Health

Featured Articles
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)
Together as community for better quality of life
The informal settlement of Muskan gali looks nothing like a slum with better water, sanitation and hygiene standards, thanks to the formation of a settlement improvement committee. Posted on 09 Jan, 2019 11:40 AM

As we enter the narrow lanes of Muskan gali, after wading through the unruly traffic in a rapidly urbanising Muzaffarpur, we are greeted by Noorjehan outside her house. Between the gali and the main road, the city has grown. It has a population of 3.5 lakhs as per 2011 Census. This has risen now to five lakhs, say estimates.

Noorjehan, an entrepreneur who owns a home production unit of lac bangles, plays an active role in demanding that the municipality becomes responsive to citizen's needs. (Image: India Water Portal)
Out of 41 study points, the Ganga clean at only one
News this week Posted on 26 Dec, 2018 02:59 PM

Out of 41 study points, the Ganga clean only at the Haridwar barrage location: CPCB

Ganga river at Kachla, Uttar Pradesh. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
The tragic tale of Erai
The polluted Erai river needs to be restored before it completely dies and leaves the people dependent on it searching for drinking water. Posted on 30 Nov, 2018 10:56 AM

The Erai river, the main tributary of the Wardha river, is the lifeline for the people of Chandrapur in Maharashtra. It primarily supplies water to the Chandrapur city and Chandrapur super thermal power station (CSTPS). Since 1984, after the initiation of operations of M/s CSTPS and Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), the river has begun to get polluted and is now gasping for breath.

The Erai river (Source: India Water Portal)
India Rivers Week 2018: Ganga flow needs improvement
News this week Posted on 27 Nov, 2018 11:57 AM

Government focusing on Ganga clean-up and not its rejuvenation: Environmentalists

The Ganga at Garhmukteshwar (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Bengaluru drinks poisoned water
A study finds drinking water in peri-urban areas around Bengaluru has high levels of bacteriological and chemical contaminants making it unfit for consumption. Posted on 22 Nov, 2018 11:17 AM

India is running out of water fast. As if this is not bad news enough, it has been found that even the available water is highly polluted with organic and hazardous pollutants.

Poor drinking water quality can pose a risk to health. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Gene revolution adds to farmer distress
This study finds that Bt cotton has not helped but worsened the situation of farmers in Telangana. Posted on 14 Nov, 2018 11:14 AM

Farming is said to be witnessing a “second GR” or Gene Revolution, after Green Revolution, with the introduction of genetically modi?ed Bt cotton in India.

A farmer picks cotton. (Image Source: Claude Renault via Wikimedia Commons)
The unique Himalayan wetlands
The Himalayan wetlands are under threat due to unregulated urbanisation and unsustainable tourism. Urgent attention at the policy level is the need of the hour. Posted on 03 Nov, 2018 08:33 AM

Wetlands are very important and productive ecosystems that support a wide range of plants and animals and provide livelihood opportunities to local communities in India.

A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
Tech to tackle sewer deaths
With government apathetic towards sewer deaths from manual scavenging, individuals and organisations are coming up with tech solutions to stop the practice. Posted on 21 Oct, 2018 11:44 AM

Anil (40) died on September 14, 2018 while clearing a block in a sewage line at Dabri, a locality in north-west Delhi. Cleaners hired by state governments and civic bodies are supposed to be provided safety equipment like gas masks, goggles, gumshoes, gloves, safety belt etc. Yet, Anil was unprotected when he died of asphyxiation due to the presence of poisonous gas in the gutter.

Women who took part at the India SaniTech Forum say that they want to ensure there are no more deaths from manual scavenging. (Image: India Water Portal)
Swachh Bharat Mission: It’s all about numbers
As Swachh Bharat Mission is racing towards its 2019 deadline, a CAG report reveals that sanitation is not a one-time exercise and there is a need to look beyond the deadline. Posted on 02 Oct, 2018 11:06 PM

We have just a year to go for Swachh Bharat Mission’s (SBM) deadline of making India open-defecation free (ODF). In the last four years, the government has built 86.08 million toilets (as on September 26, 2018) throughout the country as a part of this flagship programme on providing safe sanitation to all by October 2019.

Sanitation is not just about constructing toilets. (Image: India Water Portal)
Kerala floods and after
The reason behind Kerala floods is a lot more than what the CWC wants us to believe. Posted on 27 Sep, 2018 05:11 PM

Every time there is a huge flood in India with massive loss of lives and extensive physical damage, there is a hue and cry. Especially, if this takes place in an area not normally prone to such floods. Assam and Bihar, for instance, are regularly laid waste by floods and so, there is not much agitation over that anymore.

The floods in Kerala have taken nearly 400 lives and have displaced around 1.2 million people. (Image: Ranjith Siji via Wikimedia Commons)
×