village)
Raju (45, Shakarpur Village)
Sohan Lal (70, Patar Village)
Baljeet Singh (Age 65, Samarpur Village),
Jagwat Swarup (77, Patpar Village)
Resource Persons:
BMS Rathore
Pushp Jain
Bhim
Sudha Mohan
Manoj Misra
PURPOSE
A half day workshop was held for the following purpose:
a) Devise a feasible line of enquiry for eliciting local villagers / farmers views on the health of the river
b) Assess the level of interest shown by local people in discussing / talking about the river in general as well as in personal terms
c) Look for knowledgeable individuals from amongst the group who could be trained / groomed to act as ice – breakers (due to their experience / knowledge and interest in the subject as well as easy familiarity with local dialect and traditions) along with the investigators, vis a vis the target villages, in due course of time.
d) Assess the minimum felt need of the level of expertise, tools and equipment of the investigating team
GOAL
1. Devise a standard methodology and do’s and don’ts for the investigating team as well as to assess training needs if any for the investigating teams, before they embark on the field visits.
2. Identify appropriate leads to formulate Principles and Criteria for incorporation as part of RHI which emerge, if any, out of the consultation
MINUTES
LINE OF ENQUIRY
- Who is / are the oldest amongst the group. Can you recall the river of your childhood?
a) Of the initial eleven farmers (Baljeet Singh and Jagwat Swarup joined later) Bhup Singh ji at 78 years was the oldest amongst the group.
b) As a child (this was before Country’s independence and I was around 13-14 yr old) we used to spend almost our entire day by the river side. Early in the morning we would bring our animals (Buffaloes) for grazing by the river side and then frolic the whole day in the forests there (the river bed was fairly forested then)
- When was the river fully alive, vibrant and welcoming (potable water)
a) Till about early 1970s the river was fully alive.
By alive it means that it had flowing water round the year (Flow used to vary with season); water was crystal clear most of the time except in monsoon months; we could drink the water and bathe in the river; there were turtles and fishes galore in the river; there was only one bridge to cross the river (?);
- When did the river start to deteriorate (no longer potable, but good enough for bathing of self and cattle)
a) By 1975 the river water could no longer be consumed by humans, although one could still bathe in it.
- When did the river start to become unfit for any sort of relationship with it
a) By 1980 the river had become bad enough for us to lose direct relationship with it, although it still provided irrigation water to our fields
During this enquiry while discussion began with the older persons in the group, few others joined in with their views and understanding. (when too many started to talk about their experiences at the same time, Bhup Singh ji, the oldest in the group, stood up and took charge of the sharing of views and experience about the river)
- What ails the river today
a) There is little flow in the river other than in the monsoon months
b) River’s water has been abstracted upstream of Delhi
c) Too many drains bring sewage into the river
d) The river bed’s natural topography has been changed beyond recognition
- How do we know that the river is sick
a) The water stinks
b) There is no life (no fish, no turtles, no crabs)
c) Original channels have disappeared
d) The ground water is going deeper and deeper
- What are the factors responsible for the current state of the river
a) Water abstraction from the river upstream of Delhi
b) More and more sewage entering the river
c) Decrease in intensity and volume of annual rainfalls and frequency of floods in the river
d) Encroachment of all kinds over the river bed
- When did the physical structures like the embankment and Barrages came up in / on the river
a) It all started after independence. But most came up after 1975.
- How do we know that the water is unfit for consumption
a) Its color is black
b) It stinks
c) There is no life in the river
d) Now no one takes their buffaloes into the river
- Which were the years of the most severe floods in the river
a) The highest flood in my memory (Sri Bhup Singh) was in 1947, when there was water all over between river Yamuna and river Hindon. It was because of the floods that the bodies of dead from the riot got carried away from Delhi and hence Delhi was spared the outbreak of diseases from dead bodies on the streets.
b) Next was in 1978.
- How did you cope up during the floods
a) We used to move over to higher areas like the elevated village of Patpar (which at that time had the remnants of an old fort in which the village was located).
b) Some of us used to stay on tree tops
- Were floods beneficial
a) Yes, floods used to bring fresh silt which gave us good crops the succeeding year, despite us losing the crop for the year to flood waters.
b) Floods also removed the muck from the river bed
- What morphological changes did the river experience during the floods
a) The most notable were two channels that used to come alive with the rise in water in the river. One was in the east, where the Yamuna Pushta today stands and the other was in the west along side where the railway track today is in Nizamuddin.
