Green Energy Potential in Meghalaya

Taking a cue from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, power-deficit Meghalaya is going all out to tap green energy to bridge the widening demand-supply gap in the state. A preliminary investigation conducted by the Meghalaya Non-Conventional and Rural Energy Development Agency indicated that the state could generate about 3155 MW of electricity through non-conventional sources of energy such as biomass,solar energy and wind energy A GIS mapping, conducted by the Chennai-based Centre for Wind Energy Technology (CWET), an autonomous institution of the Government of India, said the state is capable of tapping between 40-90 MW of power from wind energy alone. The government agency in collaboration with CWET is presently conducting a feasibility study in the entire state to install windmills in at least seven selected sites across the state. Three Wind Turbine Test Stations have been installed in the southern slope of Meghalaya and four more will be added by year end. These stations have been installed in Ladrymbai in Jaintia Hills district, Laitdiengsai in East Khasi Hills district and Mawiawet in West Khasi Hills district respectively. The other four will be set up in Skhentalang in Jaintia Hills district, Laitkynsew and Mawkynrew in East Khasi Hills district and Phodjaut in West Khasi Hills district. The preliminary information received from the installed centres indicated that wind blowing upthe cliffs in the southern slopes of the state could be essentially tapped for almost throughout the year. The reason behind the idea of having wind-power project is because it is one of the most environment friendlymeans to generate electricity.

Fighting the fizz

Chharba a sleepy village in the Vikas Nagar area, about 32 km from Dehra Dun, is emerging as the scene of conflict between development and community rights. The residents of Chharba and surrounding gram panchayats are agitated over the Uttarakhand governments recent decision to ha nd over 60 acres of prime community forest land to the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd (HCCBPL) to set up a beverage plant with an investment of Rs. 600 crore. More so, the government has agreed to supply the plants huge water demand from the nearby Yamun a River. We have raised the plantation through intensive efforts for over three decades and the community forest has now recharged the local streams and other water bodies resulting in plenty of water for domestic and farming purposes in the region; we will not allow anyone to cut these trees for the factory as that would mean reverting to the drought era all over again, said Rumi Ram Jaswal, gram pradhan of Chharba. The Chharba Bachao, Coke Bhagao movement has evoked a massive response from residents of different villages of Pachwa Doon (Western Doon) as the Coca Cola plant, if established, would not only eliminate the community green belt on which the locals depend for fodder, it will also poison the aquifers by discharging huge amounts of heavy metal contaminated effluents, said Sureshbhai, president of Uttarakhand Sarvodaya Mandal. Chharba is heading towards another Chipko movement against HCCBPL and the State government, said Ms. Shiva ,

Befriend, but crack the whip

The Jodhpur polices Saathi initiative is a friendlier approach to curb drug addiction among the citys youth and rehabilitate them
It is not easy to fight the menace of drugs. It is painful for families if their young ones turn into addicts; equally challenging for doctors to treat them and a highly responsible duty for the police to nab culprits involved in illicit drug trade. The Jodhpur police have gone a step ahead, deciding to play the role of a saathi and help rehabilitate drug addicts. While playing the friendly Samaritan role, the police are working on a two-fold strategy. They have intensified crackdown on drug sellers and at the same time are facilitating a mechanism to help those who want to say no to drugs. Western Rajasthan is known for ceremonial opium offerings but the present concern of the Jodhpur police is the increasing number of smack addicts. It is an expensive addiction, too, which often forces youngsters to first borrow money from friends and family. When borrowing doesnt succeed, they often end up committing theftsHe added: Simultaneously we have involved some social organisations to generate awareness

against drug addiction and help in rehabilitation work. The Saathi initiative aims to bring back smack addicts, mainly youths, to the mainstream of life and rehabilitate them through proper follow-up. The police are there to offer support and help as a friend, not as a guide or instructor. We want to help the youths in a friendly manner, said The de-addiction centre at the Mathura Das Mathur (MDM) government hospital, which lay almost dysfunctional for some years but now has been revved up to offer rehab facilities to affected youths. . When a patient is discharged from the hospital, the concerned policemen and voluntary organisations are informed so that the beat constable and social workers can make sure that the patient doesnt fall prey to drug addiction again. The social organisatio ns also keep in touch with the families to ensure there is no recurrence.

