tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34904052839084181532024-03-06T07:43:08.617+00:00Inspiraction! (Inspiration+Action)Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-26287058000135627542013-08-29T11:14:00.002+01:002013-08-29T11:14:44.896+01:00My write-up on the Water Integirty Forum, Netherlands published in a regional UNDP Newsletter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The 1st Water Integrity Forum was a very interesting experience for me. I participated as a speaker on Day 1 and represented the Sri Lanka Water Partnership (SLWP)who have been doing some great work in curbing sand mining along two major rivers - Maha Oya and Deduru Oya. SLWP has been instrumental in building a robust platform for information exchange and interaction between hitherto isolated sectors. Thanks to SLWP and NetWwater (Network for Women Water Professionals), today there is an active exchange between the regulator GSMB, the STF - a paramilitary arm of the police, many universities, community organizations and other NGOs on the sand mining issue. Although it is in a nascent stage,There is much that other countries can learn from this science-policy-industry interface in Sri Lanka. More on that later.<br />
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Anyway, was invited to write a short article about my experience at the Forum for a regional UNDP Newsletter. I'm happy to see that it was not edited in any way before being published. Here is the link<br />
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.regionalcentrelac-undp.org/en/local-governance-and-decentralization-newsletter-0" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US">http://www.regionalcentrelac-<wbr></wbr>undp.org/en/local-governance-<wbr></wbr>and-decentralization-<wbr></wbr>newsletter-0</span></a></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-76502459946602234122013-08-09T12:10:00.000+01:002013-08-09T12:25:39.245+01:00My interviews on the Water Channel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some of you may have found this blog through the videos but those of you who just landed here through other ways might be interested in viewing these videos on the water channel where I speak about my research on sand mining and why it is so crucial that we give this topic the attention it deserves.<br />
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While academic papers are important, very often they lie in a half-forgotten realm and do little but collect dust. Unless of course the author is a hotshot academician in which case, many want to read the latest research findings even before they can complete the paper. Videos such as these help bring home the importance of such issues to daily life, to everyone who does not necessarily have access to academic journals but is keen on learning more. Abraham Abhishek from the water channel has done an excellent job at creating these videos. Full credit goes to him for making the topic so much more accessible to all. Here are the links :<br />
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<a href="http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/en/videos/categories/viewvideo/1872/sand-water-people-profits">http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/en/videos/categories/viewvideo/1872/sand-water-people-profits</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/en/videos/categories/viewvideo/1942/sand-mining-in-india-greed-corruption-and-plunder">http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/en/videos/categories/viewvideo/1942/sand-mining-in-india-greed-corruption-and-plunder</a><br />
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-11140778805967191872013-08-06T18:15:00.000+01:002013-08-06T18:15:14.062+01:00Link to my older blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi everyone,<br />
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I realised that I had I started blogging with blogger primarily because it allowed me to use a widget from a third-party that wordpress wouldn't allow unless I paid extra. But in making the transition, I may have lost a great of continuity and richness that was part of my earliest inspiration. So if you care to, take a peek @http://rhetoric2reality.wordpress.com/<br />
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Yours truly<br />
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-42873949757556807102013-06-26T17:41:00.000+01:002013-06-26T17:44:23.711+01:00My (not so) new love and our escapades ;)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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London has a fantastic public transport system. Once you learn how to use it, you can plan your travel fairly accurately. The underground and its call to 'MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND The Gap!' is legendary and the buses are not far behind either. Many bus stops have boards that display which bus is due next and the time it is expected to take. But the tubes can sometimes be stuffy and it is an awkward journey when you're stuck amid people who are ALWAYS in a rush, who will not smile or indulge in petty conversations. Besides being expensive, the tubes also have another downside. I've spent about 2 and a half years in this place now and I'm ashamed to confess that I can hardly recognize places. I know the tube map pretty well and have no problems getting from point A to B but I just don't know how these places look on the outside! That's a shame considering how rich the architecture and heritage is and how much there is to see out here. The buses give you the opportunity to get to know the city better but if you'd really like to know the city intimately, there is no alternative to cycling. </div>
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While I like leading an active life, I'm hardly the sporty type who can run a marathon or cycle across town in a heartbeat. Was it worth investing in a bike I wondered? Especially since I'd heard that bikes in London get stolen very easily. It was a culture shock when I heard that bit for the first time. My reasoning of course was quite simplistic. I had imagined that things like bikes could get stolen only in places like India not in supposedly 'developed' countries like the UK! I wondered why people would bother stealing bikes when they could steal cars instead. LOL. Another factor that I had to really think long and hard about is that while it is definitely safer to cycle on London roads than Indian ones, London is not as cycle-friendly as perhaps a Berlin or Paris. Well, I decided to take the plunge anyway! I shopped around for a bike that I would feel good about. I found one that is so me! It arrived in a box but it had to be partially assembled. I hadn't a clue how to go about it! </div>
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In stepped my rock star friends Ana and her husband Rodrigo. They, btw are the sporty types who have run a marathon and they also cycle everywhere they want to go. So while Ana and I busied ourselves preparing a nice dinner, Rodrigo, the bike enthusiast fixed the bike for me in no time! I was dying to try it but my maiden voyage had to wait a few days until it stopped raining! Yes I know it is London and it is always windy and rainy but I wasn't going to let the rain soil my lovely new bike on its very first ride now, was I ? So I waited and in a couple of days was able to take it for a short spin. Visited a friend and her baby. On my very first ride, as I stood at a traffic signal beside a bus, the bus driver looked at me and my bike, gave me a broad smile and a thumbs up sign. I was as pleased as Punch! I wish I could say though that all bus drivers were as friendly but I'm afraid I've also encountered absolute jackasses on the road. One of them even sped up so he could run over my bag which fell on the road. The bag had books, my lunch box, my wallet and even my camera. Even the passersby stopped to ask me if I was okay and comment on how nasty the driver was and how deliberate the act was. I was just happy to be alive and was also thrilled to discover that the camera was safe. The bag itself was beyond redemption though. </div>
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Once I had gotten the hang of riding a bike with gears, I ventured further and further and made some pretty startling discoveries. I found that cycling to Richmond and Kew gardens took me only about half an hour while the bus took almost 50 minutes or so. I also discovered that I could travel in a straight line right from Hammersmith to Strand. I was amazed that it was just one straight road that passed by Earl's Court, Victoria and Albert Museum, Hyde Park, Leicester square and even Covent Garden. It never seemed that way when I took the bus! It has been lovely so far. I still try and avoid peak hours because i would like cycling to be pleasurable instead of stressful. I've taken my baby to some interesting events. One was a free bike registration event sponsored by TFL where the Police registered the bike frame number and other details. The idea is that bike theft is significantly under-reported and even if recovered, the Police usually have no way of finding the rightful owner. It was a very helpful event. They got cyclists like me to mount the driver seat in a MASSIVE truck so we could see the blind spots for ourselves. Very very useful! If you have a bike in London, I'd recommend that you register. See this website for more details. <a href="http://content.met.police.uk/Article/Cycle-marking-events/1400005859885/1400005859885" style="text-align: left;">http://content.met.police.uk/Article/Cycle-marking-events/1400005859885/1400005859885</a>. I also signed up for a Bike Maintenance course, again sponsored by the local council. The workshop was pretty hands-on. We were asked to bring our bikes along and we tinkered with it and learned really basic stuff like how to remove a wheel, fix a puncture, adjust and align brakes etc. There were only 4 people in the workshop so we had plenty of time to ask questions too. So if you have a bike in London, look up your council's website and you're sure to find such offers. Here are a few pictures from the workshop where my friend and I had a blast despite my focused face pictures where I look dead serious. It was also pretty cool that the mechanic was a woman ;) I also made sure I learned how to lock both wheels and the frame to the stand. I was tempted to buy a chain that would be long enough to go through the basket too. But that would be a bit much! So my (now not so) new love and I are trying to make the best of the London's "Summer". Wish us luck!</div>
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-25311623191159172482013-06-25T21:03:00.000+01:002013-06-25T21:07:51.707+01:00Sand Wars - an investigative documentary film<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been quite sometime since I wrote. So much has happened since. What I'm most happy to share is that I was finally able to make use of my Masters dissertation when I was interviewed for an investigative documentary film called 'Sand Wars'. The Director Denis Delestrac is a highly accomplished person and I couldn't be happier that he found the inspiration for such a film while he was lounging on a beach a few years ago. He has interviewed many experts and shot footage at many production sites to make this movie a compelling watch. I still haven't seen the complete version. Waiting with bated breath for the DVD he has promised to send me. In the meanwhile, an excerpt of the film with my interview can be found here<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151556959240890&set=vb.590847757599602&type=2&theater">https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151556959240890&set=vb.590847757599602&type=2&theater</a> . (In case you have trouble with the link, search for '<a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=590847757599602" href="https://www.facebook.com/LeSableEnqueteSurUneDisparition" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Le Sable, enquête sur une disparition</a>' in facebook and look at the video titled <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">UN EXTRAIT DU FILM - 1</span>)</div>
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The trailer of the movie can be watched on <a href="http://sand-wars.com/index.html">http://sand-wars.com/index.html</a>.</div>
