The legendary Gandhian
Pakistani social scientist Akhtar Hameed Khan, is remembered, on his first death anniversary, for his achievements in the field of urban management
A decentralised system will lead to sustainable water use
S Vishwanath, a Bangalore-based engineer and planner, started the Rainwater Club to help people manage rainwater efficiently. He spoke to Binayak …
Health care should be cheaper and more accessible
N H ANTIA Director of the Foundation for Research in Community Health, Pune, Maharashtra is striving to promote the concept of better health care …
When 'calamity' strikes
Water harvesting is the new catchword for the government struggling against drought. And the media is going out of its way to spread the word. In …
Humans first
EQUATION FOR LIFE·Edited by George Cheriyan·Published by: Books for change·110p; Price: 120
A bushful of medicine
Seabuckthorn, a plant with numerous medicinal properties, grows wild in India. Rural communities are the losers
Water revolution
It is not easy to initiate a movement for water conservation in the face of drought. But the Madhya Pradesh government pushed forward in all the …
Time to act
The Madhya Pradesh government has recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister seeking changes in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The …
The Blue Danube
An international convention for protection of the Danube hopes to restore the river's ecosystem
Plastic Unlimited
New rules to restrict the use of plastic in India may end up promoting the polymer industry
Seeking Reliance
The Andhra Pradesh government is giving forests that sustain tribal communities to the Reliance group of industries for plantations. That, too, …
Forestland benefits
Under the Lok Vaniki scheme, a farmer can extract benefits from his land by selling its produce, including timber
Water is wealth
Excerpts from the Statement of Shared Concern by the participants of the CSE conference on Potential of Water Harvesting: Traditions, Policies …
Pitching in for a pond
The government and people of Madhya Pradesh have joined hands in their fight against drought through various jan sahyog programmes
Call of the wild
A unique festival epitomises efforts for conservation of Assam rainforests which have been lying in a state of neglect for decades
Middle path of conservation
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At loggerheads
While the state government is keen to introduce JFM, villagers say there is no need for that since they have been carrying out all protection …
Message in a baton
The decades after Independence saw rampant destruction of trees. This was followed by years of drought. It was then that the villagers realised …
We plan to involve panchayats in monitoring pollution levels
Sheila Rani Chunkat has recently been appointed chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). She spoke to Binayak Das on how …
Farmers can only teach traditional knowledge
P S Ramakrishnan , former director of G B Pant University in Nainital, Uttar Pradesh and currently professor at the School of Environmental …
The need of the hour
Experts all over agree that rainwater harvesting is the best way to improve the lot of villages
Talking about fluorosis
Participants failed to come up with workable solutions at a recent international conference on fluorosis
The verdict and after
The Supreme Court's decision, giving a go ahead to the Sardar Sarovar Project, has regenerated the debate.
Time Locked
Government watershed programmes run for a limited period. The impractical timeframe threatens to undo the goodwork
Sustained Conservation
Only a strong political commitment for water conservation will ensure the survival of these structures