Why the Bal Bandhus mattered

Usha Rai :

They helped prevent children's recruitment by Naxals, ensured enrolment in schools. Should their work come to naught? As Maoists continue to cause mayhem in Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, it would be useful to recall the wonderful work of a dedicated and handpicked group of young people, with leadership qualities, for child rights in nine blocks of five states where red terror had crippled these rights. They were called Bal Bandhus or friends of children and worked in Khammam in Andhra Pradesh, Kokrajhar and Chirang in Assam, East Chamaparan, Jamui, Rohtas and Sheohar in Bihar, Sukma in Chhattisgarh and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra for three years under a pilot project of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), supported by the Prime Minister's Fund. Beginning cautiously, the programme mobilised the community on child rights, and gave it confidence to access institutions and entitlements for children such as healthcare, anganwadi facilities, schools and ashramshalas. With vigilance and tracking of every child in the block, they prevented children's recruitment to the Bal Sanghams, the youth cadre of the insurgents. The pilot project began when the NCPCR found child rights violated and families unstable while migrating to escape violence. Security forces had occupied schools, leading to retaliation by the insurgents who targeted schools for harbouring security personnel. Despite the success of the programme and the efforts of the commission, it ended in April. The programme was under the ministry of women and child development and needed to be scaled up and extended to other insurgency-affected areas. Since the WCD ministry does not want the programme, some other ministry will have to take ownership. The home ministry is eager to accommodate it. District collectors too wish to continue it. Why it is worth recalling the work of the Bal Bandhus is the manner in which they had won the confidence of the insurgents. Though the Naxals watched the movements of these young grassroots leaders of 18 to 30 years closely some were taken away, held captive and questioned they realised the good they were doing for the most deprived groups of children and allowed them to work. By disbanding the 200 Bal Bandhus and their 20 mentors, the country has lost a specially trained cadre of young people with proven leadership qualities and the courage to work in difficult areas. Considering the spread of Naxalism and the children's ability to work quietly, in consonance with the community, it seems a shame to lose their support. Good social sector projects that ensure equity in backward, terrorist-affected areas need support. Each Bal Bandhu epitomised courage. Take the case of Savitri, a graduate who did labour work until recruited as a Bal Bandhu in the Naxal-affected Cherla block of Andhra. She replaced her brother whom the underground movement vetoed. There were several restrictions on her movements and use of mobile phone. Since vehicular movement was forbidden, Savitri had to cover the panchayat allotted to her on foot. The Naxals' ability to recruit bright children scares parents from sending them to school. Savitri was not afraid of confrontation. She succeeded in bringing children to school, and girls who had never been to one, to the special facility of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya.

In Sukma block of Chhattisgarh, Naxals tried to recruit Bal Bandhus Anil and Reena, forcing Reena to shift from Badisetti gram panchayat to another. Reena, with the support of other Bal Bandhus, managed to trace six children who went missing on their way to the ashram school after a vacation. Investigations showed the children were terrified of the stick-wielding school warden. He was reprimanded but they were adamant on not going back. So Reena got their transfer certificates and moved them to another school. Bal Bandhu Sunila Hazda was the first Santhal girl in her community in Khaira Block of Jamui district of Bihar to reach Class 11. Having struggled to get an education, this daughter of a woodcutter helped other underprivileged children access education. Working with the community, Bal Bandhus ensured schools and anganwadis functioned and teachers and health workers delivered. Misappropriation of food meant for children was stopped. They ensured children received their books and uniforms, schools started on time and parent-teacher meetings were institutionalised. Teachers were charging admission and exam fees and asking for bribes to release transfer certificates. Bal Bandhus ensured return of such money. With support from mahila samoohs, they brought back to education children sent to work or trafficked because of poverty. They were able to check child marriages. In Naxal areas, if a girl is not in school, parents feel compelled to marry her off. In Patahi block in East Champaran alone, 38 child marriages were averted. In their nine blocks, between December 2010 and March 2012, they were able to get 14,889 children enrolled in schools, made 963 schools and 931 anganwadi centres functional. Some 13,257 children were provided support during exams and the police and armed forces were compelled to vacate seven schools. Should all this good work come to naught? The writer is a veteran journalist, formerly with 'The Indian Express', who writes on development issues. She has documented the work of Bal Bandhus for the NCPCR