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-8033110320102039812013-03-19T15:54:00.000+00:002013-03-21T15:00:06.385+00:00Namaste Nepal!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Earlier this year, I spent one whole month in Nepal. It was an unforgettable experience and I look forward to the day when I will get to go back again. I used to opportunity to take some time off to visit majestic Elephants and Rhinos and their friends in Chitwan, indulge in paragliding in Pokhara, to relish the local cuisine, to also verify recommendations from the lonely planet (<i>tell you more about this in a bit</i>),visit a Toastmaster's meeting, participate in the thriving salsa scene in Kathmandu and the best part, work with a local NGO for sometime. Unlike neighbouring north Indians, Nepalis are mainly rice eaters. The traditional Dal Bhat is simply delicious and is definitely worth a try and so are the momos slurrrp,slurrrp. At the NGO, they cooked fresh and healthy food for their employees everyday and I gorged on it shamelessly as long as I was there. As you can tell by now, food is a very important part of my life and I happened to also taste 'the world's best Lemon Merengue Pie' at the Moondance Restuarant in Pokhara. Let's just say it lives up to its reputation!!! If you ever go to Pokhara, try it and let me know what you think.</div>
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The country faces incredible challenges - infrastructural, political, economic and more. Its location also puts it in a bit of a pickle. It lies between two rising superpowers China and India who sometimes forget to take into account the other party's well-being in their quest to satiate their hunger for resources. Any alliance with one of these neighbours makes the other giant uncomfortable and so Nepal must constantly walk a tightrope in terms of diplomatic ties with its neighbours. I must confess I was ashamed to be Indian when I saw life through the eyes of Nepalis. I spent several weeks living like most Nepalis in sub-zero temperatures during the winter. It was common-place to not have power-supply for 14-16 hours a day! Despite 3 layers of woolens, it was incredibly hard to keep warm at home. Since the timings for power supply varied everyday, it was hard to form a routine for one's day. Life begins to take on a very different meaning in such conditions. You begin to understand the Water-Energy Nexus in a much more powerful way than you ever would when you simply read academic texts. Nepal also imports gas from India and the day before I left, there was major strife in the country because the government has raised the price of Gas by Rs.400 overnight. Gas cylinders which costed 1400 NPR suddenly went to 2000 NPR. It was more than the people could take and they ensured the government was made aware of this. </div>
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Coming to the Water-Energy Nexus, it is rather unfortunate that Nepal, despite having tremendous potential for hydro power due to its perennial rivers and the steep gradient of the country's topography, does not get the benefit of it. This writer says: </div>
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"The first recorded water resource negotiations between Nepal and India occurred between 1910 and 1920 when British India needed to harness the Sarda (Mahakali) river, which formed the western boundary between Nepal and British India, to develop irrigation in the United Province (now Uttar Pradesh). Nepal agreed to the 1920 Sarda treaty, involving an exchange of territory, but not an advantageous one for Nepal. </div>
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India enjoys most of the benefits of the Kosi and Gandak treaties (of 1954 and 1959), leading to the construction of dams primarily irrigating and protecting Indian lands. The outcome was viewed by many in Nepal as a “sell out” of their natural resources (although it was resistance in Nepal that prevented construction of larger dams that would have accrued more benefits to that country). Read more <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/hydrodiplomacy-a-neglected-opportunity-for-nepal-and-india/article2139749.ece">here</a>. </div>
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In my personal experience, I found the Nepali people to be extremely generous. I wish my fellow country-men would reciprocate such generosity. Anyway, I also wanted to share my personal experience with water supply in Kathmandu.As I shared earlier, the meagre power supply affects every aspect of one's daily life. Having running water in your taps depends entirely on whether there has been power to pump water up to the overhead tanks. Even when you do have adequate water, the quality of water you receive makes you realize how much you take for granted in other parts of the world!</div>
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<span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">Here is a picture of a bucket of clean water at the house where I stayed. The groundwater in Kathmandu loaded with iron oxides and the locals have devised their own ways to try and purify it. You'd see a filtering mechanism on top of many overhead tanks in Kathmandu. (See picture below)There were days when there was no power to pump up the water and I was forced to re-use the water from the last rinse of my laundry. In normal circumstances I would have gone 'Ewwwwww'. But when you are pushed against the wall, you learn to manage with what you have. It is incredible how such circumstances are completely normal for many while others have never ever experienced anything of the sort in their lives! </span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">Furthermore, many people in Nepal don't even have the luxury of such tap water at home. They depend on traditional systems of water supply such as 'stone spouts' <a href="http://www.unwac.org/pdf/publications/water_nepal.pdf" target="_blank">which date back to 570 A.D</a>. However with rapidly changing land use patterns and lack of ownership, these marvelous systems are swiftly being deconstructed. So that leaves the poorest of the poor in a very vulnerable state indeed. Here are some pictures of one of the stone spouts near the office of </span><a href="http://isetnepal.org.np/" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">ISET-N</a><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">, the organization where I did a brief assignment.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbQ-OKcmYLB7ka7EO2nJPGgFoTmu6Plivpt5znFPSuthaUOMcr3smJ53wtgkGulsDakRiSSgOTc6l4p_pCyKhEeMzaZlwnodoSb2OCdfq4iAKU5fls4P09AUjq5SpjR_flCn5iPXl547y/s1600/Nepal+612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbQ-OKcmYLB7ka7EO2nJPGgFoTmu6Plivpt5znFPSuthaUOMcr3smJ53wtgkGulsDakRiSSgOTc6l4p_pCyKhEeMzaZlwnodoSb2OCdfq4iAKU5fls4P09AUjq5SpjR_flCn5iPXl547y/s320/Nepal+612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This stay in Nepal has had a significant influence on my worldview and it makes me even more keenly aware of the disparities that we can see around us. But in a sense, it makes me believe in the resilience of the human spirit against all odds and gives me hope for the future.</div>
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-30426754310562999492013-03-08T23:38:00.001+00:002013-03-08T23:38:54.383+00:00My paper will soon be presented at Sweden :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm quite thrilled that the paper I co-authored with Henry Veldhuizen (Strategic Advisor Water Chain, Strategy and Policy Division at the Dutch Water Board) and others has been accepted as a full paper for the <a href="http://www.hsm2013.se/" target="_blank">HSM 2013</a> conference. The conference is the 1st International IWA conference on Holistic Sludge Management. Our paper is entitled <b>'Wastewater treatment plants in the Netherlands as production facilities of raw materials'. </b>The paper highlights how the current system of sewage disposal is a unidirectional one that needs to be converted into a closed loop system as part of a circular economy. More importantly, it goes beyond mere rhetoric and provides real-life examples of how the Netherlands is demonstrating pioneering efforts to recover materials and other resources from what was considered mere waste until now. Since it is about a real example, the paper shares the vision, the methodology adopted, the challenges and the way forward so that any enterprising municipality / water company can learn from it and replicate the process. It is a radical concept and I'm so happy to work with individuals who dare to change the system.<br />
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-84019295301524012452013-01-10T12:06:00.000+00:002013-08-16T09:34:21.324+01:00Another post published - Sand Mining an Unexamined Threat to Water Security<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another post published on the home page of India Water Portal. Check it out! <a href="http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/sand-mining-unexamined-threat-water-security">http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/sand-mining-unexamined-threat-water-security</a></div>
Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-58408969444993582402012-12-22T12:41:00.001+00:002012-12-22T12:41:59.491+00:00My blogs on external sites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A couple of my blogs were published on external sites. Both were about the same topic though viewed from slightly different angles. Do take a peek and leave your comments..<br />
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http://waterintegrityblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/the-dark-side-of-the-construction-boom/<br />
http://coastalcare.org/2012/10/sand-mining-the-high-volume-low-value-paradox/<br />
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-66139641770308075942012-10-01T19:23:00.001+01:002012-10-02T09:07:47.971+01:00More about my experiences in Rome and the STREAM Summer School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Back from Rome. Had a fabulous time! I must confess though that I was very apprehensive about how safe couch-surfing would be for a lone female traveler, I guess I was lucky to find two hosts who were exceptionally kind and generous! Imagine your host receiving you at the airport on a Sunday morning. Even if I had to do this for someone I already knew, it wouldn't be my favourite task at all! This person was kind enough to make me comfortable at his place and also take me on a guided tour to see some of the touristy places I had missed out on the last time I was there. I also indulged in authentic Roman food. The markets with tons and tons of sun-dried tomatoes and inviting tasters of Grappa and various kinds of exotic liqueurs, cheese and absolutely delicious gelato made it a very lovely weekend. The icing on the cake was the birthday/Salsa party I attended later in the evening. It was great to feel the pulse of the city and know it was alive and well. My second host was equally kind and had some fascinating stories to share.He hosted people almost everyday and it was lovely to meet the other guests too. So if you've never tried couch-surfing before, I'd definitely recommend it to get a feel for the place and its culture. Of course, it goes without saying that one must try to find out as much as one can about the host in order to avoid nasty shocks upon arrival. I also learned that <a href="https://www.couchsurfing.org/" target="_blank">Couch-surfing</a> is now a for-profit entity. As you can imagine, this is not a popular thing at all. With good reason, because a few people make money from hundreds of others who actually host people for free. There are other non-profit alternatives such as <a href="http://www.bewelcome.org/" target="_blank">BeWelcome</a> and <a href="http://www.warmshowers.org/" target="_blank">WarmShowers</a>. I intend on trying them sometime in the future. Having said that, I must share that many hosts complain about rude and insensitive guests. That's a shame! It is remarkable how absolute strangers will let you into their world and it is important not to abuse that opportunity. The next time you think of travelling, do consider exploring the three options I've listed above. It is sure to be a rewarding experience and it is definitely worth taking a chance. There are far more benevolent people in the world than we usually believe and a lot of friendships waiting to be made. </div>
