Governance

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April 17, 2021
Skilling and engaging first mile actors to enable local water management: Context, opportunities, and engagement possibilities
Based on conversations with Dr Tushaar Shah and Mr Ved Arya
There is an urgency to create a database of such skilled persons and engage them in future programs or on a long-term basis through different engagement models. (Image: ForWater Partners)
April 13, 2021
Swacchagrahis: The frontline workers of India's largest sanitation program
There is a need for long term sustained engagement of the skilled workforce for water and sanitation
Swachhagrahis are the motivators for bringing about behaviour change concerning key sanitation practices in rural India. (Image: SBM)
April 8, 2021
Conservation of water commons through community fishery
The village institution collectively framed rules for the governance and management of these water commons
The efforts have resulted in the revival of the ponds. (Image: FES)
April 6, 2021
Drinking water access to all in Bihar: Reach, benefits and challenges
Significantly reduced the daily drudgery of women in rural areas
The water requirement for the scheme is being fulfilled through borings, submersible pumps, and distribution pipelines implemented by the Department of Panchayati Raj, Government of Bihar. (Image: Sehgal Foundation)
April 1, 2021
COVID-19 and social protection: Impact in the agriculture sector
Lower transaction costs, minimal leakages, and immediate delivery make a strong case for direct cash transfers, says study.
Access to credit increased farmers' expenditures on farm-related activities. (Image: Pixy.org)
March 22, 2021
Water governance standard and certification system – An answer to the water problems of agrarian India
The recent 'Water governance standard and certification system' developed by WOTR can greatly help villages to develop good governance practices and manage their water needs equitably and sustainably.
Long queues waiting for tankers are common in different parts of Maharashtra during water scarcity (Image Source: WOTR)
Budget 2021: Policy measures in the nutrition sector
Nutrition interventions need to be strengthened to protect people already at the margin of subsistence. Amita Bhaduri posted 2 months 3 weeks ago

India's food security policy framework includes many proven nutrition interventions. In 2015, India committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero hunger.
Children eating their mid-day meal at a worksite school in Andhra Pradesh (Image: ILO Asia Pacific, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Natural resource management through a gender lens
Need to recognise women, the cogs in the feminisation of Indian agriculture Amita Bhaduri posted 2 months 4 weeks ago

Building upon decades of international diplomatic relations and scientific research, the United Nations adopted the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ in 2015.
In incorporating female participation, some programmes only added (futile) burden on these women without challenging the current division of labour. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
India faced with the onslaught of rising temperature
Climate change induced disasters can cause disruption to human well being and the ecosystem. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months ago

On January 4, 2021, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) released a report titled

2020 was one of the warmest years in India despite La Nina which typically has a cooling effect on global temperatures.(Image: Tumisu, Pixabay)
The invisible face of agriculture
Women farmers need support in the form of resources, technologies, policies and other actions to level the farming field. The first step is to recognise their role in farming. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months ago

“Female labour participation has been declining across India from 1990 to 2019. It has declined from 31% to 25% from 2005 to 2010 and further to 20% in 2019. This has contributed to employment loss for women.
Though women are involved in economic activities of the cropping system but their role is negligible in household decision making and participation (Image: PxHere)
Child malnutrition rises in five years, as per NFHS-5 data
The estimated increase in child stunting is only the tip of the iceberg. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 1 week ago

Government of India has recently released the data of the first round of National Family Health Survey-5, 2019-20.
Children born between 2014 and 2019 are more malnourished than those before. (Image: PxHere)
Climate change: A look through a gender lens
Women are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 2 weeks ago

Climate change vulnerability is a multi-layered and multi-faceted phenomenon. “It’s a justice issue determined by both biophysical and socio-economic factors.
The gendered vulnerabilities due to climate change need to be well-recognized. (Image: Justin Kernoghan, Trocaire, Wikimedia Commons)
Should we bet more on historians than engineers to sort flooding?
How the historian's method is invaluable in developing an understanding of floods. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 2 weeks ago

Raging floods swarming great expanses have been a common occurrence in the 21st century in South Asia.
Need to consider the perspective of the historians who see floods as a naturally occurring event. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Delhi smog can’t be blamed on crop fires
There is more to Delhi's air pollution than stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 2 weeks ago

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The small window of a fortnight between rice harvesting and wheat sowing compels farmers to burn the crop residue (Image: Neil Palmer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA-4.0 Generic)
Challenges to India’s urban water security and future growth patterns
Water resources in most Indian cities are overworked and overused, and not adequately replenished. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 3 weeks ago

Linkages between water security and socio-economic growth
Cities in India are marked by unequal distribution of water, lack of access, outdated infrastructure and minimal enforcement of rainwater harvesting and other means of supply. (Image: Anish Roy, Pixabay)
Land and environmental approvals needed for faecal sludge treatment facilities
There is an urgent need for specific guidelines and rules for the selection of sites for setting up faecal sludge treatment facilities. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 4 weeks ago

Despite an enabling framework for implementation of Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) initiatives, there exists a vacuum concerning specific guidelines/rules for the selection of sites for setting up of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs).
The site for the FSTP should be able to accommodate pres­ent and anticipated future requirements. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
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