सोमवार, 10 नवंबर 2008

Is It Time to Kill Off the Flush Toilet?

Toilet flushing
THE IMAGE BANK / GETTY IMAGES


To flush or not to flush. That was the question that designers and ecologists were asking each other this week as hundreds of people — who spend a lot of time thinking about these things — convened for the annual World Toilet Summit and Expo in Macau.


The World Toilet Summit and Expo is like the Star Trek Convention of the waste management and sanitation world. Toilets on show run the gamut from a cardboard box complete with a hole, plastic bag and pouch of waterless magic pathogen-busting dust ($50), to a high-tech 'uber-toilet,' featuring an in-seat warmer/cooler, male and female water jets, an in-bowl light (why? why?) and a USB port so you can connect your mp3 player for your soothing tune of choice ($1,200).

But figuring out how to wean the world off the flush handle took center stage. Though the common flush toilet has remained largely the same since it's invention in 1596, the world it inhabits has changed drastically. City populations have mushroomed, sewers have become overburdened and water has become scarcer. Now, the flushing loo — that human innovation that lifted the industrialized world out of its own dirt, cholera and dysentery — is quickly becoming one of the more egregious instruments of waste in this time of acutely finite resources. "The world can't sustain this toilet," says Jack Sim, the founder of the World Toilet Organization — the other WTO — an organization that advocates for sustainable sanitation solutions for all. "This 'flush and forget' attitude creates a new problem which we have to revisit."

If you are, as Sim's said, one of the millions who tends to 'flush and forget' on a regular basis, chances are you're dumping up to 22 liters of drinkable water every day, one three- to six-liter flush at a time. But the problem doesn't stop there. What follows — the 'forget' part of the toilet experience — is the long and costly process of sanitizing the water that was clean before you answered nature's call. In the developed world, the flush toilet is our only direct link to the enormous — and exorbitant — engineering feat that is the modern urban sanitation system: the sewers, filtration plants, water treatment facilities, and finally, treated water disposal channels that send the scrubbed water into our rivers and lakes.

Using so much water per flush unnecessarily increases the volume of our waste and the cost of its transportation and treatment, ecologists say. If you don't put waste in water in the first place, then you don't have to spend money to remove it at the back end. The process also leaves a huge carbon footprint, says Rose George, author of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why it Matters. In the UK, she says, "the sewage system uses as much energy as what the largest coal fire station in the [country] produces" — about 28.8 million tones of carbon dioxide a year.

But the fundamental shift in how we think about our waste, and by extension, dispose of it, needs to be to stop mixing liquids and solids, says the WTO's Sim. "The human body is designed to separate solids from liquid waste," and we should follow suit, he says. By separating fecal matter from urine at the source in what's called a "urine diversion toilet," a wider ecological system of waste disposal becomes possible. Solids can be composted for fertilizer and harvested for methane gas. Urine can be used to produce phosphorous and nitrogen and clean, drinkable water. (The question is, will people bring themselves to drink it?)

Ecological sanitation, as this call to arms is known in toilet circles, is already up and running in many spots around the world. In rural China, 15.4 million homes convert methane into power from what normally went down the pit behind the house. Household waste is stored in a state-subsidized "digester," a kind of metal stomach that breaks down the matter and releases methane gas which is trapped for reuse. In the French city of Lille, a small fleet of ten buses are also using methane, gleaned from the city's poop. And in some Indian villages, simple latrines have been built that separate waste and use it to produce compost and fertilizer at a per capita cost infinitesimally lower than any waste management budget in the West.

In a reversal of the traditional one-way innovation highway — from the West to the rest of the world — many of the best ideas in sanitation are coming from the developing world. And for now, the gap between these initiatives and the large-scale urban sanitary solutions of tomorrow is being filled by inventors and dreamers like Jack Sim and others who gathered this week in Macau. Among their larger visions for collective waste disposal and treatment on display was a network of low-water toilets that separated solids from liquids and assigned them to reservoirs shared by an apartment building or block of houses. Those resevoirs would then produce fertilizer, soil conditioner and energy producing methane — and dramatically cut the cost to the public of waste disposal.

