Governance

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November 6, 2022 In 2020, 559 million children were affected by four to five heatwaves a year; numbers could increase four-fold by 2050, as per a report by UNICEF
Heat-related mortality is four times higher among children under 1 year of age than in persons aged 1–44 years (Image: Taqver, Wikimedia Commons)
October 22, 2022 Role of MGNREGA in the year after the 2020 lockdown: Survey findings from Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh
MGNREGA provided income support or security to vulnerable households during the pandemic (Image: UN Women)
October 14, 2022 Arthan organizes a fireside chat to highlight the need for more data talent for social impact
There is a need to integrate data science into the existing education system (Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, Public Domain Pictures)
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)
July 14, 2022 The river is faced with the dual problem of flood plain encroachment and growing levels of water pollution
Illegal transverse check dams (Badhals) built on Ichamati near a village in Basirhat (Image: Prithviraj Nath @ TheWaterChronicles)
July 10, 2022 People in India fleeing disasters like drought more likely to have experienced trafficking or modern slavery than those fleeing floods or cyclones
The country's climate change assessment suggests things are only going to get worse (Image: Saurav Karmakar, India Water Portal Flickr)
The invisible face of agriculture
Women farmers need support in the form of resources, technologies, policies and other actions to level the farming field. The first step is to recognise their role in farming. Posted on 16 Jan, 2021 11:14 AM

“Female labour participation has been declining across India from 1990 to 2019. It has declined from 31% to 25% from 2005 to 2010 and further to 20% in 2019. This has contributed to employment loss for women.

Though women are involved in economic activities of the cropping system but their role is negligible in household decision making and participation (Image: PxHere)
Child malnutrition rises in five years, as per NFHS-5 data
The estimated increase in child stunting is only the tip of the iceberg. Posted on 13 Jan, 2021 10:08 AM

Government of India has recently released the data of the first round of National Family Health Survey-5, 2019-20.

Children born between 2014 and 2019 are more malnourished than those before. (Image: PxHere)
Climate change: A look through a gender lens
Women are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Posted on 06 Jan, 2021 02:51 PM

Climate change vulnerability is a multi-layered and multi-faceted phenomenon. “It’s a justice issue determined by both biophysical and socio-economic factors.

The gendered vulnerabilities due to climate change need to be well-recognized. (Image: Justin Kernoghan, Trocaire, Wikimedia Commons)
Should we bet more on historians than engineers to sort flooding?
How the historian's method is invaluable in developing an understanding of floods. Posted on 04 Jan, 2021 12:00 AM

Raging floods swarming great expanses have been a common occurrence in the 21st century in South Asia.

Need to consider the perspective of the historians who see floods as a naturally occurring event. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Delhi smog can’t be blamed on crop fires
There is more to Delhi's air pollution than stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana. Posted on 01 Jan, 2021 01:46 PM

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The small window of a fortnight between rice harvesting and wheat sowing compels farmers to burn the crop residue (Image: Neil Palmer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA-4.0 Generic)
Challenges to India’s urban water security and future growth patterns
Water resources in most Indian cities are overworked and overused, and not adequately replenished. Posted on 29 Dec, 2020 12:10 PM

Linkages between water security and socio-economic growth

Cities in India are marked by unequal distribution of water, lack of access, outdated infrastructure and minimal enforcement of rainwater harvesting and other means of supply. (Image: Anish Roy, Pixabay)
Land and environmental approvals needed for faecal sludge treatment facilities
There is an urgent need for specific guidelines and rules for the selection of sites for setting up faecal sludge treatment facilities. Posted on 23 Dec, 2020 04:02 PM

Despite an enabling framework for implementation of Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) initiatives, there exists a vacuum concerning specific guidelines/rules for the selection of sites for setting up of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs).

The site for the FSTP should be able to accommodate pres­ent and anticipated future requirements. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Getting communities engaged in faecal sludge management
Community engagement structures, espe­cially at the slum and ward level, can take on roles with adequate capacity building and training inputs. Posted on 22 Dec, 2020 05:05 PM

Gyanchand Mishra, Councillor of Ward 3, is the President of the Ward Sanitation Committee (WSC) and is also a member of the City Sanitation Task Force (CSTF).

Community engagement structures at the slum level have ensured that the most mar­ginalized and vulnerable sections of a city, that is, the slum communities now have a voice. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Embracing planning for faecal sludge management: The tale of two towns
How to plan for and implement FSM related initiatives in small towns? Posted on 12 Dec, 2020 10:51 AM

Under Project Nirmal, a detailed planning process was undertaken for designing Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) interventions in Angul and Dhenkanal Municipalities based on the existing sanitation situation in the towns, the techno-economic feasibility as well as cap

Project Nirmal demonstrates appropriate, low-cost, decentralized, inclusive and sustainable sanitation service delivery solutions for two small towns (Angul and Dhenkanal) in Odisha. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
District development, data and diversity: Lessons and the way forward
Though we have highly sophisticated ways of depicting data nowadays, we have gone backwards on linking data with decision making. Posted on 08 Dec, 2020 01:35 PM

The coronavirus pandemic poses a challenge for implementing developmental responses in the context of district, one of the most important administrative units in India. There has been a push towards development at the grassroots level through AtmaNirbhar Bharat, Vocal for Local, One District One Product and National Infrastructure Pipeline.

The quality of the government data for schematic reporting has improved as compared to 20 years ago, that does not necessarily mean that planning has improved (Image: Pikist)
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