CSE Media Fellowships on ‘Making Water Everybody's Business’ (October 2002-January 2003) has drawn forth a varied and interesting selection of news stories and features from 11 selected Fellows. We bring you some of the interesting exposés.

Profiles of Fellows

Priya Ranjan Sahu, senior staff writer, The Hindustan Times, Sambalpur (Orissa), has critically assessed the Hirakud Dam, the Hafudera Minor Irrigation Project in Jojumura forest, the Greater Sambalpur Water Project and the government-run water projects in Gaisilet, Titlagarh and Birmaharajnagar.

Paul Jose Fernandes, chief reporter, Gomantak Times (Goa) has exposed the gross wastage of about 40,000 mld of water per annum, which is equal to the annual output from the Opa plant, the second major plant in Goa. He has also studied pollution of the river Mandovi and ground water depletion in Goa.

Saurabh Sinha, news correspondent-cum-copy editor of The Times of India, New Delhi has focused his study on the areas in and around Delhi. He has looked into degenerating water bodies and urban wetlands, over-exploitation of deep aquifers in Punjab and Haryana and how check dams built in Asola forest have revived the lost Aravalli vegetation.

Ashutosh Upadhyay, managing editor, Pahar (Nainital in Uttaranchal), has reported on pollution of the Naini Lake, traditional water harvesting and management structures in the state and the Dudhatoli Community Development Institution's initiative to recharge the region's water resources.

Sudhir K Pal, staff reporter/sub-editor of Ranchi Express (Jharkhand), has focussed on people's initiatives to save water in the districts of Palamau, Latehar, Gumla and Chaibasa. He has also reported on the privatisation of the river Shivnath in Chattisgarh.

Anuradha Kumar, assistant editor, Economic and Political Weekly (Mumbai) has investigated the impacts of the unchecked extraction of groundwater in Vidarbha, and the problem of severe fluorosis in Yamavatal district.

H Bharath Kumar, senior reporter, Kannada Prabha (Bangalore) has written on the problem of fluorosis in Kolar and other parts of Karnataka. He has also unearthed a unique local system of sharing water to fight drought, called Damasha.

Mrinal Talukdar, senior correspondent, UNI (Guwahati) has focussed on the paradox of acute water crisis in Cherrapunji, the wettest place in the world, and the issues that are compounding the problem.

Deepak Kumar Singh, staff writer with The Hindustan Times, Jaipur has concentrated his efforts on the critical assessment of various government schemes of water management in the state of Rajasthan, for instance the failure of the Rajiv Gandhi Water Management Mission and the launch of the world-bank sponsored Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project (RWSRP).

Aniket Alam, senior correspondent with The Hindu, Hyderabad has delved into the intricacies of the proposed river-interlinking scheme and assessed its various ecological and economic implications.

Arjimand Hussain Talib, economic editor/columnist with Daily Greater Kashmir, Srinagar has exposed the lack of specific departments in the Kashmir government required to deal with water management in the state. He has also looked into the newly launched ‘Hariyali movement’ — a project to involve grassroots institutions and NGOs in water management.