Governance

Featured Articles
November 6, 2022
Protecting children from climate change impact not child's play
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
Employment guarantee during Covid-19
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
Lack of data professionals in the impact sector
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
Creating jobs while managing air quality
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
Ichamati: River of poetry is dying a slow death
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
Slow onset climate-induced disasters leaving migrants at greater risk of human trafficking
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)
Kerala battles the worst flood since 1924
As Kerala comes to grips with the worst floods in its recent history, here’s a look at what led to the calamity and what can be done to avoid it in the future.
Amita Bhaduri
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 25 Aug, 2018 05:34 PM

When the five overflow gates of the Cheruthoni dam, a part of the Idukki reservoir comprising Cheruthoni, Kulamavu and Idukki arch dam were opened one by one on August 9, 2018, a torrent of water and mud gushed out. Heavy, unceasing rains had led to the dam reaching close to its maximum capacity, forcing the dam authorities to open all its gates.
The floods in Kerala have taken nearly 400 lives and have displaced around 1.2 million people. (Image: Ranjith Siji, Wikimedia Commons: CC BY-SA 4.0)
Footwear industry pollutes, villagers put their foot down
When the environmental pollution caused by the footwear industry in a growing Haryana village goes unchecked, villagers gather to demand their rights.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 23 Aug, 2018 08:09 PM

As per the regional plan 2021 chalked out by the national capital regional planning board in 2005, Bahadurgarh, a small town in Haryana is a part of the Delhi metropolitan area. The town, located in Jhajjar district, is growing at a fast pace.
Leftover materials tossed out by the factories at the footwear park. These will end up in landfills and pollute the environment. (Image: India Water Portal)
Goa wins Mahadayi water dispute
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 22 Aug, 2018 09:12 AM

Mahadayi water dispute: Goa to get maximum share of water
Mahadayi river in Goa (Source: Amol.Gaitonde via Wikimedia commons)
Delhi stands up for its trees
As Delhi gears up for expansion, concerns regarding the environment and the poor continue to be overlooked.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 20 Aug, 2018 11:28 AM

Recently, Delhi saw an urban Chipko movement of sorts with the people coming out in large numbers with a single agenda—save the last of the trees left in the city. In the famous Chipko movement of 1973, local communities in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand emblematically embraced trees to demand an end to deforestation through forest exploiting contractors.
People of Delhi came out in large numbers recently and kick-started a movement to save trees. (Image: Delhi Trees SOS)
Simplifying defluoridation
A new device makes defluoridation simple and easy to execute in remote areas where fluorosis is found to be severe.
Martijn Nitzsche
Posted on 19 Aug, 2018 09:12 AM

Estimates suggest that about 10 million Indians are affected by fluorosis, a sickness associated with the consumption of increased concentrations of fluoride, mostly through water. Bones get weakened due to excessive accumulation of fluoride in them which results in increased hip and wrist fractures. Dental enamel gets eroded.
The Superfloc promises a sustainable and cost-effective solution to fluorosis. (Image: Martijn Nitzsche)
Potable water supply target not met: CAG
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 15 Aug, 2018 10:43 AM

National Rural Drinking Water Programme: Targets remain unachieved
Rural India walks far to get water. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Floods wreak havoc in Kerala
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 15 Aug, 2018 10:03 AM

Kerala floods take 38 lives, severe loss reported
An aeriel view of the flooded locality of Aluva after heavy rains in Kerala. (Source: India TV)
Maharashtra’s plastic ban: Another missed opportunity?
The blanket ban on plastic has missed an opportunity to show how government and citizens can work together to deal with the plastic menace.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 09 Aug, 2018 11:03 AM

The recent plastic ban in Maharashtra has opened a can of worms and has raised many uncomfortable questions—about the setting of rules with clarity and foresight, better research to understand the challenges in implementing them and the role of citizens in making it a success.
Increasing plastic waste is a problem in Maharashtra. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
The Mahanadi tussle: Why Chhattisgarh and Odisha spar
A video provides an overview of the water conflict between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 08 Aug, 2018 05:08 PM

The interstate dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi's water is an ongoing one and it looks like both the state governments have no interest in finding a long-term solution.
The Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi (Source: India Water Portal)
Toxins on our plate
There is a need for better regulation and monitoring to bring toxin-free food to the Indian market.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 08 Aug, 2018 03:45 PM

“The recent scare due to the detection of formalin-laced fish across Goa, Kerala, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Meghalaya points to a link between water quality and food safety. Fish traders find it cost-effective to use formalin, a carcinogen, instead of ice to prevent the decomposition of fish during transportation to distant markets.
The quality of food products and their safety are mostly decided at the primary production stage itself which is unregulated. (Image: Masahiro Ihara, Flickr Commons CC BY 2.0)
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