Behind
the Scenes
Working
towards effective policy and management
Groundwater
and Water Quality Mapping Using GIS
Global
Water Partnership
Global
Climate Change Impact on Water Resources
SDCN
Water Module
Clean
Technology Initiative
At Development Alternatives (DA), we recognize that effective
water management involves more than just turning the water tap on
and off. In the past twenty years, we have worked hard to not only
promote access to water resources in rural and urban India, but
also to ensure that these resources are managed sustainably.
How to ensure sustainable management of water resources has
been the most challenging part of our work. Building a checkdam or
a water distribution system in a rural village is not enough
without the support of the local people to use and maintain the
structures properly. Similarly, getting schoolchildren in urban
areas to check water quality in their neighbourhoods is not
helpful unless they can use that information to effect positive
change. Not surprisingly then, the most important aspect of these
construction or monitoring projects is what actually goes on
‘behind the scenes’ in terms of information gathering and
training.
But we have not limited ourselves to working at just the
grass-roots level. Sustainable water management is only possible
if effective policies are in place both nationally and
internationally. As such, we have become active in a variety of
projects that will influence decision-makers to make responsible
choices regarding the management of our water resources. These
projects range from participation in global discussions on water
resource management and climate change impact on water
resources, to helping local industries become compliant with
national regulations. Most importantly, we have looked for
different ways to disseminate the information we have gathered
over the years and to broaden our own knowledge of the issues.
Groundwater
and water quality mapping using GIS
Accurate information on the quantity and quality of groundwater
resources in India is essential for effective planning and
management. In a country where over 80% of rural residents rely on
groundwater for irrigation and domestic purposes, keeping track of
changes in groundwater level and quality can have a tremendous
impact on management and policy development over the long term.
DA’s Geomatics Facility has received funding under the Rajiv
Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM), a program of the
Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment, Government of India (GOI),
to produce five maps showing the potential for groundwater
resources in Bhilwara district, Rajasthan. These maps are destined
for use by the government to determine the drinking water
potential in the study area. This information will then be used to
develop further drinking water supplies in areas currently not
serviced by municipal systems.
INSERT GIS GROUNDWATER MAP HERE
Using topographic maps, satellite imagery and ground surveying,
the technicians and geologists in the Geomatics Facility have
developed 1:50,000 scale maps identifying estimated well yield and
depth. The maps also show other relevant information regarding the
general suitability of a region for groundwater use based on
recharge potential and current levels of extraction. The resulting
product is a digital database and a visual depiction of
groundwater levels in the area. In addition to helping the
government determine the most suitable place for building wells
and boreholes, this data can also serve as a baseline for future
study on the impact of groundwater extraction.
Human impact on groundwater quality is also another area where
the Geomatics Facility is using its expertise. Working closely
with the CLEAN – India program, the unit is using data on water
quality collected by schoolchildren in Delhi and correlating it
with a map of the region. These maps serve to highlight problem
areas and show variations in water quality according to season and
water source type.
INSERT CLEAN-INDIA DRKG WATER QULTY MAP
HERE
To date, DA has collected vast amounts of data on water quality
in Delhi and our database is one of the most complete in the
country. The information is being used by the schools to mobilize
their communities and help to promote effective management of the
local water source. As with the groundwater mapping project, the
CLEAN – India data can also serve as a baseline to show areas
where improvement or further degradation have occurred.
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Global
Water Partnership (GWP)
Most of DA’s work in the field has been with small rural and
urban communities. However, we have not limited ourselves to
impacting water management at just the local level. We believe
that all levels of government must be involved in sustainable
water management for it to be truly effective across India and
even in the South Asian region. For this reason, we have become
involved with the Global Water Partnership
(GWP), a network of
leading international organizations working towards sustainable
water development and management.
DA Vice President George C. Varughese has actively participated
in the GWP as a member of the Steering Committee.
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Global
Climate Change Impact on Water Resources
The exact effects of global climate
change on water resources is still being hotly debated, but no one
disputes the fact that a changing climate will affect local
water resources and the people whose livelihoods depend on them in
different ways. In certain cases, variations in weather patterns
and temperature might lead to more severe dry spells in already
drought-prone areas or cause droughts where none have previously
occurred. In other cases, arid regions might see an increase in
precipitation, which can have beneficial repercussions fo r
agriculture and livelihood generation, but can also be disastrous
in times of flooding.
DA’s Global Environment Systems Group
(GESG) has been
researching the impacts of climate change on the environment since
it was first established over a decade ago. Since then, much of
their work has focused on assessing and measuring the effects of
the changing climate on human activities such as agriculture and
therefore indirectly, on water resources. This information has
served to inform the Indian and international community about the
effects of global climate change and to promote policy change in
all areas.
There is scope for more detailed studies on water in the
future. New funding has provided GESG with the resources necessary
to continue their important research both alone and with partner
organizations.
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SDCN
Water Module
As a founding member of the Sustainable Development
Communications Network (SDCN), we have participated in a number of
joint projects with our network partners from regions around the
world. The most recent project is the SDCN Water Module, a
collection of case studies on successful small-scale water
management initiatives from Europe, Africa, South Asia and Canada.
