Events
- Climate Change Adaptation and Challenges in India: Scopeof Renovating Irrigation Tanks and Ponds
- Climate Change and Rainfed Agriculture
- Coastal Resources, Utilisation, Conservation and Management
- Community Participation Project in Ensuring Environmental Sustainability under JnNURM
- Decentralized Wastewater Management
- Eco System Based Watershed Development for Environmental Sustainability
- Launching of People Institutions for the Development of Palarand Uthara Kosa Mangaiyar Sub-basins in Gundar RiverBasin
- Making Good Environment in Madurai: Perspectives and Challenges
- Sustainable Agriculture: A Special Focus on TraditionalAgriculture
- Village Health and Sanitation Committees
- Wealth from Waste: A Sustainable Approach
Community Participation Projects inEnsuring Environment Sustainabilityunder JnNURM
The environment has endowed us with numerous invaluable things to meet our needs but not greed. The symbiotic relationship between people and theenvironment is a prerequisite for sustainable development. With this background, today’s workshop was an attempt to facilitate ensuring environmental sustainability through community participation.Mr. Vasimalai, Executive Director, DHAN Foundation,emphasised on ensuring the collection of 50 paise from each individual to pay the salary of municipal corporation staff for picking up garbage from the locality.
Mr. Ramesh, DHAN Foundation, stressed the need of a community participation fund to continue projects for solid waste management. About 200,000 people inMadurai city live in slums and 86,000 of these slum dwellers do not have access to basic needs such as infrastructure and drainage.
Mr. Sebastian, Commissioner, Madurai MunicipalCorporation, mentioned that Madurai Corporation collects 400 metric tonnes of garbage everyday whichshould be segregated at the source before going to the disposal point for recycling. Mr. K. Sakithivel said that simply a signature campaign or oath taking would not work; instead, strong determination is essential to effectively manage solid waste.
It was recommended that to maintain the sustainability of the projects in CPF, the cooperation of people and Madurai Corporation was required.
Convention on Climate Change andRain Fed Agriculture
The convention was organised by the Rainfed Farming Development Program (RFDP) of DHAN Foundation to educate farmers about the meaning and effects of climate change so that they can take active efforts in reducing the effects of climate change. Theforum was introduced by Mr. M. Karthikeyan, Program Leader of RFDP. There were almost 200 participants including farmers, guests and associates of DHAN. Mr. Palanisamy presented on the achievements of the program. Papers were shared by Mr. Periasamy and Mr. Selvakumar, and experiences were shared by Mr. Gomathinayagam, Mr. Anthonisamy and Mr. Gunasekaran. Mr. Gomathinayagam cautioned that “Ignorance of the environment leads to destruction.”
In the afternoon session, the farmers were divided into context-based sub groups to discuss the impact of climate change in their regions. Among the major issues identified by farmers as resulting from climate change were decreased rainfall over the years, delay in crop growth, increased fallow land, shift from mixed cropping to mono- cropping, migration and reduced groundwater levels.
The chief guests of the convention, Dr. Subramaniam and Dr. Ashokraj from TNAU, Coimbatore, observed the presentations from farmers and interacted with them after each presentation. The suggestions, which included conserving forests through agro-forestry and afforestation, cultivating drought-resistant crops, and practising drip irrigation and natural farming, were consolidated by Dr. Subramaniyan. These suggestions from the farmers will be considered by DHAN Foundation for its interventions.
Climate Change Adaptation and Challenges in India: Scope of Renovating Irrigation Tanks and Ponds
The seminar focused on the effects of climatic changeson the agriculture patterns in India, particularly ontanks, and how to cope with the breaching of tanks.Tanks are man-made earthen structures for waterstorage used mainly for agriculture.
The discussion started with the Chief GuestDr. R. Sakthivadivel, Irrigational Scientist, who explained the vulnerability, resilience and adaptation of Indian farmers to changing climatic conditions with examples. He stressed on the need of involving the community in policy making. The issues of climatic changes should be mainstreamed with other development work and all the initiatives should be taken by considering the poorest among the poor. They are the most vulnerable to the ill-effects of climatic change. Mr. A. Gurunathan, DHAN Foundation,started his presentation with showcasing the horrific consequences of climatic changes. He showed the various problems involved with the maintenance of the tanks. He demonstrated with figures that by renovating the presently available tanks, water problems resulting from climatic changes can be solved.
After him, Mr. K. P. Jeganathan and Mr. Pathinettampadiyan, both Project Executives, said that due to environmental changes, a large amount ofrainfall is occurring in a short duration which is putting large pressure on the already weak tanks and resulting in their breaching. A similar kind of problem was demonstrated by Mr. C. Karthick, Project Executive,but he stressed on contextualized solutions.
