Aarti Kelkar Khambete

Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Teesta: Stuck between conflict and cooperation
The ongoing conflict between India and Bangladesh over the Teesta is political with little to do with the river itself. Is there any hope for the river?
Posted on 20 Jun, 2018 10:25 AM

River Teesta originates at Tso Lamo, Sikkim, flows through West Bengal and then enters the Rangpur division in Bangladesh.

The Teesta, upstream of the Gajaldoba barrage in West Bengal. (Image Source: Gauri Noolkar-Oak)
Creating art from waste
Two young entrepreneurs have found a way to manage plastic waste by turning it into useful products. They have also created jobs and increased public awareness around plastic waste.
Posted on 24 Feb, 2018 01:18 PM

Cities like Pune are in the midst of a garbage crisis. There is garbage strewn all over which is not just unsightly, it is also found to be polluting the city's water resources.

Amita and Nandan have started a unique enterprise, Aarohana, that turns plastic from garbage into useful products.
Slow death of a river
River Mutha, which was once the lifeline of Pune, is in dire straits. Concerted and systematic efforts involving citizens, experts and administrators need to be made urgently to save the river.
Posted on 30 Jan, 2018 02:46 PM

River Mutha, the pride of Pune, lovingly called 'Muthai' or 'mother Mutha', is dying a slow death, thanks to the rapidly urbanising city which is depositing huge amounts of untreated sewage and dirt in its waters.

River Mutha, as it flows through Pune city. (Source: India Water Portal)
Hotels and industries polluting the Ganga to be sealed
Policy matters this week
Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 11:43 AM

Hotels, industries, ashrams polluting the Ganga to be sealed

Ganga river at Sangam, Allahabad (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Cauvery loaded with toxins
News this week
Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 11:10 AM

Cauvery found to be the most toxic river in the country 

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
India faces superbugs
Superbugs can not only render antibiotics useless but lead to prolonged suffering and death in humans. Focus on better sanitation and public awareness is the need of the hour.
Posted on 20 Dec, 2017 10:53 AM

There is a huge dearth of cleanliness in India--open defecation is rampant; garbage management in most cities is in shambles; toxic hospital and industrial wastes and sewage are allowed to drain into water sources and food products are laced with chemicals.

Highly polluted rivers such as the Yamuna can breed superbugs. (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
Bee in safe hands
Amit Godse is on a quest to save bees by relocating them and motivating people to keep bees for honey in their gardens.
Posted on 06 Nov, 2017 11:21 AM

Studies suggest that bees are disappearing at a rapid rate in India. Should we be worried? The disappearance of bees has particularly alarming implications for human existence. Honey bees play a very important role in preserving the biodiversity of nature.

Amit with a bee box installed in a garden at a house in Pune. (Image source: Amit Godse)
Romancing the Ganga
The Ganga has now been transformed into a water machine with millions of tube wells and canals sucking its waters at frightening rates. What are its implications?
Posted on 10 Oct, 2017 09:59 AM

The Ganges, the most revered river in India, faces an unusual predicament. Pollution and excessive usage have turned it into a toxic sludge as it snakes its way through cities, industrial hubs and millions of devotees.

The Ganga (Image source: Anthony Acciavatti)
Threatened by urbanisation, doomed by restoration
It is not just mindless urbanisation, but flawed restoration efforts by authorities too are responsible for the gradual deterioration of Pashan lake in Pune.
Posted on 06 Oct, 2017 06:26 AM

Pashan lake, the pride of Pune, is dying! Water hyacinth continues to invade the lake and pollution levels in the lake are high, threatening its once rich biodiversity. How did this happen?

Pashan lake cries for help. (Image Source: Dharmaraj Patil)
Tackling encephalitis: The sanitation connect
Recent encephalitis deaths in Gorakhpur put the spotlight back on the disease and the importance of better sanitation as a preventive measure.
Posted on 04 Sep, 2017 04:58 AM

Gorakhpur is back in the news with 42 more children dying in 48 hours at one of the biggest hospitals here--Baba Raghav Das Medical College Hospital or BRD hospital.

Sanitation plays an important part in preventing encephalitis. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
×