The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a leading Indian environmental research and teaching body and one of the main partners in the Focus project, has produced a specialist briefing for each of the regional workshops.

Click on the title below to see the full report.

Maharashtra: Water

"The agriculture sector, employing 70% of the state’s labour force, takes a tremendous toll on the state’s water resources, particularly ground water by consuming as much as 70% -85% of the state’s water resources. Further, high levels of pollution render water unutilisable. Hence the threat of water scarcity looms large in the state. At the same time, the presence of a tradition of local water management exemplified by the Phad system, a powerful farmers lobby and a large number of actors driving the water sector reform process in the state also makes water management socially and politically dynamic."  

Uttaranchal: Forestry

"Forests constitute one of the most important natural resources in Uttaranchal. These forests have been meeting the requirements of the country since the colonial period when the state supplied large volumes of wood required for constructing the railway network. At present the forest resources of the State are under significant pressures due to unregulated harvesting of forest products (both timber and Non Wood Forest Products), fuel wood collection, grazing, encroachment, forest fires and inadequate or inappropriate management practices and policies." 

Karnataka: Energy

"The state has no coal deposits and therefore has to import it. The major need of oil is also not available in the state itself. Electricity is the major commercial energy source.  In Karnataka, non-commercial energy sources like firewood, agricultural residues, charcoal and cow dung account for 53.2% which demonstrates a high dependency on biomass to meet rural energy needs."