- Are there milestone years which saw the change in the river
a) Yes, the period from 1975 – 1980 can be considered to be the most critical when the river saw major changes in its water flow as well as change in the river bed’s topography.
b) It was also the period when large scale colonization of lands in Jamuna paar started by the DDA
- How have your farming practices in the river bed changed over the years
a) We have shifted from traditional bullock led tilling of lands to tractors; from river irrigation to ground water irrigation through tube wells; single crop to multi cropping; Cow Dung fertiliser to Urea (inorganic fertilizer); Dawai (insecticides) from none before
b) The river bed which had been forested and undulating has been converted into almost plain terrain and farm lands wherever it was feasible.
c) More and more farmers have become share croppers.
- How has it impacted the river, if at all
a) It must have impacted the river.
b) We are told that the pollution from our fields reaches the river too
- How has the availability of ground water changed over the years
a) This is one of the most visible changes in the river since olden times.
b) Earlier under ground water was available in the khadar almost ‘hands deep’. One only needed to dig a bit and there the water was available. Now even the tube wells are going deeper and deeper.
c) Thanks, to the floods in the river this year (2008) that the tube wells are readily guzzling out water now.
- What interventions in the river / river bed / flood plain made either by the state agencies or by individual / non government agencies that they think have had a bearing on the conversion of river from a healthy river into the current sickly one
a) The ground water in the river bed has dramatically gone down since 1980 due to the digging of Ranney Wells in the river bed by the government
b) All these roads and bridges over the river have also added to the pollution.
c) More and more buildings in east Delhi and in Khadar has also impacted the river
- How would you define a healthy river
a) There is flowing water in the river round the year although the volume and speed of the flow changes from season to season (good understanding. Can they figure out monthwise expectations?)
b) Water fit for drinking purposes
c) Clear water so that a coin can be seen lying on the bed
d) A river that floods frequently
e) Sub surface water is at a level that one can access it by digging with hands
f) Natural topography of the river bed / flood plain has not been altered
g) River flows in number of channels some of them dry gradually after monsoon and revives on the onset of monsoons
h) River channels that emerge with rise in river water during floods, remain intact
i) Fishes, turtles, crabs, birds of various kinds abound (Ranges could be built in)
j) River can be used for transportation purposes
k) It does not suffer the onslaught of polluting drains (Ranges?)
- What are the practices that you think can and should be changed / reverted back to, to enable the river to revive
a) While we can not go back to the days of bullock led tilling, but we can certainly go back to more and more use of organic farming practices
b) Careful extraction of ground water from the river bed
- Any other Notable feature/s
a) Bore well water away from the river in Samaspur and Mandawali village is far more polluted than the water extracted by a bore well next to the river ! (Observations by Bhati ji).
ADVANTAGES OF STARTING WITH THIS GROUP
The resource persons have had a long standing familiarity and good will with the group in question. Resultantly the group members have good degree of confidence and good working relationship with the resource persons.
LESSONS AND LEARNINGS
1. It will be good if we can have a team comprising 2-3 persons (like Bhup Singh ji) representing ITK (Indigenous Traditional Knowledge) and some experts who complement this with science ( like the one gentleman who was on Yamuna Yatra from Environic Trust, testing water quality). May be, a team of 4-5 persons would be quite handy.
2. Help the team as above develop a tool kit ( ITK + science) , which could be validated over the identified / selected stretches of the river Yamuna.
3. The team while visiting these stretches, would not just validate the tool kit in most participatory manner, but it will as well help the people in these location/s to connect with the issue that they identify with by applying the diagnostic tool kit. The people would not only be diagnosing (and in the process help validation) the river’s health, but the diagnosis would help them to put up an action plan to address the health issue arising out of the said diagnosis. This should lead us to engagement of civil society at large and thus pave way for a larger campaign for the river and initiation of local level actions for the river’s revival, right away. (BMS).
POSSIBLE PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA (Too early to expect these to emerge)
General comments and Suggestions:
1. It is a very good and useful exercise
2. Looks like people participated very well (adv already highlighted
3. Although “whys” of the current situation have come up here and there, it is necessary to make people analyse further the current state of affairs and group them in to different causative factors such individuals (locals), industry, Govt action and so on.
4. Idea of having a steering team is fine but with scope for involving locals at different locations: we do not want general observers and powerful people to be in the team. Such groups must have primary stakeholders and not the so called secondary stakeholders.
