For most of the year, the residents of Bundelkhand experience acute scarcity of water for agricultural and domestic use. Water sources are varied and often seasonal, ranging from ponds, tanks, lakes and streams to open wells, bore wells and irrigation canals radiating out from large-scale dams. Most agriculture is of the single-crop variety and rain fed, with supplementary water from open wells.
In the wake of severe drought in the districts of Bundelkhand region, Development Alternatives and Arghyam Trust's initiative 'Water for All and Always' addresses the current need of an Integrated Water Resources Management in ten villages of Jhansi and Tikamgarh districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states.
ACC has extended financial support to the construction of what is expected to turn out to be the most exemplary sustainable building on the Indian subcontinent. The building based in New Delhi, will house the headquarters of Development Alternatives, a reputed non government organization.
I represent the Forum for Better Visakha (FBV) based at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. We have been active for quite sometime in highlighting the meaning of "development" as perceived by the local communities. I have tried to document the relevant concerns in my article on Sompeta in Economic and Political Weekly.
This case study will describe an initiative jointly taken by Development Alternatives (DA) and SCATEC Solar-Norway to study the techno-social-financial viability of a clean and decentralised power plant. For this action research project, the team has identified 2 villages (Rampura and Gopalpura of Jhansi District, Uttar Pradesh) with different socio-economic conditions.