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Coming to the reason I went to Rome in the first place, <a href="http://www.stream-project.eu/summer-schools/second-summer-school-0" target="_blank">the STREAM Summer School</a> proved very interesting indeed! It was a highly diverse mix of participants from policy makers, researchers, assistant professors, SMEs and even a start-up investment consultant! There was representation from Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Netherlands, Moldova, Germany, Hungary and even places like Sheffield, Leeds, Milan, Paris, Brussels. Seeing the world from so many view-points added so much insight! Turns out that there is a specific term that encompasses all the competencies that I was talking about in <a href="http://rhetorictoreality.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/back-to-eternal-city-all-my-bags-are.html" target="_blank">my previous post about communicating across silos</a>. Such a person/ organization is apparently called a '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_broker" target="_blank">knowledge-broker</a>'. I had written a blog about <a href="http://rhetoric2reality.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/the-missing-link/" target="_blank">the missing link</a> sometime in 2010. Was happy to find answers relevant to Academia/Policy two years later. Though in my opinion it would be be best if each expert from a specific field learned to communicate to an audience beyond their own field. It would help them bridge the gap themselves instead of relying on specialized 'knowledge brokers' so to speak. Like in many other fields, in the case of water too, research uptake by industry/Policy makers is not as robust as it could be.For eg- Politicians are driven by a short term focus on what will bring the best results (and votes) now whereas researchers would often like to do research for research's sake. Water users on the other hand, often don't care to bother their heads with too many issues as long as they have access to clean,cheap water. However, there are some innovative experiments being done to encourage people on different sides to understand the view points of the other people of the table. An innovative project that we discussed in the course was the <a href="http://www.wise-rtd.info/en/page/about-wise-rtd" target="_blank">WISE-RTD</a> site which offers a free e-learning tutorial and even simulated exercises at varying levels to practice cross-border communication if you will. As the site says:</div>
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"<i>The WISE-RTD Water Knowledge Portal can be used to locate considerable policy, research and industry resources that can help with water management. Intelligent keyword linking algorithms allow you to quickly and easily find policy, science and technology related information and to see the inter-relationships between them.<br /><br />The WISE-RTD Water Knowledge Portal forwards to websites with focus on information relevant for the implementation of the European Water Policy.<br /><br />The linked websites contain a wide range of information such as guidance documents, synthesis reports, reviews, experiences of projects on implementation, selections of ICT tools, methodologies and results of national and EC funded research projects.<br /><br />Information is presented from all over Europe (and even beyond), at European, national and regional level as well as for river(sub-)basins.<br /><br />Different user groups (policy makers or water managers, researchers or consultants) are guided by intelligent searches to customized selections of available information related to any EU water policy tasks</i>."<br />
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Will end this post with a link to a cute movie on the WISE-RTD site that helps you understand why such a site might be needed. It lasts about three and a half mins. Do watch. <a href="http://www.wise-rtd.info/en/bleu-page/wise-rtd-movie">http://www.wise-rtd.info/en/bleu-page/wise-rtd-movie</a></div>
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-4843156440254128812012-09-23T04:10:00.003+01:002012-09-23T04:10:31.688+01:00Back to the Eternal City! All my bags are packed.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't sleep. Terribly excited about the Summer School and the fact that it is going to be held in Rome! Will be ready to fly out in a couple of hours. Reflecting on my life and its direction, I realize that I've always been interested in all things 'green' but the very first time I took some direct action on focussing my energies was when I read a newspaper article calling on people to save the lakes in Bangalore, India. It then directed the reader towards a symposium that one could attend free of cost. It was </span><a href="http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/water/lake2000conference.html" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;" target="_blank">"The Symposium on Restoration of Lakes and Wetlands" called Lake 2000.</a> <span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I recall sitting in the auditorium soaking in every bit of information that was being given out. But I knew even back then that much of what the experts said would remain well within the 'expert circle' for various reasons. Don't think much has changed since then. Dense communication and use of jargon top my list of pet peeves when it comes to communication from 'experts'. My biggest grouse with academia is that very often fantastic research is done but not as much is done about communicating those results to a lay audience in a timely, consistent and accessible manner. </span></div>
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For instance,w<span style="text-align: left;">hen I worked in the CSR space at Infosys a few years ago, sustainability seemed like a shiny, new concept. Little did I realize that reams had been written about it. There were thousands of journal articles on the topic and hundreds of them were older than a decade or two! Why then did those crucial questions not percolate down to the general public?<b> </b>To give you a specific example, </span><span style="text-align: left;">in 1991 a prominent scholar Sharadchandra Lele had dissected the semantics of 'Sustainable Development', a term that is bandied about ever so often! </span><span style="text-align: left;">In his article he asked very pertinent questions about the exact meaning of the term and the various connotations it could have (as depicted in the diagram). Yet, surprisingly, none of the conferences I attended spoke about such underlying ambiguity and certainly nobody in business! </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Today I look back and realize how practically every project worth its salt claims to be 'sustainable' and I'm thankful the masters course at King's has helped me question things and go beyond the obvious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps many researchers attempt to communicate their work but only a few truly take the trouble to decode their expertise and make it accessible to anyone who is interested. I recall a pithy quote on advertising that best sums up the situation. 'Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.' - Stuart Henderson. But then again, perhaps publishers create an artificial void so that people would have to pay to access information. (One of the main reasons I am all for open access journals.) I guess having one's research locked up in labyrinths of red tape must be equally frustrating for researchers who'd like to shout from the roof tops about their findings. The point here is not to find fault with a specific person but to point out how research and technology are not half as effective if they are not backed up with powerful communication. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm grateful that life has given me the opportunity to follow my passion even after a decade. I'm excited at the chance to learn about cutting-edge technology and policy in the EU with regard to water at the <a href="http://www.stream-project.eu/about-stream" target="_blank">STREAM summer school</a> at Rome. I'm also looking forward to networking and building strong contacts in the industry. That apart, I'm trying <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.org/mainpage" target="_blank">couch surfing</a> for the very first time. Will share more about my experiences with the hosts in my next blog. I'm tickled pink that someone would go out of their way to make a stranger feel comfortable in their city. My first host has volunteered to not only pick me up at the airport on a Sunday morning but has also kindly offered me a chance to join his group when they go salsa dancing later in the evening. Can't wait!</span></div>
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-71647825753285858782012-09-14T12:51:00.000+01:002012-09-14T12:55:36.727+01:00The Fashion Industry and Rivers - Die or Dye?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="text-align: justify;">When you shop for clothes, do you aim to buy clothes that are exactly the same shade as everyone else's? Chances are the answer is a 'no'. You probably look for something that is as distinct as you. Something that reflects your own personality. In fact, much of the luxury segment exists simply because of this desire for uniqueness and individuality. Yet, you'd be surprised at how decisions are made behind the scene that result in massive waste of water and energy. In <a href="http://rhetorictoreality.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-tale-of-taylor-guitars-and-quest.html" target="_blank">my previous blog post</a>, we saw how the notion of 'ONLY black is beautiful' was causing 20 ebony trees to be cut down in order to find that one perfectly black specimen, leaving behind incalculable destruction in its wake. In this post, I'd like to highlight something similar that happens with water in the textile and apparel industry. Did you know that every two years the clothing industry uses water equivalent to that of the Mediterranean Sea to dye clothing? </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkGQzDiHSmryndncoYyVwC3b3q4dQyEX2VBu9iSlXQGsKE_CYNlwE1Erjg2P7-Rc8N2mYbxszvQEUVKLBjJDgsEm5jwsu1I9ZEGKLR2tzGYY-wF4U9j4OS_tH3fywaXOVCTUWyMH1iPkJ/s1600/DryDye_3_710x440_70-7622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkGQzDiHSmryndncoYyVwC3b3q4dQyEX2VBu9iSlXQGsKE_CYNlwE1Erjg2P7-Rc8N2mYbxszvQEUVKLBjJDgsEm5jwsu1I9ZEGKLR2tzGYY-wF4U9j4OS_tH3fywaXOVCTUWyMH1iPkJ/s320/DryDye_3_710x440_70-7622.jpg" title="Source: Addidas Blog on DryDye Technology" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source:
<a href="http://www.adidas.com/com/goallin/news/2012/08/adidas-drydye/">http://www.adidas.com/com/goallin/news/2012/08/adidas-drydye/</a></td></tr>
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Dyeing clothing has always been a water intensive process but when the fabric is meant for the US and EU markets, nearly 4-6 times more water and energy is consumed compared to fabrics aimed at other markets because '<a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/02/07/color-it-green-nike-adopt-waterless-textile-dyeing?page=0%2C1" target="_blank">US and EU buyers demand exact color-matching, requiring more frequent re-dyeing</a>'. Who decided that all shirts should be the exact same shade? Doesn't common sense about consumer psychology point otherwise? Most industrial processing takes place in developing countries where environmental safeguards are low. The next time you shop at a Zara or a Primark or wherever, take the time to look at the labels and you'd find that they've been manufactured in China, India, Bangladesh, Morocco etc. The reality in many of those places is that they can indeed tell the colour of fashion for the next season by looking at the colour of their rivers, that is if the rivers survive. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfV0Ue45VtZ_w0Sy4bReR70cgLYRa3jVGiXplVau5qvp1skBZVwhyphenhyphenWTDcyltBPz9d5ME5wjMxK5g5QqL2oS-LymubMCb3DjcSmRPmsYuV1HYFnIgDGLpLLLTHprLe1zz13vtVS5lResSm/s1600/killing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfV0Ue45VtZ_w0Sy4bReR70cgLYRa3jVGiXplVau5qvp1skBZVwhyphenhyphenWTDcyltBPz9d5ME5wjMxK5g5QqL2oS-LymubMCb3DjcSmRPmsYuV1HYFnIgDGLpLLLTHprLe1zz13vtVS5lResSm/s320/killing.jpg" title="The Killing of River Luni in Rajasthan, India - Sep 2012" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source:
