| Volume: 9 Month: August 2007
News from Secretariat
Collaboration with Arghyam
An advisory service to provide appropriate solutions to the water and sanitation related issues being faced by general public and practitioners is being introduced by India Water Portal. India Water Portal is an open, collaborative platform to share information and knowledge on water issues. The Water Portal contains materials and inputs from a very wide range of water sector NGOs and practitioners. The Water Portal is co-ordinated and supported by Arghyam, a non-profit trust based in Bangalore and working on Water issues (www.arghyam.org).
Recently, Arghyam has sought the help of WES-Net India to manage the advisory services effectively. To begin with, WES-Net would be offering its assistance to manage the advisory service while other potential areas of partnership with Arghyam would be explored in the course of time.
Ecosan Web pages
WES-Net is developing few web pages on the theme of Ecosan. These pages will help practitioners of Ecosan to share their experiences across the sector effectively. Possibilities of linking these web pages with the website of Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India is being explored.
Research Coordination
WaterAid is in the process of organizing the research coordination workshop. During the workshop, a half day event on WASH campaign being promoted by WaterAid and the WES-Net’s annual general body meeting will also be held.
Meetings
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Discussion with representatives of GTZ was held to explore areas of potential collaboration. GTZ representatives expressed their interest to support some activities of the network and also to effectively share their experiences with members of the network. Specific areas of collaboration would be identified shortly.
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Discussion with representatives of CAP-Net was held to plan for the regional level workshop being proposed by them. WES-Net may play a role in the workshop by bringing various stakeholders working on Ecosan.
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Members of WES-Net also participated in the National level workshop held on “Development of Training Modules for Water and Sanitation” at NIRD Hyderabad (For more, refer report forwarded by Mr.Y.Narasimhiah, TDC, Hyderabad available at http://tinyurl.com/2tockf).
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Discussions were held with representatives of Akar Impex Pvt.Ltd., New Delhi, a private company specialized in designing water and waste water treatment plants. Akar Impex has offered to provide free technical advice on water treatment techniques to institutions/projects which work for social cause. Members can contact Mr.Taral Kumar at taral_kumarv@hotmail.com or visit www.akarimpex.com for more information.
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News from Members
Rooftop Harvesting Rhetoric in Urban Areas of Kerala (From Jos C Raphael, Rain Centre, Trichur)
In 2004, the Kerala Government took initiatives to implement rainwater harvesting in the urban areas. As per the government order of local self government department –GO No.677 dated 17/3/04, all new buildings should have either rainwater harvesting tanks or rainwater percolation pits as per the specifications given in the order. Accordingly, Kerala Municipality Rules 1999 have been amended to incorporate the roof water harvesting rules for the new buildings in the municipal areas. The Rain Centre (Mazha Kendram), Trichur, an off shoot of Centre for Community Organisation and Development that works for awareness building on rainwater harvesting in the state, conducted a study to assess the implementation of this initiative. The survey reveals the ineffective implementation of the GO while highlighting some of the issues that are to be addressed to make it work efficiently.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2jqaev.
