Supriya Vohra
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Articles by Supriya Vohra
WHO IS EXTRACTING GOA’S GROUND WATER? By Supriya Vohra - Goan Observer
Despite Goa being one of the first few states in the country with a Groundwater Regulation Act, researchers and activists say that its groundwater is being extracted rapidly and, in some cases, illegally.
#11 Cuddalore ring-seiners struggle to survive after the ban
By Jan Mogens Borchert This is Part 2 of the story describing the rise and fall of ring-seine fishing in Cuddalore district. Read Part 1 to learn about the beginnings and peak times of ring-seining in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. In 2019, business as usual abruptly ended for the ring-seine fishers of Cuddalore.
#9 Harbours of transformation
This month, we bring to you a series on how the modernisation of harbours in India is changing the lives of fishers in relation to the politics of their livelihood, and overall well-being. Written by social science researchers from the University of Amsterdam, the series will zoom into the harbours at Cuddalore, a district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. In the last decade or so, India's existing harbours have gone through a face-lift, and newer ones are coming up.
#8 What do the election results mean for India's fishers
On 4th June 2024, India, the world's largest democracy, chose not a single party in majority.
#7 Climate Change & Infra Boom: A match made in hell
On 4th December, as parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were getting pummeled by Cyclone Michaung, a severe cyclonic storm passing through the east coast of India, the waters of Ennore Creek, a backwater located in north Chennai, witnessed a plot twist of a different kind. Crude oil seeped into its waters, forming an ever-increasing, shape-shifting, sheet of oil on its surface.
#6 Israel's relentless suppression of Gaza's fishers
Hello, dear readers. Apologies for the long hiatus. Today's post is dedicated to Gaza, and a recognition of the absolute misery her fishers have been subjected to at the hands of Israel. On 7th March 2015, Tawfiq Abu Riyala, a traditional, small-scale fisherman based in Al-Shati, a refugee camp in northern Gaza, was shot dead on his boat by the Israeli Occupying Forces.
#5 Are port-projects choking India's fishers? Original
On 18th August, from 6pm to 8pm, Twitter (X) was abuzz in India. A hashtag, #StopAdaniSaveChennai was doing the rounds. An upcoming port-expansion project in the northern outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in southern India is threatening to destroy a fragile ecosystem and livelihoods. The Kattupalli port is classified as a minor port by Tamil Nadu Maritime Board.
#3 India's fixation with shrimp - a policy perspective
Hola! Welcome to the third edition of Fishy Waters. This month, we want to spend some time unpacking shrimp – a tiny crustacean that has had India's fisheries policy and export market wrapped around its petite, pink shell since the 1950s. Did you know India is one of the largest producers and exporters of shrimp in the world? This post attempts to explain how policy shifts have ensured that shrimp production stays at the top of the game.
गन्ना फसल में पानी की खपत भारत के इथेनॉल लक्ष्य को प्राप्त करने में बड़ी चुनौती
पिछले साल 2 नवंबर को, केंद्र ने अपने इथेनॉल सम्मिश्रण कार्यक्रम (ईबीपी) के तहत 1 दिसंबर, 2022 से 31 अक्टूबर, 2023 तक विभिन्न गन्ना-आधारित कच्चे माल से प्राप्त इथेनॉल के लिए नई उच्च कीमतों को मंजूरी दी थी. यह इथेनॉल आपूर्ति वर्ष मौजूदा चीनी सीजन के साथ मेल खाता है.
Why cotton farmers in Gujarat have accused the state authorities of protecting a pesticide company
Salim Patel is a 43-year old cotton farmer based in Tralsa, a village in Vagra taluka of Gujarat’s Bharuch district. Patel has been farming for over sixteen years. He owns 22 acres of land, more than half of which is devoted to cotton farming. Lying near the lower plains of the Narmada basin, irrigated by a number of canals, the fertile black soil of Bharuch is ideal for cotton cultivation.
As India exports more agrochemicals, a reminder of their polluting nature
India is the fourth-largest producer of agrochemicals in the world, declared agricultural minister Narendra Singh Tomar, at a speech in September 2021.
How an equitable model of irrigation brought change to a drought-prone region in Maharashtra
Atpadi, a taluka (administrative division) in the Sangli district of southern Maharashtra, covers approximately 60 villages with a population of over 1.5 lakh (1,50,000). It falls on the upper reaches of the Krishna basin, on the far eastern side of the Sahyadris, a region historically known as the rain-shadow region. It witnesses rainfall of barely 300 mm-350 mm per year and in 2012, Atpadi saw its worst drought, followed by droughts in 2016 and 2019.
