Citizens' Rights and Duties

Featured Articles
July 7, 2022 PMAY needs policy commitment to rehabilitate slums in small and medium cities of Gujarat
Need for legal framework for land rights in small and medium cities of Gujarat under PMAY (Image: Homes in the City)
December 6, 2019 A report by the India Rivers Forum highlights the need to focus further than the main stem of the Ganga river.
Distant snow clad mountains, the smaller hills and the Ganga river (Image: Srimoyee Banerjee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
November 21, 2019 A report by NIUA brings to light the chinks in Jaipur's sewage system and suggests some solutions.
Routine check done by the sewage treatment plant staff in Delawas, Jaipur. The plant is part of the ADB best practices projects list. (Image: Asian Development Bank, Flickr Commons)
November 18, 2019 Bangalore's water utility is understaffed, under financed and unable to service the city's water needs.
Image credit: Citizen Matters
November 15, 2019 On World Toilet Day, we bring to light the labour of India’s sewer workers - those who do the unclean work that a Clean India relies on.
Photo credit: Sharada Prasad
Bengaluru hosts the 4th National Summit Sustainable Water & Sanitation
An annual event in Bangalore brought together various stakeholders in water and sanitation to discuss the challenges and way forward. Posted on 20 Jan, 2019 12:00 AM

While India has experienced dynamic growth over the past few years, enormous challenges remain in the water supply and sanitation sector.

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)
Dealing with droughts
There are many reasons why we see more droughts in India these days. Here is all the information that you need to know droughts better. Posted on 13 Dec, 2018 04:20 PM

Droughts are one of the most feared natural calamities in India impacting food production, the economy as well as the morale of millions of farmers in a cou

India will see more droughts in the future. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Mekedatu project: CWC okays, TN objects
Policy matters this week Posted on 04 Dec, 2018 03:09 PM

CWC allows preparation of DPR while TN objects to the Mekedatu project on the Cauvery river

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
The tragic tale of Erai
The polluted Erai river needs to be restored before it completely dies and leaves the people dependent on it searching for drinking water. Posted on 30 Nov, 2018 10:56 AM

The Erai river, the main tributary of the Wardha river, is the lifeline for the people of Chandrapur in Maharashtra. It primarily supplies water to the Chandrapur city and Chandrapur super thermal power station (CSTPS). Since 1984, after the initiation of operations of M/s CSTPS and Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), the river has begun to get polluted and is now gasping for breath.

The Erai river (Source: India Water Portal)
SAFE solution to Kalikapur's water problem
While potable water dispensing units provided under WASH has come as a boon to Kalikapur slum residents, they struggle to meet other water needs due to lack of piped water. Posted on 15 Nov, 2018 09:54 AM

Basanti Haldar (45) has been living in a slum at Kalikapur in Kolkata for over two decades. She works as a domestic help in an upscale locality in the neighbourhood. She is happy nowadays due to an increase in her income. 

Nila Shaw collects water from the ADU. (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)
From river to sewer, Paondhoi waits for redemption
Will Saharanpur city’s proposed smart city tag help revive the Paondhoi river once again? Posted on 12 Nov, 2018 11:16 AM

River Paondhoi is best known today as a sewer running through Saharanpur city. Originally, however, it was an important source of drinking water for the city. In its heyday, the water of the river ran ankle deep, just enough to wash one’s feet. People coming into the city would wash their feet in the river giving it the name, Paondhoi.

The Paondhoi with hazardous materials and pollutants dumped into it. (Image: India Water Portal)
Vidarbha farmer's date with success
Farmer Thangavel tastes success with date farming in the drought-prone region of Vidarbha. Posted on 30 Oct, 2018 10:12 AM

In a drought-prone region like Vidarbha in Maharashtra, mostly in the news for water scarcity and farmer suicide, it is not every day that you hear the success story of a farmer. That's why the story of Savi Thangavel, 69, a resident of Mohegaon village which is just 22 km from Nagpur, is special.

Thangavel date farm (Source: India Water Portal)
Tech to tackle sewer deaths
With government apathetic towards sewer deaths from manual scavenging, individuals and organisations are coming up with tech solutions to stop the practice. Posted on 21 Oct, 2018 11:44 AM

Anil (40) died on September 14, 2018 while clearing a block in a sewage line at Dabri, a locality in north-west Delhi. Cleaners hired by state governments and civic bodies are supposed to be provided safety equipment like gas masks, goggles, gumshoes, gloves, safety belt etc. Yet, Anil was unprotected when he died of asphyxiation due to the presence of poisonous gas in the gutter.

Women who took part at the India SaniTech Forum say that they want to ensure there are no more deaths from manual scavenging. (Image: India Water Portal)
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