CONTENTS Land matters 1 Chemicals and mining destroy the land. Organic farming and protest are weapons people use to protect it. And they have - in farms through the country and areas rich in minerals. Water agenda 31 Protecting and replenishing watersheds is the key to water security - for water to drink, to irrigate farms. And ingenuity is what it's all about: From reviving rivers to manufacturing glaciers. Pollution control 85 Rivers are choking, groundwater's going. But people are pitching in - with technologies to treat waste and alternatives to wasteful sanitation; by cleaning rivers and fighting polluting industries. Woods and trees 103 As the forests recedes, people step in. To protect what's left and revive what's gone. Communities show they are best equipped to deal with their own patches of forests. Living resources 127 Seeds, species, traditions. Just three things that countless folk protect. And protection is one thing they badly need - because with every passing day diversity comes increasingly under threat. Handling waste 159 Recycling is the mantra where good environmental sense prevails. People through the country have shown that problems of pollution can be solved if waste is seen as a resource, not a nuisance. Taking care 187 For many, cheap health care is just a dream. But people have shown this need not be so. Imagination, enterprise and the will to work together have taken health care off the beaten track. Not conventional 203 There's a lot of energy around. Some of it is being generated by unconventional folk from unlikely sources. From solar to biomass - everything is used to tap sustainable sources of energy. Livelihood issues 225 The most vulnerable suffer the most as doors close on ways of eking out a living. But the scenario is lightened by countless initiatives to restore livelihoods and help people help themselves. Right angles 241 Fishing communities are under threat, with mechanised trawlers poaching on their turf. But they have organised themselves and with innovative technologies salvaged their livelihoods People power 255 Panchayats throughout the country protect the environment from commercial interests. And villages declare independence to reclaim their rights to local resources that the state tries to monopolise. Index: People and organisations 275 Index: Place names278