Sarjubai Meena’s mission to conserve soil and water in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district
Residents of Amartiya and nearby villages in the Bhilwara district have traditionally depended on dug wells as they used to yield enough water for household needs, to grow rain-fed crops like corn, and feed animals but in recent years there was a shortage of groundwater. It was found out that there was an overuse of water through Bore wells.
Sarjubai Meena along with other residents planned water conservation measures for the village and spread awareness among people on the judicious use of water. They also constructed check dams across it to control soil erosion and promote groundwater recharge. Various grass and tree species were planted in the next step.
Meena has gained recognition for her efforts by several organisations. In 2021, the UN Development Programme named her as one of the 41 “Women Water Champions” working for conservation in India.
Carbon neutrality in places of worship – Role of society in achieving SDG goals/tackling climate crisis
Context:
St Michael Church, known popularly as Mahim Church, is the first place of worship in India to decarbonize, they did this by installing Solar panels, converting flower waste into Biogas, investing in community projects for tree plantation, etc.
Carbon-neutrality means reducing an organization’s or individual’s carbon footprint to zero through a series of emission-reducing actions.
These can include switching to clean energy and taking public transport instead of a private car. Investing in carbon offsets — such as planting trees on farms or public land — is another way to achieve the neutrality goal
The Mahim church’s pioneering effort at carbon neutrality has found an echo in other places of worship. A few temples in south India also wish to explore this possibility and a management team will visit the church.
It is not only the government’s responsibility but also individuals, businesses, civil society organizations, and even places of worship that can also play a role in addressing the crisis.
World off track on protecting life on land finds UN report
SDG-15 is an ambitious goal to protect life on land by 2030, which covers all land-based ecosystems and biodiversity.
Brief findings of the report:
- All regions of the world face major and significant challenges in achieving the goal.
- The world’s forest area continues to decline, but at a slightly slower rate than in previous decades.