But for many people, this is just hot air. "We have the luxury of flushing the toilet and just seeing it disappear," says George. The industry is stalled not only by that convenience, but by taboo. "People are uncomfortable talking about their own waste." It may have been quite some time since relating the adventures of your most recent bowel movement has constituted acceptable fodder for conversation, but nevertheless, says George, our 'bodily products' have to come back into the conversation somehow, if we are ever going to flush away the flush.
By DON DUNCAN / MACAU
http://www.time.com

रविवार, 9 नवंबर 2008

Epoxy Pipe Lining To Prevent Lead Contamination

During the 19th and early 20th century lead was widely used in major U.S. cities for water pipes because of its durability and malleability. Lead pipes were eventually superseded by galvanized steel and copper, and copper pipe became the predominant material selected for domestic water service and distribution in post-World War II residential construction.
Pipe corrosion and erosion-caused lead contamination, was the top source of lead-related health issues before the hazards of ingesting lead were realized. Stillbirth and high infant mortality were two of the worst effects of lead ingestion. Many other plumbing or pipe problems are easy to detect by seeing or listening, but without specifically testing for it, there is no way to detect lead in your water. The EPA offers general information about lead contamination and how to test for it on its website.
If you have lead in your water, it?s generally because of one (or more) of these: lead-based solder which used to be the primary way to join copper pipes, a lead service line pipe linking your house to the city or town water main, and brass (or chrome-plated brass) faucets. The U.S. Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead in 1986. It also limited the lead composition of pipes, faucets, and all other plumbing materials to 8.0%.? As a result of this legislation, ?lead-free? brass legally can contain no more than 8% lead and plumbing installed before 1986 possibly contain higher levels of lead.
In older structures, lines from the city/town water main to the home or building may be a lead pipe . Unless your piping has been upgraded in the past 40 years, it is probably galvanized pipe which does not require lead solder for joining. Faucets should be checked to see if they are brass or chrome-plated, a licensed plumber should be able to tell you if they are. CuraFlo??s website offers a brief history of lead materials in water pipes.
If your pipes are the source, epoxy lining will prevent lead leaching into your drinking water. Because the epoxy lining creates a barrier between the metal pipe and the water coming in contact with it, it stops the chemical reaction that causes corrosion. It eliminates and prevents from reoccurring, leaching of lead and other metals into the water, as well as a host of other poor water quality issues such as: discolored water (red, brown, blue or yellow), metallic taste (caused by zinc or iron leeching in galvanized pipes), and water odor or bad taste (caused by bacteria).
A relatively unknown technology, epoxy pipe lining is not a new technology, –in fact it?s well proven. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Navy have both ested and approved the use of epoxy pipe lining to prevent contaminants, including lead, from leaching into drinking water. Their reports are published and links to them can be found at http://curaflo.com/CuraFlo/ResourceCenter. The epoxy used by CuraFlo in epoxy pipe lining, CuraPoxy?, is certified to meet the U.S.
There is no need for health concerns when it comes to epoxy lining your pipes, CuraFlo?s epoxy, CuraPoxy?, is certified to meet ANSI/NSF Standard 61 - the U.S. government standard for safe potable (drinking) water. ANSI/NSF Standard 61 certification means that something is certified safe to be used in potable water pipes at temperatures up to 180? Fahrenheit or 82.2? Celsius. CuraFlo?s epoxy pipe lining process protects you from lead (and other metals) in your pipes leaching into your water by preventing these metals from leaching into your water.
by Dr. Dave Dunn
About the Author:
Dr. Dave Dunn is Vice President of Research and Development for CuraFlo which provides epoxy lining solutions for homes & commercial buildings. Dr. Dave holds a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Keele in England. You can contact dr dave about plumbing problems or plumbing repair. SEO

http://iconsclub.com

Recycle sewage 'as a last resort'

THE federal agency responsible for establishing national health standards has warned the Queensland Government it should not proceed with its $2.5 billion plan to recycle sewage and industrial waste for drinking water unless it is "absolutely necessary".

National Health and Medical Research Council water quality advisory committee chairman Don Bursill issued the warning as the Gold Coast City Council launched an investigation into how unsafe recycled waste water was if put into a treatment plant's drinking water.

Sixty million litres of recycled waste water a day will be pumped to the Wivenhoe Dam, Brisbane's main drinking water source, from early next year.

