-Down to Earth blog The ecology of Himachal Pradesh’s hydropower hub is too fragile for such projects “Twenty-five years ago, people could be excused for not knowing much, or doing much about climate change. Today, we have no excuses,” Desmond Tutu, South African theologian, had said. The recent landslides in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district brought back focus on how 40 per cent of the state is geologically ‘highly sensitive’, according to a report...
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Can solar pumps save groundwater while cutting debt of power cos? -Akshita Sharma
-Down to Earth Incentivising farmers to sell solar power as a remunerative crop can help reduce the usage of diesel pumps The irrigation-Energy nexus in India's agriculture sector is characterised primarily by depleting groundwater and a growing debt burden of power distribution companies (DISCOM). This is due to massive power subsidies that remain underfunded by the states. The Government of India (GoI) has been promoting solar irrigation pumps by offering substantial investment...
More »Finding a healthy way to cook -Indira Hirway
-The Hindu As questions arise over the Ujjwala scheme’s success, it would be prudent to introduce alternative clean sources of Energy In India, many women in poor households who use firewood or dung cakes for cooking spend long hours collecting firewood and making dung cakes. This is drudgery. It affects their health and puts the safety of women and girls in jeopardy. Using firewood and dung cakes also leads to indoor pollution,...
More »The rumbling hills of Himachal Pradesh -Vikas Vasudeva
-The Hindu In a State where hydro power projects, dams and construction activities are increasing, landslides too are becoming common. Vikas Vasudeva reports on the benefits of the projects and the concerns of the people in a fragile Himalayan region It was a relatively warm monsoon afternoon on July 25 when Arjun Devi, 65, was sitting outside her house, legs stretched out. Her house is located in the middle of an apple...
More »A dharna here, a court victory there: How Rajasthan villages try to keep their land from solar firms -Rishika Pardikar
-Down to Earth Encroachment of pastureland was possible because government doesn't recognise them as village commons, say locals Some Indian states saw a string of protests over the last couple of months against renewable Energy projects on village land, even as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was raging in the country. On July 6, 2021, police officials lathi charged locals participating in a dharna against plans to lay electricity lines across pasturelands...
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