WIO's #BeatTheHeat2016 Campaign: 'An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha! Issue 6 - 30 April 2016

Dear Friends/Co-sailors,

Greetings from Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) !

As you are aware, we at WIO have just initiated a citizen's voluntary campaign #BeatTheHeat2016 to spread awareness and action to mitigate heat wave, climate change and related environmental crises in the state of Odisha this summer.

As part of this campaign, starting 18th April, we have started a Poster Drive to 'Raise An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha urging upon him to take notice of the vital issues and take action.

Our last tweet to the CM was on Earth Day 22nd April.  Then there was a week long gap because all of us got engaged in field activities and other programmes.

Today on 30th April 2016, we are raising our 6th Issue with the Chief Minister. 

While we are attaching today's poster with this email for your reference and doing the needful, please also find the same pasted below:

We sincerely need your kind support in making this drive successful for benefit of the common people suffering from Heat Wave and related disasters.  Hope you shall actively participate in this campaign.   

Issue No. 6 raised with the CM of Odisha on 30th April 2016

 Land Degradation and Forest Loss in the State have complemented and aggravated each other!

Earlier we had informed you that the state’s degraded land increased from 10 per cent in 1991-92 to nearly 17.5 per cent in 2004-2005.  In the last one decade, it has increased to almost about 30 per cent of the total geographical land of the state.  This includes a huge loss of forest to the tune of about 5 per cent of state’s total geographical land. The compensatory afforestation percentage has been pathetically low at about 12 per cent of the total forest diverted for other pusposes!

Please ensure that the dense forest cover of the state is increased; no more forest is destroyed mindlessly for so called development programmes; and compensate all forests that have been lost so far with plantation and protection of natural species suitable for local ecological conditions. 

We have already twitted this to the CM.

You may also like to retweet it from our twitter handles @ranjanpanda and @MahanadiRiver.  In that case, please don't forget to tag @CMO_Odisha and use the hashtag @BeatTheHeat2016

In this campaign, we are asking all concerned citizens of Odisha to send in the issues/questions they feel are vital to be raised with the CM.  Our Campaign Coordination Committee will decide on relevant issues and then send in one poster a day to the CM for the coming few weeks.

As always, we look forward to your support in this as well.

Thanking you,

Truly,

Ranjan Panda

Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Global Waterkeeper Alliance)

Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanpanda@yahoo.com

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Blog: http://www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com/

Fighting water woes, combating climate change...more than 25 years now!

#BeatTheHeat2016 Campaign of WIO: Padampur Region facing severest water crisis in 54 Years!

Just back from visiting villages in the Padampur region of Bargarh district. Painful to see people are facing worst water crisis in 54 years!

2016 is certainly the defining year. Unless we start redesigning our ways of life, we have to face even more devastating wrath of nature in coming years!!

Odisha turning Desert faster than we thought: WIO Earth Day 2016 Update & Heat Wave Issue 6 with Chief Minister!

 (This Poster was also twitted to Odisha Chief Minister on 22nd April as Heat Wave Issue - 5 as part of our "Raise An Issue A Day" under #BeatTheHeat2016 Campaign that we have initiated on 18th April, 2016)

Odisha’s land degrading at a rate of more than 1,95,000 hectare per year!

April 22, 2016 -

In 2006, Water Inititaives Odisha (WIO) had warned that many parts of Odisha are already showing symptoms of desertification. The state is ‘developing’ from a drought prone to desert prone region.  Desertification is a process of productivity loss of lands. When severe, it leads to permanent damages to land. 

By analysing government statistics, WIO had said in 2006 that “In just 13 years, severely degraded land in the state had increased by 136 percent, barren land had increased by 69 percent and land converted to non-agricultural uses had increased by 34 percent. In 1991-92, about 10 percent of total geographical area of the state was unfit for agriculture, forest and tree cover excluded.  In 2004-05, such spread increased to nearly 17.5 percent of total area of the state.” 

Based on the rate of degradation we had then predicted that Odisha would go totally barren in about 150 years.

As the state is facing worst ever heat and water crisis, we wanted to add up to our 2006 analysis and do some more calculations based on government statistics. We are shocked to find that the state will turn barren even much faster, if urgent measures are not taken to arrest desertification!

Between 2005 and 2015, in ten years time, the barren and fallow land of the state have increased further by almost 50000hectares to reach at 1753000 hectares. 

Adding the ‘culturable wastelands,’ that is at 375000 hectares, the degraded land of the state reaches to about 22 per cent of total geographical area. Then, the state has lost about 5 per cent (of total geographical area of state) forests in forest lands and 1 per cent tree cover in plantation areas during the last decade.  This adds up the land degradation rate to 28 per cent of total geographical area.