<a href="http://www.tehelka.com/story_main53.asp?filename=Ne010912KILLING.asp">http://www.tehelka.com/story_main53.asp?filename=Ne010912KILLING.asp</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fortunately, when brands become big, they also have to worry about their image in the consumer mind and many leading brands are also taking the initiative not just to clean up their act but to actually fuel innovation. Take for instance, <a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/02/07/color-it-green-nike-adopt-waterless-textile-dyeing?page=0%2C1" target="_blank">Nike which has adopted waterless textile dying process designed by Dye Coo</a>.or <a href="http://www.adidas.com/com/goallin/news/2012/08/adidas-drydye/" target="_blank">Adidas which has also done the same with DryDye technology</a> that does not use a single drop of water and also uses 50% less energy and 50% less chemicals. <a href="http://www.marcgunther.com/2010/11/04/dont-wash-your-jeans/#more-5931" target="_blank">Levi Strauss & Co. best known for its Levi’s jeans goes so far as to recommend that you don't wash your jeans</a>. I have now discovered new-found respect for someone who once told me he washed his jeans only once a year. Turns out he is a true-blue denim aficionado. But I must confess I still don't have the stomach to wash my denims only once or twice a year! Many companies have also joined <a href="http://www.roadmaptozero.com/members.php" target="_blank">the coalition to promote zero discharge of hazardous chemicals</a>. WRAP in the UK provides manufacturers with a <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/GG062.pdf" target="_blank">good practice guide to manage water and chemical use in the textile dyeing and finishing industry.</a><br />
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While we know there are miles to go, it helps to know every little bit that is being done to protect this precious blue planet. I'll leave you with this very interesting short video about <a href="http://www.source4style.com/trends/cutting-edge/the-cutting-edge-how-to-lose-water-weight-2/" target="_blank">how the apparel industry and fashion brands are cutting back on their “water weight”</a>. If you have the time/inclination, I'd also recommend <a href="http://www.source4style.com/trends/cutting-edge/the-cutting-edge-how-to-dye-like-you-give-a-damn/" target="_blank">this entertaining super short video also by Summer Rayne Oakes</a>. Until the next time...<br />
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PS - I've been chosen to participate in the Summer School at Rome between the 24th - 28th of September. The STREAM summer school aims to promote exchange of knowledge and the awareness on EU water research and state of the art technology among researchers from universities, research institutes and SMEs. So excited about the opportunity to network with water professionals and also looking forward to return to the Eternal City. Those cents I dropped in the Trevi fountain many years ago finally did work their charm after all! Stay with me and I'll share my experience of the experience...:)<br />
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-51348179647996910592012-09-07T16:48:00.000+01:002012-12-22T12:54:39.617+00:00The tale of Taylor Guitars and the quest for sustainability<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Early last month, I read a <a href="http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/gibson-guitar-to-pay-350000-in-penalties-and-lose-seized-tropical-hardwood/?smid=tw-share">report</a> on how Gibson, the famous guitar makers were forced to face the music. They were ordered to pay $300,000 in penalties because they were found guilty of aiding illegal trafficking of tropical hardwoods; more specifically, rosewood and ebony shipments from India and ebony from Madagascar with an estimated value of more than $419,000. Not very pleasant news for a company and it's reputation. When I shared this news with a friend who also happens to be a musician, he shared this video in turn. It lasts little over 13 minutes and I urge you to watch it to the end. </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/anCGvfsBoFY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hats off to Bob Talyor of Taylor guitars! One person's decision to make a positive difference can have so many ripple effects, especially if he/she happens to be in a position of power. In this case,Bob Taylor's decision to confront 'the truth of the forest' and respond accordingly has saved hundreds of trees from being felled unnecessarily, has eased the labour of those who chop down the trees, has increased the availability of legally harvested ebony worldwide, has set new benchmarks for the 'value' of ebony. I'm positive, employees of Taylor guitars must feel proud to work for such a company. I'd love to meet him in person someday and when I do, I'd be sure to congratulate him on several counts - making the effort to stay in Cameroon for a over a year despite his 'first world/modern' roots, demonstrating great people skills in truly listening to his employees/contractors, for demonstrating outstanding leadership in making the decision to pay the same rate for wood that was until then considered B-grade simply because it was coloured, knowing full well that customers were used to different standards and last but not the least for going all out to educate his customers on why he made the decision, for reaching out to millions of musicians who play guitars and violins. I'm positive that when customers really see what he sees, they too will soon realize the truth of his visionary statement</span>, <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"The nature of what we thought was beautiful for a hundred years is simply going to change". The global trade in illegal timber is said to be worth over $30 billion a year. When you consider that over and above this cost, one must also take into account the cost of decimated habitats, irreparably damaged watersheds, destroyed livelihoods and extinction of species, the costs soon become immeasurable. But we live in exciting times. Not only thanks to courageous and visionary leaders like Bob Taylor but also thanks to development of new frontiers in science and law. DNA testing is now being used to trace timber back to its origins. Australian companies are now proactively responding to the proposed legislation to enforce criminal sanctions on companies that cannot prove they are importing from legal sources. Watch this video to see how <a href="http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/08/14/reuters-tv-how-dna-testing-could-fell-the-illegal-t?videoId=237040092&videoChannel=118065">'CSI meets save the planet'</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So while one industry is slowly but surely moving towards taking responsibility, it makes me think of oth</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">er industries that are doing/ potentially could do something similar -for instance, the fashion and clothing industry. In my next post, I'd like to talk about how the textile and apparel industry wastes enormous quantities of water and what some companies are doing to tackle this wasteful way of doing things. Stay tuned.</span></div>
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-53599665609104484712012-08-22T10:11:00.002+01:002012-08-22T10:11:52.128+01:00Meghalaya's Living Bridges<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ever so often, humans are capable of working with Nature instead of against it. It is at such times that my faith in humanity is restored. Meghalaya is now on my must-see-before-I-die list of places. So inspiring!<br />
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Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-54397003433147687472012-05-11T12:30:00.000+01:002012-05-11T12:49:11.812+01:005 World Bank Webinars for FREE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The World
Bank and the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) are hosting a weekly webinar
series on the water sector. The webinar series is open to anyone who has access
to the internet via a smartphone, tablet or a computer. 11 webinars were
scheduled and 6 have been conducted so far. The topics that have been covered
are</div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Myths of the Rural Water Supply Sector<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Challenges in Latin America
for the Next Decade: Lessons from the International Seminar “Cusco+10”<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Actions to Attract Investment to African
Rural Water Supply<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Govt.of Finland CoWASH Program in Ethiopia<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">WASH and Equity<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">PPPs in Madagascar’s Rural Towns<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The session
recordings and presentations are available at </span><a href="http://water.worldbank.org/node/84117">http://water.worldbank.org/node/84117</a></div>
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Several interesting topics have been lined up for the
forthcoming talks as well. See table below:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">Date<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">Topic<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">Speaker/s<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">5/15/2012</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">Life Cycle Costing
Approach</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Catarina Fonseca - Project
Director, WASHCost, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">Analysis and
use of the full costs of sustainable, equitable, and reliable water services<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">5/22/2012</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">Grundfos LifeLink Payment
System and Solar Technology</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Rasoul Dashtbani Mikkelsen - Funding and Partnership
Manager, Grundfos LIFELINK A/S</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">Spencer Ochieng
- General Manager, Grundfos LIFELINK (Kenya) Ltd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">An innovative
business model for Africa, Asia, and Latin America based on a solar pumps,
mobile phones, and mobile banking technologies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</td>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">5/29/2012</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">Sustainable Groundwater
Development for Rural Water Supplies</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">Sean Furey - Water & Sanitation Specialist based at
Skat, in Switzerland, and part of the RWSN Secretariat.</span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">RWSN wants groundwater to be understood and used
for the benefit of everyone, in perpetuity. The three sub-themes are
‘Handpump Technology’, ‘Cost Effective Boreholes’ and ‘Cost Effective
Groundwater Management’.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">6/5/2012</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">Human Right to Water and
Sanitation</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Catarina de Albuquerque - UN Special Rapporteur on the
right to safe drinking water and sanitation</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-weight: normal;">Self Supply: Supported
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Sally Sutton - Hydrogeologist, SWL Consultants</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: inherit;">André
Olschewski - Water, Sanitation and Environmental Management Specialist,
RWSN/Skat Foundation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Increasing
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<span lang="EN-GB">For those
who are interested, the webinars offer not only useful information about
various issues within the water sector across the globe but also offer
opportunities to network and build contacts within the industry. Personally, I
have also found interesting insights from the question and answer sessions after
the presentations and also the periodic micro-surveys that are conducted such
