The Environment and Development Campaign Desk in collaboration with PANOS-South Asia, a group working on media outreach and advocacy worked on organising a 5 part Media Dialogue Series for mainstream media professionals in New Delhi. The idea was to  take steps towards facilitating a process whereby people’s groups can be helped to take their local, regional issues onto a national platform and facilitate a process whereby local struggles are debated upon at the national level. Simultaneously, the proposal seeks to establish the criticality of environmental issues in the mind of the media, and to keep regular contact with journalists who are committed to reporting on environmental issues and initiate a process of better coverage of environmental issues in the mainstream media.

Two of the five dialogues were organised in May and July 2007 on issues of mismanagement of the coast in the light of the new regulatory regime proposed; and on mining. Detailed reports on each of these events have been prepared. Contacts with several new journalists have been established and we are hoping that over the next 4-5 months we can organize events on issues like Large Dams, Special Economic Zones and Biopiracy and establish a greater direct interface between media persons and local activists.

If you would like to receive copies of the presentations, media kit, please contact us: manjumenon1975@gmail.com; kanchikohli@gmail.com; sanchari.das@gmail.com

Session 1: Coasts after Tsunami: Manage or Regulate? (25th May 2007)

Team: Neeraj Vagholikar, Kaustubh Moghe Contact: nvagho@vsnl.net  'Undermining India' - a report brought out by Kalpavriksh in 2003, highlighted that existing or proposed mining activities threaten at least 90 sanctuaries and national parks (protected areas) and hundreds of ecologically sensitive areas across the country. Many of these form crucial water catchments besides supporting rich biodiversity and providing secure livelihoods to tribal and other communities. The report concludes that implementation of good land use planning and stringent environmental and social impact assessment will help partially thwart mining threats to ecologically sensitive areas. But a long term solution will necessarily require a questioning of current mineral sector policies and redesigning the way we meet our legitimate material and energy needs.

One of the teams in Kalpavriksh has been working on the issues of large dams and the generation of hydro electric power, especially in the context of the North East regions of India. Alternative Power Planning The incandescent bulb was the first major invention that promoted widespread electricity use. Even after 128 years of its invention, this inefficient source of lighting remains a symbol of the power sector and the services it provides. Today the sector faces a number of challenges. While close to half of India does not have access to even basic electricity services, there is a comparatively larger quantity of electricity wasted due to neglect and inefficiency by the other half. Even as we focus our efforts on finding financial and fuel resources to provide more electricity, primarily for the fast growing economy, the serious social and environmental impacts of the power sector are a major cause for concern. Meeting these challenges would require us to break the shackles of the conventional power planning paradigm.  This booklet is a capacity building endeavor of Prayas Energy Group and Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group. The idea is to aid consumer organisations, individuals and activists, in understanding an alternative approach to power planning. Dowload the pdf document here... Read more articles written by Kalpavriksh members on the North East. Downstream impact of dams, The Assam Tribune, 17 May 2007 'The Flipside of Hydro projects' Damning Our Wildlife - the lower Subansari hydel project Em'power'ing the North East Read articles that appeared in a special issue of the Ecologist Asia focussing on the issue of large dams in the North East that was compiled and coordinated by Kalpavriksh members. See a map showing large dams in the North East NEAA Hearing on Teesta III The Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) have challenged the environmental clearance granted to the 1200 MW Teesta III hydroelectric project in North Sikkim before the National Environmental Appellate Authority (NEAA).  Please see below reports of the hearings in the NEAA on this case. Read more...

WATER CONSERVATION

Read the case study