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)
Udaipur's water threatened by India's largest reserve of phosphate
Pollution from the Jhamarkotra mines poses a threat to waters near and far, and also causes severe health issues in the miners. Why is there no post facto environment impact assessment? Posted on 22 Jun, 2015 10:01 AM

Huddled in the Aravali range in the southern part of Rajasthan about 26 km from Udaipur, is the largest reserve of phosphate in India.

Piles of overburden (waste) dumped near the mine pits of Jhamarkotra
Surplus yet lacking: Water supply schemes in Punjab
The state is only focused on costly filtration solutions while little is being done to stop contamination at source, which is the cause of physical and mental disabilities especially in children. Posted on 21 Jun, 2015 10:22 AM

A small river flows past the village of Teja Rohela in Fazilka district, Punjab, crosses the border a couple of kilometres away, and enters Pakistan.

Body of a puppy floating in one of Punjab's public water supply tanks
Barefoot hydrogeologists: The next generation
The time taken for villages in Nainital district, Uttarakhand to resolve their spring-related disputes has shrunk from two year to six months. Here's why. Posted on 18 Jun, 2015 02:55 PM

I first met Kunti and Priya at a meeting of the Springs Initiative, which is a network of organisations and individuals working across India to restore their springs.

Kunti and Priya discuss their plans with Budani
Micro approach to fight growing water crisis
Data shows that micro irrigation such as drip systems can reduce water losses and increase crop production -- if it overcomes some hurdles. Posted on 18 Jun, 2015 10:45 AM

Karnataka is planning the world's biggest micro irrigation project by bringing 7 lakh hectares of land under drip and other systems, and along with

Sprinklers cover 2.86 percent of total irrigation land in India
Centre gives a uniform definition to the term 'Open Defecation Free'
Policy matters this week Posted on 16 Jun, 2015 11:23 AM

New criteria for villages and Gram Panchayats to be termed Open Defacation Free

An open defecation free zone in Salem
Raising Sardar Sarovar Dam height would be disastrous: Committee
News this week Posted on 16 Jun, 2015 11:16 AM

Committee warns against raising Sardar Sarovar Dam height

Sardar Sarovar Dam (Source: Shahakshay, Wikipedia)
Puppets talk, people listen
A small colony of puppeteers in Delhi 'pull strings' and talk on issues that plague their lives: Water, sanitation and land takeover bids. Posted on 14 Jun, 2015 10:31 PM

All the world’s a stage and all men and women players in it, said Shakespeare. Kathputli Colony in Delhi is living testimony to this. ‘Kath’ means wood and ‘putli’ is the Hindi word for a doll or puppet.

Modern day puppets talk on issues pertaining to real life situations
Two states and a dam row
Latha Anantha of River Research Centre, Thrissur speaks to India Water Portal on the latest developments on the Mullaperiyar dam controversy. Posted on 14 Jun, 2015 01:31 PM

While the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala have opposing stands on the Mullaperiyar dam, civil society actors have provided alternatives to the old dam whose decommissioning is bound to happen sooner or later. They have also pointed out the inappropriateness of building a new dam on Mullaperiyar.

Mullaperiyar reservoir (Source: Sibiperiyar, Wikimedia Commons)
First Sikkim, now Meghalaya springs hope!
6000 villages in Meghalaya depend on springs and spring-fed rivers for household water needs. Their drying up threatens water security and future growth. Now, there is some hope. Posted on 29 May, 2015 07:26 PM

Meghalaya boasts one of the rainiest places on the planet at Cherrapunjee, receiving over 11,000 mm of annual rainfall. Yet, despite all the rain, water availability remains a problem for many rural and urban communities across the State. Natural springs that have provided drinking water for generations are in crisis.

Green but water-scarce
How has water privatisation affected Chattisgarh?
The Mahanadi's longest tributary, the Shivnath, has borne the brunt of urbanisation and industrialisation but the impact has been felt the most by residents. We capture their story in pictures. Posted on 27 May, 2015 04:37 PM

The Shivnath River is the longest tributary of the Mahanadi River.

Shivnath river near Mahamara Barrage, Durg
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