April 2009

Down The Drain
29 April 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: While political candidates promise the world, all that some people want is to be free of water shortages. That's what the voters of Kakrola, Delhi, were clamoring for at an election rally. In reply to which the candidate vowed to line up a few water tankers before the elections. Read More

Making the Most of Sun and Water in Rural India
06 April 09 | The New York Times
Abstract: Perched 4,200 feet in the southern Himalayas, the Nauni-Majgoan Panchayat, a village council overseeing nine hamlets in India’s Himachal Pradesh state, is on the tipping point of climate change. On the peaks above, the Chhota Shigri glacier has been receding at an accelerated pace; on the road below, the village of Solan has morphed into a small city replete with concrete office buildings and business lunches. Demand for water — to spin hydroelectric generators, to irrigate crops and for residential use — is soaring throughout the area. Read More

Creating Low Carbon Cities
05 April 09 | The Hindu
Abstract: For India to harness the 5,000 trillion kWh equivalent energy that solar radiation makes available in a year, all that needs to be done is dedicate one per cent of the country’s land area for this purpose. To realise this potential one does not necessarily have to fill large swathes of land with solar panels or photovoltaic cells.
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Tier II Cities can Break into the Elite Club Any Time
01 April 09 | Mint
Abstract: These cities currently are much smaller than the top metros, but many have per capita incomes that are higher than those in the top metros, and most of them have sustained double digit growth. Read more