News and Articles

Looking for water source
The annual monsoon provides over 200 lakh crore buckets of water. Where does all this water come from? Posted on 19 Dec, 2017 05:18 PM

It rains about 900 mm during a normal monsoon year over India and if we assume that about 80 percent of India is covered by this rain, then the estimated volume of water is well over 200 lakh crore buckets. It comes to two lakh buckets per person. Where does all this water come from? 

A map that shows warm Indian Ocean temperatures in colours and thin contours and blue thick contours that delineate major moisture sources for the monsoon.
Plastic waste to decontaminate water
Scientists use plastic waste to develop a low-cost magnetically responsive adsorbent material which can be used to remove cephalexin from the water. Posted on 15 Dec, 2017 07:36 PM

Recycling is the only option to handle plastic waste at present. Now Indian scientists have found a new use for plastic waste--for decontamination of water.

Plastic waste has a new purpose now. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Meenachil river warriors shine
Meenachil Nadee Samrakshana Samithi wins the Bhagirath Prayas Samman for its efforts to save Kerala's Meenachil river from total destruction. Posted on 14 Dec, 2017 07:18 PM

The scenic sublimity of the Meenachil river is immortalised by Arundhati Roy in her Booker prize-winning novel, The God of Small Things. Roy skilfully presents the river flowing through the Aymanam village as a victim of human greed and callousness. The river is described in the book as a beautiful one that turns an ugly waste dump into which anything could be flung.

The president and the secretary of the Meenachal Nadee Samrakshana Samithi receive the Bhagirath Prayas Samman 2017 award from justice Madan Lokur of the Supreme Court of India.
Old is gold for Naga rice farmers
Faced with climate change, Nagaland begins to revive traditional rice, as well as millet varieties, which had given way to high yielding crop varieties. Posted on 14 Dec, 2017 10:56 AM

Rising temperature, erratic rainfall and occurrence of moderate drought are beginning to impact food production in Nagaland. In order to meet the challenge of climate change, the state is now turning to its forgotten resource--traditional food crops which can withstand higher temperatures and water-stressed conditions.

Paddy farm. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Is it worth the salt?
Unregulated salt production near Sambhar lake is not just causing health problems among salt workers, it is also depleting groundwater and ruining the ecosystem of the wetland. Posted on 12 Dec, 2017 12:22 PM

The fields are silvery white with raw salt crusts in the vicinity of Nawa, a small town on the northwestern banks of Sambhar lake, India’s largest inland lake. Nawa lies about 90 kilometres east of Jaipur. Also an extensive saline wetland and a Ramsar site, the blinding white salt flats stretch as far as one can see.

Ramachander Singh, a salt worker who has been raking salt for decades now at this salt pan or kyari dotting the lake bed of Sambhar, Rajasthan.
World Culture Festival ruined Yamuna floodplains: NGT
Policy matters this week Posted on 12 Dec, 2017 11:54 AM

Art of Living responsible for destroying the Yamuna floodplains: NGT

The front view of the giant stage under construction for the World Culture Festival. (Source: Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan)
Soil health is declining in India: Report
News this week Posted on 12 Dec, 2017 11:24 AM

Carbon content in India's soil decreases

India's soil health needs attention. (Source: IWP Flickr photo)
Saving Chorao through its people
A new project tries to save the ecologically diverse Chorao island by including the inhabitants of the island in conservation efforts. Posted on 10 Dec, 2017 12:37 PM

Located just 5 km away from the capital city of Panaji, Chorao island, along the Mandovi river, is one of the largest islands in Goa. The island has a unique ecosystem that is different from the other sanctuaries in the state.

Chorao island (Source:GIZ)
Why fishermen fear Netravati river diversion
Changing the course of Netravati is feared to affect the fish population in the river which will, in turn, affect the fortunes of the fisherfolk dependent on it. Posted on 09 Dec, 2017 04:36 PM

Rathnakar Salian is a traditional catamaran fisherman from Sasihitlu village in Mangaluru district of Karnataka. He learned how to throw the net, how to pull it out, and how to look for fish in the sea from his father and uncles.

Pipelines wait to be laid for the stormwater lift project. The Karnataka Niravari Nigama Limited (KNNL), which is undertaking the Yettinahole stormwater lift project, is constructing a massive pipeline corridor along the Salkeshpur-Hemavati belt. The project is estimated to be 35 percent complete.
SBM update: Many districts to be open defecation free
Policy matters this week Posted on 05 Dec, 2017 04:10 PM

More than 50 percent districts yet to be declared open defecation free

An open defecation free zone in Salem (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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