Many years ago, in a desperately poor village in Rajasthan, people decided to plant trees on the land adjoining their pond so that its catchment would be protected. But this land belonged to the revenue department and people were fined for trespass. The issue hit national headlines. The stink made the local administration uncomfortable. They then came up with a brilliant game plan: they allotted the land to a group of equally poor people. In this way, the poor ended up fighting the poor.

Sunita Narain: The poor against the poor on climate

Business Standard

According to Time magazine, the 2011 person of the year is &ldquo;the protester&rdquo;. Clearly, this is the image that has captured the world &mdash; from dissent against the lack of democracy and repression in large parts of West Asia, to anger against economic policies in vast and disparate parts of the world. People, all over, are saying enough is enough.

Sunita Narain: Etching new pathways to growth

Water is life, and sewage tells its life story. This is the subject of the &ldquo;Citizens&rsquo; Seventh Report on the State of India&rsquo;s Environment&rdquo;, Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta. It has a seemingly simple plot: it only asks where Indian cities get their water from and where their waste goes. But this is not just a question or answer about water, pollution and waste.

Sunita Narain

Sunita Narain

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Sunita Narain: The poor against the poor on climate

Sunita Narain: Etching new pathways to growth

Sunita Narain: Why excreta matters