News and Articles

Floods can pollute groundwater
A new study finds that flooding in polluted rivers has the potential to make groundwater unsafe for human use. Posted on 03 Nov, 2017 02:56 PM

In December of 2015, when Chennai was flooded and people were marooned, a team of scientists from Anna University was collecting groundwater samples along the Adyar river to investigate if the groundwater in this region was fit for human consumption. 

Floods can impact the microbial quality of groundwater. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Marta’s toilets relieve villagers of OD shame
An American scholar's effort towards building toilets in Uttar Pradesh villages is bringing dignity to the villagers' life by enabling them to give up open defecation. Posted on 03 Nov, 2017 02:03 PM

“Earlier, I'd wait till sunset to answer nature's call. In the morning, I'd wait for others to return from the fields so I could go. Quite often, I had to miss school for this very reason. And I'm grown up now; so having a toilet in the house has become a must," says class IX student Jyoti Gaud, a resident of Tiktha Mussallepur village in Jagatpur.

Marta with one of the villagers. (Source: 101Reporters)
The jewels of Pardi Kupi
Pearl farming could be a profitable occupation for farmers residing on the banks of rivers. Here's the story of a successful pearl farmer. Posted on 03 Nov, 2017 05:15 AM

Pearl farmer Sanjay Gandate (33) was waiting for my arrival at his house in Pardi Kupi in the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra. I had missed my early morning bus to Pardi Kupi and took an autorickshaw instead to reach the village. Sanjay greeted me and took me to Wainganga river.

Clams in Wainganga river (Source: India water portal)
Thermal power plants can now use more water
Policy matters this week Posted on 31 Oct, 2017 09:04 PM

Norms relaxed to allow thermal power plants to use more water

An NTPC thermal plant (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
NCR water bodies disappearing due to urbanisation: Study
News this week Posted on 31 Oct, 2017 08:42 PM

Study says 40 percent of NCR's water bodies lost to urbanisation in 42 years

Barapullah drain in Delhi (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
When elephants and humans cross paths
A video explains how increasing man-animal conflicts can be resolved in a harmonious way. Posted on 30 Oct, 2017 08:37 PM

Elephants enjoy a special place in India. They play a significant role not only in the Indian ecological system but also in its cultural and religious landscape. 

The Asiatic Elephant (Source: Yathin S K, Wikimedia Commons)
Best purifier for borewell water
Borewell water is used for drinking in many parts of India. Here are some purifiers you can use if the water is impure or hard. Posted on 30 Oct, 2017 02:40 PM

In India, most families depend on borewell or well water. Most cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, etc get well or borewell water for drinking. Borewell water is usually safe to drink but it is not 100 percent pure because of its hardness and contamination level.

RO water purifier. Source: https://www.bestrowaterpurifier.in/
Groundwater diviners vs science
In rural farms in India, groundwater exploration is mostly done using diviners or dowsers. They are unreliable and expensive and must be replaced with scientific options. Posted on 30 Oct, 2017 02:22 PM

In many parts of the world including India, groundwater diviners or dowsers are considered to have special powers to precisely find the site that yields groundwater for drilling borewells. Irrespective of the level of literacy, villagers and farmers are highly influenced by these groundwater diviners. 

Unscientific method of using groundwater diviners will only escalate the cost of borewell digging. (Source: India Water Portal)
Alaknanda leaves Uttarakhand villages high and dry
Dams have reduced the Alaknanda to a trickle and altered the socioeconomic fabric of the villages in its course. A living entity status may just save it from damnation. Posted on 27 Oct, 2017 08:17 PM

The river Alaknanda holds a special, sacred place for Indians. One of the two headstreams of the holiest river Ganga, Alaknanda originates from glaciers at the head of the Alaknanda valley in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.

Rajni Devi carries water to her home. (Source: 101Reporters)
Yamuna cleanup: NGT raps Delhi authorities
Policy matters this week Posted on 25 Oct, 2017 10:38 AM

NGT raps authorities for Yamuna cleanup in Delhi 

Children rummage through garbage near the Yamuna river. (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
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