More Tamil Nadu farmers, fishermen to tap information on monsoon and markets over mobiles
MSSRF launches second phase of Knowledge Connectivity Programme, FM station
The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has launched the second phase of its successful IT-driven rural empowerment initiative to help more farmers and fishermen in Nagapattinam and Karaikal districts. Ever since it was rolled out in 2011-12, the Knowledge Connectivity Programme supported by MARG Karaikal Port has benefited about 20,000 farmers, fishermen and women entrepreneurs of self-help groups in 34 villages by providing relevant inputs through advisories over mobile phone, helpline and phone-in facilities. The second phase of the project will see the benefits of leveraging mobile phone penetration spread to a larger number of beneficiaries and the launch of a community FM station to disseminate information to fishermen who have found that they are unable to receive inputs on their phones once they enter the deep seas beyond 12 nautical miles. M.S. Swaminathan, who launched a compendium of success stories of the project, said the initiative had been successful in equipping farmers with information relating to monsoon and markets. The project has touched the lives of these people and raised their productivity levels by increasing confidence through acquiring new knowledge and skills, updating existing skill sets and blending science with traditional knowledge. For Sivasankaran, a beneficiary, the GPS on mobile phones has become indispensable for fishermen. The project did not confine itself to dissemination of useful inputs, but involved interventions such as career guidance for the children of fishermen, he said. Kalai Selvi, member of a SHG in Akkirampettai, explained how access to information on animal husbandry aspects helped her cure the fractured leg of a neighbours goat.

Civil society campaigns against declining sex ratio

Dismayed at the Census 2011 figures that highlighted the decline in child sex ratio (0-6 years) to 914 girls for every 1,000 boys as compared to 927 in 2001, over 200 civil society organisations this past week joined hands with the National Foundation for India (NFI) in launching a campaign against the trend.

We came up with an idea to launch a national-level civil society-led campaign against gender-biased sex selection. It initiated efforts in partnership with civil society organisations across India to build coalitions and networks to broad base the ownership and dialogue around the issue of gender-biased sex selection, noted an NFI release. At a two-day national-level consultation, a group of experts ratified the proposed campaign structure which focussed on Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and patriarchy. Leaders from a range of institutions including the government, UNFPA, Save the Children Fund and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry addressed the consultation and expressed their solidarity with the campaign.