The Queensland Government promised in 2006 that recycled water would be used for the drinking supply of the 2.6 million residents of southeast Queensland only as a "last resort".

Since the undertaking was given, Wivenhoe and other storages in the region have been replenished following good rainfall, but the Government insists recycled water should be introduced now to guarantee future supplies.

Professor Bursill said he supported water recycling, but only if it were absolutely necessary.

"I think that recycling waste water for potable purposes should be a choice of last report," he said.

"There are opportunities for problems to occur and if it can be avoided, I think it should be. The maintenance of public health should be the primary concern."

He said the Queensland Government had prepared itself well, accepting the NHMRC's Australian Water Recycling Guidelines and introducing the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Bill. However, the main cause for concern was the potential for human error.

"It is worth reminding people that although technology can achieve recycling for potable purposes, about 80 per cent of the failures that have occurred in conventional water supply systems in affluent countries have been due to human error rather than technology issues," Professor Bursill said.

Human error was being blamed for a mistake at Gold Coast Water's Pimpana recycled water plant that resulted in staff drinking inadequately treated waste water.

The general public was not exposed to the water.

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke said a staff member was believed to have been responsible for mixing up waste-water lines at the plant in September.

A pipeline was disconnected on Friday when the problem was uncovered.

Up to 240 employees and visitors who may have drunk water that was not fit for consumption are being contacted to determine if they had suffered any ill effects.

"Somebody has stuffed up and it should have been cross-checked before it happened," Mr Clarke said.

"If it had happened in the public works, it would have been disastrous. I am told that the checks are there to ensure that cannot happen."

Public meetings have been called in Brisbane on Saturday and on the Gold Coast on Sunday to protest against the recycled water plan.

Citizens Against Drinking Sewage secretary Aileen Smith said the Queensland Government could give no guarantees that a repeat of the cryptosporidium outbreak in 1993 in the US city of Milwaukee would be avoided.

More than 400,000 people fell ill and 100 died after drinking contaminated water from a treatment plant; the cause was never identified.

Recycled water will account for between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of southeast Queensland's drinking water, with the Government insisting it will be safe after treatment through a seven-stage process.

Source-http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au

Young water guardians

Students combine His Majesty the King's philosophy with local knowledge to conserve water sources
The key points are we must have water to drink, to use and to support agriculture, since life is there. If there is water, people can live. If there is no electricity, people can live. But if there is electricity but no water, people can't live," says His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Students from Huai Yot School prepare the materials for their water conservation presentation.
In response to this important message, more than 400 Mathayom (high school) students from 20 schools nationwide participated in the first Junior Water Challenge (JWC) this year.

In Thai, the contest is named Pi Num Nong Raknam Tam Naew Pra Rajdamri, which means "Elder Students Lead the Younger Ones to Conserve Water Resources by Applying His Majesty the King's Initiatives".

The project is a collaborative effort by the Coca-Cola Foundation, the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand, the Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute, the Royal Irrigation Department, the Ministry of Education, and the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board.

It aims to educate students on, and raise their awareness of, sustainable water management and conservation. Each participating school has to generate its own water conservation project. The campaign does not only ask students to conduct their projects within their own schools, but also encourages them to build water conservation networks in their community and nearby schools.

The final round was held at Khao Hin Sorn Development Study Centre, in Chachoengsao province, from Oct 8 to 10, and 80 students from the four winning schools in each region took part.

At the camp, each group presented an enthralling project and showed their passion and concern over water and environmental issues.


Students from Manchasuksa School present their water conservation initiative to fellow conservationists.

Saving a water basin

Jaehom Wittaya School in Lampang province, the northern region winner, presented the "Huai Hok Resource Conservation" project, which aims to conserve Huai Hok forest and Sam Sob Hok reservoir, the main water source of the Sam Sob Hok community.

"Formerly, Huai Hok forest was so arid that the villagers faced drought. So, we joined hands with the community to build check dams and plant more trees. We expect the forest to be enriched with water and wildlife through our efforts and those of our community members," said a student from Jaehom Wittaya School.

In the rainy season, water filled with silt flows into the reservoir. Check dams will block sediments and extraneous debris, as well as slow down the current.