An Equitable Model of Irrigation Is Changing A Drought-Prone Maharashtra Region
How the Bombay Textile Strike Triggered a Movement for Water Distribution Atpadi’s transformation journey began with the Bombay Textile Strike of 1982-1983. In January 1982, over 200,000 textile workers that worked in the mills of Bombay (now Mumbai), went on strike. Many of the farmers had migrated from drought-prone regions of Khanapur, Atpadi and southern Maharashtra.
Every litre of ethanol needs 2,860 litres of water. And yet, India wants to produce a lot more of it
While India is making a push for ethanol-blended petrol, by incentivising sugarcane-derived ethanol, concerns remain about the water-guzzling nature of the sugarcane and fair remuneration for farmers. On November 2, the Centre, as part of its Ethanol Blending Programme, approved a higher price for ethanol that is derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials. This was done for the ethanol supply year from December 1 to October 31, 2023, which coincides with the current sugar season.
India's sugarcane-based ethanol plan has a big problem: water
While India is making a push for ethanol-blended petrol, by incentivizing sugarcane-derived ethanol, concerns remain about the water-guzzling nature of the sugarcane and fair remuneration for farmers. On Nov. 2, the center, as part of its ethanol blending programme (EBP), approved a higher price for ethanol that is derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials. This was done for the ethanol supply year from December 1, 2022, to October 31, 2023, which coincides with the current sugar season.
Goa’s groundwater is being extracted rapidly and sometimes illegally despite a law in place
Erwin Fonseca, a 47-year-old farmer lives in Goa’s Assagao, a village near the coast in the northern district of the state. He owns approximately 1,600-square metres of land in the Munangwada ward of the village, on which he grows seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as decorative and ornamental plants. An open well, approximately 10 metres deep, supplies his farm with water. In February 2019, this well, along with the wells of at least 10 other farmers in the neighbourhood, went dry.
Fact check: Does every household in Goa get piped water, as the government claims?
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on August 19, said that “Goa has become the first Har Ghar Jal certified state in the country, where every household is connected to piped water”. Modi delivered a speech virtually at the Har Ghar Jal Utsav event held in Panaji, organised by the Goa government. The event meant to mark Goa as the country’s first state to be certified with piped water supply in every household.
Who Is Extracting Goa’s Groundwater?
Despite Goa being one of the first few states in the country with a Groundwater Regulation Act, researchers and activists say that its groundwater is being extracted rapidly and, in some cases, illegally. Limited data on water, both on the resource and utilisation side, makes it difficult to fully understand how much water is actually being used and where.
India - The Honnavar Port Has a Request: Could the Olive Ridley Turtles Step Aside?
At about midnight on April 27, 2022, a moonless night, there was a flurry of action near the Sharavathi river mouth on the sandy beach of Kasarkod-Tonka, a few metres away from where the river meets the Arabian Sea. A small crowd of fishermen and members of Karnataka’s forest department of Honnavar range stood around a 1×1 square foot enclosure of green mesh net. They were looking inside the enclosure eagerly, flashing their torches, and taking videos.
Goa Elections: Political Outfits Promise To Restart Sand Mining, But What Do Locals Want?
Goa Elections: Political Outfits Promise To Restart Sand Mining, But What Do Locals Want? Support Free & Independent Journalism If unbiased journalism is to survive and thrive, it has to be editorially and financially independent. This means relying on contributions from concerned citizens who want quality and unbiased journalism. Please support the Dialogue to help it grow.
Goa is trying to revive mining without a discussion with affected communities
The Goa government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, recently passed the Goa Mineral Development Corporation Bill, 2021 during the legislative Assembly’s monsoon session. The Bill that enables the creation of a state-owned mineral corporation to revive mining operations in the state was passed without any discussion amid a walkout by the opposition party.
केदारनाथ आपदा के 8 साल बाद भी वहीं खड़ा है उत्तराखंड
उत्तराखंड के केदारनाथ में आई भयानक बाढ़ को 8 साल हो गये हैं। साल 2013 में 16-17 जून को आई इस आपदा में कम से कम 6000 लोग मारे गये। तब कई दिनों से हो रही मूसलाधार बारिश और फिर चौराबरी झील के फटने से राज्य का यह हिस्सा तहस नहस हो गया। अमूमन सौम्य दिखने वाली मंदाकिनी रौद्र रूप में आ गई। असल में मरने वालों की संख्या आधिकारिक आंकड़े से कहीं अधिक है। इस घटना को भले ही केदारनाथ आपदा के नाम से जाना जाता है लेकिन यह त्रासदी उत्तराखंड के रुद्रप्रयाग ज़िले तक ही सीमित नहीं थी जहां केदारनाथ स्थित है। तब...
