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)
Fluorosis detection: A step towards providing clean water
FKAN’s work on preparing an action plan for the fluoride-affected Remuna block in Balasore shows how proactive policy work can help highlight the issue. Posted on 26 Mar, 2018 05:21 AM

Rabindra Kumar Jena, the Member of Parliament (MP) from Balasore, Odisha knew that something was wrong with the health of people in a part of his constituency but he could not put his finger to it. By sheer chance, in 2015, he got to know that this seemed to be related to excessive fluoride in water, which caused a disease called skeletal fluorosis.

People became crippled in Balasore due to skeletal fluorosis. Image: FKAN
Arsenic-affected village gets water after two decades
Kaudikasa village’s two decades of struggle with arsenic contamination in drinking water ends with a new government scheme. Posted on 12 Mar, 2018 05:41 AM

Kaudikasa is a small village with a population of just 350 people in the Ambagad Chowki block of the Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh. Despite its small size, Kaudikasa village has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Severe health problems have been reported from the village, thanks to acute arsenic contamination in its groundwater.

Yuvraj Singh, a former sarpanch of Kaudikasa near the tube well reported to have the highest level of arsenic contamination.
Rajim kumbh: Leave Mahanadi alone
Rajim kumbh mela has left the Mahanadi river crying for attention. Posted on 25 Feb, 2018 07:35 PM

Around 25 lakh pilgrims across the country took a holy dip in the Mahanadi during the Rajim kumbh festival held in Rajim from January 31-February 13, 2018. For this annual religious extravaganza at the confluence of the Mahanadi, Sondur and Pairi rivers in Chhattisgarh, the state government organised various religious events.

The entrance of the CG government's culture and tourism exhibition venue at Rajim kumbh 2018.
Creating art from waste
Two young entrepreneurs have found a way to manage plastic waste by turning it into useful products. They have also created jobs and increased public awareness around plastic waste. Posted on 24 Feb, 2018 01:18 PM

Cities like Pune are in the midst of a garbage crisis. There is garbage strewn all over which is not just unsightly, it is also found to be polluting the city's water resources.

Amita and Nandan have started a unique enterprise, Aarohana, that turns plastic from garbage into useful products.
Millions wait for toilets and water
While millions of people in India still wait for their share of water and toilets, this year's budget fails to give them any hope. Posted on 24 Feb, 2018 10:31 AM

GoI allocations for the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation is Rs. 22,357 crores

The state of water supply and sanitation continues to be poor in India.
Let’s poka-yoke lives of STP operators
10 safety guidelines to ensure STP operators are safe while on duty. Posted on 07 Feb, 2018 11:30 AM

Poka-yoke* is a simple Japanese quality principle from the 60s--the use of any automatic device or method that makes it impossible for an error to occur. It is a simple idea. 'Simplicity' always wins! 

Now, let's switch to STP operators and poka-yoke! 

Asia's largest sewage treatment plant at Bharwara, near Lucknow. (Source: IWP Flickr photos; photo for representation only)
Slow death of a river
River Mutha, which was once the lifeline of Pune, is in dire straits. Concerted and systematic efforts involving citizens, experts and administrators need to be made urgently to save the river. Posted on 30 Jan, 2018 02:46 PM

River Mutha, the pride of Pune, lovingly called 'Muthai' or 'mother Mutha', is dying a slow death, thanks to the rapidly urbanising city which is depositing huge amounts of untreated sewage and dirt in its waters.

River Mutha, as it flows through Pune city. (Source: India Water Portal)
Eliminate garbage naturally
A Mumbai-based scientist comes up with an effective solution to Kashmir’s mounting garbage problem. Posted on 23 Jan, 2018 06:19 PM

Kashmir was once known for its pristine mountains, lakes, beautiful landscape and clean environment. In the last few decades, however, things have changed. An increasing amount of untreated garbage produced by humans is becoming a critical problem affecting not only the health of the residents of Kashmir but its environment, too.

A screenshot from the film Untreated Waste--Invitation to Disaster (Source: Abdul Rashid Bhat)
Book Release and Discussion on ‘Alternative Futures: India Unshackled’, a book edited by Ashish Kothari and K. J. Joy
The book is a collection of 35 essays containing dreams, visions, and pathways of reaching a just and sustainable India.
Posted on 22 Jan, 2018 10:40 AM

Alternative Futures: India Unshackled is a riveting new book that brings together scenarios of an India that is politically and socially egalitarian, radically democratic, economically sustainable and equitable, and socio-culturally diverse and harmonious.

Coughing out coal
A study from Chhattisgarh finds that coal mining leads to severe health risks and environmental damage and questions the current policy emphasis on the use of coal for energy generation in India. Posted on 22 Jan, 2018 10:08 AM

The coal mining sector is all set to receive a boost in India as the government plans to open up the sector to commercial players by 2018. 

A villager looks at the changing landscape due to coal mines at Kosampalli village in Raigarh (Image source: IWP photo by Makarand Purohit)
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