So far, more than 1,300 check dams have been built. The school, together with the communities concerned, expects to build 200 more check dams within this year.

The students are also replanting Huai Hok forest, which is the water basin for Huai Hok (Hok canal), as many of its trees usually catch fire and burn down during the dry season.

Lake protectors

In Khon Kaen province, students in Manchasuksa School are noticing that Kud Khao reservoir, which is not only the main water source but also a recreation area for their community, is being polluted by the residents, as sewage flows directly into the reservoir.

Even though the effects are not yet serious due to the large expanse of the reservoir, the students want to stop the water from deteriorating.

Acting on their concerns, this winning team from the northeastern region created "The Conservation of Kud Khao Reservoir" project to tackle the problem.

To prevent further contamination, the students have initiated several campaigns to conserve their beloved lake - such as Nak Surb Sai Nam or "Water Resource Investigation Team", which will send out students to examine the water conditions at various points of the lake.

The students have also launched water treatment projects and arranged seminars for younger students to raise awareness of water conservation.

"After we graduate, we believe that the incoming generations will continue our intentions [and] preserve the good condition of our Kud Khao reservoir forever," said a student from Manchasuksa School.

Helping farmers

The winner from the central and eastern regions of Sa Kaeo province, Romklao Wattananakorn Sa Kaeo Ratchamangkalapisek School, showcased its "Young Water Leader Following His Majesty the King's Path" project.

Students noticed that the water released by the Irrigation Department did not reach the farmers properly, as some farms still lacked water. They discovered that the waterway had been blocked and damaged by weeds. Consequently, the students, in cooperation with the community and the Royal Irrigation Department, helped to clear and repair the waterway.

The project was also spurred by concerns over contaminated water sources inside the communities that resulted from the usage of chemical substances in local agricultural activities and livestock husbandry.

To attack the problem, the students promote the use of organic fertilisers and build environmental awareness among fellow students and people in the communities.

"We cannot live without water, since water is part of our life," said Pimsupa Madato, 17, a Mathayom 6 (Grade 12) student from Romklao Wattananakorn Sa Kaeo Ratchamangkalapisek School.

The students also tried to expand their network by persuading nearby schools to join their campaign. They expected 13 schools to sign up. To date, five schools have done so.

Stabilise soil with vetiver grass

Students from Huai Yot School in Trang province, the southern region winner, presented its "Vetiver Planting on the Banks of Huai Yot School's Reservoirs According to the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy" project, which aims to protect the two precious reservoirs near their school, which are also the major water sources for their community.

During the rainy season, heavy rains usually collapse the reservoirs' banks, causing the reservoirs to become shallow. The water bodies are also contaminated with garbage and rotten leaves.

The scheme aims to solve the problems by planting vetiver grass on the reservoirs' banks. With its deep thick roots, the grass will stabilise the soil and protect it from collapsing.

"We will use the grass for roofing. Also, we intend to produce paper from vetiver grass in the future," said a Huai Yot School student. They also expect that their school will be a vetiver grass distribution centre.

"The first prize is not our goal. Our goal is to implement the teachings of our King, who is our inspiration, on the methods of conserving water and soil. We pay respect to him by preserving water and using each drop of water prudently," the Huai Yot School students said, revealing the ultimate intention of their project.

Widening perceptions

"People of different backgrounds and ages come here to learn and live together and recognise the value of water" was Pimsupa's impression of the camp.

At this final phase at Khao Hin Sorn Development Study Centre, the students had the chance to meet fellow young water conservationists and present their projects before them, as well as learn more environmental and agricultural lessons.

The lessons include creating a water-based, organic fertiliser from garbage, vegetables and fruits, getting to know the various kinds of vetiver grass and their applications, learning how to do mixed gardening, and actually taking part in fishery activities, as well as listening to an English lesson presented by Andrew Biggs.

The students do not only gain more knowledge of His Majesty the King's initiatives, which they can apply to further develop their communities along with their water conservation projects, but they also learn to work as a team.

"I've learned to live and work with others, as well as listen to others' opinions and learn to solve the problems at hand. Sometimes we have different opinions, but we have to understand others' thoughts," said Komson Laypol, 17, a Mathayom 5 (Grade 11) student from Manchasuksa School.

