Jaladarpanam (Vembanad lake water quality monitoring program)

Ashoka Trust for Reaearch in Ecology and the Environment
Alappuzha , India, 27 Mar 08

Jaladarpanam inauguration

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) www.atree.org was established in 1996 to help curtail the rapid loss of India's biological resources and natural ecosystems and to address the environmental,social and economic dimensions of this decline.Over the last decade it has emerged as a premier conservation institution in India working on environment and biodiversity conservaton through interdiscliplinary research and conservation projects.Through the Community Environmental Resource Centre(CERC) established at Alappuzha ,ATREE attempt to bring together local communities and institutions to strengthen wetland management in the Vembanad backwaters.The more immediate objective of CERC is to (a) strengthen local capacities in governance and wise use of wetland biodiversity (b) raise awareness of the values of biodiversity and ecosystem goods and servicesand (c) to enable a backwater information facility at the site.The project aims to build multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder partnerships at the local level, influence decision makers, increase co ordination between stakeholders and strengthen their capacity to address the various issues related to Vembanad backwaters.

Jaladarpanam, one among the vembanad project is a community based water quality monitoring program with the participation of the stakeholder communities as well as Panchyath Raj Institutions(PRIs).This participatory monitoring is expected to build public awareness of pollution problems,play a major role in monitoring the health of Vembanad lake and help to identify and resolve pollution issues.

The formal inauguration of jaladarpanam is scheduled on 27-03-2008 at Alappuzha.For more details please contact rajimol.s@atree.org

Rajimol S
Program Officer
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Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology
and the Environment (ATREE) www.atree.org
Community Environmental Resource Center (CERC)
Ammankovil Street
Mullackal, Alappuzha
Kerala 688 001
Telephone: 0477 2251818
9946645814
Email: rajimol.s@atree.org

Contact: Rajimol .S