During this decade, agricultural land given away for other purposes has increased by a whooping 299000 hectares.  We have every reason to believe that all this agricultural land has gone to developmental activities that does not contribute to ecological restoration, and hence have added to heat woes either by degrading water resources or increasing concrete cover.

If we add the agricultural land taken away for other purposes, that also cause degradation of fertile lands, another about1.92 per cent of land stand degraded, the total degraded land of the state adds up to almost 30 per cent of its geographical area. 

That means, during the last ten years, the state degraded at least 195000 hectares of its land per year on an average.

In this decade, the net sown area of the state has shrunk by as high as 243000 hectares indicating the reduction of water resources and increased episodes of drought.

The state’s temperature is on an upward trend. Land degradation increases the devastating impacts of increased warming. It reduces the water retention capacity of the soil, making both surface water and ground water more scarce; and makes the land further vulnerable to erosion during rains and floods.  All these factors increase the pace of desertification.

This Earth Day, the state of Odisha must decide to mend its ways and drastically redesign development programmes that put emphasis on conservation of forests; rejuvenation of rivers and water bodies; reduction of coal fired power plants; increase in alternative energy sources; and promotion of land!

Key Highlights of the Update:

Almost 30 per cent of state’s land in degraded conditions.

Desertification process getting faster than WIO predicted in 2006.

Combined factors of increased barren land, diversion of forest and agricultural lands are leading to severe land erosion and water crisis.

Odisha must adopt green ways of development without any further delay.

For further information, please contact:

Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)

Convenor, Combat Climate Change Network, India

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Global Waterkeeper Alliance)

Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanpanda@yahoo.com

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Blog: http://www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com/

Fighting water woes, combating climate change...more than 25 years now!

=============

Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) is a state level coalition of civil society organisations, farmers, academia, media and other concerned, which has been working on water, environment and climate change issues in the state for more than two and half decades now.

WIO's #BeatTheHeat2016 Campaign: 'An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha! Issue 4 - 21 April 2016

21st April, 2016

Dear Friends/Co-sailors,

Greetings from Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) !

As you are aware, we at WIO have just initiated a citizen's voluntary campaign #BeatTheHeat2016 to spread awareness and action to mitigate heat wave, climate change and related environmental crises in the state of Odisha this summer.

As part of this campaign, starting 18th April, we have started a Poster Drive to 'Raise An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha urging upon him to take notice of the vital issues and take action.

Today, on 21st April 2016, we are raising the Fourth Issue with the Chief Minister. 

While we have attaching today's poster above, we are pasting below the Issue - 4 for your reference and doing the needful:

We sincerely need your kind support in making this drive successful for benefit of the common people suffering from Heat Wave and related disasters.  Hope you shall actively participate in this campaign.   

Issue No.4 raised with the CM of Odisha on 21st April 2016

 Majority of health infrastructure in state lack facilities and services to treat Sun Stroke patients

We understand that the state government is working to ensure ‘zero casualty’ in case of heat wave attacks.  However, 3144 people have already died in last 18 years as per govt statistics.  In reality the death would have crossed the 10000 mark or even more.  Most of these deaths could have been prevented had there been proper health facilities in all parts of the state.  In many cases, people have to travel far to the district head quarter hospitals to get treated.

Please augment the health services and facilities in the entire state.  All heat wave victims must receive medical attention and treatment immediately and that is possible only if rural and sub-urban health infrastructure is well equipped. The district hospitals also need serious improvement.

We have already twitted this to the CM.

You may also like to retweet it from our twitter handles @ranjanpanda and @MahanadiRiver.  In that case, please don't forget to tag @CMO_Odisha and use the hashtag @BeatTheHeat2016

In this campaign, we are asking all concerned citizens of Odisha to send in the issues/questions they feel are vital to be raised with the CM.  Our Campaign Coordination Committee will decide on relevant issues and then send in one poster a day to the CM for the coming few weeks.

As always, we look forward to your support in this as well.

Thanking you,

Truly,

Ranjan Panda

Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Global Waterkeeper Alliance)

Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanpanda@yahoo.com

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Blog: http://www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com/

Fighting water woes, combating climate change...more than 25 years now!

WIO's #BeatTheHeat2016 Campaign: 'An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha! Issue 3 - 20 April 2016

19th April, 2016

Dear Friends/Co-sailors,

Greetings from Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) !

