Top 5 Posts for June 2017.
The final two parts of our “Choke Point: Tamil Nadu” series, which explores the conflicting demands for water, food, and energy in the South Indian state, took the top spots.
In June’s most popular post, Circle of Blue’s Keith Schneider reports on Tamil Nadu’s leadership in India’s transition to solar and wind energy, which use far less of the country’s scarce water resources than coal and nuclear power plants.
Schneider also wrote “New Media Helps Galvanize Tamil Nadu to Fight a Toxic Legacy,” which describes an environmental activist’s fight against industrial water contamination.
“The issues confronting California, Cape Town, São Paulo, and many other communities around the world are not dissimilar and emphasize the need for a new way of looking at water,” writes Scott Houston in “Historic Drought Prompts Water Innovation in California – Can It Be a Model?” “Opportunities must be recognized to link defense, diplomacy, and development efforts, particularly in the context of water management,” said Roger-Mark De Souza at our May 9th event on “Water Security and U.S. Foreign Policy in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines.” Shlomi and Ariel Dinar present the findings of their new book on water diplomacy in “Lessons From International Water Sharing Agreements for Dealing With Climate Change,” arguing that with climate change stressing already scarce shared water resources in many regions, “the full toolbox of water diplomacy is clearly needed for the challenge ahead.” 1.
Tamil Nadu Leads India’s Historic Turn to the Sun and Wind, Keith Schneider 2.
New Media Helps Galvanize Tamil Nadu to Fight a Toxic Legacy, Keith Schneider 3.
Historic Drought Prompts Water Innovation in California – Can It Be a Model?, Scott Houston 4.
Water Security and U.S. Foreign Policy in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, Namita Rao 5.
Lessons From International Water Sharing Agreements for Dealing With Climate Change, Shlomi Dinar and Ariel Dinar Photo Credit: Used with permission courtesy of Dhruv Malhotra/Circle of Blue.

Calls for greater water use innovation.
Water usage was on the agenda at this week’s biennial conference of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
At a joint FAO-Arab League event held during the Rome gathering, stakeholders called for Arab nations to develop innovative ways to tackle the major challenges of water scarcity and climate change.
FAO Director-General, Graziano da Silva said: “It is fundamental to promote ways for agriculture, and food production in general, to use less water, and use it more efficiently.
Population growth and the impacts of climate change will put more pressure on water availability in the near future.
Climate change, in particular, poses very serious risks.” Graziano said it is imperative that farmers are at the heart of initiatives to combat water scarcity.
He added: “Not only to encourage them to adopt more efficient farming technologies, but also to secure access to drinking water for poor rural households.
This is vital for food security and improved nutrition.”

Water scarcity troubles residents of Birring village.
As mercury has risen, water supply has dropped considerably.
Those living on second floors in the area are the worst sufferers.
Residents rue that a dozen localities have been without water since the last week and have been forced to fetch water from a local Gurudwara that has submersible facility.
Water was coming out of taps in trickles in several areas and at irregular hours without any intimation to residents.
They alleged that despite bringing the issue to the notice of the officials concerned, nothing had been done.
It often happens every year that the village faces water scarcity.
Even if the supply is increased, there are other issues, such as leakages, leading to wastage of drinking water.
Many houses do not even have drinking water.
12 councillor Gurmej Kaur said, “I have received complaints from people regarding the problem and the complaint has been sent to the higher authorities to check the fault due to which the supply was stopped.Moreover, taking the issue on priority list, I have also contacted MLA Rajinder Beri, tube well operator Jag Mohan Singh and other officials to immediately take action and solve the problem.” She said the problem would be solved soon and regular supply of water would be ensured to residents in future.