The untold story from Uttarakhand

It is one week since Uttarakhands worst disaster in living memory. Flash floods resulting from extremely intense rainfall swept away mountainsides, villages and towns, thousands of people, animals, agricultural fields, irrigation canals, domestic water sources, dams, roads, bridges, and buildings anything that stood in the way. A week later, media attention remains riveted on the efforts to rescue tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists visiting the shrines in the uppermost reaches of Uttarakhands sacred rivers. But the deluge spread far beyond the Char Dhams Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath to cover the entire State. The catchments of many smaller rivers also witnessed flash floods but the media has yet to report on the destruction there. Eyewitness accounts being gathered by official agencies and voluntary organisations have reported devastation from more than 200 villages so far and more affected villages are being reported every day. Villagers whose homes, lands and animals have been swept away by the floods are in a state of shock trying to imagine day-to-day survival without their basic livelihood assets. Distorted coverage The national medias focus on the plight of tourists has grossly distorted the true nature of the tragedy even in the Char Dh am area. It has not reported on the fate of the thousands almost all male who come from the villages in these valleys (and elsewhere) to earn a major part of their families annual income on the yatra routes during the tourist season. They help run the dhabas that line the entire 14 km trek route from GauriKund to Kedarnath; they sell raincoats, umbrellas, canes, walking sticks, soft drinks, water bottles, home-made snacks and other supplies. Several reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have repeatedly warned that extreme weather incidents will become more frequent with global warming. We are already riding the global warming curve. We will have to take into account the likelihood of more frequent extreme weather events when planning for development, especially in the fragile Himalayan region where crumbling mountains become murderous. In the 1990s, when the demand for a separate State gained momentum, at conferences, meetings, workshops and seminars, Uttarakhandi people repeatedly described the special character of the region. Consciousness created by the pioneering Chipko Andolan raised the hopes of village women that their new State would pursue a green development path, where denuded slopes would be reforested, where fuel wood and fodder would be plentiful in their own village forests, where community ownership of these forests would provide their men with forest products-based employment near their villages instead of forcing them to migrate to the plains, where afforestation and watershed development would revive their dry springs and dying rain-fed rivers, and where the scourge of drunken, violent men would be overcome. But in the 13 years after statehood, the leadership of the State has succumbed to the conventional model of development with its familiar and single-minded goal of creating monetary wealth. With utter disregard for the States mountain character and its delicate ecosystems, successive governments have blindly pushed roads, dams, tunnels, bridges and unsafe buildings even in the most fragile regions. In the process, denuded mountains have remained deforested, roads designed to minimise expenditure rather than enhance safety have endangered human lives, tunnels blasted into mountainsides have further weakened the fragile slopes and dried up springs, ill-conceived hydropower projects have destroyed rivers and their ecosystems, and hotels and land developers have encroached on river banks. Yes, wealth has been generated but the beneficiaries are very few mainly in the towns and cities of the southern terai plains and valleys where production investments have concentrated. In the mountain villages, agricultural production has shrivelled, women still trudge the mountain slopes in search of fodder, fuel wood and water, and entire families wait longingly for an opportunity to escape to the plains. Last weeks floods have sounded an alarm bell. To pursue development without concern for the fragile Himalayan environment is to invite disaster. Eco-sensitive development may mean a slower monetary growth rate but a more sustainable and equitable one. (The writer is Director, Peoples Science Institute, Dehra Dun and Member (Expert), National Ganga River Basin Authority)

Using crisis mapping to aid Uttarakhand GOOD ONE

Technology-driven efforts are on to crowdsource information using the Internet and other communication channels and integrate it into online maps to help manage the aftermath of the natural calamity that has beset Uttarakhand. The international experience in recent years has proved that crisis mapping can make a difference to disaster situations. One such Uttarakhand flood relief effort, that aims to make use of digital volunteers in India and other parts of the world to aggregate information from diverse sources and make it more useful and actionable has been launched by Hemant Purohit, a Crisis-Response Coordination researcher at the Ohio Center of Excellence in Knowledge-enabled Computing (Kno.e.sis), Wright State University. And there exists an International Network of Crisis Mappers, which includes members with different skill sets, and experience in the use of tools covering crowdsourcing, mapping, use of aerial and satellite imagery, geospatial platforms, advanced visualisation and computational and statistical models. What the volunteers are doing is to monitor different channels of information on Uttarakhand, including official sources, blogs, social media, non-governmental organisations, public networks and the news media to generate situation reports and also update with vital information an online crisis map set up by the Google Crisis Response team (http://google.org/crisismap/2013-uttrakhand-floods? gl=in). GOOD ONE The map has information on rescued people, cleared areas, people stranded, relief camps, medical centres, road networks and so on. Information flow will gather momentum as the repair and restoration of the mobile phone network progresses in Uttarakhand. Google had also set up an instance of its webapp, Person Finder, that makes it possible for information about missing persons to be posted online and searched, with the option of triggering alerts. The role of crisis mapping was to bridge the gap that existed between information-seekers and providers, particularly when it came to providing insights into the situation on the ground and the action that needed to be taken, Mr. Purohit said in an e-mail interview to The Hindu . Haiti earthquake The world got a glimpse of the potential of crowdsourced mapping following the deployment of an open-source platform called Ushahidi when an earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. The information provided by the affected population and others over the Internet and the mobile phone network and the map-based capabilities of the platform helped in addressing specific disaster management requirements. In the case of the Haiti earthquake, a volunteer team got the platform going fast and were soon tapping into social media sources like Twitter, facebook, and blogs and other media to create actionable reports. Later an international SMS number was created for people to input information relating to the quake. Soon it turned into a flood which was painstakingly processed by volunteers and turned into information that could be loaded onto an online map.