as the one featured in the screenshot below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">If you’re
interested in participating, register at </span><a href="http://water.worldbank.org/node/84117">http://water.worldbank.org/node/84117</a>
and don’t forget to schedule it into your calendars. Do drop me a line if you
happen to join after reading this blog. Will be delighted to make your
acquaintance. See you there!<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-45321779904258579652012-04-29T11:40:00.000+01:002012-04-29T11:43:49.077+01:00James Cameron reveals Miner Avatar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A recent article in TIME features a start-up venture Planetary Resources Inc. that is backed by stalwarts such as director James Cameron and co-founder, CEO of Google Larry Page among others. Planetary Resources Inc. was in the news because they</div>
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I think TIME is asking the wrong question. Of course they can! It is just a matter of 'time' before the right technology is developed that will make this a reality, especially when so many bright minds are devoted to the cause. We take so much for granted in our modern lives. Who would have thought humans could fly like the birds or effortlessly talk to people sitting millions of miles away or travel in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Maglev_Train" target="_blank">trains that travel on magnetic levitation and go faster than Formula One cars?</a> Or for that matter build national economies on stuff that does not grow/ is not found in the country. There are countless examples of this. For starters, think Espresso, Americano, Machiato, Cappuccino, Latte, Doppio, Fredo and the entire Italian coffee culture that people swear by. <a href="http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/208794/italy_guide/italy_and_the_coffee_culture.html" target="_blank">Rather surprising considering that coffee does not grow in Italy</a> or for that matter many other places where it is such a normal part of life. So coming back to the article, 'Can they?', I believe yes they can. </div>
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But I'd like to pose another question. Should they? One part of me feels 'why not?'. It would certainly make life much easier for us if they find more resources. We can continue sipping our coffees and postulating about 'the ills of population growth'. I must confess though, there is another part of me that feels uneasy about this whole thing. Not because of a hidden Luddite streak in me but because it feels like we're abandoning the mess on Earth so that we can find greener pastures. Far fetched though it may be, it seems to me an extension of our use-and-throw culture. Easier to buy a new thing than mend the old. Easier to find a new relationship in our lives than make the existing one work. In my view, the statement 'We're going to bring the solar system within our economic sphere of influence' smacks of hubris. It reminds me of Parker Selfridge, the character from Avatar who points at the little rock of unobtainium and says ' This is why we're here. Because this little grey rock sells for $20 million a kilo. That is the only reason. This is what pays for the whole party, and it's what pays for your science.'</div>
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The idealist part of me feels disappointed that someone like James Cameron would be part of a mining venture. I'm sure the indigenous tribes that looked to him for solace would share my sentiments. The pragmatic part of me would probably just shrug and quote Sherlock (in his new avatar).'Don't make people into heroes John: heroes don't exist, and if they did I wouldn't be one of them.' There is another comment on the Planetary Resources Inc. Website that gets my attention though. That of Larry Page.'Planetary Resources is definitely a great example of 'Having a healthy disregard for the impossible.'' I like that attitude. Mr.Larry Page, might I also suggest you fund a project that aims at ending global hunger? or one that aims at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch" target="_blank">mining the gazzilion plastic trash particles that are choking our oceans and baby birds</a> and turn it into something useful? or one that stops horrors such as <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134696/Scene-unimaginable-horror-helicopter-borne-poachers-massacre-22-elephants.html" target="_blank">this</a>? <br />
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Speaking for myself, I'd like to adopt that worldview and encourage you to do so too. Why should we accept so many ills of the world as a given? Why should striving for an ideal world be dismissed as Utopian? I think 'a healthy disregard for the impossible' is warranted even in such matters. I recall one of my classes with <a href="http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/people/academic/mustafa/index.aspx" target="_blank">Prof. Daanish Mustafa</a> where he challenged us with a quote that I will not forget easily. 'It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.' - Mark Fisher. True. Certainly is. So I'd like to imagine a world where sustainable consumption is the order. Where systems create products that respect Mother Nature. Where humans realize that we are not the world, merely one part of it, where we are humble enough to recognize and not take for granted the many things Nature gives us for free. I'd like to leave you with one of my favourite videos. It is a bit dated but it couldn't be truer today. </div>
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<br /></div>Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-11818464511954368092012-04-11T16:45:00.002+01:002012-04-11T16:46:09.206+01:00Sand mining- the ‘high volume – low value’ paradox<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">My article on </span>sand<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> mining and its impacts on water resources and people</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> posted on AQUAKNOW </span><br />
<a href="http://www.aquaknow.net/en/news/sand-mining-high-volume-low-value-paradox">http://www.aquaknow.net/en/news/sand-mining-high-volume-low-value-paradox</a> </div>Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-42875178131876000312012-03-31T11:30:00.002+01:002012-03-31T11:42:34.515+01:00Large Dams Through the Lens of Resilience: Perspectives on the Pakitzapango Dam Project in Peru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This blog entry is in continuation to the two immediately preceding ones where I asked <a href="http://rhetorictoreality.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/learnean-hydra-case-study-of-sifnos.html" target="_blank">Stavrianna</a> and <a href="http://rhetorictoreality.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/i-dont-get-this-climate-stuff-climate.html" target="_blank">Adeniyi</a> more about themselves and their award-wining dissertations. This post features <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=147826751&locale=es_ES&trk=tyah" target="_blank">Ana Osuna Orozco</a> from Mexico City. Ana's topic was particularly challenging because at a broader level, she attempted to research a topic that has already been done to death in academia, but from a completely new angle. Her dissertation was entitled, 'Large Dams Through the Lens of Resilience: Perspectives on the Pakitzapango Dam Project in Peru'. Given below are her answers to the same questions I asked all three of them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yhAm8SNBPV3OVNpFLwqJMUNfI4wCe24pJzQ42JGSZGHcznRlTzyq2O3hk0qj7Gazxrj62hAKg0ghWdf2J2ia472n5ys5XOM8m1WCCJQ9jZ1Z-2QyArKqxJf5btgja3ru4rFDUjaUf6HU/s1600/Ana+on+the+Ene.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yhAm8SNBPV3OVNpFLwqJMUNfI4wCe24pJzQ42JGSZGHcznRlTzyq2O3hk0qj7Gazxrj62hAKg0ghWdf2J2ia472n5ys5XOM8m1WCCJQ9jZ1Z-2QyArKqxJf5btgja3ru4rFDUjaUf6HU/s320/Ana+on+the+Ene.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Could you tell us a bit more about your background before you started the Masters programme? </b></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">I studied International Relations in Mexico City and dedicated the first year of my professional life to the public sector. I worked at the Mexican Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as part of Mexico's G20 team. There I deepened the knowledge and interest I had developed in Uni on international development issues. I decided to get involved in this field fully, starting with a masters degree on the topic. </div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><b>What made you pick this particular topic for your dissertation? </b></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">At the beginning, it was a matter of opportunity,because was an issue that the organisation where I was an intern worked on and they provided my a first insight on the matter and, of course, contacts to conduct my primary research. But I also found the topic fascinating because indigenous peoples are one of the few human groups who challenge mainstream development agendas by leading an alternative way of life,one led by a totally different paradigm. And to some, paying heed to how these people live is crucial to reconcile environment and development.</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>What do you hope to achieve through it? </b></span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">I wanted to obtain my degree, of course, but I also wanted to provide some (very modest) academic underpinnings to support a campaign that already has very strong legal and humanitarian arguments behind it. </div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;">What were your challenges while working on this dissertation? </b></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">By far the biggest challenge I had to face was trying to speak to indigenous peoples. Although I spent some days visiting various Ashaninka communities of the Peruvian Amazon, I could only get two interviews with Ashaninka people. I greatly underestimated the amount of confidence building and of mutual understanding I needed in order to conduct interviews with them. </div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;">If you had to re-do the thesis, would you do it differently? if yes, how so?</b></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">From an academic standpoint, my thesis process was all upside down because I had a case study before I had the concept I wanted to analyse it with, and that made research design very difficult. If I could do it again, I'd start by thinking of concepts and theories and then try to see what the Ashaninka can say about that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ana's dissertation uses a very important framework that is gaining currency in the development sector - Resilience. In fact, the latest report of the United Nations Secretary-General's high level panel on global Sustainability is entitled, '<a href="http://www.un.org/gsp/sites/default/files/attachments/GSP_Report_web_final.pdf" target="_blank">Resilient People, Resilient Planet - A Future Worth Choosing'</a>. Considering that the UN report came out in Jan 2012 and Ana's work was submitted in September the previous year, it spells a deep understanding of key development issues and it seems that her dissertation couldn't have been produced at a more opportune time. It addresses some critical questions such as 'What is development?' 