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)
Conference report: The Anil Agarwal Dialogue on "Excreta does matter", organised by Centre for Science and Environment on 4-5 March 2013 at New Delhi
Where will India get its fresh water from in the coming years ? What is the state of the sewage system in the country ? Posted on 12 Mar, 2013 03:23 PM

A close examination of these two issues shows that the water and sewage challenge is already grave and could get worse. With this as the backdrop, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, organised a two day conference called the Anil Agarwal Dialogue on “Excreta does matter”. The conference took place at the Jacaranda Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 4 and 5 March 2013.

The dialogue aimed at furthering the agenda of CSE’s seventh State of India’s Environment report titled Excreta Matters. This report is a comprehensive survey of the situation of water and wastewater management in 71 Indian cities. The study found that most cities lack a basic policy direction on how best to tackle issues of demand, supply and treatment of water, and of management of sewage. 

The Dialogue being the first of its kind brought together a wide range of professionals, activists, practitioners, policy makers, academicians, researchers and administrators from the water sector. The event was aimed at drawing attention on the critical issues of how cities will get affordable and sustainable water and waste systems that can supply to all and take back and treat the sewage of all.

CSE Conference logo

Bangalore garbage finds dumping place in Mandur: Civic body promises better infrastructure projects in exchange - Roundup of the week’s news (March 4- March 10, 2013)
Roundup of the week’s news (March 4- March 10, 2013)
Posted on 11 Mar, 2013 11:42 PM

Bangalore garbage finds dumping place in Mandur: Civic body promises better infrastructure projects for communities living there

Water in movies: Exploring the role of water in mainstream media and popular culture
This article by Priya Desai deals with how water has been treated in many ways in film - as a theme, as an issue or simply as a beautiful backdrop for a great story. Posted on 11 Mar, 2013 03:20 PM

From the serious to the absurd, water has featured across a breadth of movies, both in Hollywood and Bollywood.

Manuals for preparation of detailed project report for rural piped water supply schemes by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation
The MoDWS has prepared manuals, to implement the works related to piped water supply scheme in planned manner. Posted on 08 Mar, 2013 05:33 PM

The works have to done maintaining appropriate standards and quality of the schemes, and ensure their completion in time. The manuals are prepared keeping in mind the activities mentioned in the 12th five year plan.

Uniform drinking water quality monitoring protocol- A document by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (2013)
This document by MoDWS provides a set of protocols that aims to standardise the requirements for setting up and ensure proper functioning of water quality testing laboratories. Posted on 07 Mar, 2013 08:36 PM

These protocols are suggestive in nature and will be useful for laboratory personnel, water supply engineers and policy makers working in the drinking water sector operating at State, District and Sub-district levels.

#SparkTheRise Twitter conference on ‘Water sustainability - A key to our future’, by Mahindra and Ashoka India
Mahindra Rise and Ashoka India jointly organised a three-hour global Tweetchat on the topic on Thursday March 7 2013. Priya Desai reports. Posted on 07 Mar, 2013 11:03 AM

Mahindra Rise Ashoka India

Budget 2013: Highlights from the water sector - Roundup of the week’s news (February 25- March 3, 2013)
Roundup of the week’s news is presented below - Posted on 04 Mar, 2013 05:31 PM

Budget 2013: Highlights from the water sector

Mumbai to get India's longest 'water metro' - Updates from the Resource and Information Network for the Coasts' March 2013 newsletter
This article presents the highlights of the TRINet newsletter Posted on 01 Mar, 2013 10:29 PM

TRINet logo

The March edition of the TRINet has the following highlights:

Strategies for achieving environmental sustainability in rural development - A report by United Nations Development Programme
This report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) presents strategies for inclusive rural development embodying the principles of environmental sustainability. Posted on 23 Feb, 2013 10:22 AM

This report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) presents strategies for inclusive rural development embodying the principles of environmental sustainability. It recommends measures needed to achieve green, including measuring and tracking, the use incentives and the building of capacities. It also contains a number of case studies showing how green results can be achieved.

Anthropogenic activities leads to deterioration of groundwater quality: A study of Mayyanad and Edamulakkal panchayats of Kollam district in Kerala
Kerala is a rain blessed state in the country, but due to its slanting topography there is significant decline in the ground water levels leading to severe water scarcity. This paper sheds light on groundwater quality issues in two panchayats of Kerala Posted on 22 Feb, 2013 10:07 AM

Kerala is a rain blessed state in the country. It has highest  number of wells, when compared with other states. However due to its slanting topography there is significant decline in the ground water levels leading to severe water scarcity during summer months in most districts of the state. Further over extraction and dependence of groundwater for domestic use from the dug wells especially in rural pockets has resulted in several groundwater problems. In this backdrop the paper in  The Ecosan- An International Quarterly Journal of Environmental Science, sheds light on groundwater quality issues in two panchayats of Kerala.