Making Good Environment in Madurai: Perspectives and Challenges
There are more than 2 lakh vehicles in Madurai. Major deforestation contributes to global warming.Loudspeakers amplify sounds far in excess of what is safe to our ears. Plastic waste can be found strewn around major city landmarks.
These are just a few forms of environmental pollution discussed at the seminar on “Making GoodEnvironment in Madurai: Perspectives and Challenges,”a progrmme held to explain how the MDG of ensuring environmental stability can be achieved by small changes in our lifestyles.
The seminar featured addresses and presentations byMr. N. Chidambaram, Project Coordinator of MaduraiGreen, Mr. Ramkumar, Mrs. Bhagyalakshmi,Mr. Er.G.Velayudham, Mr. T. Jayaraja Sekar, Dr. BadriNarayanan, Mr. Indira Kumar, and Mr. K. KaleeswaraMoorthy.
During the sub group discussions, some of the resolutions which were made included designing and implementing proper rainwater harvesting structures, properly recycling wastes, managing biodiversity by planting trees, and discouraging the use of plastics. With thesechanges, we can expect a good environment in Madurai.
Coastal Resources, Utilisation,Conservation and Management
Mr R Thillai Govindhan (Joint Director, Directorateof Fisheries, Govt of Tamil Nadu), focused on“Community linked Coastal Resource Management inTamil Nadu” and policies for better utilisation of the resources. The government programmes were promoted in 2006, targeting the importance of coastal resource conservation by both fisher-men and non-fishermen communities, for a sustainable livelihood. The potential for inland fisheries development is much higher and is estimated to be one-fourth of the total inland fisheries potential in Tamil Nadu. The present trend is shifting from fish hunting to culture based activities.
Diversification, culture activities and value addition of the coastal products are the needs of the present situationto improve the livelihood of the coastal communities.The occurrence of coastal natural hazards cannot be prevented but their impact can be minimized.
Dr G Arumugam, Programme Director,Welthhungerhilfe (German Agro Action), Chennai, said the institutional approaches for resource managementwill definitely improve the way in which the coastal resources are being used and that “collective action leads to improved wealth.” He also emphasised that the people institutions should evolve a vision on coastal resource management.
At the end of the convention, it was resolved that conservation of coastal resources, and development, protection and management for sustainable coastal livelihood, has to be given due attention; the contribution and participation of the community for coastal resource conservation must be encouraged, anda conservation council should be established at the village level with funds, functions, and functionaries for conservation and management.
People Institutions for the Development of Gundar River Basin
The session started with a welcome speech by Mr. J.Mohan which was followed by Mr. A. Suresh’s briefing of Gundar basin’s history and its present issues and challenges. This was followed by Dr. Sivanappan(International Consultant on Irrigation, Ex Dean of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University), who has 40 yearsof experience in the field of irrigation and agriculture.
Group discussions focused on ensuring peoplemanagement for maintaining tanks, sustaining tankfed agriculture with proven and sustainable technology to increase productivity, assuring drinking water through renovation of traditional drinking water resources, and improving the livelihood of the poor through tank based agricultural development.
Development of these sub basins is not easy, however.“Encroachment, encroachment and encroachment,”shared Mr. Ganthi, Retd. SE, PWD. “This is the rootcause behind the problem of water which we are facingtoday ... If we talk about increasing the width of theVaigal canal, how can we implement that unless weremove encroachment from the scene?”
The convention was concluded with the emphasis on prioritising the development of these basins in government planning. It was suggested to give attentionto conserving water in sub basins and cascade basins, torenovate tanks and ponds, and to create farm ponds and check dams. It was also reinforced that the water resources development should be carried out by thepeople institutions.
Wealth from Waste:A Sustainable Approach
There is a saying that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure; is it possible to generate wealth from waste? This seminar featured five paper presentations which described ways to make waste or useless products useful. Recycling and reusing of wastes generate revenue and also ensure environmental sustainability, said Er. R. Vijaya Baskar, Environment Engineer, TamilNadu Pollution Control Board. Beyond this, the harmful effects of mishandling domestic and industrialwastes, municipal and medical wastes, and usage of chemical fertilizers were discussed.
Mr. T. Vel Rajan, Professor, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, stressed up on creating awareness among the general public both in rural and urban areas,and on drafting and implementing strict governmen tpolicies regarding waste management.Undertaking research works and finding solutions to these environmental problems and promotion of entrepreneurship as a means to solve these issues was deliberated.