5जी टेक्नोलॉजी: संभावनाएं, आशंकाएं और सेहत से जुड़े मिथक
फिल्म अभिनेत्री जूही चावला ने देश में 5जी को लागू करने के खिलाफ दिल्ली हाईकोर्ट में मुकदमा दायर कर दिया है. सरकार की घोषणा के करीब दो साल बाद अब देश में 5जी वायरलेस नेटवर्क के ट्रायल शुरू हो रहे हैं. सरकारी कंपनियों एमटीएनएल के अलावा निजी कंपनियों भारती एयरटेल, रिलायंस जियो इंफोकॉम और वीआई (पूर्व में वोडाफोन) अगले 6 महीने तक इसका ट्रायल करेंगे. लेकिन 5जी की राह इतनी आसान नहीं है. इसमें आर्थिक, ढांचागत और व्यवहारिक समस्याएं जुड़ी हुई हैं.
अपने घर में ही दर-बदर हो गए उत्तराखंड के वन गुर्जर
राजाजी नेशनल पार्क के संरक्षण के नाम पर उत्तराखंड के वन गुर्जर समाज को जंगल से दूर किया जा रहा है। विकास के नाम पर की जा रही गतिविधियों से इनके आवागमन के पारंपरिक रास्ते भी अवरुद्ध हो रहे हैं। वन गुर्जरों का जंगल से विस्थापन अधिकतर गैर-कानूनी तरीके से किया गया। इससे वन क्षेत्र में इनके हिस्से की जमीन वगैरह छीन गयी। जंगल में चल रही विकास परियोजनाओं से वन गुर्जर का पारंपरिक आवागमन का मार्ग तो प्रभावित हुआ ही, साथ ही सड़क निर्माण इत्यादि से वन्यजीवों की जान भी जाने लगी। जंगल की गोद में जन्मे...
Civil society scores a win as an SC-appointed panel red-flags a project in Goa’s forests
On April 23, the Central Empowered Committee, a fact-finding body appointed by the Supreme Court of India to research on matters related to the environment, in response to a petition filed by non-profit Goa Foundation, released a report red-flagging three infrastructure projects in Goa that threaten the biodiversity of Mollem National Park and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary.
In Goa, mining has made a once water-rich village dependent on tankers
Sunita Shashi Gawade is a 46-year-old woman living in Dhatwada, a sub-ward of Pissurlem, a mining-affected village in the North Goa district. She lives with her husband and two children. Gawade works at the local Anganwadi as a helper and earns approximately Rs 6,000 a month. Her husband, who used to work as a supervisor in a mining company, lost his job when mining in Goa was halted. Sunita Gawade has a low haemoglobin count, which often manifests itself in various physiological troubles.
Once water resilient, mining-affected villages in Goa now entirely dependent on government tankers for supply
Opencast iron ore mining reduces the groundwater table and causes surface water pollution. The village of Pissurlem in the mining-belt of north-east Goa used to be brimming with water; it is now entirely dependent on government tankers. By Supriya Vohra Sunita Shashi Gawade is a 46-year-old woman living in Dhatwada, a sub-ward of Pissurlem, a mining-affected village in North Goa district. She lives with her husband and two children.
Goa is diverting funds meant for mining-affected communities to Covid-19 relief
On April 28, 2018, Devidas Nayak of Molem, a mining-affected village in south Goa, wrote to the authorities managing the District Mineral Foundation funds, explaining that his agricultural land has lost its water holding capacity because the drainage adjacent to the land is full of mining silt resulting in flash floods during the monsoon, making it easy for wild boar and bison to destroy the land.
Paying Through Their Nose To Find A Way Home: How Fish Workers Suffered During Lockdown
Representational Image India’s mechanised marine fishing sector employs thousands of fish workers, who, for ten months in a year, migrate from the country’s eastern and interior regions to the west coast. They work on the boats and at the harbour, doing a variety of jobs — labour-intensive work such as loading and unloading the fish, hauling nets, ferrying fish stocks from trucks to the auction site, crushing ice, making ice and transporting stocks.
Two years after mining was stopped in Goa, it is still taking a toll on the state’s farmers
6 minutes ago Supriya Vohra Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Comments Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Comments Mayem is a village in Bicholim taluka of the north-eastern hinterland of Goa. It is most famous for its lake, a popular tourist spot called the Mayem lake, which underwent Rs-160 crore beautification last year. It now has a lake-view resort, a bungee jumping set-up, an amphitheatre, picnic-spots, walking trails and boating facilities.