Aloe Vera - A Water Reservoir with Minimum Water Requirement (From Vijay S Thakur and Anjanii Kumar, GERF, Faridabad)
Aloe Vera is a succulent belonging to the family Liliaceae. It is one of the 250 known species of aloes, referred to by the scientific terms of Aloe Vera and Aloe barbadensis. Called Ghrita Kumari in Sanskrit, it is commonly known as Aloe. The ideal environment for cultivating Aloe Vera is a temperate climate and low rainfall. It has fibrous roots and bright green gelatinous leaves, enveloped in a fine layer of a yellow liquid or sap with many therapeutic properties. Aloe can be grown in areas with low rainfall and it can provide higher income than many other traditional crops normally grown in such areas.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/36ys5r
Demonstrating Community-led Approaches for Pro-Poor Urban Governance (From Pramod Dabrase, WaterAid, Bhopal)
WaterAid India is involved in the Slum Environment Sanitation Initiative (SESI) programme being implemented in four cities of Madhya Pradesh, viz; Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore and Jabalpur, in partnership with the UN-HABITAT, local municipal authorities and local NGOs under the Water for Asian Cities Programme since October 2005. The programme aims to pilot various community-led approaches for pro-poor urban governance to improve water and sanitation facilities in selected slums. To focus on this objective, citywide Poverty Pocket Situational Analysis (PPSA) was carried out to map the urban poor in all the four cities. Out of the 324 poverty pockets identified, 63 pockets across the four cities have been selected for implementing various water and sanitation initiatives un der the programme.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2q442x
Street Theatre on Water literacy (From Lalit M Sharma, Archana Chaudhury and Pooja Murada, Shegal Foundation, Gurgaon)
Street Theatre on water literacy was conducted by Sehgal Foundation for promoting judicial utilization of water. Script of the street theatre was kept simple to convey the messages with humor and emotions. Incidents adopted in the play were taken from the day to day life of the villagers to enable them identify with these and to make them realize the need for change. The play focused on promoting the need for constructing various water conservation methods with live demonstrations which depicted the functioning of some of these methods.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3ctwga
Study of Seawater Intrusion in coastal Tracts of Goa (From C.P.Kumar, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee)
Coastal tracts of Goa are rapidly transforming with numerous settlements being built for housing and tourism purposes. As a result, to meet the ever growing water requirement, many wells and borewells are being installed in these areas. Large-scale withdrawal of groundwater may lead to seawater intrusion if corrective measures are not initiated at this stage. Therefore, to understand phenomenon under various realistic pumping and recharge scenarios and the potential impacts, a study was conducted in the Bardez taluk of North Goa by National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee. The study reveals that the problem of sea water intrusion is not a major cause of concern as of now, but it emphasizes the need for taking up preventive measures urgently. The study recommends regular monitoring of ground water for salinity levels, especially up to a range of 2km from the sea. The parameters suggested by the study will be useful for the overall management of ground water in the area.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2retcz
Addressing Fluoride in Drinking Water in Rajasthan (From Viren Lobo, SPWD, Udaipur)
SPWD, which is working in Rajasthan, has been taking efforts to address the problem of excess fluoride in drinking water. A proposal for addressing this issue on a pilot basis was presented in the recently concluded India Development Market Place 2007. This proposal was among the 20 ideas short-listed at the IDM 2007. The main proposition of the proposal is to identify approaches and mitigation measures to address the issue effectively as more than 23000 villages/hamlets of Rajesthan State are affected by excess fluoride in drinking water. Extent of contamination, its impact on people, developing local level institutions to undertake awareness and mitigation measures and study the impact of water harvesting on fluoride levels are some of the components proposed under this pilot initiative.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3b3nl9.
Integrating the informal Sector -Latur shows the example (From Sanjay K Gupta, GMED (USAID), New Delhi)
Today Latur Municipal Council (LMC) proudly claims to be a dustbin-free town - it has removed most of the community bins and road-side open heaps, which were serious nuisance for the citizens. Of the nearly 300,000 population, 80 per cent is served by door-to-door collection (DTDC) by integrating all the rag pickers in the municipal area. The idea of initiating door-to-door waste collection through out-sourcing came when the Municipal Officers of LMC attended the GMED (USAID) workshop in Mumbai on development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for providing adequate solid waste management (SWM) services to all citizens. Now, the citizens of the Municipality enjoy better services while the former rag pickers integra ted into programme earn more and also work in better environmental conditions. The programme has also effectively helped to reduce the expenditure of the Municipality on solid waste management while offering better service to its citizens.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3yaxny.
Nirmal Gram Puraskar: A boon to Lankapalli (From Ch.Satyanarayana, ASM-Plan, Vijayawada)
The Nirmal Gram Puraskar awarded to Lankapalli, a small village in Pamidimukkala mandal of Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, has proved to be a boon to the village as well as to the neighboring villages for its achievement of total sanitation. ASM-Plan (Krishna), which is working for the development of communities in the area, along with the local panchayat representatives and the community, undertook innovative steps to change the age old practice of open defecation in this village located on the banks of river Krishna. Now, Lankapalli has become a role model for the nearby villages which are already approaching ASM-Plan and the local Government for achieving 100% sanitation.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2pp8td.
