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
To Sir, with love and belief
Dr G.D. Agarwal fought to protect the river Ganga till his last breath. Posted on 15 Oct, 2018 02:26 PM

Dr G.D. Agrawal passed away on October 11, 2018. He was 86 years old. But he didn’t die of old age. After 111 days of fasting, he died of a heart attack. Why was he fasting? We will come to that in a while. 

Dr G.D. Agarwal (Pic by Sidwanshu Kumar)
State of drinking water supply schemes in Rajasthan
The CAG’s performance audit on Rajasthan observes various deficiencies in the implementation of drinking water supply schemes. Posted on 11 Oct, 2018 11:24 AM

On March 16, 2017, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India began a performance audit of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) by discussing with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation the scope and methodology of the performance audit. Records relating to the implementation of the programme in 27 states for the five-year period (2012 to 2017) were examined.

Water schemes are not planned properly affecting their performance in Rajasthan. (Photo: IWP flickr photos)
Swachh Bharat Mission: It’s all about numbers
As Swachh Bharat Mission is racing towards its 2019 deadline, a CAG report reveals that sanitation is not a one-time exercise and there is a need to look beyond the deadline. Posted on 02 Oct, 2018 11:06 PM

We have just a year to go for Swachh Bharat Mission’s (SBM) deadline of making India open-defecation free (ODF). In the last four years, the government has built 86.08 million toilets (as on September 26, 2018) throughout the country as a part of this flagship programme on providing safe sanitation to all by October 2019.

Sanitation is not just about constructing toilets. (Image: India Water Portal)
Kerala floods and after
The reason behind Kerala floods is a lot more than what the CWC wants us to believe. Posted on 27 Sep, 2018 05:11 PM

Every time there is a huge flood in India with massive loss of lives and extensive physical damage, there is a hue and cry. Especially, if this takes place in an area not normally prone to such floods. Assam and Bihar, for instance, are regularly laid waste by floods and so, there is not much agitation over that anymore.

The floods in Kerala have taken nearly 400 lives and have displaced around 1.2 million people. (Image: Ranjith Siji via Wikimedia Commons)
Jaundice grips Raipur
Faulty pipelines and lack of proper sewage treatment plants are some of the causes of increasing jaundice cases in Raipur. Posted on 20 Sep, 2018 04:09 PM

The family of Somesh Manikpuri of Amasivani colony in Raipur is still in shock of his sudden demise from jaundice in May this year. Six similar deaths have been reported from Raipur since April 2018. Memsingh Chandrakar, a resident of Naharpara, another locality in Raipur, was also affected by jaundice in May.

A view of the Shakti Nagar slum area in Raipur. (Source: India Water Portal)
Delhi stands up for its trees
As Delhi gears up for expansion, concerns regarding the environment and the poor continue to be overlooked. Posted on 20 Aug, 2018 11:28 AM

Recently, Delhi saw an urban Chipko movement of sorts with the people coming out in large numbers with a single agenda—save the last of the trees left in the city. In the famous Chipko movement of 1973, local communities in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand emblematically embraced trees to demand an end to deforestation through forest exploiting contractors.

People of Delhi came out in large numbers recently and kick-started a movement to save trees. (Image: Delhi Trees SOS)
Maharashtra’s plastic ban: Another missed opportunity?
The blanket ban on plastic has missed an opportunity to show how government and citizens can work together to deal with the plastic menace. Posted on 09 Aug, 2018 11:03 AM

The recent plastic ban in Maharashtra has opened a can of worms and has raised many uncomfortable questions—about the setting of rules with clarity and foresight, better research to understand the challenges in implementing them and the role of citizens in making it a success.

Increasing plastic waste is a problem in Maharashtra. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
The Mahanadi tussle: Why Chhattisgarh and Odisha spar
A video provides an overview of the water conflict between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi. Posted on 08 Aug, 2018 05:08 PM

The interstate dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi's water is an ongoing one and it looks like both the state governments have no interest in finding a long-term solution.

The Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi (Source: India Water Portal)
Toxins on our plate
There is a need for better regulation and monitoring to bring toxin-free food to the Indian market. Posted on 08 Aug, 2018 03:45 PM

“The recent scare due to the detection of formalin-laced fish across Goa, Kerala, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Meghalaya points to a link between water quality and food safety. Fish traders find it cost-effective to use formalin, a carcinogen, instead of ice to prevent the decomposition of fish during transportation to distant markets.

The quality of food products and their safety are mostly decided at the primary production stage itself which is unregulated. (Image: Masahiro Ihara, Flickr Commons CC BY 2.0)
Trash out: People get together to clean the Himalayas
The Himalayan Cleanup where people collected and sorted trash threw up useful information on the main culprits behind trash piles in the Himalayas. Posted on 06 Aug, 2018 10:50 AM

My first trek in the Himalayas was a transcendental experience. Even a decade after, I remember the intense beauty of every vignette I came across. That’s why I was excited about the Himalayan Cleanup, held on May 26 this year.

Volunteers sort plastic trash during the cleanup. (Pic courtesy: Zero Waste Himalaya)
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