Health

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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)
September 26, 2022 This study found that the sanitary quality of neighbourhood drains, in addition to toilets, affected sanitation and hygiene and incidences of ill-health in rural households.
Dirty drainages, harbingers of illhealth. Image for representation only (Image Source: SuSanA Secretariat via Wikimedia Commons)
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)
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)
July 5, 2022 Studies reveal that children are the most vulnerable to the health risks associated with groundwater contamination due to nitrate and fluoride, highlighting the need for urgent remedial measures.
POisoned waters, dangerous outcomes (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Air pollution surges to emergency levels in India
Measures to deal with air pollution inadequate and poorly implemented in India due to lack of political will. Posted on 11 Jun, 2019 03:53 PM

Urban India needs to take air pollution more seriously than it does now. The Centre for Science and Environment’s report, State of India's Environment 2019 has come up with startling facts on the state of air in the country.

Narratives from Korba in Chhattisgarh is proof that breathing the dust laden air near the power plant is injurious to health. (Image: Ishan Tankha)
GHG emissions, water footprints of dietary patterns
Rice-based diets had higher emissions but wheat-based diets used more water, says study. Posted on 07 Jun, 2019 10:40 AM

India's food system produces large environmental impacts but these vary by diets. The per capita environmental impacts of diets in India are currently lower than those of many high-income countries due, in part, to habitually low consumption of animal source foods.

As India continues in its nutrition transition, people currently consuming the rice and low diversity pattern will be likely to adopt more diverse diets (Image: Senthil T S K, Wikimedia Commons)
Understanding the Yamuna and life around it
A panel of experts and representatives of the riverine community discuss changes observed in the Yamuna and its relationship with people. Posted on 03 Jun, 2019 07:30 AM

Sarla Yadav, a resident of Yamuna Ghat 24 is a treasure trove of stories on the river Yamuna. She runs a boat business with her son Shyam who provides a nuanced personal account of living by the river and of eking out a meagre livelihood by plying boats. They are among a few families who have not sold their boats so far.

The Yamuna river and its people (Image: Shashwat Jain, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0)
High levels of arsenic found in groundwater in Uttar Pradesh
Study finds 2.34 crore people in rural UP exposed to high levels of arsenic in groundwater Posted on 30 May, 2019 03:56 PM

New Delhi, May 30 (India Science Wire): A new study has found that as many as 2.34 crore people in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh are exposed to high levels of arsenic in groundwater.

Arsenic concentration in groundwater of Uttar Pradesh shown by blue, green and red circles. Image courtesy: India Science Wire
Borewells: Boon or bane for women?
A study shows that although borewells have improved women’s access to water in the short term, they have increased water insecurity and the suffering of women in the long term. Posted on 23 May, 2019 08:29 PM

Tamil Nadu is one of the most water-vulnerable states in India that depends heavily on groundwater for irrigation. As high as 56 percent of land in the state is currently irrigated by groundwater and the remaining by tanks and canals.

Collecting water, a daily backbreaking task of women. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Cyclone Fani ravages Odisha's ecological hotspots
News this week Posted on 15 May, 2019 06:12 PM

Odisha's ecological hotspots severely affected by cyclone

After a cyclonic storm (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
What happens when you throw away pencil cells?
Study reveals how tossing of dry cell batteries in our dustbins poisons the environment. Posted on 14 May, 2019 05:33 PM

A recent study by Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy organisation on batteries titled Dead and buried: A situational analysis of battery waste management in India estimates that 2.7 billion pieces of dry cell batteries are being consumed annually in India.

The evolving framework of end-of-life battery management could be inclusive of the informal chain of collectors and segregators. (Image: Toxics Link)
What women want
As India votes this month in the Lok Sabha Elections, WaterAid India takes a look at how water and sanitation are still top of mind for many female voters across the country. Posted on 08 May, 2019 04:02 PM

As the world’s largest democracy is all geared for its biggest test - for voters to select their Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister, the top issues that dominate the electoral agenda at the national level have been increased jobs opportunities, controlling inflation, and reducing farmers’ distress.

Image credit: WaterAid/Prashanth Vishwanathan
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)
Breaking period taboo
A sanitary pad manufacturing unit in a Rajasthan village brings women together and breaks taboo around menstruation. Posted on 06 May, 2019 11:18 AM

Leela Patel (19) explains how women at Wali, a tribal gram panchayat in Kurabad block, just 30 km away from Udaipur, manage menstruation by using old scraps of cloth. She’s aware of cases when women have had to use ash, dust and soil to soak up their periods. Buying a pack of sanitary pads is a luxury in this poverty-stricken belt.

Women at a manufacturing unit in Wali village that produces biodegradable sanitary pads at a low cost. (Image: India Water Portal)
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