Reforming Urban Water Supply Sector in India (From Ramakrishna Nallathiga, Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad)
Water is an important resource available for humans and fresh water is much more important given its limited availability and erratic distribution over space and time. The availability of fresh water per capita has come down in India from about 5,177 cubic meter per head in 1951 to 1,820 cubic meter per head in 2001 and it is expected to further go down to 1,140 by 2050 AD. Large metropolitan cities, in particular, are becoming critical areas due to increasing water demand for domestic consumption, which often competes with other uses of fresh water. In spite of the enormous challenge, water resource management in India, in general, in urban areas, in particular, is focused on the supply expansion, whereas a good scope exists for demand management and improving water use efficiency. Apart from these, it is also necessary to undertake the reforms in the service delivery.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/388qcd.
Articles on Environment prepared by Trustees of Saisanctuary (From Subhash Mehta, Devarao Shivaram Trust, Bangalore)
“Trustees of Saisancturay” has prepared few important articles on environmental aspects. These articles provide insights into various emerging issues related to environment of the ecologically sensitive region of Coorg in Karnataka.
Please refer the attached document which contains the articles on the following topics;
@ Dams for coorg or damning of coorg?
@ The lessons of brazil—loss of carbon credits
@ Dams mean disaster for agriculture
@ Disaster for wildlife and humans
@ Protecting biodiversity means money from eco-tourism
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3dp89c.
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Press Releases
Rainwater Tanks: better than dams, desalination: Australian report (Date: 01/06/07 Source: IRC)
A new Australian study shows that rainwater tanks are cost competitive with desalination, yet five times more energy efficient -significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It also revealed that they could delay big water projects like dams for up to a decade.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2f3a7t.
Desalination for Safe Water Supply: WHO Draft Guideline Available for comment (Date: 11/07/2007 Source: WHO)
WHO invites comments on the draft guideline on “Desalination for Safe Water Supply”, which gives an overview of desalination technologies, addresses chemical and microbial aspects of desalinated water, and in addition, offers specific guidance relating to monitoring, surveillance, regulation, and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Comments should be sent to: gdwqdesal@who.int by 31 October 2007.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/yprjzc
‘Clean drive’ reaches a significant milestone (Date: 10/07/2007 Source: J.Geetha, Gramalaya)
Damodharan Eda Street of the Tiruchi city in Tamil Nadu was declared as the 100th open defecation-free zone as part of a joint initiative of the Corporation and voluntary organisations — Gramalaya, Wateraid and Alaigal Women’s Federation. The initiative, started in 2003-04, has covered 100 habitations in various parts of the city. Open defecation has been eradicated in these areas by handing over public toilets to women self-help groups for maintenance. The public toilets have been renovated wherever necessary by the Corporation.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2bdbyx.
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Publications
New Data Shows the Impact of Environmental Factors on Health (Source: WHO)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the first ever country-by-country analysis of the impact environmental factors have on health. The data show huge inequalities but also demonstrate that in every country, people's health could be improved by reducing environmental risks including pollution, hazards in the work environment, UV radiation, noise, agricultural risks, climate and ecosystem change.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3e3wfn.
Excreta Disposal in Emergencies: A Field Manual (Source:WEDC)
The purpose of this manual is to provide practical guidance on how to select, design, construct and maintain appropriate excreta disposal systems in emergency situations. Relevant situations include natural disasters, relief for refugees and internally displaced people, and complex emergencies, focusing on rural and peri-urban areas.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/yt2koe.
Enhancing Livelihoods through Sanitation (Source:IRC)
This TOP is intended to inspire those working in water and sanitation and related sectors at policy and policy implementation levels, who are interested in the disposal, management and re-use of human excreta and in improving the well-being and environment of poor families. This TOP is intended to inspire those working in water and sanitation and related sectors at policy and policy implementation levels, who are interested in the disposal, management and re-use of human excreta and in improving the well-being and environment of poor families.