5. Let us test this method at another place with good orientation on the participants.
Date: 7 January 2009
Place: Yamuna Satyagrah Sthal
Participants:
Mahaveer Singh (Age 55, Shakarpur Village)
Pritam Singh, (Age 60, Samaspur Village)
Bhoop Singh (Age 75, Samaspur Village)
Prithvi Singh (Age 30, Patpar Village)
Shayam Veer (Age 60, Samaspur Village)
Tula Ram, (47, Patpar Village)
Rohtas Bhati (Age 43, Mandavali Village)
Hukam Singh (Age 45, Patpar Village)
Avtar Singh (Age 50, Patpar Village)
Raju (45, Shakarpur Village)
Sohan Lal (70, Patar Village)
Baljeet Singh (Age 65, Samarpur Village),
Jagwat Swarup (77, Patpar Village)
Resource Persons:
BMS Rathore
Pushp Jain
Bhim
Sudha Mohan
Manoj Misra
PURPOSE
A half day workshop was held for the following purpose:
a) Devise a feasible line of enquiry for eliciting local villagers / farmers views on the health of the river
b) Assess the level of interest shown by local people in discussing / talking about the river in general as well as in personal terms
c) Look for knowledgeable individuals from amongst the group who could be trained / groomed to act as ice – breakers (due to their experience / knowledge and interest in the subject as well as easy familiarity with local dialect and traditions) along with the investigators, vis a vis the target villages, in due course of time.
d) Assess the minimum felt need of the level of expertise, tools and equipment of the investigating team
GOAL
1. Devise a standard methodology and do’s and don’ts for the investigating team as well as to assess training needs if any for the investigating teams, before they embark on the field visits.
2. Identify appropriate leads to formulate Principles and Criteria for incorporation as part of RHI which emerge, if any, out of the consultation
MINUTES
LINE OF ENQUIRY
- Who is / are the oldest amongst the group. Can you recall the river of your childhood?
a) Of the initial eleven farmers (Baljeet Singh and Jagwat Swarup joined later) Bhup Singh ji at 78 years was the oldest amongst the group.
b) As a child (this was before Country’s independence and I was around 13-14 yr old) we used to spend almost our entire day by the river side. Early in the morning we would bring our animals (Buffaloes) for grazing by the river side and then frolic the whole day in the forests there (the river bed was fairly forested then)
- When was the river fully alive, vibrant and welcoming (potable water)
a) Till about early 1970s the river was fully alive.
By alive it means that it had flowing water round the year (Flow used to vary with season); water was crystal clear most of the time except in monsoon months; we could drink the water and bathe in the river; there were turtles and fishes galore in the river; there was only one bridge to cross the river (?);
- When did the river start to deteriorate (no longer potable, but good enough for bathing of self and cattle)
a) By 1975 the river water could no longer be consumed by humans, although one could still bathe in it.
- When did the river start to become unfit for any sort of relationship with it
a) By 1980 the river had become bad enough for us to lose direct relationship with it, although it still provided irrigation water to our fields
During this enquiry while discussion began with the older persons in the group, few others joined in with their views and understanding. (when too many started to talk about their experiences at the same time, Bhup Singh ji, the oldest in the group, stood up and took charge of the sharing of views and experience about the river)
- What ails the river today
a) There is little flow in the river other than in the monsoon months
b) River’s water has been abstracted upstream of Delhi
c) Too many drains bring sewage into the river
d) The river bed’s natural topography has been changed beyond recognition
- How do we know that the river is sick
a) The water stinks
b) There is no life (no fish, no turtles, no crabs)
c) Original channels have disappeared
d) The ground water is going deeper and deeper
- What are the factors responsible for the current state of the river
a) Water abstraction from the river upstream of Delhi
b) More and more sewage entering the river
c) Decrease in intensity and volume of annual rainfalls and frequency of floods in the river
d) Encroachment of all kinds over the river bed
- When did the physical structures like the embankment and Barrages came up in / on the river
a) It all started after independence. But most came up after 1975.
- How do we know that the water is unfit for consumption
a) Its color is black
b) It stinks
c) There is no life in the river
d) Now no one takes their buffaloes into the river
- Which were the years of the most severe floods in the river
a) The highest flood in my memory (Sri Bhup Singh) was in 1947, when there was water all over between river Yamuna and river Hindon. It was because of the floods that the bodies of dead from the riot got carried away from Delhi and hence Delhi was spared the outbreak of diseases from dead bodies on the streets.
b) Next was in 1978.
- How did you cope up during the floods
a) We used to move over to higher areas like the elevated village of Patpar (which at that time had the remnants of an old fort in which the village was located).
b) Some of us used to stay on tree tops
- Were floods beneficial
a) Yes, floods used to bring fresh silt which gave us good crops the succeeding year, despite us losing the crop for the year to flood waters.
b) Floods also removed the muck from the river bed
- What morphological changes did the river experience during the floods
a) The most notable were two channels that used to come alive with the rise in water in the river. One was in the east, where the Yamuna Pushta today stands and the other was in the west along side where the railway track today is in Nizamuddin.