'Who decides what it is?' and although she has used a particular case study from Peru, I personally feel I wouldn't be stretching the truth when I say parallels can be drawn to many different countries across the globe. Ana's work also stands out not just for the quality of the analysis and the coherence of her work but also another factor that many students of development studies will recognize immediately - Reflexivity. In simple words one could say that it is demonstrating that one is aware of the lens with which the world is being viewed. This is critical because any evaluation/recommendations that are made by the researcher usually stem from values and frames of reference that are deeply embedded and they need not necessarily be shared by those who are being 'researched'. One could also be influenced in the process of research and therefore it is crucial to maintain such self awareness in order to recognize it when and if it occurs. Ana's dissertation challenges mainstream development and urges the reader to commit to understanding communities like the Ashaninka better. After all, if the rainforests must be preserved in places such as Peru, it is critical to acknowledge in all humility that no one knows these forests more intimately than they do. Their knowledge and way of life is indeed worth protecting. I loved the conclusion of the thesis.'In this dissertation, arguing for resilience of Ashaninka communities and their environment is based on the idea that cultural plurality and creating the conditions for human groups to exercise their “right to invent life” are ends worth pursuing.' Read Ana's dissertation <a href="http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/study/masters/dissertationosunaorozco.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</div></div>Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-89635631266740492092012-03-19T15:13:00.002+00:002012-03-19T15:29:33.613+00:00“I don’t get this climate stuff!” - Climate change knowledge, perception and concern among corporate elites in Lagos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SuyBMF4VjFMyZxNCxm3qsTDQCScnmqtj8FMc7OyN1rCywwNtF4iCUM8CkC5vBswrL1zG1JWXqxIMQbfy8FyIEEWp1aKI2tvo6qh7GfEnergPXPbwjLcWN8gHq9YiHtBDonR2SnucBuVX/s1600/Niyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SuyBMF4VjFMyZxNCxm3qsTDQCScnmqtj8FMc7OyN1rCywwNtF4iCUM8CkC5vBswrL1zG1JWXqxIMQbfy8FyIEEWp1aKI2tvo6qh7GfEnergPXPbwjLcWN8gHq9YiHtBDonR2SnucBuVX/s200/Niyi.jpg" width="83" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In my last post, I featured one of three of my classmates who had won awards for best dissertation (Environment and Development) 2010-11. Read <a href="http://rhetorictoreality.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/learnean-hydra-case-study-of-sifnos.html">here</a>. This post, in continuation to the last one, features Mr.Adeniyi Asiyanbi, popularly addressed </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">by friends</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> as Niyi. His dissertation was entitled.- '“I don’t get this climate stuff!” -</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Climate change knowledge, perception and concern among corporate elites in Lagos'. Niyi hails from Nigeria. Given below are his answers to my questions. They tell a story that some of us may relate to. Current students working on their dissertation might particularly find it interesting to know how a successful student chose a topic and leveraged his background to overcome challenges.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Could you tell us a bit more about your background before you started the masters programme?</b></span></li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Prior to the master's programme, I did a bachelor's programme in Forest Resources Management and I worked briefly with KPMG Nigeria. My background in Forestry particularly stirred my interest in the environment. Though I had always liked natural science, I later became interested in people's relationship with resources and the environment. For instance, my bachelor's dissertation explored why furniture makers use lesser known species - essentially people's perception, justifications and judgment. While working at KPMG, I remember writing to keep colleagues abreast of deliberations and issues at the Conference of Parties at Copenhagen in 2009. And I felt good when the Lead Partner of my division responded to one of those mails, showing keen interest. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What made you pick this particular topic for your dissertation?</b></span></li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a little difficult for me. And the answer will also be difficult. This is because my choice of the particular dissertation topic was a culmination of many factors - some I consciously marshaled, some crept in quietly. For instance, I have always had interest in climate change but my interest in people's perception crept in. I also wanted to do a research project that I could carry out from London. Climate change is uniquely important though not necessarily the most important global issue, I wanted to verify/dispute some popular claims about climate change perception in developing countries. It is not a popular research topic in a developing country, even more unpopular among the elites in developing countries. I saw an opportunity among the corporate elites with whom I still retained strong links...</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What do you hope to achieve through it?</b></span></li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I already mentioned some of them in the previous question. I wanted to explore something topical and globally important. I also wanted to explore something fairly uncommon in the domain of climate change research on developing countries. And importantly, I wanted to verify/dispute some popular claims about climate change perception in developing countries. Ultimately, I hope(d) I could contribute to debates and advance fresh insights around issues of public perception of climate change, democratization of science, and climate change engagement in developing countries.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>What were your challenges while working on this dissertation?</b></span></li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'Climate change again?!' 'You've joined the band wagon!' Those were some of the reactions I got at first. But I realized that not everyone was going to get as keen about my research as I was. Some other challenges I had to face border around framing questions as appropriately as possible, since the research questionnaire was going to be administered via the Internet. The most critical challenge was actually getting respondents to complete the questionnaire. It didn't turn out to be as easy as I thought. It took a lot of persistent follow-up to get the questionnaire completed. Once people filled the questionnaire and data came in, it looked pretty good and I was keen to explore many ways of making sense of the data. Another challenge came up when tying up the many findings to draw conclusion. The challenges stretched me, helped me to learn and also value the assistance.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>If you had to re-do the thesis, would you do it differently? if yes, how so?</b></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Haha, I enjoyed doing the research and the way I did it. If the conditions around work didn't change, I would pretty much do the same thing. I would only consider giving a bit more attention to particular ways that people would rather adapt to or mitigate climate change, if they would at all. I think results of this would come in handy in helping the target population take action against climate change. I also could have explored a comparative study of say one developed and one developing country. </i><i>Generally, I enjoyed the freedom I had in approaching the work - just being able to apply myself, explore approaches and develop my ideas, under the treasured guidance of my supervisor of course. Main lessons for me are: work hard at whatever you choose, explore freely and value others' inputs. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Niyi's dissertation provides answers to some interesting questions such as: Just how much do the corporate elites know about climate change? Are the corporate elites concerned at all about the climate change problem? If they are, to what extent and why? How do they think Nigeria and other places will be affected by climate change? Insights from the research challenge the common assumption that people in developing countries do not worry about climate change. It is also common to hear that developing countries would suffer the most impact from climate change. His study showed that corporate elites in Lagos think otherwise. Niyi's dissertation is not only thoroughly researched with an extensive reference list, it also makes an original contribution to the whole climate change debate and provides valuable findings that have implications for programmes and policies that seek to engage the public in addressing climate change and other environmental problems. For instance, see the table below that tells us where corporate elites get their information from. </span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8_K16OinpUNMGydDSVqVpRS6IbmNlGZvEVu_YyXuPyKWc5GiW84dkHdJHetNoFsd_tXFb-0zYhEkVI6751UDK196706HeAyhUJdB3uAoubbLbXqSmAQcWGI_hqUc1xFyZHal2exNfPfR/s400/Ranking+of+environmental+information+sources.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Source: Asiyanbi (2011)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8_K16OinpUNMGydDSVqVpRS6IbmNlGZvEVu_YyXuPyKWc5GiW84dkHdJHetNoFsd_tXFb-0zYhEkVI6751UDK196706HeAyhUJdB3uAoubbLbXqSmAQcWGI_hqUc1xFyZHal2exNfPfR/s1600/Ranking+of+environmental+information+sources.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I found that Niyi's dissertation presented several interesting data points. It was not only very strong on the analysis and how it tied in disparate data points to the big picture, but it also provided suggestions for future research. Following the study, Niyi sent out a very professional Research Brief to several people including those who had participated in the research. If you'd like a copy, please contact him on pasiyanbi[at]yahoo[dot]com. You can <a href="http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/study/masters/dissertationasiyanbi.pdf">read his dissertation</a> and also <a href="http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/study/masters/dissertationkaisari.pdf">that of Stavrianna</a> on the King's Website.</span></div></div>Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-51631738214180128962012-03-10T17:49:00.006+00:002012-03-19T15:25:37.363+00:00The Learnean Hydra of Water Scarcity - A Case Study of Sifnos Island, Cyclades, Greece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span><img alt="photo S.Kaisari.jpg" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=4873e87e1a&view=att&th=135e3ac15d0f274d&attid=0.1&disp=thd&realattid=f_gzfpxyi00&zw" style="text-align: left;" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I thought it'd be good idea to feature my classmates who won awards for best dissertation (Environment and Development) 2010-2011 at King's College, London. Unlike other years, 3 people won the award this year. Their dissertations will soon be made available on the King's website. But I'd like to present the people behind that excellent work because I believe we can take a cue from their personal stories. Each of them have been so inspiring to me in their humility, sincerity and hard work that their stories just had to be shared. The first person to be featured here is <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=51130958&locale=en_US&trk=tyah" target="_blank">Stavrianna Kaisari</a>. She's from a place that could be termed as one of the cradles of civilization - Greece. Her award-winning dissertation was titled, 'The Learnean Hydra of Water Scarcity. A Case Study of Sifnos Island, Cyclades, Greece'.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></i><br />
