Research Papers

Is your bottled water safe to drink?

A study finds that lack of coordination, poor stakeholder involvement, inadequate training and poor infrastructure hinder the enforcement of bottled water quality standards in India.

Aviram Sharma

Posted on 27 Mar, 2018 01:50 PM

It is a fairly common practice among people to buy bottled drinking water while travelling in India with the hope that it will minimise the risk of getting ill due to contaminated water. But is this water safe to drink?

Many illegal bottled water manufacturers exist in the market. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Arsenic-affected village gets water after two decades

Kaudikasa village’s two decades of struggle with arsenic contamination in drinking water ends with a new government scheme.

Makarand Purohit

Posted on 12 Mar, 2018 05:41 AM

Kaudikasa is a small village with a population of just 350 people in the Ambagad Chowki block of the Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh. Despite its small size, Kaudikasa village has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Severe health problems have been reported from the village, thanks to acute arsenic contamination in its groundwater.

Yuvraj Singh, a former sarpanch of Kaudikasa near the tube well reported to have the highest level of arsenic contamination.

Haphazard measures to combat drought

The widening and deepening of Manjara river to rejuvenate it has not served its purpose of quenching the thirst of Latur city.

Sachin Tiwale

Amit Deshmukh

Posted on 15 Feb, 2018 01:54 PM

The Manjara river rejuvenation work was implemented in Latur, Maharashtra under the leadership of Art of Living and RSS Jankalyan Samiti in the summer of 2016.

The map of Manjara river along with the barrages and the river rejuvenation site. (Source: Authors)

Alternative Futures: India Unshackled

A remarkable, first-ever collection of 35 essays on India’s future, by a diverse set of authors – activists, researchers, media practitioners.

Ashish Kothari

KJ Joy

Posted on 22 Jan, 2018 10:39 AM

Alternative Futures: India Unshackled is a book that brings together scenarios of an India that is politically and socially egalitarian, radically democratic, economically sustainable and equitable, and socio-culturally diverse and harmonious.

Coughing out coal

A study from Chhattisgarh finds that coal mining leads to severe health risks and environmental damage and questions the current policy emphasis on the use of coal for energy generation in India.

Posted on 22 Jan, 2018 10:08 AM

The coal mining sector is all set to receive a boost in India as the government plans to open up the sector to commercial players by 2018.

A villager looks at the changing landscape due to coal mines at Kosampalli village in Raigarh (Image source: IWP photo by Makarand Purohit)

Solar power solves water supply issue

A water supply scheme based on solar power solves the lack of availability of water in a village.

Makarand Purohit

Posted on 10 Jan, 2018 09:28 AM

The Makhala village is located in the Amravati district in the southwestern Satpura mountain ranges. Situated at 959 m above mean sea level, this Maharashtra village has 352 households with a population of 1045. Although accessible by road in all seasons, the village is isolated and surrounded by forests. The nearest village is Semadoh at a distance of 12 km.

Toilet use in Uttarakhand: A mountainous issue

A study from remote villages in rural Uttarakhand finds that toilet use is influenced by geography, accessibility, availability of infrastructure and occupation of villagers.

Kathleen O`Reilly

Richa Dhanju

Abhineeti Goel

Posted on 23 Nov, 2017 02:36 PM

“Sometimes I go for open defecation, sometimes I use the toilet. It’s not like I always have to use the toilet. When I go for work here and there, I defecate in the jungle,” says Renu from one of the remote villages in Tehri Garwal district of Uttarakhand when asked why she does not use latrines every day.

Tanks and canals form the water supply system in a remote Uttarakhand village. (Image source: Chicu Lokgariwar)

Drinking water: Access does not mean safety

A study from rural Maharashtra finds piped water supply does not guarantee safe drinking water. Water treatment, storage and WASH practices influence water quality.

Appasaheb Ghadge and Aina C. Wennberg

Posted on 11 Nov, 2017 12:36 PM

Concerned with contaminated water sources in rural areas, the Centre plans to provide piped water supply (classified as an improved water source by the W

Better drinking water access does not always mean that the water is safe to drink. (Image source: India Water Portal)

Threatened by urbanisation, doomed by restoration

It is not just mindless urbanisation, but flawed restoration efforts by authorities too are responsible for the gradual deterioration of Pashan lake in Pune.

Aarti Kelkar Khambete

Posted on 06 Oct, 2017 06:26 AM

Pashan lake, the pride of Pune, is dying! Water hyacinth continues to invade the lake and pollution levels in the lake are high, threatening its once rich biodiversity. How did this happen?

Pashan lake cries for help. (Image Source: Dharmaraj Patil)

Census data on rural water supply

Aspects of the census data to consider when using it as a data source for rural water supply.

Meghana

Posted on 29 Aug, 2017 02:46 PM

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