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Food Security and Water > Past
Karnataka
Janasahayog
An organization that has built a strong base in the slums of Bangalore and other districts of Karnataka. The Joint collaboration has sought to develop an urban strategy to ensure that people living in 35 slums of West Bangalore have access to safe drinking water. The strength of the organization is its support base that includes mass organizations and Dalit groups in the slums. Janasahayog argues that, regardless of land rights, every citizen has a fundamental human right to adequate safe drinking water. They work with local government bodies, to ensure the equitable distribution of water.
Chowki Samskruti KendraChowki Samskruti Kendra (Cultural centre) headed by Mr. K. Ramaiah, a well known cultural critic and poet, has been entrusted with the radio programmes and cultural resource building. Chowki is identified for cultural action in the Arkavati River basin. Chowki, in coordination with SVARAJ arranges for Radio programmes to understand the cultural realities of the river rejuvenation work through rejuvenating the memories of the people in the catchments area.
Slum JagatthuSlum Jagathu (Slum World in English) is a not-for-profit magazine, published and edited by Isaac Arul Selva. She resides in the slums of Bangalore, India, that are surrounded by rich neighborhoods and IT companies. "This is a unique project for slum-dwellers by slum-dwellers. Printed in the Kannada language, it provides its readers with information and resources, to take advantage of existing government programs designed to alleviate poverty. As of 2004, it has a monthly readership of about 2500 local readers . Svaraj partenered with Slum Jagathhu to bring out special issues on water and its conservation in the Arkavathi River Basin
Andhra Pradesh
Tribal legal resource center- Forest Dwellers Acts 2007: Ever since the Forest Rights Act came into existence in 2008, tribals living in East Godavari who were displaced due to the Pollavaram dam, were entitled to get their land rights but were mainly kept out due to complex administrative procedures and paper work. They were thoroughly confused and had no proper legal guidance or practical support. With the urgent need for an effective and pro-tribal interfacing support/secretarial services mechanism in socio legal technicalities, Svaraj started supporting a collective fellowship to address these issues pertaining to NPRR and Forest Rights Act with clear defined set of objectives. Some of them are
- Providing efficient pro-tribal interfacing between state and tribal community.
- Building community capacity to ascertain their rights as per the constitutional provision and other standing Acts of the state.
- Generating awareness on sustainable farming practices in the new settlements or in the delineated farm lands under the Forest Rights Act so that bring down the negative impact of the ‘PODU’ cultivation practices.
- Community monitoring to ensure protection under the Land Transfer Regulation Act 1/70
SAKTI
Sakti, an NGO that has been working primarily in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh for over 20 years, has done pioneering work in ensuring tribal rights. Sakti has been working with tribals to secure their rights over land, natural resources and biodiversity. While ongoing movements of displaced communities gain international momentum, the severe water scarcity issue in South India, has prompted the State Government of Andhra Pradesh to see ‘river linking’ as a viable solution to scarcity. This will potentially affect thousands of marginalised communities that live along riverbeds, and rely on the river for their livelihoods. Sakti worked with SVARAJ to ensure that tribal communities, affected by government sponsored large-scale water projects, are rehabilitated according to national policies.
To know more www.sakti.org
Gamana
In 2002, Gamana began its operations in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to create awareness among local communities on issues relating to poverty and exploitation. Since its establishment, Gammana has been working on urban development, HIV/AIDS awareness and anti-mining campaigns.
SVARAJ’s work with Gamana involves five watershed management projects that have been launched in the Musi River in Hyderabad. Hyderabad - one of India’s fastest growing cities, has in recent times seen major developments in various fields leading to an increase in population, a demand for better living space, and an even greater need for safe drinking water. This phenomenal growth has resulted in the degradation and disappearance of many water bodies that once provided the city’s water supply.
Whilst development of industries has provided employment opportunities, it has also resulted in growing concerns over effluent treatment and pollution control. Untreated wastewater can have negative impacts on the health of affected communities, and the agricultural value of land. Gamana is working to address the questions of effective pollution control, and adequate compensation for communities. This work is done through awareness creation, network mobilisation and legal initiatives to protect the community’s right to clean drinking water.
To know more www.Gamana.org
Chaitanya
Chaitanya, a voluntary organisation set up in 1983, has worked extensively in the areas of gender, dalit rights, and natural resource management. The organisation is also actively involved in the areas of HIV / AIDS awareness and human rights.
Chaitanya worked with SVARAJ to provide integrated water management solutions to communities. Chaitanya, working through participatory land, water, and forest management interventions, will address questions of local level livelihood structures that have been negatively impacted by unsustainable practices in agriculture and human rights
Tamil Nadu
CHASE – (Community health and social education trust) started its involvement in thirty villages around Tharangambadi in Porayur Taluk of then Tanjore Nagapattinam district. For the last 10 years, Chase has been working to protect the Vaigai river Basin. The Vaigai river runs through Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu. For centuries it has been the lifeline of more than 65 lakh people in 5 districts. Due to the degradation and desertification of Vaigai sub basin, Svaraj in association with CHASE initiated a campaign for the protection of the Vaigai River sub basin. Through this intervention Svaraj aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the process that led to the degradation and desertification of the sub-basin. Secondly, it aims to evolve strategies to challenge the forces through critical perspective buildings among the farmers organizations, women’s organizations, SHGs and social action groups. It also encourages these groups to lobby, advocacy and campaign to conserve, protect and develop the sub basin.