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</span></i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/images/Hydra.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/images/Hydra.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">According to the Greek legend, the Lernaen Hydra was one of the most hideous water creatures; a gigantic monster with nine heads, the centre one immortal. Each time a head was cut off, two grew in its place. The killing of Hyrda was one of the 12 Labours of Hercules. Stavrianna's dissertation suggests that the ways in which stakeholders frame water problems can determine the adoption of specific approaches to water management. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Meaning if that we frame the problem exclusively as an engineering problem to be fixed, then the solutions we're most likely to pick are obvious technological fixes instead of holistic approaches that allow for more learning along the way. One sees this simple fact being played out in many places across the world. However, it is critical to recognize that solving water problems is not as simple as adding up a few numbers, irrespective of how large those numbers may be. Now don't get me wrong. By no means am I saying that technological/engineering solutions are not useful. Far from it. They are in fact critical in many places. It is just important to recognize that they are by no means a stand-alone comprehensive solution and not always the only solution. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The strength of Stavrianna's dissertation is the clarity with which she writes and the coherence of her work. She uses the framework of 'wicked problems' to examine water scarcity. She draws evidence from the island of Sifnos and studies how the understanding of water problems and the approaches of water management have evolved from the 1950s.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUrMHYAvuLDtOkVNHtAfnuysPjEGaWjqhzUSH5Y5TO66EjqALYEv08EK1Du3ED8KduJ2gSnww8fQXFWEPcFoGJfQ_D6b06YFttwDdz8qCWiKjbzN20vascY1TZK61SISUSZIKZeQvRH9Z/s1600/Stavri's+illustration.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUrMHYAvuLDtOkVNHtAfnuysPjEGaWjqhzUSH5Y5TO66EjqALYEv08EK1Du3ED8KduJ2gSnww8fQXFWEPcFoGJfQ_D6b06YFttwDdz8qCWiKjbzN20vascY1TZK61SISUSZIKZeQvRH9Z/s320/Stavri's+illustration.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Linking framing of water problems to water management approaches. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<div style="display: inline !important;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><i>The inner circles represent the linear / conventional approaches. The outer circles represent the non-linear/alternative approaches. </i></i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Source: Kaisari (2011)</span></b></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here are her answers to the questions I posed to her:</span><br />
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</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Could you tell us a bit more about your background before you started the Masters programme?</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hold a bachelor degree in Economics and I have a 5 years working experience in Advertising and Market and Social research. There is no doubt that during these years I built useful work experience. However, I also realized that I am deeply interested in the social perspective, which is in many cases ignored by Economists and Technocrats. This was the main reason why I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Development Studies.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What made you pick this particular topic for your dissertation?</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Environment and Development programme at King’s college gave me a whole new perspective regarding development issues. When it came time to choose a dissertation topic, I had so many choices that I was totally lost!<br />
I finally decided to choose something I would be personally engaged with. This is why I decided to focus on water scarcity problems. Growing on a Greek island, my childhood memories are filled with the element of water. I remember playing in the sea but I also remember my parents carrying jugs of potable water from springs and storing water for the summer days. Returning to a Greek island - with a fresh eye - in order to address water management issues, was a very engaging and interesting experience for me.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What were your challenges while working on it?</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After my fieldwork, I thought the most difficult part of the dissertation was over. I was wrong! I soon realized how hard it is to sort through everything and organize the information in a way that makes sense and is interesting for the reader. I was very lucky to have a group of friends that really supported me, both practically and emotionally.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you had to re-do the thesis, would you do it differently? if yes, how so?</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I would start writing my thesis earlier. It took longer than I expected!</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What do you hope to achieve through this dissertation?</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My aim was to discuss in what ways water problems are framed and dealt with. Based on a rich literature, water problems are often conceptualised as engineering problems; stakeholders emphasise the physical aspect of water scarcity and prioritise technocratic, ‘big’ solutions (eg construction of large dams). However, my study - drawing evidence from the island of Sifnos in Greece - suggests that water problems have an economic, socio-political and environmental aspect and therefore call for an alternative framing, which recognizes the embedded complexity and draws together the ‘big picture’.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stavrianna makes a very important point. It is becoming more and more important to re-evaluate the way we approach social and environmental problems across the world (particularly in fast developing regions such as Asia). In fact, in one of their latest working papers, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) seems also to have recognized four environmental problems - water management, air pollution, deforestation and land degradation, and climate change as 'Wicked Problems' that are 'dynamic, complex, encompass many issues and stakeholders, and evade straightforward, lasting solutions<i>'</i> <i> </i>Read more <a href="http://adbi.org/files/2012.02.28.wp348.asia.wicked.environmental.problems.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Coming back to Stavrianna's dissertation, I'd love to quote her concluding paragraph in full because I think it applies to more than just Greece.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'On an island where <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2051992493">virtual </a></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://rhetoric2reality.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/how-much-water-do-you-use-everyday/" target="_blank">water</a> flows in food, desalinated water runs from taps and bottled water ends up in glasses, there is no room for simple answers (Handley 2001). In complex situations, choosing wisdom rather than objective truths may increase understanding towards the larger picture. The myth that describes the competition of gods for the city of Athens comes in mind; according to the story Poseidon (the god of waters) and Athena (the goddess of wisdom) competed for the city to be named after them. The Athenians chose wisdom over water, despite the fact that Poseidon condemned them to always suffer from water scarcity (Koutsogiannis 2007; Hydria project 2009). However, this did not stand as an obstacle for a great civilisation to emerge. Though the future is impossible to predict, it seems that with wisdom we can overrun physical challenges.'</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In conclusion I'd like to </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">thank Stavrianna for writing such an engaging thesis. Will post the link to the King's website as soon as it is made available. For now, let's just </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">say that it is possible to defeat the hydra of water scarcity. But we'd have to learn along the way, just like Hercules did. In all probability, this story </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">too </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">may require more than one hero ...</span><br />
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</span></div></div></div></div>Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490405283908418153.post-33220485130937034582012-02-26T17:06:00.002+00:002012-03-19T15:26:06.821+00:00Heads in the sand?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before you read a word of what I have to say, I'd encourage you to look at this photo-essay since the rest of my post is based on this story.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.robinwyatt.org/photography/photo-essays/western-ghats-under-threat-part-1-sand-mining/">http://www.robinwyatt.org/photography/photo-essays/western-ghats-under-threat-part-1-sand-mining/</a></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Konkan coast along the Western Ghats of India is one of the world's most beautiful regions. Dense with tropical foliage and home to several thousands of creatures that you will find nowhere else on earth, the Western Ghats region has in fact been listed as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity_hotspot">biodiversity hotspot</a>. (apparently, to be classified as one, it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation). A study done in 2000 states that the area is one of the world’s ten ‘hottest biodiversity hotspots’, with at least 325 globally threatened species occuring there. Considering that we are now in 2012, I'm sure that number will be far far higher. It is a delicate yet critical region that is under tremendous stress due to human callousness. The threats are many, but the focus of this blog is particularly on sand mining and its impacts. But why should you care? Because destruction of this peripheral region has further implications, particularly if you are Indian. To illustrate better, I’d like to liken it to the margins of a garment. When the margins become unraveled, before long, the entire garment starts getting damaged. The Western Ghats are a very crucial watershed region for the country. Many rivers that give life to the peninsula originate in the western ghats. We ignore the health of these riverine ecosystems at our own peril. So even if we don't live along the coast, it is critical to protect them. Demand for sand is fueled by a powerful construction lobby/mafia. Governments are often reluctant to take action for fear of impacting the construction industry, which acts as a bellwether of how the economy is faring. When faced with extreme public opinions/ litigation, many resort to importing sand from elsewhere, probably replicating the same disasters out there. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I visited 3 villages in Mahad, Toradi and Bankot situated in the Raigad and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra in mid 2011. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Scary too, because I went in there as a student researcher, yet found that our entourage was being tracked, presumably by those involved in the sand mining business. If I did not have my brother present with me, I would have probably turned back right then. Although sand mining is rampant across India, many villages I contacted refused to allow me to research the area because it was such a politically sensitive topic. This visit to Maharashtra happened because of the support of brave people like Sumaira Abdulali from <a href="http://www.awaaz.org/Awaaz_Foundation/Welcome_to_Awaaz_Foundation/Welcome_to_Awaaz_Foundation.html">Awaaz foundation</a> and Naseer Jalal, the local activist you saw in the photo-essay mentioned at the start of this blog. They have been campaigning tirelessly against sand mining for several years now. In 2010, <a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-17/mumbai/28128826_1_sand-mining-mafia-sand-miners-bankot-creek" target="_blank">Sumaira and a team from Times of India were also attacked when they went to survey the sites</a>. Dredging in the area has been going on for the last 20 years and initially was welcomed because it brought a new form of employment. However, with mechanical dredging, several problems have surfaced over the last 10 years and locals have been demanding a stop to this activity. Sumaira and Naseer have each used the Right to Information Act (RTI) to obtain reports of resolutions of various gram panchayats that confirm this popular protest. Yet, sand mining continues unabated. According to Sumaira, 'a very small percentage of the money actually generated from the sand business is official. Sand is one of the best sources for ‘black money’ and is a primary source of election funding across party lines. This explains the high degree of political involvement in this business. Another reason politicians are reluctant to take action is that sand is a free commodity, and monopolistic in geographical areas. The builder lobby is well served by maintaining a situation where alternate sources such as recycled or manufactured sand is ignored. Links between politicians and builders is essential to maintain this status quo.' The villagers too confirmed this view of local politicians being involved in the sand mining business.