Goa’s mining shutdown is great for the environment, but not for all Goans
7 minutes ago Supriya Vohra Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Chandrasekhar Shirodkar, 48, returned from Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s. When he came back to Maem, a village in the north-eastern mining belt of India’s western state Goa, he decided to buy a truck. “Mining was a booming industry in Goa, and I thought I would earn a good living with the truck,” he said.
India’s new fisheries policy will increase private control over open access water bodies
24 minutes ago Supriya Vohra Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Comments Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Comments Aiming to accelerate the development of the fisheries sector, the Indian government has released the draft National Fisheries Policy 2020 that intends to integrate all components – marine and inland, capture and culture, and post-harvest – in a single document and create an environment to increase investments in the sector, double exports, and incomes of fishers and fish farmers.
How Goa went from zero Covid-19 cases to its third wave of infections in three months
10 minutes ago Supriya Vohra, IndiaSpend.com Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Comments Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Comments Amid a rising spate of Covid-19 cases, Goa, as part of Unlock 2.0, officially reopened for tourism on July 2. Approximately 250 hotels registered with the state tourism department have been allowed to open following guidelines set by the state. While the state has received a mixed response to this decision, the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise.
As Goa Reopens For Tourism, State Struggles To Control A Third Wave Of COVID-19
Panjim: Amid a rising spate of COVID-19 cases, Goa, as part of Unlock 2.0, officially reopened for tourism on July 2. Approximately 250 hotels registered with the state tourism department have been allowed to open following guidelines set by the state. While the state has received a mixed response to this decision, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise. Goa witnessed its highest single-day rise of 198 cases on July 15.
As 1,821 elephants starve amid lockdown, experts call for end to private ownership of the animal
Jun 02, 2020 · 01:30 pm Supriya Vohra Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print In early April this year, a video was being circulated amongst animal rights activists in Karnataka: A mahout stating that since the lockdown, his 55-year-old captive elephant has not had anything to eat. The elephant belonged to a temple in Mudhol district, and for the past 40 years, had been living off offerings of jaggery, sugarcane, fruits and grains provided by the people visiting the temple.
India’s Fishers Have Been Crushed by COVID-19 | Hakai Magazine
In India, the COVID-19-induced lockdown caused many fishers to anchor their boats. With the annual monsoon shutdown right around the corner, many are unlikely to return to work—even though the ban on fishing has technically been lifted. Photo by John Bennet/Alamy Stock Photo From large- to small-scale, the country’s already-struggling fishing industry has been derailed by a sudden lockdown, jeopardizing lives, livelihoods, and food security.
Earth Day: There is no fish in the ocean " Declining catch worries fishermen in southern Karnataka
Editor's Note: This story was first published on 24 February 2020 and has been refurbished on account of Earth Day. January 18th, 2020 - It is a hot Saturday afternoon in Sasihithlu, a small fishing village in southern Karnataka. At 12.30 PM, the sun is directly above us, glaring through a largely cloudless sky. Surya Salian, 62, gathers his cast net for a final throw. He enters the still blue water until it is waist-high. He swings his arm and throws the circular net.
Earth Day: There is no fish in the ocean — Declining catch worries fishermen in southern Karnataka- Technology News, Firstpost
Mongabay- IndiaApr 22, 2020 09:37:20 IST Editor's Note: This story was first published on 24 February 2020 and has been refurbished on account of Earth Day. By Supriya Vohra January 18th, 2020 - It is a hot Saturday afternoon in Sasihithlu, a small fishing village in southern Karnataka. At 12.30 PM, the sun is directly above us, glaring through a largely cloudless sky. Surya Salian, 62, gathers his cast net for a final throw. He enters the still blue water until it is waist-high.
India’s Covid-19 lockdown has put 16 million fisherfolk out of business. Here’s how they’re coping
11 minutes ago Supriya Vohra Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Share Tweet Email Reddit Print Nilesh Nakhawa was out in the sea with his purse seiner for eight days. On March 23, the 41-year-old fisherman landed at Mumbai’s Sassoon Docks at 8 am, with a seven-tonne haul of fish, mostly mackerel that nobody wanted. “Every single place was shut,” he said. “The traders were not there, the exporters had shut shop, no ice available, the labourers had left.
