News and Articles

India's plastic ban fails to curb plastic pollution
News this fortnight Posted on 09 Oct, 2022 07:17 PM

Experts call India’s single use plastic ban weak, argue that it targets the most vulnerable

Plastic menace in Kufri, Himachal Pradesh (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
No construction allowed on reclaimed land near Mahanadi river: NGT
Policy matters this fortnight Posted on 09 Oct, 2022 07:17 PM

Mahanadi riverfront development plan: NGT refuses allowing construction on reclaimed land

River Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
Deteriorating landscapes and threatened ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir
Rapid urbanisation and faulty land use policies are rapidly destroying forests, grasslands and wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir, India and the ecosystem value services they provide. Can these valuable ecosystems be saved? Posted on 06 Oct, 2022 09:34 PM

Landscapes are important features and shape the economy and survival of a region. However, developmental activities in recent years are not only threatening landscape features, but also affecting landscape ecosystems and livelihoods of people who depend on it.

Deteriorating ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir, India (Image Source: tkohli at Flickr via Wikimedia Commons)
Climate predictions and tipping points
United in science 2022: The world is heading in the wrong direction Posted on 05 Oct, 2022 09:59 PM

Levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2 O) continue to rise.

Cities – responsible for up to 70% of human-caused emissions – will face increasing climate impacts (Image: cocoparisienne, Pixabay)
Shared water commons
Community reflects on how to make villages in Bhilwara water secure Posted on 05 Oct, 2022 10:24 AM

Water is a vital natural resource, but continuous consumption of freshwater sources at an unsustainable r

Discussion with community members of Baghmali village (Image: Ishita Gupta)
Dirty drains 'drain' health
This study found that the sanitary quality of neighbourhood drains, in addition to toilets, affected sanitation and hygiene and incidences of ill-health in rural households. Posted on 26 Sep, 2022 02:00 PM

Poor access to adequate and good quality sanitation and hygiene facilities can give rise to a number of water borne diseases in populations.

Dirty drainages, harbingers of illhealth. Image for representation only (Image Source: SuSanA Secretariat via Wikimedia Commons)
Dengue expands with climate change in India
Dengue is witnessing an alarming rise in India. And climate change induced changes are to blame. This study attempts to predict the present and future distribution of dengue vectors under different climate change scenarios in the country. Posted on 26 Sep, 2022 12:20 AM

Dengue is witnessing an alarming rise in India in recent years and the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (2020) data shows a five fold increase in cases of dengue from 28,066 cases in 2010 to 157,315 cases in 2019.

Dengue and climate change

 	Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, beginning its blood-meal (Image Source: James Gathany, CDC via Wikimedia Commons)
Harnessing energy from wind
Study looks at critical aspects of wind power development Posted on 20 Sep, 2022 10:24 PM

India’s ever-increasing energy demand is putting a heavy load on energy generating agencies. Shifting towards renewable energy entails a series of judicious steps in consultation with the government bodies, energy developers, market valuation, and consumers.

Over 23% of India's energy production comes through renewable energy sources (Image: Eric Wilde, Wikimedia Commons)
Renewable energy sector financing must go up to $600bn to meet 2030 goals
Investors deploying sizable capital as they are confident of India's long-run robust demand for renewable energy (8–10 GW/year) Posted on 20 Sep, 2022 07:51 PM

India is amidst a monumental energy transition—with global consequences. India's population is primed to continuously grow, industrialize, urbanize, and electrify their lives.

RE tariffs will be determined by PV module costs and financing costs.  (Image: ODT, Flickr Commons)
The man behind introducing guava cultivation in Paroo, Bihar
Need for better convergence with government schemes Posted on 20 Sep, 2022 08:38 AM

Successful experiments in farming have benefited the farmers across the world. Harinath Shah, a resident of Dharphari village in Paroo block in Muzaffarpur district in Bihar, has done one such experiment by introducing the cultivation of guava on sandy sand in his village.

Harinath found a new way of self-reliance by cultivating guava on sand
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