The excerpts of the interview: MR’s rule implemented it with disregard to environmental concerns Current rule proceeded with bulk of its work President cannot simply wipe off his hands attributing the crisis to the former rul It is important to stop the project right now before further damage is done Over 7000 houses have been damaged now More than 3000 wells and natural water springs have dried up JVP undergoes changes in political complexion, but no compromise on its policies JVP is not there to ensure victory for MR or MS It has to work for socialism as ultimate goal JVP is committed to its founding principles Q Now, 78 percent of the work associated with the Uma Oya Project has been completed.
The Uma Oya project isn’t an option for them.
They remain useful even though the project is cancelled.
Then, if former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is responsible for 16 percent of the work, President Sirisena should be held responsible for 62 percent of work.
Alongside, there is an allegation that JVP is giving covert support to this government.
The JVP hasn’t been created to ensure victory either for Mahinda or Maithri.
We wanted to ensure his defeat due to his corrupt, antidemocratic rule coupled with nepotism and family rule.
We asked people to defeat Mahinda.
The conduct of Mahinda Rajapaksa only created the political ground ideal for Maithri to become President.
There are allegations about the present JVP leaders having underhand deals with the capitalist rulers as you call.

Urging China to cut down on its "severe" coal power overcapacity, a report on Wednesday said this could save enough water to meet annual needs of 27 million people in water-stressed areas.
However, China’s per capita water resources amount to only one-third of the global average.
According to the report, by 2020, more than 60 per cent of the coal power industry’s water consumption is projected to take place in areas of high water stress.
China is the world’s largest coal consumer, Greenpeace said.
"The proposed plan could reduce water consumption in the coal power sector by up to 500 million cubic metres in 2020 in high water-stressed areas," the report stated.
Greenpeace stated that if the expansion goes unabated, the coal power capacity in water stressed areas is projected to jump from 437 GW in 2016 to 527 GW in 2020.
"Targeted capacity cuts in regions with high water stress would free up water for human consumption and economically productive uses," said senior global coal campaigner Lauri Myllyvirta.
Based on the report’s findings, Greenpeace urges that China reduce excess coal power capacity in high water stress areas by 179 GW before the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period which ends in 2020.
kd/him/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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THE NEW WEST: Liz’s Climate Disconnect.
Before casting her vote to defeat the amendment, drafted by Rhode Island Democrat Jim Langevin, Cheney, a part-time resident of Wilson, declared “there is no evidence that climate change causes war.” Cheney’s conclusion would be perfectly logical if it wasn’t so thoroughly contradicted by reality.
Maybe most telling, Cheney’s opinions are in sharp contrast with those of top U.S. military commanders going back 25 years.
“Climate change can be a driver of instability,” Mattis said, “and the Department of Defense must pay attention to potential adverse impacts generated by this phenomenon.” For years, dating back to the George H.W.
Climate-related droughts causing water and food shortages heighten human misery and can cause the kind of social instability that leads to terrorism.
Wyoming is the fifth-most arid state in America.
If that isn’t enough, she can pick up a copy of a memorandum titled Implications for U.S. National Security of Anticipated Climate Change prepared by the National Intelligence Council and released in September 2016.
“These effects are likely to pose significant national security challenges for the United States over the next two decades, though models forecast the most dramatic effects further into the future.” Given Cheney’s assignment on the House Armed Services Committee, perhaps the best reference point might be the Quadrennial Defense Review prepared by the Defense Department, which also highlights climate change.
Retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, who oversaw the military’s Central Command, is someone Cheney should call to testify before her committee.
Or we will pay the price later in military terms.