He added that he would attempt to grow vetiver grass by planting it in a container suspended on the surface of the water as a way of treating the water in his project.

Formerly, Khao Hin Sorn was an extremely barren area. The villagers then donated a 264-rai plot of land to His Majesty to build a palace on, but the King chose to construct an agriculture development study centre on it instead. Ever since, this parched land has been fertile and filled with lush greenery. A large number of people visit the centre every year to study agricultural philosophy according to His Majesty the King.

Results

The first prize went to Romklao Wattananakorn Sa Kaeo Ratchamangkalapisek School, which was awarded a trophy from the Ministry of Education and a 50,000-baht scholarship. The second prize, a 30,000-baht scholarship and a certificate from the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand, went to Jaehom Wittaya School.

Each of the two remaining teams received 10,000 baht and a certificate from the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand.

The judges considered the content of the projects and the levels of participation of the students at the camps. In the end, their decision was based on three major criteria, namely, the planning, the method of application, and the result and sustainability of the project.

"The students were able to successfully convince the people in their community to take part in water conservation," Sombat Saleepattana of the Royal Irrigation Department, one of the judges, commented on the winning team.

"In Thailand, there is too little collaboration among students, the communities and the Royal Irrigation Department," he added.

Initiated in March on the occasion of World Water Day 2008, the JWC is part of the Raknam programme, a major community service project of the Coca-Cola conglomerate.

More information about the Raknam project is available at http://www.raknam.com .

www.bangkokpost.com

Villagers accuse Kerala of encroaching TN land

Theni (PTI): Yet another inter-state dispute involving Tamil Nadu and its neighbours appear to be brewing with local body officials and erstwhile zamindars of three villages in this district accusing Kerala of 'encroaching' a site, believed to have been visited by Lord Rama, and converting it into a tourist spot.

The Kerala Tourism department had installed a 50-feet tall statue of "Adhivasis" (tribal couple with a baby) at the site, Ramarkal Mettu, and was also collecting money from tourists for visiting the place, according to Appaji Rajkumar, erstwhile Zamindar of Kombai.

Ramkumar says he possessed "copper plate documents", to prove that Ramarkal Mettu belonged to Tamil Nadu. He wondered how Tamil Nadu forest department allowed Kerala to construct the statue in "our territory and earn revenue".

A foreset official, however, said the department had raised objections when Kerala began work on the statue some three years ago itself. The site, situated six km from Kombai, belonged to reserve forest area of Tamil Nadu, he said.

But at that time Tamil Nadu officials did not have survey documents. "Now that we have the documents we have again conveyed our objections to the Kerala Government," he said.

Ramarkal Mettu is considered a sacred place for the Hindus as it was here, according to the legend, Lord Rama performed the last rites for the bird "Jatayu", killed after a fight with Ravana to save Sita while she was being abducted by him to Lanka. Red stones symbolic of blood stains of Jatayu can seen in the area even today.

Tamil Nadu is already involved in disputes with Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters and Hogenakkal Drinking Water project besides Periyar Dam issue with Kerala and row over a check dam across Palar by Andhra Pradesh.

Courtesy- The Hindu

No freeloaders


Nature cannot offer services without payment anymore
The dejected eyes of Kartar Chand Rana, 52, panned the breached checkdam in his village, Kuhan. As head of the gram vikas samiti he ordered the breaking of the embankment of the very dam that fed his half hectare land until last year. It was the best thing to do under the circumstances. The dam had silted over and the only way to clear the reservoir was to break the wall and let the water wash down all the mud. The immediate cause of the blockage: dumping of debris from the construction of a PWD road that connected Kuhan to the highway. Kuhan petitioned the PWD to pay for the reservoir’s clean-up, but nothing happened. After many gloomy discussions in the village square the farmers took the tough decision—to breach the dam wall in pre-monsoon of 2007. Now they are collecting funds to install iron gates to plug the breach and prevent similar problems in the future.

Kuhan is tucked far away in the hills of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.

It is a typical changar—a region that receives high rainfall and yet faces water shortages due to lack of storage facilities. In 2003 the village pooled resources and with some help from a watershed development project constructed a checkdam on Gulana Khad, a nullah that ran across the village. With irrigation now available crop production increased six times; it was now possible to grow vegetables and fruits for cash.

