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)
The sanitation crisis in India - An urgent need to look beyond toilet provision
Recent evidence indicates that India is heading towards a major sanitation crisis in the coming years. Efforts made at meeting the sanitation challenges have been found to have very limited results, with as high as 65% of the population not having toilet facilities coupled with very low use of existing toilets in urban and rural areas.
It is perhaps the right time to critically evaluate and move beyond the excessive focus we have on 'provision' and pay attention to the underlying complexities of the mechanisms involved, that influence sanitation behaviour among people. If we dont do so, we stand the risk of "missing all the trees for the forest", i.e. missing the social and economic dimensions of the sanitation needs of the people, in the hurry to count the number of toilets provided ! Aarti Kelkar-Khambete writes about the issue.
Posted on 18 Apr, 2012 12:14 PM

Guest post byAarti Kelkar-Khambete

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The sanitation crisis and the recent evidence on lack of toilet facilities 

IEP Global invites applications for Environment Specialist, Patna, Bihar - Apply by March 5, 2012
Posted on 02 Mar, 2012 07:36 PM

Content courtesy: DevNetJobsIndia

IEP Global

Infrastructure Professionals Enterprise, Global (IPE Global) is a leading development sector consulting firm offering services in Health, Urban Infrastructure Development, Policy, PPP, Government and Public Sector (GAPS), Education, Rural Development and Environment and Climate Change areas.

IPE Global has successfully implemented over 300 projects in 20 countries across Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe and has worked with over 500 government agencies across the world. IPE Global clients include multilateral and bilateral agencies such as the World Bank, DFID, ADB, UNDP, UNICEF, JICA, DANIDA, European Commission (EC), Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF); national, state and local government; public sector undertakings (PSUs); and private sector organizations.

How valuable are environmental health interventions? - Evaluation of water and sanitation programmes in India - Paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation
This paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation presents the findings of a valuation study that estimated the economic value of the average “treatment effect” of a community demand driven water and sanitation programme. The study employed a unique combination of propensity-score “pre-matching” and large panel data to estimate the economic impacts of a multi-dimensional environmental health programme. Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 06:11 PM

The paper informs that a number of epidemiological studies on the benefits of water and sanitation interventions have shown that diarrhoea can be reduced by 30–50%.

Impacts of climate change on public health in India - Future research directions - Paper published in Environmental Health Perspectives
This paper discusses the observed relationships between climate variability and human health. Posted on 19 Feb, 2012 11:00 PM

This paper published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives reviews the current state of the science relevant to the 2009 Joint Indo–U.S. Workshop on Climate Change and Health that was held in Goa, India, and, then discusses the observed relationships between climate variability and human health specifically in relation to the Indian subcontinent, highlighting future research directions.

The paper briefly summarises relevant literature on the impacts of climate change in India and touches upon the opportunities and significant challenges associated with designing, initiating, and conducting research, as well as pursuing related public health programming to improve public health infrastructure in the face of climate change. The paper argues that such research is needed to pave the way for unique and pioneering solutions that can improve public health in the face of increasing climate variability.

"Water management in Mumbai: Prospects and challenges" - Videos from a round table organised by Observer Research Foundation
These videos from a round table organised by Observer Research Foundation deal with the issue of water management in Mumbai. Posted on 16 Feb, 2012 03:51 PM

These four films include details of speeches made by the Municipal Commissioner of Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mr Swadhin Kshatriya, who delivered a valedictory speech and Mr Sandeep Acharya, senior journalist from Loksatta, who expressed his views on the water crisis in Mumbai, as a part of a round table organised by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), on "Water management in Mumbai: Prospects and challenges", on the 10th of January 2010.

"Bottle it up: We can use it" - Scientific studies on human urine - A presentation by Arghyam
This presentation deals with the issue of reuse of human urine in agriculture. Posted on 10 Feb, 2012 11:13 AM

This presentation by Arghyam includes the results of doctoral study done by G Sridevi under the guidance of Prof.

Nutrient-based fertiliser subsidy: Will farmers adopt agricultural best management practices? An article in EPW
The new nutrient-based fertiliser subsidy policy provides implicit incentives to farmers to test soil samples regularly and get crop-wise recommended doses of nutrients. Posted on 06 Feb, 2012 11:58 AM

It offers prospective benefits from the agro-environmental management point of view.

Global change, wastewater and health in fast growing economies - Paper published in the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
This paper published in the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability draws attention to the serious issue of poor water quality in the developing economies. Posted on 02 Feb, 2012 11:35 AM

It argues that among the water challenges in the 21st century, the water quality health nexus is one of the most serious challenges that will need to be addressed at an urgent level.The paper directs attention at the rapid and unequal growth and development patterns emerging in developing economies and the impact of this development on the environment and human populations. The paper directs attention to the negative impact of this development on one of the important natural resources such as water and the linkages between water quality and public health of populations.

Liquid Dynamics: Rethinking sustainability in water and sanitation
This paper by Lyla Mehta highlights the various interactions around water. Posted on 20 Jan, 2012 06:55 PM

This paper begins with the slow rate of progress in achieving the millennium development goals of environmental sustainability, especially in the areas of water and sanitation. This is due to the disconnect between the global rhetoric (which often focuses on water as an economic good) and social realities (such as the cultural attitudes towards water)

cover illustration of Liquid Dynamics showing two girls in a paddy field

Groundwater hydrology and groundwater quality in and around Bangalore city - Department of Mines and Geology (2011)
This report by the Department of Mines and Geology describes the findings of a study on urban groundwater hydrology and groundwater quality in and around Bangalore city. Posted on 19 Jan, 2012 11:04 AM

Earlier studies carried out by the Department of Mines and Geology during 1994, 1995 and 2003 on the groundwater quality of Bangalore Metropolis had found that the groundwater pollution in the city has mainly been due to sewage disposal and recommendations have been made to prevent pollution from sewage and industrial wastes.

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