For more details, visit: http://www.irc.nl/page/36080.
Solid Waste Management and the Millennium Development Goals (Source:SKAT)
This booklet, which is based on deliberations at an international CWG-WASH workshop held in Kolkata, India in 2006, explains why the Millennium Development Goals demand urgent action to improve the standards and coverage of solid waste management services.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/25ngg8.
Selected Readings from SPWD (Source: SPWD)
Discussion SPWD presents `Selected Readings’, 2006-07. These latest publications of six volumes highlight various aspects of natural resources like Water, Forests, Landuse, Gender, Ecology, etc. A must for planners and practitioners, these books trace the evolution, policies and practices since over two decades of contributions form renowned scholars, scientists and grassroot practitioners.
For more details, visit: http://tinyurl.com/yumkbz.
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Events
WATER TODAY'S WORKSHOP On ULTRAFILTRATION & MBR MEMBRANE SYSTEMS
Date: 29 August 2007
Venue: India Corporate Centre, New Delhi
Organizers: Water Today
For more information, contact: P. Sasikala
“Sensitization Workshop on Multi-stage Solar Still Based Distillation System”
Date: 20 September 2007
Venue: TERI, Bangalore
Organizers: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Source: S N Srinivas
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2t8ktq
National Workshop on Geotechnical/ Hydrological Instrumentation
From: 6 - 7 Sepember 2007
Venue: Pune, Maharashtra
Organizers: NATIONAL WATER ACADEMY
Source: http://nwa.mah.nic.in/training_cal.htm
Ecosan Services Foundation (ESF) - ecosan training course
From: 3 - 14 September 2007
Venue: Nashik, Maharashtra, India
Organizers: Ecosan Services Foundation in collaboration with Seecon and GTZ
Source: www.ecosanservices.org/training.html
Identification, Design and Development of Common Hazardous Waste Disposal Facilities
From: 10 - 14 September 2007
Venue: Hyderabad
Organizers: Central Pollution Control Board
Source: www.cpcb.nic.in/training1.htm
Introduction course in water and sanitation for development and emergencies
From: 17 - 29 September 2007
Venue: Madagascar (Fort Dauphin)
Organizers: BushProof
Source: http://www.bushproof.com/index.php?id=127
For more information, visit:
Upcoming Events: http://wesnetindia.org/workshop_events.php
Training Courses: http://wesnetindia.org/trainnig_courses.php
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Vacancies
Various Positions
Organization: World Bank supported TN -IAMWARM Project
Location: Chepauk, Chennnai
Closing Date for Applications: August 18, 2007
Source: Vibhu Nayar, Project Director, TN-IAMWARM
URL: http://www.iamwarm.org/pwdadd.htm
Various Positions
Organization:ATREE
Location: New Delhi
Closing Date for Applications: August 16, 2007
Source: DevNetJobsIndia.org
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2woqyy
Water & Sanitation Spec.
Organization: World Bank
Location: New Delhi
Closing date for applications: 15 August 2007
URL: http://tinyurl.com/3cm3cz
Sr Water & Sanitation Spec.
Organization: World Bank
Location: New Delhi
Source: 15 August 2007
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2kqfcr
Program Coordinator and Program Associates
Organization: ATREE
Location: New Delhi, India
Closing date for applications: August 14, 2007
Source: DevNetJobsIndia.org
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2nmqb2
Various Positions
Organization: Naandi Foundation (For GPOBA Programme)
Location: Multiple
Source: Jitesh Odedra
URL: http://www.naandi.org/Career/SW-GPOBA.asp
Various Positions
Organization: Naandi Foundation ('Safe Drinking Water Project')
Location: Multiple
Source: Jitesh Odedra
URL: http://www.naandi.org/Career/SW-SDW.asp
For more information on other vacancies
Visit http://wesnetindia.org/vacancies.php
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