The honeymoon lasted only a year. By 2005 the reservoir collected silt and its capacity halved. The worried villagers looked for a lasting solution. There was no quick formula they could apply here. With help from Winrock International, a non-profit organization, the villagers diagnosed the problem and came up with a unique prescription.
Most of the silt came from the grazing land of Ooch, a village high up the nullah. How to control it? How to get Ooch farmers to make the effort that will solve Kuhan’s problems?

Both villages discussed the dam and its silt and reached a formal agreement. Ooch banned grazing for eight years on its four-hectare common land and planted saplings of fruit, fodder bearing trees as well as bamboo and elephant grass. In exchange, Kuhan paid for these saplings and even worked out an arrangement to sell irrigation water to Ooch as and when required. The silt load in the nullah reduced and the villagers rejoiced again.

That was before PWD entered the scene and destroyed all that villagers of Kuhan and Ooch had achieved. “We entered into an eight-year agreement with Ooch to save our checkdam only to break the dam ourselves,” lamented Rana, who won, lost, won and lost again the battle to secure irrigation and therefore prosperity for his people. “The dam opened our eyes to the problem of erosion in our area,” said Purshottam Singh, 66-year-old farmer who participated in the project in Ooch. Singh felt the joint project was as beneficial for Ooch as it was for Kuhan, if not more. It stemmed erosion and gave the village more fodder and beneficial trees in the bargain.


Ecosystem services

The agreement between Kuhan and Ooch still stands. It is an example of how relations between two villages can be reworked to mutual benefit, centred on natural resources. The written agreement as negotiated between the two villages is what is called “payments for ecosystem services” (PES) in contemporary natural resource management parlance. The idea behind PES is to first identify environmental services or ecosystem services.
These can be anything, from clean water, clean air, flood control, creation of soil, food production, fisheries, timber production, carbon sequestration to countless other benefits that underpin human wellbeing.

Identification of an ecosystem service implies that people understand its importance and want to preserve it. And they are willing to pay for this. PES creates a market for ecosystem services where users directly pay service providers. This concept has been gaining ground around the world though in India it is relatively new. Kuhan is a classic PES example where water is the ecosystem service and Ooch the service provider for its role in maintaining the health of the nullah. A buyer-seller arrangement was brokered. Since Ooch had to compromise on grazing to save the water from siltation, Kuhan, being the beneficiary, compensated for it. Kuhan generated its own funds to pay Ooch when it delivered an environmental service. To extend the logic of the Kuhan-Ooch joint venture to forests, people will want to conserve them if they were paid to do so.

Kuhan is an important example, albeit on a small scale, not only of a successful PES model, but also what it implies for the future of resource management. There are lessons in it for policymakers.

PES gained momentum with the release of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) in 2005. The MEA recognized that benefits accrued from natural ecosystems were widely recognized, but poorly valued. “Increasingly it is becoming clear that traditional economic concepts like the GDP only reflect economic values leaving out the state of natural resources. One might know the rate of growth of a country’s economy, but still have little idea about whether this growth is sustainable”, agrees Rajeev Semwal, ecologist and consultant with the non-profit organization, LEAD India, a nd a proponent of PES.

Value of forests

Payment for ecosystem services is calculated using a variety of methods by ecologists and economists. One of the areas where India has made progress is Net Present Value (NPV) calculator. NPV assigns value to forests. It is an additional cost to be paid for the diversion of forest land (See “Diversion Route”, Down To Earth, October 16-31, 2008).

Another tool is the mandatory compensation required to be given by project for conversion of forestland as per the Forest Conservation Act. All this money is collected in a central fund called CAMPA, short for Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (see “States may get CAMPA money”, Down To Earth, April 16-30, 2008). There is at present over Rs 6000 crore lying unused under this head.

The problem with systems like NPV is that it is tricky to value most environmental services. For instance, it is easier to calculate the value of trees based on their timer value or fruit value, but it is difficult to fix a sum for other services of a forest like water, beauty, home for animals and plants. Then again, as Vikram Dayal, Associate Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, said, “Collection of NPV or CAMPA funds is one thing but there is no clarity on what is to be done with the money”. The policy lacks direction, he believed. This could have serious implications if PES was to become a tool for conservation.