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was startling to discover how a supply chain for a commodity can result in complete alienation of the end-consumer from the origins of the product. Sand was more than sand to the local communities in all the three villages I visited, without exception. To the urban dwellers I interviewed, sand was merely a 'commodity', something to be gotten as cheaply as possible, with little regard to the consequences. The wonder of it is that some of them had read about the ill-effects of sand mining and they were able to rattle off the effects like one would recite a list of sorts. But few demonstrated comprehension of those words, if they knew them at all. To say, 'yes, there are some landslides here and there' is not enough. Do we realize that landslides mean that people could lose their lives? their family? their occupations? the place could be cut off from the rest of the world for a few weeks until the government steps in to clear the rubble? that people might need to move entire villages to safer ground (which incidentally is fast disappearing)? That we leave villagers no choice but to move to cities in search of a way to feed their families and then complain about overcrowding and slums in the cities? I believe we understand best when we see first hand what it can mean. To understand the sense of helplessness that villagers experience when their only source of livelihood is snatched away from them and their life's learning is reduced to nothing is an experience that I promise you won't forget in a hurry. </span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">More about what I found...The area had only one university for miles. The fishermen and farmers I interviewed were mostly illiterate. Their well-being and that of their families depended solely on their skills and ability to work with nature. With large scale dredging, their world was rapidly being decimated before their very eyes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As per law, no dredging was allowed during the night, but in reality it was said to continue non-stop over 24 hours, every day of the year. I wonder who/what can survive such onslaught? The constant noise of mechanised dredging all day and all night was a major inconvenience to the residents because it also hampered sleep and the functioning of primary and secondary schools in the area.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Both Mahad and Toradi faced similar challenges in that they were located along the river, downstream from an industrial estate run by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).Many interviewees said that the practice of discharging industrial effluents still occurred 'between 2-4 am in the morning' when everyone was still asleep, leading to massive fish kills and making the water unfit for agriculture or drinking for that matter. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The deep dredging had worsened the problem by reducing the water table and removing the last barrier to the leaching chemicals, thus allowing them to seep further inland making groundwater unfit for domestic consumption. As one person said : ‘These 42 wells not recently digging – ancient 100 – 200 years like that, after started dredging – water not for drinking. Now both side problems – chemicals and dredging.’ A report by the government‟s Primary Health Centre confirmed the worst suspicions of the locals with '4 hoi and 38 nahi' (4 yes and 38 nos) on various parameters.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fishing was also affected because it was seasonal and fishermen could not fish during monsoons. They did not have an alternate means of livelihood, especially during the off-season. Therefore, the rest of the 8 months of work completely determined their quality of life. One person said, ‘In the past, 5 people depended on one boat but today one boat can support only 1-2 people - can’t give wages. It is difficult to maintain families'. Another said, 'No bank is willing to give us a loan. We need to educate our children but we can’t afford it.’ </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sand barges often damaged fishing nets and reduced their catch. There had also been occasions of collision with fishing boats but 'no one was willing to register complaints'. They spoke of barges shifting sand and clay which resulted not only in nets going under soil because of disturbance but also disturbed navigational channels which then hampered local fishing operations especially during low tide.</span></li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83dgftNLUET_4Ev8AYjk83cQUbNmnCyLXjSL7nrdrUrEryU7QqbZ_YUUSYID5M0BLLwh7AUFm7rwYgZ3eU2O7YVWuGFw1Yl8QxV14Ccxe2ysyRj52CM5T-3b9eANkZeYqPB0yOY1jRB0N/s1600/Effects+of+sand+dredging.gif"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83dgftNLUET_4Ev8AYjk83cQUbNmnCyLXjSL7nrdrUrEryU7QqbZ_YUUSYID5M0BLLwh7AUFm7rwYgZ3eU2O7YVWuGFw1Yl8QxV14Ccxe2ysyRj52CM5T-3b9eANkZeYqPB0yOY1jRB0N/s320/Effects+of+sand+dredging.gif" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Source: http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/seasand.htm#present</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We must also not mistake the ecosystem to be merely passive. It adapts. constantly. The trouble is that we're pushing the limits when we force such rapid adaptation. There is a distinct possibility that the new state of equilibrium may not suit humans as much. Let me explain what I mean. The constant noise and disturbance of breeding grounds is changing the kind of fish that can survive in the river because those that are sensitive to turbidity in the water and noise and pollution quickly die off. Consequently, the high-value catch for the local fishermen has diminished. One fisherman said, ‘Fifteen years ago – could catch 50 pamplets (the local term for Pomfret – a high value catch) in 1 hour but today - hard to catch 4-5 even if you spend a whole day. Our life is under pressure. Afraid of being dashed by the barges'.Official statistics too confirm this trend of declining fish stocks, though they do not attribute it to sand mining.</span></li>
</ul></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLa3Rngh98m6Jin4N3LkHGrIO5zpv9LZHLh8fzg-weBTg1jki6R_f3p3sb7tfQg_ovyQKHmWGNKKBRGaKNFihJRprNRFSJyaLn5qznXhTgVyjIRzWMwmEsQHSYtUoEHd6xDuNs_BGgxD7/s1600/Fisheries+trend.png"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLa3Rngh98m6Jin4N3LkHGrIO5zpv9LZHLh8fzg-weBTg1jki6R_f3p3sb7tfQg_ovyQKHmWGNKKBRGaKNFihJRprNRFSJyaLn5qznXhTgVyjIRzWMwmEsQHSYtUoEHd6xDuNs_BGgxD7/s320/Fisheries+trend.png" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I could talk/write about this topic much more at the risk of making it sound like a litany and losing your attention. Suffice it to say that uncontrolled sand mining has several </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">environmental and social </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">consequences as mentioned here and in </span><a href="http://rhetoric2reality.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/a-scarce-symbol-of-abundance-2/" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">my previous blog on this topic</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What can we do about it?</span></div><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">Sumaira says,'Construction all over the world except in developing countries uses recycled material and/or offshore sand. Countries likes India need to invest in the technologies and, particularly now, with the economic boom, actively conserve our nautral resources. Crushed rock is often quoted as an alternative. But it is hardly a better alternative in the Indian situation. This is another ‘free’ material; part of the mountain chain of the Western Ghats is being destroyed by the same politicians who earlier mined sand and have now moved to tearing down mountains for rock. There is developing local resistance to this too.There are several commercially viable processes for recovery of sand and/or manufacture of aggregate in place of sand for construction. These include manufacture of aggregate from metal slag, glass, debris etc. In some Scandinavian countries, natural sand is not permitted to be used until 100% debris at a reconstruction site is first utilized. In the UK, metal slag is used, mostly for road construction.' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We also desperately need to improve governance. Scientific reports by experts need to be given due importance. In this case, a report submitted in August 2011 by Mr.Madhav Gadgil, the head of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel has been hushed up. Sumaira says 'After the report came out, the government refused to share it with stakeholders. It refused to provide a copy under the RTI Act. Then it made an appeal in court that it does not want to share it nor even the list of reasons for doing so. It shows how committed the government is in not including stakeholders in decision making.' Read more <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ban-mining-in-Goa-Ratnagiri-Expert-panel/articleshow/11919100.cms">here</a> and <a href="http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HM/2012/02/17/ArticleHtmls/Panel-against-new-mining-projects-in-Western-Ghats-17022012011009.shtml?Mode=1">here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is a lot that needs to be done and can be done. If you are in India and are building your own house, go beyond convenience and examine where the sand is being sourced from. Even better, do explore using alternative materials. But be careful that the alternatives being offered are indeed responsibly sourced. If you are an engineer, here is a fantastic opportunity to research alternate building materials that have properties similar to sand. If you are a student or an academician, research this topic further. Whatever be our field, you and I need to find a way to get involved. We need to help organizations such as Awaaz and locals like Naseer in their fight for environmental justice. I'm of the opinion that local people can be custodians of their environment because their very lives are entwined with its survival. But they risk isolation and suppression by powerful people. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In matters of food, clothing and other activities, we are influenced in many ways by the physical setting in which we live – coastal, desert, mountainous or forest regions. But we are also proficient at changing the environment 'with unprecedented speed and effect' (National Academy of Sciences, 1969, p26). With globalization, there is a tendency for infrastructure, especially urban ones to be similar across geographies (<i>ibid</i>). Roads, bridges, airport runways are soon becoming ubiquitous. Availability of sand or the lack thereof thus directly or indirectly affects all who partake in this cup of modernity. The immediate effects of the lack though are felt most by the local community. Contrary to literature that says sand mining is not as environmentally damaging as other kinds of mining, it may be even more so because of its insidious nature and the fact that its effects often take decades to surface. Mining for iron ore or bauxite may cause alteration of the landscape so violently that its ill-effects are impinged on the viewer's consciousness instantly whereas the gradual transformation of sand into new islands, bridges, roads, houses, paints, windows, bottles, glassware, metals and other things that are taken for granted in modern urban lives is almost imperceptible. Each of us needs to find a way to not be mere mute spectators and bury our heads in the sand. I'd like to end this post with this inspiring quote. 'Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.' - Mother Teresa. That is what will make the difference.</span></div></div></div></div>Kiran Pereirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317261093912116563noreply@blogger.com0