The impetus for producing a joint module on Initiatives in
Sustainable Water Management came out of the recognition that
water resources will become one of the primary environmental
issues to be addressed in the coming decades. Already, a number of
organizations have mobilized governments, NGOs and other
institutions to develop strategies for water management on a
global scale. While these large projects, such as the World Water
Council and the Global Water Partnership, have been well documented,
other initiatives conducted on a smaller scale have gone
unnoticed.
The primary goal of the module is to make available online to
policy and decision-makers, advocacy groups, academics, NGOs and
other interested parties, information on sustainable water
management initiatives undertaken on a local scale and to share
lessons-learned from the field. The ultimate hope is that this
information can be used to influence policy "from the bottom
up", and encourage communities to adopt sustainable water
management practices on their own.
Development Alternatives was given the responsibility to
develop the Water Module along with our network partners
Environment et Dévelopment du Tiers-Monde (ENDA) in Sénégal,
the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in Sweden, the Regional
Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) in
Hungary, and the International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD) in Canada. In March 2000, we received the first
wave of funding to begin work on the project. Since then, we have
gathered information from our partners and are currently in the
process of synthesizing the case studies. After our partners
revise and comment on the text, we will begin the design process
for the website. The Module should be available online soon, and
we encourage you to visit our site again for an update on its
progress.
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Clean
Technology Initiative
Promoting environmental management and clean technologies in
Indian industries is the goal of the Clean
Technology Initiative (CTI). The project, which has been
developed by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) in collaboration with the ICICI Ltd., targets
a number of select sectors, such as automotive, electronics,
chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper,
textile, and transportation, among others. By providing technical
and financial support to these industries, the project aims to
accelerate the adoption of cleaner technology and environmental
management systems such as ISO 14000 in India.
ISO 14000 is a voluntary environmental initiative that allows
organizations to improve their environmental performance on a
continuous basis. Through the adoption of an Environmental
Management System (EMS), they can:
1. help in managing the environmental impacts arising from
their daily activities;
2. develop a structured and systematic management approach;
and
3. come into compliance with legal requirements and
environmental standards.
The impacts arising from hotel and industrial activities affect
all aspects of the environment, including air, soil and water.
Although ISO 14000 does not specifically target water
conservation, it does promote the effective management of resource
use and waste disposal. Therefore, in addition to benefits like
improved public image and cost reductions, implementing ISO 14000
can also help to promote resource conservation, reduce waste
generation, and achieve compliance with national and local rules and regulations.
Development Alternatives is participating in the CTI project
and has taken responsibility for implementing ISO 14000 in the
Hotel Industry and in Industrial Townships. The overall objective
of this project is to assist Indian industry, particularly in the
service sector to adopt environmentally sound practices and reduce
Green House Gas (GHG) emissions to make the sector cleaner, more
efficient, productive and competitive.
Hotel Industry
Fast growth in the tourism and hotel industry, as well as
increasingly demanding customer requirements, has led more and
more hotels to adopt environmentally sound practices to become
competitive in the global market. The Indian hotel industry, as
one of the principal foreign exchange earning sectors in the
country, is also one of the largest natural resource consumers.
This industry can benefit immensely by demonstrating their
environmental and social responsibility and adopting voluntary
green initiatives.
Why should the hotel industry adopt ISO 14000?
§ High energy
consumption. A typical five star hotel consumes 550 kW/m2/year.
A 20-30% reduction is possible in two years by implementing an
EMS, leading to significant cost savings over the long term;
§ Emission reduction of
30-40% is possible;
§ Minimum water
conservation of 20-30% is possible;
§ Raise employee
awareness on conservation of resources and other environmental
issues.
We are currently working with a number of large hotels in
Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Agra and Mathura and are also
networking with industry associations to promote these concepts
on a larger scale.
Environmental Benchmarking in the Indian Hotel Industry
A subsidiary to ISO 14000 implementation in the hospitality
sector is the Environmental Benchmarking program that we are
undertaking along with the US-based consulting firms Tetra Tech
India Limited and Battelle under the CTI project. The purpose of
the benchmarking program is to identify and establish energy and
environmental best practices with a number of leading hotels in
India. The year long program will then lead to the design of a
model that can be used by any hotel conducting performance gap
analysis. Using this model, hotels can continue improving their
environmental performance and increase resource conservation,
reduce waste generation and become more globally competitive.
Industrial Townships
Concerns over increasing urbanization has placed greater
emphasis on infrastructure and related environmental aspects.
Infrastructure development leads to a number of environmental
impacts, such as water and power consumption, solid waste
generation, sanitation, etc. In an attempt to mitigate the
impacts of infrastructure development, CTI is initiating the
implementation of ISO 14000 in three industrial townships in
Mumbai (Bombay), Ahemdabad and Mithapur.
To date, no townships/municipalities in India have
implemented an EMS based on ISO 14000 principles. As such, DA
and CTI are pioneering this activity in the townships, which
shall then act as role models to other municipalities. If these
townships are certified, it will give tremendous leverage to
those companies that may already be heading for ISO 14000
certification.
Why implement ISO 14000 in industrial townships?
§ Indirect business
benefit through improved public image;
§ Improved environment
in the surrounding area; and
§ Greater sense of
ownership and motivation among area families
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