Contamination, Pollution and Quality

Featured Articles
December 16, 2022 In this article, we will understand how the WQM course is continuing to influence the needs of learners that come from diverse backgrounds. The course model also offers core insights to many others who would like to engage in a virtual training program.
During a WQM course, a field team member from INREM facilitating a demonstration
September 9, 2022 Highlights from a new report released by iFOREST
An old coal-fired power plant has been dumping vast quantities of ash out in the open for many years. (Image: Lundrim Aliu/ World Bank; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
September 5, 2022 In an attempt to present a perspective on how rivers are used and abused, a map of the Bengaluru rivers illustrate how waste flows through natural river corridors, polluting the rivers and altering their status.
Vrishabhavathi river flow at Thagachguppe Bridge, Kumbalgodu (Image Source: Paani.Earth)
August 27, 2022 Study looks at microplastic types in lakes of Ladakh
(Vinay Goel, Wikimedia Commons)
August 19, 2022 Better access to clean water coupled with health education to bring about changes in behaviour are critical to prevent exposure to dangerous cholera bacteria that lurk in untreated waters.
The hidden threat of cholera in India (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
August 11, 2022 This could lead to water quality crisis reinforcing the need for basin-specific management strategies
Around the world, more than a fifth of nitrogen released by human activity ends up in aquatic ecosystems (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
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)
Delhi’s e-waste problem
Toxic heavy metals from electronic waste piles in Delhi contaminate groundwater and soil. Posted on 21 Jan, 2018 08:49 AM

Widespread use of digital devices--mobile phones, tablets, computers, smart watches and more--has made electronic waste a new environmental problem. Discarded gadgets result in massive piles of e-waste, which is contaminating soil and groundwater in the national capital, a new study has pointed out. 

Heavy metals from e-waste leach into the ground polluting the groundwater and soil.
The 3rd National Summit Sustainable Water & Sanitation India kicks off in Bengaluru
Experts from government, NGOs and industry gathered at the Sheraton Grande Hotel for the two day summit. Posted on 19 Jan, 2018 09:52 AM

Sustainable water supply and sanitation has become extremely important due to the increase in water scarcity, the impact of climate change and the need for adaptation, and the increasing demand in water and competition among different usages.

National Summit Sustainable Water and Sanitation kicks off in Bangalore
A step towards better air, water
Four new projects launched for real-time monitoring of air and water quality. Posted on 17 Jan, 2018 09:58 AM

Four new research and development projects for real-time monitoring of air and water quality were today launched jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Corporate Research Council of Intel.

Real-time monitoring of air and water quality can reduce pollution. (Source: IWP Flickr photos, photo for representation only)
Purify water safely
Ultraviolet lamps free of mercury developed to purify water. Posted on 17 Jan, 2018 09:49 AM

The use of ultraviolet lamps in water purifiers is common but the presence of mercury in these lamps could be potentially hazardous. Now a group of Indian scientists have developed a mercury-free ultraviolet lamp that can be used in water purifiers.

The new mercury free UV lamp water purifier.
Pest gene to kill pesticides
Researchers isolate a pest gene that can help fight pesticide contamination in environment. Posted on 11 Jan, 2018 03:09 PM

Persistent use of chemical pesticides to increase crop productivity has led to their accumulation in soil, water and even food. Now a group of researchers from Pune have isolated an enzyme from a pest and found that it can be used to clean up pesticide residues from food and environment.

A new gene from pests can destroy the pesticide residues in food and environment. (Source: IWP Flickr photos; photo for representation only)
Stubble burning banned, farmers stumped
While banning stubble burning is a positive step towards reducing air pollution in the Delhi-NCR sector, the farmers need support from the government to adopt measures to enable smooth crop rotation. Posted on 07 Jan, 2018 06:20 PM

Amar Singh sits in his huge courtyard at the centre of his home in the village of Atraula in Meerut. Lying in the far west part of Uttar Pradesh, this is a flourishing sugarcane belt. An important agricultural region, its demographic, economic and cultural patterns are similar to that of nearby Haryana and Rajasthan.

A large amount of crop residues are available in western UP and most of these are burnt in the field (Image: Ed Dunens, Flickr Commons)
Save Thane Creek
The rich biodiversity of Thane Creek needs to be protected for it supports various flora and fauna with flamingos as its major attraction. Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 03:53 PM

Thane Creek is an inlet along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea that isolates the city of Mumbai from the Indian mainland. It is Asia's largest creek with a length of 26 km. The creek is lined up with mangroves on both sides and plays host to a lot of species ranging from iconic flamingos to tiny crabs. 

Thane Creek (Source: GIZ)
Hotels and industries polluting the Ganga to be sealed
Policy matters this week Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 11:43 AM

Hotels, industries, ashrams polluting the Ganga to be sealed

Ganga river at Sangam, Allahabad (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Cauvery loaded with toxins
News this week Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 11:10 AM

Cauvery found to be the most toxic river in the country 

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
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