Water-stressed regions wonder where water to wash hands frequently will come from
Experts say that sourcing water from private markets may not be always reliable due to increased risk of disease transmission or just scarcity of water during summer. Yashoda, 52, lives in her mother’s house with her husband and four children, a dog called Babuli, a white cat that meanders around, a hen and her chicks. Her 150-year-old ancestral home is barely 500 metres away from the Arabian Sea, in Sasihithlu, a fishing village in south Karnataka. The water she gets in her well is salty.
Coronavirus Outbreak: Hand washing is recommended but where is the water to wash my hands?
By Supriya Vohra Yashoda, 52, lives in her mother's house with her husband and four children, a dog called Babuli, a white cat that meanders around, a hen and her chicks. Her 150-year-old ancestral home is barely 500 metres away from the Arabian Sea, in Sasihithlu, a fishing village in south Karnataka. The water she gets in her well is salty. She depends on government tankers to send her two big drums of potable water once every two days. But the delivery is patchy.
Coronavirus Outbreak: Hand washing is recommended but where is the water to wash my hands?
By Supriya Vohra Yashoda, 52, lives in her mother’s house with her husband and four children, a dog called Babuli, a white cat that meanders around, a hen and her chicks. Her 150-year-old ancestral home is barely 500 metres away from the Arabian Sea, in Sasihithlu, a fishing village in south Karnataka. The water she gets in her well is salty. She depends on government tankers to send her two big drums of potable water once every two days. But the delivery is patchy.
“There is no fish in the ocean”: Declining catch worries fishers in southern Karnataka
Mongabay- IndiaFeb 24, 2020 13:16:59 IST By Supriya Vohra January 18th, 2020. It is a hot Saturday afternoon in Sasihithlu, a small fishing village in southern Karnataka. At 12.30 PM, the sun is directly above us, glaring through a largely cloudless sky. Surya Salian, 62, gathers his cast net for a final throw. He enters the still blue water until it is waist-high. He swings his arm and throws the circular net.
“There is no fish in the ocean”: The future has arrived in this Indian fishing village
From our Obsession Climate Consciousness Every decision counts. Jan. 18, 2020. It is a hot Saturday afternoon in Sasihithlu, a small fishing village in southern Karnataka. At 12:30pm, the sun is directly above us, glaring through a largely cloudless sky. Surya Salian, 62, gathers his cast net for a final throw. He enters the still blue water until it is waist-high. He swings his arm and throws the circular net.
Go Goa Gone: The Harsh Reality Of How Goa Is Being Destroyed
Goa is the smallest state on the Indian west coast. There is a need for awareness in the anti-coal movement in Goa that opposes the import of cooking coal.
Kickstarting ‘Made in Bhutan’
Four years ago, after completing his graduation in computer applications, Kuenga Dhendup headed back to his village in Trongsa, central Bhutan, to start an organic farm. “That’s where I wanted to apply my knowledge," he says, grinning. A year later, his partner, Pema C. Gyaltshen, completed her graduation in environmental science and English and joined him. Together, they began experimenting with medicinal plants and learnt all about aromatherapy and essential oils from the internet.
When the Second World War reached Goa
Erwin Karl Tiegel was born in the German port city of Hamburg. He died at the age of 80, on 11 June 1994, at the VM Salgaocar hospital at Chicalim, in Goa. He had spent the last 55 years of his life in the coastal state, nearly seven thousand kilometres from home, as a consequence of participating in a forgotten, but no less extraordinary, episode in one of the more obscure theatres of the Second World War.
What is the Future of Adventure Travel in India?
ATOAI is a representative body of adventure tour operators of India. It acts as a mediator between the government and tour operators, recommending the government on best practices for conducting adventure tourism in the country. In September last year, it led a risk mitigation committee to suggest changes to preserve India’s outdoor heritage in a better way. It also published a handbook of guideline on best practices for adventure tour operators to follow.
AI News Anchors: Are we going to be out of jobs (again)?
Earlier this week, a couple of robots made news (again). China’s state news agency Xinhua unveiled the world’s first AI news anchor at the recently concluded World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China (a Davos-like gathering for global tech outfits and thinkers). The effort was a result of a collaboration between the news agency and Sugou, China’s foremost search engine. The presentation introduced two videos of AI news anchors, one in Chinese and one in English.
How Phones are Teaching Me to Stay Away... from Phones
I don’t think I can survive without my phone. It is the source of my bread and butter. Since I use also use it for recreational purposes, there is no “switch off” time from it after work hours. I have, in the past, identified myself as a phone addict. Initially, I thought it was an addiction to just social media because I would find myself logging in to Facebook every few minutes. I deactivated my account for a few months. It was hard in the beginning, but I soon got used to life without it.
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