As you are aware, we at WIO have just initiated a citizen's voluntary campaign #BeatTheHeat2016 to spread awareness and action to mitigate heat wave, climate change and related environmental crises in the state of Odisha this summer.

As part of this campaign, starting 18th April, we have started a Poster Drive to 'Raise An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha urging upon him to take notice of the vital issues and take action.

Today, on 20th April 2016, we are raising the Third Issue with the Chief Minister. 

While we have attached today's poster above, pasting below the Issue - 3 for your reference and doing the needful,:

We sincerely need your kind support in making this drive successful for benefit of the common people suffering from Heat Wave and related disasters.  Hope you shall actively participate in this campaign.   

Issue No.3 raised with the CM of Odisha on 20th April 2016

 The state has failed in accepting real number of deaths due to Heat Wave

Officials responsible for assessing heat wave death victims have failed in doing justice to the victims and their families.  While circumstantial evidences make it clear that the deaths are due to Sun Stroke, the state has been very conservative in accepting the real death figures.  Take for example the cases of last year in which108 people died of sun stroke, but the government only confirmed 21 cases. This year also, the same attitude is being followed.

Please simplify rules, be sensitive and consider circumstantial evidences, besides post-mortem reports, to ensure justice to all heat wave victims of the state. Also, build a robust grievance redressal mechanism that can help victims, who have been deprived of the compensation/benefits, to get justice through a transparent process of inquiry/investigation at government cost.

We have already twitted this to the CM.

You may also like to retweet it from our twitter handles @ranjanpanda and @MahanadiRiver.  In that case, please don't forget to tag @CMO_Odisha and use the hashtag @BeatTheHeat2016

In this campaign, we are asking all concerned citizens of Odisha to send in the issues/questions they feel are vital to be raised with the CM.  Our Campaign Coordination Committee will decide on relevant issues and then send in one poster a day to the CM for the coming few weeks.

As always, we look forward to your support in this as well.

Call To Action Poster: 

Today, with this post, we are also sending to you a "Call To Action" poster that we had issued yesterday to citizens - as part of this campaign - asking them to call up the Executive Engineer (PH) of Jharsuguda to provide clean drinking water to people of mining city Belpahad in that district.  

As you can see from the poster, the water being provided through tankers is too dirty and polluted.  A citizen volunteer had sent us these photos with the request to take up the matter in the campaign.  

We are seeking citizen response like this from across the state and appeal you to kindly help us reach out to the entire state.

Thanking you,

Truly,

Ranjan Panda

Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Global Waterkeeper Alliance)

Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanpanda@yahoo.com

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Blog: http://www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com/

Fighting water woes, combating climate change...more than 25 years now!

WIO's #BeatTheHeat2016 Campaign: 'An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha! Issue 2 - 19 April 2016

19th April, 2016

Dear Friends/Co-sailors,

Greetings from Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) !

As you are aware, we at WIO have just initiated a citizen's voluntary campaign #BeatTheHeat2016 to spread awareness and action to mitigate heat wave, climate change and related environmental crises in the state of Odisha this summer.

As part of this campaign, starting yesterday 18th April, we have started a Poster Drive to 'Raise An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha urging upon him to take notice of the vital issues and take action.

Today, on 19th April 2016, we are raising the Second Issue with the Chief Minister. 

While we have attached today's poster above, please also find the Issue - 2 pasted below for your reference and doing the needful:

We sincerely need your kind support in making this drive successful for benefit of the common people suffering from Heat Wave and related disasters.  Hope you shall actively participate in this campaign.   

Issue No.2 raised with the CM of Odisha on 19th April 2016

 If Post Motrem Report is compulsory, let the administration be responsible for ensuring it

Many heat wave victims of the state have not been able to get the government’s ex-gratia compensation for not having a post mortem report done. In some cases, family members don’t let the post mortem happen because of social beliefs and taboos.  However, there are cases where the post mortem has not been done due to failure and negligence of the administration. 

Please ensure that post mortems are done for sure and the family members of the deceased get the due benefit. Fix proper accountability for the officials at appropriate level.

We have already twitted this to the CM.

You may also like to retweet it from our twitter handles @ranjanpanda and @MahanadiRiver.  In that case, please don't forget to tag @CMO_Odisha and use the hashtag @BeatTheHeat2016

In this campaign, we are asking all concerned citizens of Odisha to send in the issues/questions they feel are vital to be raised with the CM.  Our Campaign Coordination Committee will decide on relevant issues and then send in one poster a day to the CM for the coming few weeks.

As always, we look forward to your support in this as well.

