Relief irrigation increasing worries for farmers
Land acquisition from Vidarbha farmers for irrigation projects is become a case of cure worse than the disease. The new projects are being commissioned over the prime minister's relief package....
View ArticleThis bank deposits rain and draws water
A Karnataka Bank branch in Mysore is the setting for a unique tale of investment - in water. The bank's senior manager devised a simple plan to allow accumulated rainwater, which was earlier just...
View ArticleKarnataka defers decision on Chamalapura power
The proposed 1000 MW coal-fired power plant at Chamalapura, Mysore, to be located on agricultural land and within 30 kilometres of the Nagarhole and Bandipur national parks, evoked strong protests...
View ArticleJalyatra: An uneven but important journey
Jalyatra is a welcome addition to the literature on water systems in India, and one hopes that it once again brings attention to the traditional systems and the key principles behind them, writes...
View ArticleIndia's coal-to-liquid push short-sighted
New Delhi recently allocated three blocks of coal in Orissa for projects that will produce liquid fuel from coal, in an attempt to increase oil supply. The decision appears to have overlooked a number...
View ArticleFrom biodiversity to biotech
Biological matter drawn from animals and plants in India could be transforming into biofuels in the labs of foreign corporations. There's little transparency and almost no public assessment of the...
View ArticleDraft coastal regulation threatens fishermen
New Delhi's two months time for feedback on its draft Coastal Management Zone notification expired on 8 July. Activists say the proposed law will make way for beach-front villas and water-front...
View ArticleWater is no pipe dream here
Konkodi Bhat's simple pipe system at his home in Dakshina Kannada allows the family to use rainwater for half the year and lets the excess recharge the open well for usage in the remaining months. His...
View ArticleMissing the mountain for the snow
The climate system is a global, inter-locking one, and its many facets cannot be considered in isolation. However, this is precisely what the National Action Plan on Climate Change has done, writes...
View ArticleBit by bit, he filled his well
S Ganesh Mallya, a high school teacher cum Sunday farmer in Yedapadavu in Karnataka, has greened his plot without borewells. Using simple techniques to catch rainwater, he has managed to raise the...
View ArticleTiger terror in Chandrapur
The forest regions in Brahmapuri and Chandrapur regions in Maharashtra are the scene of a spurt in tiger attacks for the last two years. Fear of attack has also caused significant damage to the...
View ArticleKerala's unconvincing shot at the environment ministry
Kerala's Left-dominated 141-member legislative assembly adopted a resolution on 11 July urging New Delhi to withdraw the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification of 2006. The resolution says the...
View ArticleBlessed by water
Father Benjamin D'Souza's rain harvesting measures in four acres of the Tallur Church campus in coastal Karnataka have assured zero runoff for the last half a decade and watered neighbouring wells...
View ArticleRelocation of settlements is healing Sariska
Twenty-one families were relocated from the core area of Sariska Tiger Reserve to a newly built township last year. The signs are that this has gone off well both for the people and the forests,...
View ArticleHug and save the trees
It was 25 years ago this month when villagers in Karnataka undertook an eight-kilometre-long trek to resist massive tree-felling at the Kalase forests. In today's milieu, the Appiko movement is facing...
View ArticleThe gift from the sky
Frustrated with the hardness of borewell water, H Ramesh and his family are harvesting rain in their Mysore house for almost all their domestic uses. Shree Padre has more.
View ArticleConsent under duress
Consent for relocation given by Jamni village in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra was obtained under duress. Villagers protest against the manner in which the gram sabha had proceeded....
View ArticleSoftening hard water with rain
Rainwater harvesting need not be limited to household purposes. It can be successfully implemented to solve water problems in commercial establishments too, as demonstrated by an automobile dealer...
View ArticleWinning the battle against poaching
India's forest staff operate in appalling conditions: open toed footwear, lack of simple facilities like torches, jeeps, and wireless sets. How is the fight against poaching to be won? Malini Shankar...
View ArticleKokkarni, saviour of paddy
What do you for water when you are a paddy cultivator and a good portion of the hills around you are rocky outcrops, not ideal for catchment? Enter the kokkarni. Shree Padre reports on the revival of...
View ArticleLion poacher nabbed, awaits trial
Mintar Singh, leader of a gang of lion poachers, was finally nabbed last month in MP. 36 of his accomplices were already convicted two years back. Malini Shankar has more.
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