Expert

The India Urban Conference (IUC) was organised to encourage multi-level dialogue regarding India's urban transformation. It aimed to set the challenges faced by urban planners in the current economic, socio-political, and ecological landscape. This would enable informed and negotiated choices on urban development. The stated objectives of the conference are as follows:Read More

• To make urban, applied research relevant to an increased spectrum of stakeholders including academics, civil societies, policy think tanks, research institutes, media, private sector, and citizens.
• To leverage experience to generate useful evidence to promote applied research and responsive policy-making.
• To create new research initiatives and/ or collaborations with a potential for creating tangible changes/ reforms for the benefit of urban India and its context.
• To identify and explore research issues affecting urban India, by exploring through a perspective of eight selected themes.
• Publish research papers and evidence presented/ discussed in the form of case-books, web publications, and potentially a special issue of a journal.
  

The Durban climate negotiations have set into motion new negotiations, with the possibility of re-opening old and contentious issues, while at the same time leaving the global climate regulatory framework unchanged. While disappointing, this does create a possibility of starting anew. In this paper published in the Economic and Political Weekly, Navroz Dubash argues that 'India needs to re-articulate and enrich its position on equity in climate negotiations'.Read More

This paper was commissioned as an input to the study “Development and Growth in Northeast India: The Natural Resources, Water, and Environment Nexus” by the World Bank. The main objectives of the hydropower study are as follows: 

• An analysis of the hydropower potential in the Northeast and key elements of the strategy that should be followed for optimal realization of this potential 
• An overview of the hydropower development options in the Northeast with regard to the water resources in the different river basins, including consideration of flood control and irrigation

Map of the north-east states

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This paper examines the use of constructed wetlands for water purification.

The introduction begins witha brief overview of wetlands: their nature and services offered. These wetlands are ecoststems with water that is static or flowing and characerized by emergent , floating and submerged aquatic vegetation. Some of the services provided by wetlands are fish and fiber, water supply, water purification, flood regulation, recreational opportunities and tourism. It then details the importance of wetlands for water purification.Toxins enter the wetlands through farms, factories and runoff. These toxins are broken down or otherwise buried using a variety of bacteria. 

Location map of Keoladeo National Park

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