Decentralized WastewaterManagement
In India, 72% of the total population lacks proper sanitation and 11% of them lack safe drinking water.These water-related problems affect not only the individual but also the nation’s economy. This workhsop provided a platform to discuss how to improve water sanitation in India.
The main participants at the workshop were from the World Bank’s Watershed Program for South Asia (NewDelhi), Consortorium for Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) Dissemination, Society(CDD), Alchemy Urban System, Bangalore, TamilNadu Water Supply and Sewage Board (TWAD), and DHAN Foundation. The participants shared their views on decentralization of wastewater with special referenc ewith the MDGs. Jens Gotzenberger of DHAN Foundation described how the water and sanitation are related to the MDGs. Members from the CDD team presented different DEWATS models. Mr. Joseph Pradip Kumar from World Bank explained how surface water bodies are being polluted by municipal sewage.India is coming up with a National Urban Sanitation Policy to cover all cities and towns through awareness and behavioral change by demonstrating various techno-financial tools.
Several short films were screened during the workshopto demonstrate successful wastewater management systems, and a book “Decentralised WastewaterTreatment: An Alternative in Sanitation” was released.
Ecosystem Based Watershed Developmentfor Environmental Sustainability
Tamil Nadu has over 4,000 tanks, but the number andquality of these tanks is rapidly declining. This degradation of tanks and watersheds also contribute towater pollution. Considering the role of tanks in Indianagriculture, a seminar was organised to review how watershed development can contribute to environmental sustainability.
The purpose and focus of the seminar was shared by N.Venkatesan, Programme Leader, DHAN Foundation. Dr. Sivasubramanian, Assistant Professor of MIDS, Chennai presented a paper on “Tank Irrigationin Tamil Nadu” in which the discussion started with the issue of declining contribution of agriculture to GDP.Mr. Kiran Kumar and Mr. Rajsekaran shared how watershed development has helped farmers to achievesustainability. Mr. S. Chandran, Lecturer of Civil Engineering, detailed the environmental degradation of watersheds and its impact on water quality.
It was discussed that context-specific and integrated approaches to watershed development will be the ultimate solution and would ensure environmental sustainability. In order to protect the environment and ensure its sustainability, our destructive human behavior should changed: everyone must think and act wisely.
It was advised that NGOs can be given a taluk to coverall the tanks to conserve and develop as a model. The existing water bodies at all watersheds should berenovated to their original standards.
Sustainable Agriculture: A SpecialFocus on Traditional Agriculture
Agriculture engages 60% of India’s population and morethan 16 crore hectare of land. The average annual rainfallis 105 cm. These figures are far greater than most of themajor countries in the world like Russia, USA,Australia. Despite this, India lags behind these countriesin total agricultural production. The seminar“Sustainable Agriculture: A Special Focus onTraditional Agriculture” promoted the revival of someof the world’s oldest traditional agricultural practicesfor improving India’s agricultural production.
Indigenous technologies should be popularised and nativevarieties of crops which have an in-built resistance todrought, diseases, and pests should be brought back,said Dr. K. Vijayalakshmi, Research Director, Centreof Indian Knowledge System.
Farmers of different districts, organic farmingpractitioners, and various NGO personnel shared theexperiences and challenges they are facing in farming.Since the Green Revolution, overuse of chemicalfertilizers in agriculture has depleted the natural soilfertility. This can be restored by reviving traditionalagricultural practices like summer ploughing, cultivatinglocal varieties, and adopting organic farming, saidMr. Subramanian, Programme Coordinator, CIKS.
We have to bring about 50% of the farmers to take uporganic farming in the coming years and to motivateyoungsters to take up farming, resolved the farmers.
Village Health & Sanitation Committees
The programme’s inaugural address was given byMrs. Padmavathy, CEO, Kalanjiam Foundation,Dr. Prabhu Clement Devadoss, Joint Director (Retd.)& Consultant, TNSHS, Chennai, explained theimportance of bringing improvements in the villagehealth and sanitation committees by coordinating withvarious stakeholders like panchayat presidents, villagehealth nurses and ICDS staffs.
Mrs. Chinnapillai, Kalanjiam Movement Leader,emphasized the spirit and attitude of personal hygienewhich should start from the family and should end atthe village level. Mr. K. Vallinayagam, AdditionalDirector (Retd), TNSHS, Chennai, focused on thePanchayat Raj in the village which already constitutea health committee to meet basic village-level healthservices. The main objective of the convention was toimprove the VHSC’s operational system, to raiseawareness about health programmes.