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)
‘Blue’ print for a model village
Can the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana that was launched in October this year, achieve its aim to create model villages through the Participatory Groundwater Management (PGWM) programme? Posted on 10 Dec, 2014 01:08 PM

On October 11, 2014, the Government of India launched an ambitious scheme for village development – the Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).

50 year old well in Thapewadi village
Food hub deserts water legacy
Only a few of Bikaner's over 100 ponds are well-maintained today, some thanks to the efforts of citizens, and another due to rooftop rainwater being channeled. Could the remaining get as lucky? Posted on 10 Dec, 2014 10:23 AM

Water connects food and religion. Religious ceremonies often involve taking a dip in a water body, and any food or meal is incomplete without water. The same two things - food and religion - stand out in Bikaner. While hot kachoris and samosas line street stalls, Mata Karni Devi and Baba Ramdev (not the yoga guru) shower their blessings from billboards and wall paintings.

Harsholaav pond in Bikaner
Are we heading towards ecological and social suicide?
Development at the cost of the environment and ecosystem-dependent communities can be an easy recipe for ecological and social disaster. Posted on 10 Dec, 2014 10:17 AM

In the article titled 'A hundred days closer to ecological and social suicide' published in the Economic and Political Weekly, the author argues that the recent changes in the government do not seem to have helped in changing the environmental policies of the country. Rather, they reflect regressive actions that could lead to a large-scale assault on rules, laws

The revived lake in Valni village, Nagpur
The challenged coasts of India: A report
The report highlights how degradation of the coastal environment has reached alarming proportions, closely reflecting the urban population explosion and rapid and unplanned urbanisation. Posted on 05 Dec, 2014 10:18 AM

Aims of the report:

Fishing, an important coastal activity
500 year old water structure in Rameshwaram rediscovered!
After 30 days of digging and removing 6000 tractor loads of sand, the evasive Dharmar Theertham was found intact with fresh water being replenished in a pit in the middle of the structure. Posted on 03 Dec, 2014 10:12 PM

The word 'Theertham' literally means ‘water’ but in Hindu mythology, it is usually the physical holy water body associated with a temple or deity.

The 80 X 35 feet structure of Dharmar Theertham
ICIMOD wins UNFCCC's award for flood warning system
News this week Posted on 03 Dec, 2014 09:55 AM

ICIMOD wins accolade for its flood warning system

Unsettling flood waters of Muzaffarpur, Bihar
Government to reconsider river interlinking project
Policy matters this week Posted on 03 Dec, 2014 09:47 AM

Government to scrap river interlinking project, if it will pose threat to environment: Uma Bharti

River Cauvery in Karnataka
TSR Subramanian Committee equally weighs development and the environment
Policy matters this week Posted on 25 Nov, 2014 11:36 AM

TSR Subramanian Committee submits report on environmental laws to the Environment Ministry

Mangpong forest in West Bengal
Water Aid launches tool to track Swachh Bharat Mission
News this week Posted on 25 Nov, 2014 11:15 AM

An interactive tool to monitor progress of toilet construction launched

Toilet under construction in Karnataka
Poisonous encounters in Maharashtra
The water in Jamwadi village, Yavatmal has been severely contaminated by the Raymond Company but quality tests only confirm this when the villagers changed the name of the village on the test sample. Posted on 23 Nov, 2014 03:32 PM

A decade ago, Jamwadi village in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, was a famous tourist attraction due to its beautiful lake. Now, there is no lake to speak of thanks to the Raymond factory in Yavatmal. Wastewaster from the factory flows untreated into the lake, which is located 15 kms away.

Contaminated water from the Raymond factory
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