Political

Banning RO purifier use when water conforms to BIS norms - Comments invited
RO purifiers can lead to huge wastage of water. A draft notification by the Environment Ministry seeks user’s views on banning RO purifiers in areas where water conforms to BIS norms. Posted on 06 Feb, 2020 05:18 PM

The use of reverse osmosis (RO) purifiers has become a contentious issue, mainly because of the amount of water that is wasted following its use.

Water filter use, safety or luxury? (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Perils, politics and prospects of groundwater in India
How can India change the game on groundwater management to deal with its overexploited aquifers? Posted on 05 Feb, 2020 03:15 PM

After independence, India was largely food insecure but post Green Revolution around the 1970s, foodgrain production increased manifold consequently reducing food insecurity and poverty in the country, in spite of rapid population growth. Its ability to achieve targeted results was largely dependent on the explosion of groundwater abstraction mechanisms like tubewells.

An irrigation well at Randullabad, Maharashtra. (Image source: India Water Portal on Flickr)
What's there for water in the budget kitty?
Budget fails to allocate enough to turn the rhetoric of tap water to each household into reality. Posted on 02 Feb, 2020 01:46 PM

Union Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the decade's first union budget in the parliament on 1st February 2020. While presenting budget for 2020-2021, she started with the country’s vision for the decade in which she emphasised on water management and clean rivers as one of the 10 points of vision for the country.

The budget allocation suggests that the predominant focus of the Ministry of Jal Shakti continues to be on water resources development rather than water resources governance or management (Image: Brian Gratwicke, Flickr Commons, CC BY 2.0)
Mountain women bear the brunt of climate change
There is a need to enable a conducive action oriented environment to address entrenched gendered vulnerabilities. Posted on 01 Feb, 2020 09:02 AM

Climate change impacts are disproportionate and influence lives and livelihoods variedly. One crucial determinant of these disproportionate impacts is gender. Existing social norms determine roles and responsibilities, entitlements and capabilities, thereby influencing the individual perceptions of shocks and susceptibility which vary across gender groups.

Women stand to be highly vulnerable in most cases to the changes in the climate and its extremes. (Image: Bo Nielson, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Call for nominations - Training-cum-Workshop on Water Resources Management for NGOs and Media Personnel’s at National Water Academy
A two days training-cum-workshop on Water Resources Management for NGOs and Media Personnel is planned at National Water Academy, Pune during 26-27 March 2020.
Posted on 31 Jan, 2020 11:18 AM

Brief Content:

Life thrives in wetlands- An Event
To mark the World Wetlands Day, Wetlands International South Asia is organizing a half day event on 2nd February, 2020 at India International Centre, New Delhi.
Posted on 30 Jan, 2020 03:59 PM

Micropollutants in groundwater, a grave concern
A study finds that a number of locations in the country have high concentrations of micropollutants in groundwater posing a risk to health and environment. Posted on 30 Jan, 2020 01:03 PM

Groundwater pollution due to organic micropollutants is becoming a major cause of concern in many parts of the world, where water resources are on the decline. India is the largest user of groundwater and the presence of micropollutants in groundwater has been a growing concern. What do studies on micropollutants in groundwater in India show?

Groundwater contamination, a serious concern (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Ramsar tag granted to ten more wetlands
News this week Posted on 30 Jan, 2020 10:36 AM

10 more wetlands in the country are now Ramsar sites

A wetland in Punjab (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Monitoring guidelines for sand mining released
Policy matters this week Posted on 29 Jan, 2020 11:39 PM

Guidelines to monitor illegal sand mining released

For the first time, the Environment Ministry has released Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining 2020 to monitor and check illegal sand mining in the country.

Illegal sand mining continues in the country unabated (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Rubber monoculture: Death knell for agrobiodiversity
A study looks at the subjective well-being of an indigenous community of Tripura amidst the transition from shifting cultivation to monoculture of natural rubber. Posted on 29 Jan, 2020 04:44 PM

People tend to be happier and reinvigorated in green spaces. Agrobiodiversity - the number and abundance of different species in particular systems is known to promote happiness. It ensures the resilience of ecosystem services such as food production, climate regulation, and pest management that in turn underpin human wellbeing.

Tripura had the highest rate of growth of rubber plantation during the first decade of the millennium as compared to any other state (Image: Flickr Commons)
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