Dayal was part of another study commissioned by WWF that examined introducing suitable economic instruments in India, including PES. The study was carried out in three sites—Gangtok, Shimla and Munnar. It calculated costs and benefits of two specific services: urban water services and landscape beauty. The results will be used to assess and identify opportunities for broader application of PES.

“In Himachal, PES is already working in the Great Himalayan National Park where communities are paid Rs 5000 annually if no fires occur in the area they patrol; but there is no formal regulatory mechanism to say that you paid for this service”, said T R Manoharan, of WWF who co-led the economic instruments project. Clearly, Dayal and Manoharan find the government unprepared to adopt the PES model or the buyer-seller arrangement for resource management.

Sejal Worah, also of WWF was, however, optimistic. She spoke from her experiences in the economic instruments study: the private sector was quite happy to pay for these services as it made their access to resources easier but the public sector still seemed reluctant. “The good thing is that nobody rejected outright the idea of paying for using an environmental service.”

Valuation of ecosystem services forms the basis for informed decision-making. “One needs to examine both the way numbers are made and how effectively they help shape policy decisions that can be widely accepted,” Dayal summarized. On a note of caution he added that some market-based methods were best thought of as coming up with minimum prices of services, as they often did not consider the harder-to-value components of an ecosystem’s worth like clean air. Even Semwal felt monetary estimates were easy to comprehend, but hid assumptions, approximations, and simplifications. They measured only certain kinds of value. But they also integrated information about supply and demand, of what is important to people, however imperfectly.

Rethinking policy based on PES

In 2006 a study by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal pinned the numbers on Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh’s forest wealth. It put the value of Himachal Pradesh’s forests at Rs 13,23,000 crore including the value of services they provide. “Our watershed services alone value Rs 1,06,000 crore annually, so why should the state not earn money from its resources?” asked Pankaj Khullar, principal chief conservator of forests, Himachal Pradesh.

The 12th Finance Commission (2005-10) for the first time recognized the need to invest in resources and earmarked Rs 1000 crore for five years to be given to states for preserving forests. Himachal Pradesh’s annual share was Rs 20 crore, a pittance compared to the standing value of its forests. Given the money they can earn by selling forest resources, this is obviously not enough incentive to preserve forests. The state government therefore took steps towards realizing the value of these services by trading them through the World Bank as carbon credits. The credits brought in money equivalent to the amount of CO2 absorbed through afforestation activities. The money that Himachal earns from this will go to the communities working on th project.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, was upbeat when he said: “We aim to preserve our forests and the 20 plus-year-old green felling ban is testimony to that”. He further stated.that trading in carbon credits provided funds and hence the incentive to preserve forests.

PES better than CDM

Himachal intends to use CDM as another form of PES. CDM does not consider standing forests and excludes the community from its fold by entering into an agreement with formal institutions like the government. “Untouched natural forests store three times more carbon dioxide than previously estimated and 60 per cent more than plantation forests,” said Chetan Agarwal of Winrock International who brokered the Kuhan-Ooch agreement. Therefore, PES agreements like the one between Kuhan and Ooch, he felt, might just be the right mechanism to save old forests and their services. “Even if one were to engage in CDM projects, fluctuation in the rate of carbon credits would mean uncertainty for the people who invest in these,” he said.

“PES, however, requires clear community rights over resources to succeed,”opined Agarwal. Citing the example of central India, he added, that the government has never really engaged with the tribals to settle their rights resulting in large tracts of land being classified as forests. The result today is conflicts. In such a sitution it is not possible to attempt any PES arrangements between users and providers. “Further one needs ‘sweat equity’, what the community invests in conservation must also be computed in the cost of resources,” said he.

Summing up the status of PES, Worah of the WWF study stated that though there was enthusiasm among private parties to pay for ecosystem services the stage was not set as yet. With the governance structure and policies not conducive to PES, value as well as payments for ecosystem services is still contentious. Therefore, small application of PES is possible, but scaling it up is still a far cry.

