Drinking and other Domestic Uses

Featured Articles
December 21, 2022 While drinking water coverage in rural India has improved, has it also improved reliability and safety of drinking water? This CEEW brief explores and analyses the available data to find out.
Adequate and safe drinking water, a valuable resource in rural India (Image Source: McKay Savage via Wikimedia Commons)
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
December 13, 2022 WaterAid India’s partnership with USAID and Gap Inc. benefits 2400 villages across 7 districts of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra

WaterAid has focused on establishing community-led water quality monitoring & surveillance (Image: Anil Gulati/India Water Portal Flickr)
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)
July 20, 2022 This study found a high concentration of trihalomethanes (THMs) in water treatment plants in Delhi that were associated with increased risk of cancer.
What's in your tap water (Image Source: India Water Portal)
May 25, 2022 Enabling a culture of data sharing between programs and reuse of data
Participatory programs such as JJM require a large amount of village-level information on water (Image: Arpit Deomurar, FES)
Coping with droughts: Gender matters
A study finds women are hit the hardest during droughts due to food and water scarcity, loss of income and a range of health problems resulting from it. Posted on 08 May, 2019 12:38 PM

Droughts are one of the most feared natural calamities impacting agriculture and food production as well as the morale of millions of farmers in India. Recent studies show that the frequency of droughts is increasing.

Women are burdened with household tasks such as collecting water. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Namami Gange: Only 10 out of 100 sewage projects done
Policy matters this week Posted on 07 May, 2019 03:49 PM

Under Namami Gange mission, only 10 out of 100 new sewage projects completed

Polythene bags and solid waste left behind as water recedes in the Ganga river. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
MGNREGA fails to help drought-hit states
Policy matters this week Posted on 01 May, 2019 07:07 PM

MGNREGA's performance unsatisfactory in drought-stricken districts in 2018-19

Labourers build check dams under MGNREGA. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Mapping pollution hotspots in Yamuna
A sensor network system is being used for mapping and monitoring the water quality of river Yamuna. Posted on 01 May, 2019 10:38 AM

The Yamuna was considered a nurturing and life-enhancing goddess in the past. Legend has it that bathing in the sacred waters of the Yamuna, the sister of Yama, the god of death, frees one from the ordeal of death. The 1376-km river is a tributary of the Ganga and originates in the Yamunotri glacier in the lower Himalayas.

A project, conceptualised by a team of researchers from the University of Chicago, US helps demonstrate that scalable water quality mapping systems can detect and predict water contamination (Image:India Water Portal)
Water management: Still a neglected electoral issue?
India is facing a major water crisis and a number of water sector challenges remain unaddressed even today. Posted on 25 Apr, 2019 12:04 PM

India is on the brink of a major water crisis. With drought looming over the southern and western parts of the country, the existing water resources are in peril. Rivers are getting more polluted, their catchments, water-holding and water-harvesting mechanisms are deteriorating and groundwater levels are depleting at an alarming rate.

India's water woes need urgent attention. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Flourishing water markets in Darjeeling
Better governance and equitable as well as sustainable use of water resources are essential to solving the deepening water crisis in Darjeeling. Posted on 15 Apr, 2019 02:36 PM

"Darjeeling today has a thriving water business, with a fleet of 105 trucks plying three or four trips a day from April to June, carrying 5500 to 6500 litres of water on each run"

Private water tankers, a common sight in urban areas. (Source: India Water Portal)
How mining ruined lives and livelihoods
Illegal stone quarries have changed the face of Birbhum district where villagers are finding it difficult to survive due to contaminated water and pollution. Posted on 03 Apr, 2019 10:13 AM

Koley Kisku, a primary school student at Ranipur village at Rampurhat block in Birbhum district of West Bengal suffers from a thyroid gland related ailment that has partially affected his ability to speak. His school mates say that the 11-year-old could speak normally till a few years ago but he began to lose his voice.

Labourers crush stones at illegal stone quarries. (Pic: Gurvinder Singh)
Technology helps provide access to safe drinking water
Piramal Sarvajal's water ATMs are a good example of community-level decentralised drinking water solutions that are sustainable. Posted on 22 Mar, 2019 12:37 PM

According to WASH watch report (2017), over 150 million people in India live without access to safe drinking water. A majority of these people reside in underserved or unserved sections of the society that lives beyond the pipe. As a result, they are dependent on water sources that are not safe for drinking, leading to waterborne diseases.

Piramal Sarvajal’s water ATM.
UN Environment Assembly adopts India's two resolutions
Policy matters this week Posted on 20 Mar, 2019 12:37 PM

UN Environment Assembly adopts resolutions on single-use plastics, nitorgen management piloted by India

Recycling of single-use plastic is a global challenge. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
An integrated approach to water quality management
Chemical contamination of drinking water is a significant health concern in India, one we haven’t realised the magnitude of. Practitioners across sectors must come together to tackle this issue. Posted on 18 Mar, 2019 03:58 PM

Fluoride, arsenic, nitrate, and other chemicals in drinking water pose significant health risks (such as fluorosis and arsenicosis) to o

Photo courtesy: Arjun Swaminathan
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