Children’s Nutrition Programme – Svaraj initiated a 3 month brunch programme for the Anganwadi children in Karaikkal with the help of Ms. Padmini to provide supplementary nutrition to children living in Tsunami affected areas.
Kerala
The Kerala water network began its operation in the year 2006 and comprises 13 partners working on water rights, developmental aspects, water shed management, drinking water, irrigation issues damns etc. The network which spreads across North to South covers 6 river Basins. The aim was to develop a network which can generate knowledge, share experiences, bring out convergences and create a body capable of influencing policy.
Kerala water Network focus areas are:Jaivagramam
To develop models of organic and sustainable farming in the selected Gramma Panchayats of the Pallakkad district, to assimilate knowledge gathered during the process and disseminate it to the community, and to successfully replicate such models,generating a cascade.
Reviving Rice cultivation for water conservation through community participation in Wynad DistrictThe main objective of the programme is to popularize rice cultivation in tribal areas within Wynad. A multi pronged approach is followed for water conservation. The activities undertaken under this project are to promote rice cultivation as a means for protecting wetlands. These include the formation of women farmers groups, training and awareness creation which will lead to the emergence of “Master Farmers”.
Empowering Communities for sustainable water resource managementThis programme aims to empower the farming community, by training field volunteers to develop replicable models in water management and agriculture. This will lead to Indigenous technologies in water and agriculture being developed and scaled up.
Developing Society-Panchayath-School link model for finding solutions for problems of water and environmentThis involves creating awareness about environmental problems,and involving students by conducting workshops,video shows,exposure trips,to spread the message behind the success models.
Link Local Environment To The Current Syllabus Of High School EducationDeveloping an analytical mind and scientific approach among students on environment management through activities like workshops, interaction with experts, training teachers to link the environment with the curriculum.
Assessment of Lift Irrigation Schemes in the Chalakkudy RiverThis programme studies the dependence of Lift irrigation schemes on the Chalakuudy river with the survey and collection of secondary data. It also assesses the dependence of the Grama Panchayath on the Chalakkudy River for its LI need.
Sustainability of the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticide in the mango plantations in MuthalamadaTo assess, the possibility of an organic alternative to chemical pesticides in mango plantations through primary and secondary data collection, and to form a basic document on the impact of pesticide application in the mango growing areas.
Kuttikoottam- Children's initiative for Panchayath Level Resource ConservationCreate awareness about the use and misuse of water and electricity, in the selected area of Puthenvelikkara Grama Panchayat in Ernakulam district of Kerala. This helps in wider dissemination of the need of water and electricity conservation and waste management among school, Grama Panchayat members, teachers, SHGs etc.
Catchment and Rivers: Towards an Eco-restoration Action Plan for the Western Ghat segment of Periyar BasinTo generate a comprehensive picture on the status of the landscape unit forming the Western Ghat catchment of Periyar River by locating, collecting and compiling available scattered information on the catchment condition which helps in accelerating the process of framing an effective and realistic policy regarding the land use in the river basin.
Silent Disasters- Water Crisis selected coastal areas of KeralaPreparation of a detailed document on the status of water in the coastal areas and to understand the special stress caused to Ground water by natural disasters. One objective of such a comprehensive document is to collect the perceptions of the community about the fresh water availability and scarcity through public dialogue and to elicit maximum response from the stake holders. The date generated from the study will facilitate intervention in the Regional Planning process happening in the areas.
Fellow : Sival.RSival, a native of Attapadi,a tribal pocket in Kerala, has been actively involved in community mobilization, and soil and water conservation for the last 17 years. Through her work ,Sival will be mobilizing and creating awareness amongst local women groups about natural resource management and conservation, and popularizing traditional multi crop tribal organic cultivation.
Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, Svaraj worked in Kotada and Udaipur where the following activities were undertaken : Water Harvesting Structures Self Help Groups
- Water Harvesting Structures
- Self Help Groups
Adivasi Mahapanchayat – An assembly of tribal people from 70 village communities puts forward demands to the administration for entitlements that support orphans, widows, elderly persons and the disabled as well as for improvement in public food distribution, electrification, etc
Ubeshwar Vikas MandalUVM project proposal for Anicuts
SVARAJ had tied up with UVM for the construction of three small height anicuts in three hamlets, the project include pasture protection, soil and water conservation, community organization, mutual aid groups in savings/credit and labour, drought relief, and building awareness capacity of rights and responsibility. The proposed project had enhanced rain water conservation. The communities in pipaliya, kundal and majam benefited in securing employment, preserving drinking water for livestock in the dry season, recharging ground water, improving drinking/irrigation water availability in the wells downstream,and enhancing soil moisture retention near the anicuts.