SUPRIYA SINGH
Courtesy- Down To Earth

Water returns to Saurashtra


Ahmedabad, Nov 8 (IANS) It’s a happy homecoming for the farmers of Saurashtra. Faced with scarcity of water they left their land and profession. But today, thanks to a new water management system employed by the state government, a reverse migration is in progress.

‘I left with my family for Surat in 2002. My land was fallow for lack of water. My two sons began earning Rs.15,000 at a diamond polishing factory. I returned early this year after seeing plenty of water in the check dams in the region,’ says Kanubahi Rambhai Suva, 62, of Khaki Jalia village.

He owns 15 bighas (about nine acres) of land in Upleta taluka (sub district) of Rajkot district in the parched Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Upleta is on the banks of the Moj river 300 km from here.

Today Suva has harvested 675 kg of genetically modified Bt cotton, fetching him Rs.15,000 per bigha. After cotton he plans to sow wheat. His earning works out to Rs.150,000 per annum.

Suva is one of the farmers who have set the trend of reverse migration.

Along with Suva, 25 families had left Khaki Jalia village. Except for five families all are back in their native village.

As a result of water management there has been a change in the lifestyle of the farmers, says Dhavnat K. Suva of Kakhi Jalia. ‘Today most of us have motorcycles and are prosperous. You can see the prosperity. I was cultivating sugarcane 20 years ago. Water scarcity made me venture into business. Now I am back to my old cultivation and am happy.’

There are 30,000 small check dams and 300 large ones built in Saurashtra.

Today there are 35 check dams, including a couple of large ones, on the Moj river’s 50 km stretch. Check dams store water throughout the year and help in irrigation when rains fail.

‘Earlier it was very difficult getting water for even one crop in a year. Now we have three crops,’ says farmer Maldebhai Bodar of Sevantara village who owns 50 bighas of land.

These check dams help irrigate 600 hectares directly and 1,000 hectares indirectly in a 4-km radius, Jayanti Patel of Kolki village of Upleta taluka said.

In 2001, 12,000 check dams were built in Gujarat. Today there are over 100,000 small and big check dams, with the irrigation department and other government agencies playing a major role in their construction.

Of 5,600 villages in Saurashtra, 3,000 villages have small and medium check dams while there are 300 large check dams in the region.

‘Three hundred more check dams will be built on big rivers in Saurashtra at a cost of Rs.15 million by 2009 end,’ said Irrigation and Urban Housing Minister Nitin Patel.

‘Work on 60 big check dams will begin after Diwali on 80:20 basis (80 percent cost to be incurred by the state government),’ Patel had told IANS.

Saurashtra has 70 rivers. In 30 of them check dams have been constructed. Now 3,000 villages have 30,000 check dams. Of the seven districts of Saurashtra, most check dams are in Jamnagar followed by Bhavnagar, Amreli, Junagadh, Rajkot and Porbandar.

Surendranagar is covered by the Sujalam Sufalam scheme that brings in water from the river Narmada. Yet, it has 71 check dams.

‘It is not enough if good rains are there. What is required is availability of water at the right time. During 1994-95 there was more rain than today, yet the crop output has gone up now,’ said former agriculture minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama during whose tenure the maximum check dams were built.

http://www.sindhtoday.net

शनिवार, 8 नवंबर 2008

INVITATION

Water Portal in Hindi

We are very happy to be launching India Water Portal in Hindi on November 18th at a function in New Delhi. The URL for the new site is http://hindi.indiawaterportal.org and a preview version of the website can be seen there currently. We welcome your comments and feedback.

The launch event will be at Constitution Club, New Delhi on November 18th from 10:30am to 4:30pm. The Minister of State for Water Resources has expressed interest in the effort and will be coming as Chief Guest. Anupam Mishra will join us as a main speaker and Rohini Nilekani will preside the Function. The official launch & press conference will be in the morning session and we are planning a technology sharing session in the afternoon. The agenda and details will be sent out shortly.

We would be delighted if you'll can join us at the event. Please reply at water.community@gmail.com if you are interested in attending and we will follow up to make sure you get all the information,

Venue- Constitution Club, VP house, Rafi marg in front of Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi

Date & Time- November 18th from 10:30am to 4:30pm.


Contact- Minakshi Arora- 09250725116
Water Community India
hindi.indiawaterportal.org