People and Organisations

Spending a summer building scalable water access in rural India
A young college graduate shares his experience working with Tata Trusts in Assam on water issues. Posted on 25 Jul, 2019 04:08 PM

This summer I had the incredible opportunity, to work with the Tata Trusts and their Tata Water Mission (TWM) initiative, exploring avenues to provide scalable water access to stakeholders in rural communities.

Stream Network in Tezpur, Assam. Image credit: Rohit Sar
Springing back to life
CHIRAG in Uttarakhand works with communities to revive local springs to achieve water security. Posted on 25 Jul, 2019 12:48 PM

In popular imagination, steeped in consumer culture, the hills are exotic and aesthetically sublime places to find solace away from busy urban life. This kind of imagination conveniently ignores and de-contextualizes the hills and the problems they face today. The Himalayas, often known as the Water Tower of Asia, are revered because many of the world's important rivers originate from them.

Image source: Water Practitioners Network
The many facets to the fluoride problem in Chikkaballapur, Karnataka
INREM Foundation and The Fluoride Network have worked in Chikkaballapur extensively, to battle the problem of fluoride contamination in groundwater. Posted on 11 Jul, 2019 03:26 PM

Chikkaballapur is a district in the state of Karnataka, just north of the capital Bengaluru. A peri-urban area that was once an agricultural centre for this region, today Chikkaballapur is facing a unique problem. 

A can of 20 litres of RO filtered water costs around Rs. 20 in Chikballapur. Image credit: Karthik Seshan
Technology helps provide access to safe drinking water
Piramal Sarvajal's water ATMs are a good example of community-level decentralised drinking water solutions that are sustainable. Posted on 22 Mar, 2019 12:37 PM

According to WASH watch report (2017), over 150 million people in India live without access to safe drinking water. A majority of these people reside in underserved or unserved sections of the society that lives beyond the pipe. As a result, they are dependent on water sources that are not safe for drinking, leading to waterborne diseases.

Piramal Sarvajal’s water ATM.
An integrated approach to water quality management
Chemical contamination of drinking water is a significant health concern in India, one we haven’t realised the magnitude of. Practitioners across sectors must come together to tackle this issue. Posted on 18 Mar, 2019 03:58 PM

Fluoride, arsenic, nitrate, and other chemicals in drinking water pose significant health risks (such as fluorosis and arsenicosis) to o

Photo courtesy: Arjun Swaminathan
Dumping waste effectively
Three environment-friendly ways of disposing of human waste have proven effective in various districts of Chhattisgarh. Posted on 16 Mar, 2019 03:51 PM

According to the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) website, access to toilets has improved in India and 28 out of 36 states and Union Territories are now open defecation free (ODF). While that’s good news, managing faecal sludge in ODF states in an eco-friendly way continues to be a big challenge. 

Evapotranspiration community toilet at Shankarnagar, Kumhari (Source: India Water Portal)
Moving beyond just building toilets
Though the statistics and numbers from the Swachh Bharat Mission indicate success, there are still gaps within the programme that need to be examined. Posted on 30 Jan, 2019 11:04 AM

One of the most laudable initiatives of the current government’s regime is the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) that was launched on Oct 2, 2014, with a larger vision of a clean India.

Photo courtesy: Shelter Associates
The Naga Pride
The film, The Naga Pride tells the story of the transformation of a Naga tribe from being Amur falcon hunters to protectors. Posted on 17 Dec, 2018 08:42 PM

Amur falcons are among the strongest fliers in the avian world. Since the last 25 years, they have been migrating to the Northeast especially Nagaland from Siberia en route to their final destination—Somalia, Kenya and South Africa. 

Amur Falcons (Screenshot of the film The Naga Pride, Source: Sumanth Kuduvalli)
Green gold on fire
The film Green Gold on Fire provides insights into the impacts of forest fire on communities and environment in Jammu and Kashmir. Posted on 15 Dec, 2018 05:54 PM

Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India where forest fires are reported almost every season. As per Indian state of forest report 2017, India saw a 46 percent increase in the number of forest fires in the last 16 years. Forest fires not only affect the flora and fauna of the region but they also pollute the environment and lead to climate change by increasing greenhouse gases.

Forest fire (Source: Abdul Rashid)
The Birdman of Chorao
The documentary, Birdman of Chorao tells the story of Uday Mandrekar’s selfless efforts in protecting the mangroves in Chorao. Posted on 14 Dec, 2018 09:33 PM

Uday Mandrekar (40) is a popular boatman on the Chorao island of Goa. He is known for his formidable knowledge on birds in the area so much so that he is often referred to as the bird man of Chorao. He is a private boatman and a tourist guide who can take you deep into the mangroves and waterways of the island.

Uday Mandrekar (Source: Shashank Bhosale)
×