- Are there milestone years which saw the change in the river
a) Yes, the period from 1975 – 1980 can be considered to be the most critical when the river saw major changes in its water flow as well as change in the river bed’s topography.
b) It was also the period when large scale colonization of lands in Jamuna paar started by the DDA
- How have your farming practices in the river bed changed over the years
a) We have shifted from traditional bullock led tilling of lands to tractors; from river irrigation to ground water irrigation through tube wells; single crop to multi cropping; Cow Dung fertiliser to Urea (inorganic fertilizer); Dawai (insecticides) from none before
b) The river bed which had been forested and undulating has been converted into almost plain terrain and farm lands wherever it was feasible.
c) More and more farmers have become share croppers.
- How has it impacted the river, if at all
a) It must have impacted the river.
b) We are told that the pollution from our fields reaches the river too
- How has the availability of ground water changed over the years
a) This is one of the most visible changes in the river since olden times.
b) Earlier under ground water was available in the khadar almost ‘hands deep’. One only needed to dig a bit and there the water was available. Now even the tube wells are going deeper and deeper.
c) Thanks, to the floods in the river this year (2008) that the tube wells are readily guzzling out water now.
- What interventions in the river / river bed / flood plain made either by the state agencies or by individual / non government agencies that they think have had a bearing on the conversion of river from a healthy river into the current sickly one
a) The ground water in the river bed has dramatically gone down since 1980 due to the digging of Ranney Wells in the river bed by the government
b) All these roads and bridges over the river have also added to the pollution.
c) More and more buildings in east Delhi and in Khadar has also impacted the river
- How would you define a healthy river
a) There is flowing water in the river round the year although the volume and speed of the flow changes from season to season (good understanding. Can they figure out monthwise expectations?)
b) Water fit for drinking purposes
c) Clear water so that a coin can be seen lying on the bed
d) A river that floods frequently
e) Sub surface water is at a level that one can access it by digging with hands
f) Natural topography of the river bed / flood plain has not been altered
g) River flows in number of channels some of them dry gradually after monsoon and revives on the onset of monsoons
h) River channels that emerge with rise in river water during floods, remain intact
i) Fishes, turtles, crabs, birds of various kinds abound (Ranges could be built in)
j) River can be used for transportation purposes
k) It does not suffer the onslaught of polluting drains (Ranges?)
- What are the practices that you think can and should be changed / reverted back to, to enable the river to revive
a) While we can not go back to the days of bullock led tilling, but we can certainly go back to more and more use of organic farming practices
b) Careful extraction of ground water from the river bed
- Any other Notable feature/s
a) Bore well water away from the river in Samaspur and Mandawali village is far more polluted than the water extracted by a bore well next to the river ! (Observations by Bhati ji).
ADVANTAGES OF STARTING WITH THIS GROUP
The resource persons have had a long standing familiarity and good will with the group in question. Resultantly the group members have good degree of confidence and good working relationship with the resource persons.
LESSONS AND LEARNINGS
1. It will be good if we can have a team comprising 2-3 persons (like Bhup Singh ji) representing ITK (Indigenous Traditional Knowledge) and some experts who complement this with science ( like the one gentleman who was on Yamuna Yatra from Environic Trust, testing water quality). May be, a team of 4-5 persons would be quite handy.
2. Help the team as above develop a tool kit ( ITK + science) , which could be validated over the identified / selected stretches of the river Yamuna.
3. The team while visiting these stretches, would not just validate the tool kit in most participatory manner, but it will as well help the people in these location/s to connect with the issue that they identify with by applying the diagnostic tool kit. The people would not only be diagnosing (and in the process help validation) the river’s health, but the diagnosis would help them to put up an action plan to address the health issue arising out of the said diagnosis. This should lead us to engagement of civil society at large and thus pave way for a larger campaign for the river and initiation of local level actions for the river’s revival, right away. (BMS).
POSSIBLE PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA (Too early to expect these to emerge)
General comments and Suggestions:
1. It is a very good and useful exercise
2. Looks like people participated very well (adv already highlighted
3. Although “whys” of the current situation have come up here and there, it is necessary to make people analyse further the current state of affairs and group them in to different causative factors such individuals (locals), industry, Govt action and so on.
4. Idea of having a steering team is fine but with scope for involving locals at different locations: we do not want general observers and powerful people to be in the team. Such groups must have primary stakeholders and not the so called secondary stakeholders.
5. Let us test this method at another place with good orientation on the participants.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)