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)
Saving kunds of Vrindavan
An NGO comes forward to restore the forgotten kunds of Vrindavan which are not just historical marvels but are also freshwater sources. Posted on 23 Sep, 2017 12:16 PM

Vrindavan, the small dusty twin town of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, has a special place in the Hindu mythology. This is where Lord Krishna is believed to have spent most of his childhood and adolescence. The river Yamuna straddles through the town, a hot destination for thousands of devotees lining up for a dip in it every day.

Ancient man-made small water bodies known as kunds are being revived through an NGO's efforts. (Image source: Braj Foundation)
Ousteri lake needs help!
A large part of Ousteri lake has been converted into commercial, non-agricultural purposes. A video tells us why it is important to restore it. Posted on 19 Sep, 2017 12:04 PM

Ousteri lake is the largest water body in the Puducherry region.

Ousteri lake (Source: Screenshot from the film Ousteri Lake)
Assam's fluorosis problem: When nature serves poison
Fluoride contamination is leaving Assam villagers crippled. While a solution is not difficult to reach, authorities are not doing enough to eradicate the problem. Posted on 15 Sep, 2017 08:18 AM

Sadhani Kalita is only 35 years old but looks like she could be 50 years or older. She has lost her teeth and both her legs are misshapen with the ankles twisted.

Anjila Khatun and her children of Tapatjuri village in Hojai district suffer from skeletal fluorosis.
Wetlands wait to be saved
No wetlands have been notified in Delhi-NCR since the wetlands rules were brought out in 2010. Meanwhile, draft wetlands rules are set to decentralise its management to states. Posted on 14 Sep, 2017 10:52 AM

In the afternoons these days, Basai wears a deserted look. Known as a bird’s delight and privileged by the protected status of a national park, the wetland is located just eight kilometres from Sultanpur bird sanctuary in Gurugram in Haryana. No birds can be spotted foraging the soil of the Basai wetland or its waters.

Sun sets on a water body inside Keoladeo National Park. (Image: Swati Sidhu, Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-4.0)
Removing chromium from polluted water using hyacinth
A new method for removing chromium-6, a highly toxic heavy metal, from waste water has been developed by a group of scientists from India and Ethiopia. Posted on 07 Sep, 2017 04:59 PM

Heavy metal poisoning is a growing concern in many parts of the country. A new method for removing chromium-6, a highly toxic heavy metal, from waste water has been developed by a group of scientists from India and Ethiopia. They claim it to be low-cost and safe.

Water hyacinth. Image courtesy India Water Portal.
A Data Journey in Odisha
How Balasore became recognised as a fluorosis-affected district in Odisha Posted on 06 Sep, 2017 02:22 PM

Back in 2015, the Member of Parliament (MP) from Balasore, Odisha got to know about a strange problem in his constituency. There were reports of a number of bone deformities and crippled people in areas surrounding Patripal village of Remuna block. They seemed to be related to fluoride in water, causing a disease called Skeletal Fluorosis.

2015–16 Fluoride data of Remuna, Balasore, Odisha
Combating climate change with nanomaterials
Researchers are looking to tiny materials to clean up air, water and land. Posted on 05 Sep, 2017 10:00 AM

The list of environmental problems that the world faces may be huge, but some strategies for solving them are remarkably small.

Photo of pollution-absorbing nanosponge courtesy of Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Ganapati idol immersion continues despite ban
News this week Posted on 30 Aug, 2017 05:28 AM

Despite ban, immersion of Ganpati idols made of PoP continue in Bengaluru lakes

Ganesh Visarjan (Source: Wikimedia commons via Chetan Gole)
UP's religious smart city plan gets rejected
Policy matters this week Posted on 22 Aug, 2017 09:55 PM

Committee rejects UP's plan for a religious hi-tech smart city 

Ganga at Garhmukteshwar (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Flood situation improves in Bihar and West Bengal
News this week Posted on 22 Aug, 2017 09:34 PM

Bihar floods: Fear of epidemic looms large

Army engaged in rescue operations. (Photo by Pranab Kumar)
×