Thanking you,

Truly,

Ranjan Panda

Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Global Waterkeeper Alliance)

Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanpanda@yahoo.com

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Blog: http://www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com/

Fighting water woes, combating climate change...more than 25 years now!

WIO's #BeatTheHeat2016 Campaign: 'An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha! Issue 1 - 18 April 2016

18th April, 2016

Dear Friends/Co-sailors,

Greetings from Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) !

As you are aware, we at WIO have just initiated a citizen's voluntary campaign #BeatTheHeat2016 to spread awareness and action to mitigate heat wave, climate change and related environmental crises in the state of Odisha this summer.

As part of this campaign, we have started a Poster Drive to 'Raise An Issue A Day' with the Chief Minister of Odisha urging upon him to take notice of the vital issues and take action.

We sincerely need your kind support in making this drive successful for benefit of the common people suffering from Heat Wave and related disasters.  Hope you shall actively participate in this campaign.   

While we have attached today's poster above, please also find the Issue-1 pasted below for your reference and doing the needful:

Issue No.1 raised with the CM of Odisha on 18th April 2016

 Increase Compensation for Heat Wave Deaths to at least Rs.5,00,000/-

Currently, the compensation amount for sun stroke death is a meagre Rs.50,000/- as compared to Rs.4,00,000/- for many other natural calamity deaths such as those due to cold wave, lightening and snake bite. The government must immediately increase the ex-gratia amount for Heat Wave deaths!

We have already twitted this to the CM.

You may also like to retweet it from our twitter handles @ranjanpanda and @MahanadiRiver.  In that case, please don't forget to tag @CMO_Odisha and use the hashtag @BeatTheHeat2016

In this campaign, we are asking all citizens of Odisha to send in the issues/questions they feel are vital to be raised with the CM.  Our Campaign Coordination Committee will decide on relevant issues and then send in one poster a day to the CM for the coming few weeks.

As always, we look forward to your support in this as well.

Thanking you,

Truly,

Ranjan Panda

Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Global Waterkeeper Alliance)

Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanpanda@yahoo.com

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Blog: http://www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com/

Fighting water woes, combating climate change...more than 25 years now!

WIO's Beat The Heat Campaign 2016: Join now, take action!

Dear Friends/Co-sailors,

Greetings from Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)!

The year 2016 is all set to become the hottest year in world's history, we are already witnessing acute water crises and other problems from across the state of Odisha.  

Looking into the alarming situation, we at Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO), the leading network of people and organisations working on water, environment and climate change, have decided to start a citizen's campaign to help people beat the heat.  This campaign will promote both grassroots actions and advocacy campaigns.  

The action campaign will strive to promote initiatives, through our member organisations and others concerned, to save water bodies, rivers and biodiversity.

The advocacy campaign will revolve around digital and social media actions including twitter storms and other such methods to raise vital issues to educate people as well as seek action from the authorities.  

As always, WIO campaigns are purely voluntary ones and depend on your support.  

This email is to request you to kindly join hands with us and help Odisha beat the heat.  

We are attaching herewith two posters:

1. An inaugural poster with a request for participation in the campaign. 

2. A Call To Action poster requesting you for a twitter storm asking the Chief Minister of Odisha as to why he has got different 'tree felling' policies for different cities.  It is also to request you to call up the Sambalpur DFO asking him to immediately stop felling of huge age old trees at a time when people are dying for shelter under green cover as the entire state is under grip of killer heat waves.

We request you to please join the campaign by writing back to us, and also take the Action requested in the poster.

We also request you to please come up with new ideas/actions so that we can work on those together.

In Facebook, you can join our campaign pages and start sharing these ideas as well. Our pages are: 

1. Save Mahanadi River @ https://www.facebook.com/Save-Mahanadi-River-233282700036094/

2. People's Manifesto on Water Sanitation and Climate Change @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/234481360045395/

3. Save Rivers to Save Civilizations @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/220598744649462/

4. Clean Water Bodies are Children's Rights @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/childrensrighttoplayinwater/

5. Children Need Water To Play @ https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenNeedWaterToPlay/

You can also share your ideas/actions at our twitter handles mentioned below:

@ranjanpanda 

@MahanadiRiver

Please always use the Hashtag #BeatTheHeat2016 in all your communications to us, posts in the above pages and in twitter posts as well.

Look forward to hear from you and your active support.

Thanks and regards,

Ranjan

-- 

Ranjan K Panda

Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO)

Convenor, Combat Climate Change Network, India

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Global Waterkeeper Alliance)

Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanpanda@yahoo.com

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Blog: http://www.climatecrusaders.blogspot.com/

Fighting water woes, combating climate change...more than 25 years now!