Welcome to the December 2009 edition of ‘REEDS NEWS’. This month marked 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference at Copenhagen from 7 – 18 attended by 192 countries to draft a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol that is due to expire in 2012. While the climate scientists and environmental advocates’ world over were eagerly waiting for a comprehensive global accord, the conference outcome has been a disappointment to many for failing to come up with any legally binding commitment among the nations. To developing countries like India where economy that is closely tied to its natural resource base, climate change could represent an additional stress on ecological and socioeconomic systems. Extreme temperatures have already become common in many parts of the country and have had an effect on the monsoons too on which there is heavy dependence in meeting its agricultural and water needs. India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world is already the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world guzzling coal, gas and oil in large quantities. Don’t you think that the time has come for humans to wean themselves off climate damaging technologies and behaviors and come together with a concern for the state of the environment particularly where the adaptive capacity of communities likely to be impacted by climate change is low? Wishing you a very happy and eventful 2010 and here is one of the best cartoons of RK Laxman published in The Times of India……….

Ravi K Reddy, December 31, 2009

A 10 member delegation comprising 8 senior officials of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation department and 2 NGO representatives led by Andhra Pradesh State Water and Sanitation Mission [SWSM] had travelled to Gujarat from 2nd to 5th December 2009 on a study tour to understand Water and Sanitation Management Organization [WASMO]’s role in successful decentralized delivery of water in the State of Gujarat.

It is a privilege to REEDS for being selected by SWSM as one of the NGOs active in the areas of Water and Health in Andhra Pradesh. The tour has been very useful, in understanding the WASMO’s approach that got them recognition by way of achieving Prime Minister’s Civil Service Award and United Nations Public Service Award in achieving sustainable drinking water deliveries to the last mile, particularly to REEDS in validating its own approach in making the communities to take part in the operation and maintaining the drinking water supply systems.

Madhav Kumar Nepal, the prime minister of Nepal held a historic Cabinet meeting along with his 23 colleagues on 4 December 2009 meeting at Kala Patthar plateau the base camp of Mt Everest at 17,200 ft above the sea level. The aim of the meeting was to raise awareness about the melting Himalayas due to climate change, ahead of the key Copenhagen summit on climate change.

Taking a cue from Nepal and the Maldives, Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, held Chintan Shibir, a four day meeting from 4 – 8 December, with all ministers and bureaucrats in the Great Rann of Kutch - just a few kilometers from Pakistan and far away from even the last Indian village to highlight Gujarat's several green initiatives. Gujarat incidentally is the first government in Asia to set up a Climate Change department. Dr Abdul Kalam, former president of India was the guest speaker on the second day of the session.

REEDS welcome support and participation in any manner that suit one’s convenience. All the monitory contributions to REEDS qualify for deduction under section 80 G of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961.
We would like to acknowledge our sincere thanks to Mrs. A Devasena, Mr. A Mohan Reddy and CS Viswanatha Reddy, Hyderabad who had extended financial support to REEDS in the month December 2009.
Help us to share this with others. Forward this to a friend or if you want someone who would like to be added to the REEDS NEWS readership, please let us know at inforeeds@gmail.com.

Community action in protecting water resources is an obvious solution to many of our problems in water. Many communities in Ranga Reddy District in and around Ibrahimpatnam were encouraged and trained to build bunds to protect water runoffs and recharge ground water sources. Within a period of three years and with minimum investment water levels increased from an average depth of 300 feet to about 50 feet in many areas. The trick here is not the investment. Community action and mobilisation resulted in each one of the members of the community allocating a very small portion of their land to bunding and building rain water harvesting structures. Also, there was an awareness campaign which emphasised on the need to wait, not for long, though for results tobe seen. Often, it is assumed that results are dramatic. In this case, though, they were. Newer plants started growing and there is a perceptible increase in bird visiting in an area which can now be termed as semi-urban. Villagers have through community action formed into groups and invested in themselves. Many government schemes are measured in money. It is time tha some other metric is used to quantify the success of community action in preserving rain water. These success stories need to be showcased and highlighted for many of us to gain the confidence that it is possible to transform the way we live.

January 1 , 2010