MP Gaffar under fire from constituents: ‘I will join DPP to win back the seat’.
Chikwawa Central Member of Parliament (MP) Zaheer Gaffar Issa (Independent) is facing pressure from constituents who have expressed dissatisfaction over his performance.
Constituents claim no tangible developmental work has taken place since the 2014 elections, yet they are facing serious problems such as water scarcity and inadequate school blocks.
They also accused Issa of being rude and when asked for meetings on development issues he always give excuses that he is unwell to attend.
Issa is said to have been absconding Area Development Committee (ADC) meetings despite several invitations.
But the parliamentarian blamed the situation on lack of adequate financial resources which he said has had a negative impact on implementation of some developmental work.
He also blamed his status as an independent MP to have affected his work, saying it has been difficult to lobby government to bring development in his area as he only relied on his chief financier Sidik Mia.
The legislator said he proposed in Parliament that the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development should allow districts retain five percent of taxes collected in their jurisdiction for development.
Issa said in his home district, Chikwawa, Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Limited operates Nchalo Sugar Estate and contributes billions of kwacha in taxes to government, but the district does not benefit from the contributions.parliament On failure to attend ADC meetings, Issa claimed the meeting being referred to was scheduled when he had routine medical check ups and during Parliamentary deliberations hence his absence.
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Perhaps nowhere are these factors playing out more strongly than in the agricultural supply chains where these companies source their ingredients.
Globally, agriculture employs over 1 billion people, many of whom are food insecure; consumes 70 percent of our freshwater; and is estimated to contribute nearly a fifth of total global carbon emissions.
More than ever, investors and consumers are looking for companies to demonstrate that they are sourcing their ingredients in a way that respects people and the planet.
Long-term investors increasingly expect companies to manage and disclose environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts as evidence of effective corporate governance, and investors are showing particular interest in how the food and beverage sector is responding to agricultural supply chain challenges.
That’s because drought, extreme weather, poor working conditions and land disputes are already driving financially material business risks for food and beverage companies, such as price volatility, inconsistent quality and supply of ingredients, damage to brand equity from advocacy campaigns, legal sanctions and seizure of goods.
As sustainable sourcing strategies and supply chain transparency become essential practices for the food and beverage industry, investors seek to examine the agricultural supply chain risks and corporate responses more deeply in order to make informed investment decisions.
That’s why Ceres just released "Engage the Chain: An Investor Guide to Agricultural Supply Chain Risk" to help investors understand the challenges businesses face, how those translate into financial risks and how those risks can affect investor portfolios.
These commodities are among the most prominent drivers of deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and water depletion and pollution.
Some major U.S.-headquartered food and beverage companies already are taking action.
Because nearly two-thirds of its total GHG emissions occur in agriculture, a key focus of the company’s climate strategy is advancing sustainable agriculture practices through collaboration.

Behavioural approaches can be used to nudge consumers to pay their dues and to conserve scarce water resources.
The DJB is owed an amount of Rs 2,854.80 crore from 1,187,891 consumers in Delhi.
Such capacities would be difficult to achieve, especially when India is predicted to be a water scarce country by 2025.
Print Price Slab Information On Water Bills To Conserve It In order to encourage water conservation, water utilities often charge higher prices for higher consumption.
It is anybody’s guess that information about price brackets will help people understand the relation between prices and consumption.
Another study in the United States on the effectiveness of pricing information on water bills reported a 30 per cent increase in price elasticity when the information was made available to the consumers.
The consumer doesn’t get information on a monthly basis, which makes it difficult for the consumer to understand their water consumption patterns.
An average person plans his/her expenses on a monthly basis; a three-month billing cycle will make it difficult for the individual to factor in water bill in their mental account.
Leverage Pro-Social Behaviour And Social Comparison For Water Conservation And Bill Payment When individuals get information about neighbourhood water consumption, it allows them to compare their own water consumption with that of those around them.
As the debate has shifted from full recovery to sustainable tariff recovery, behavioural approaches can be used to nudge consumers to pay their dues and to conserve scarce water resources.

“This is a potential new source of water for California,” said former Assemblyman Rich Gordon.
“We need to find water where we can.” In a sense, the water we drink today has been recycling since the beginning of time, thanks to the natural water cycle.
“In fact, it’s the water our astronauts drink at the space station.” Water recycling is more the norm in countries like Singapore, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Australia, which have long had water shortages.
Israel reclaims about 80 percent of its wastewater, while Singapore reclaims almost 100 percent.
Why not?” Right now, as much as 5 percent of Santa Clara County’s water supply comes from recycled water, all of which is currently designated for non-potable uses such as irrigation for landscaping and golf courses.
“But we are aggressively pursuing plans to produce purified water for potable use.” The agency has two more advanced water purification projects being planned — one a new plant in Sunnyvale, close to the Donald Summers Water Pollution Control Plant, as well as an expansion of the existing Zanker Road plant.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District calls it “purified water.” A brewery in Half Moon Bay has a more creative approach: It periodically makes beer out of recycled wastewater.
“The idea behind it was for people to get used to the concept that we can actually purify water to drinking standards,” Gordon said.
What the tours don’t do, however, is have people taste the water for themselves.
But regardless, Hsueh said, the tours are useful to convince people of the high quality of the recycled water.