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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)
December 6, 2019 A report by the India Rivers Forum highlights the need to focus further than the main stem of the Ganga river.
Distant snow clad mountains, the smaller hills and the Ganga river (Image: Srimoyee Banerjee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
December 2, 2019 Water stewardship is an approach predicated on the concept that water is a shared resource and so water risks are also shared risks that everyone in a catchment will face
Picture credit: Romit Sen
December 2, 2019 A study highlights the barriers to harnessing India's potential for wind energy.
Windmills in Karnataka, India. Picture credit: India Water Portal
November 14, 2019 A study finds that India may run out of water to cool power plants in the near future.
Tuticorin power plant in Tamil Nadu (Image: Ram Kumar, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 2.0)
Creating jobs while managing air quality
Highlights from a new report released by iFOREST Posted on 09 Sep, 2022 02:10 PM

On the occasion of the third International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST), hosted an event to highlight the importance of building capacity in India for air quality management.

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)
Climate tech startup tries to scale renewable water technology
Uravu Labs raises seed capital for their unique 100% renewable water technology Posted on 09 Aug, 2022 07:53 PM

Uravu Labs, a Bangalore based startup focused on building a renewable water infrastructure, has recently announced its seed round of funding. The lead investor in the round was Anicut Capital and it was co-led by Rocketship.vc and Speciale Invest.

Capital to be utilized for tech commercialization and expansion into new geographies (Image: Uravu Labs)
Sustainable investing to surge to US$125 billion in India by 2026
Sustainability investments in India will make up around 40% of AuM by 2026, from the current 15%, as per a report by Benori Knowledge Posted on 18 Jun, 2022 09:59 AM

Climate change consciousness has led to global investment firms prioritising sustainable investments, not only for long-term financial returns but to also provide positive social effects.

Sectors attracting sustainable investments are renewable energy, e-mobility, agritech and waste management (Image: Roadlight, Pixabay)
It is June, and 49 of 130 major reservoirs are brimming with water!
News this fortnight Posted on 22 Jun, 2021 04:15 PM

Even before the monsoon sets in, collective stock in 130 major reservoirs 27 percent of total capacity

Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
Poor implementation of forest rights act hurts tribals
Need to recognise the rights of forest-dwelling and tribal communities over their traditional lands. Posted on 02 Oct, 2020 10:35 PM

In pre-colonial times, India’s forestlands were mostly under the use of the local communities. Forest policies led to centralisation in colonial times with forestland being subject to commercial over-exploitation for revenue generation purposes. This, in turn, led to land alienation of forest dwellers and an overall increase in deforestation.

Indigenous groups that lived and helped maintain the forests for centuries have been undermined (Image: Baiga women, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0)
Governance lessons that could keep us prepared for pandemics
Leo Saldanha of Environment Support Group speaks on rethinking aspects of our governance system in post-pandemic times. Posted on 30 Sep, 2020 05:09 PM

Unabashed assaults by human beings on the natural ecological system have caused the coronavirus to spread in the first place.

Decentralised governance systems that allow to adapt and learn are best placed to deal with disasters (Image: Kantsmith, Pixabay)
Sanitation empowered her
Community response to the slum sanitation improvement project hinges on grassroots leadership in a slum settlement in Dhenkanal. Posted on 14 Sep, 2020 03:58 PM

In a corner of the Kathagada locality in the Parhatiya Sahi slum of Dhenkanal stands a small neat house. Surrounded by a well-tended garden that is planted with fruit trees, flowers and grass, this is Reena Rani Singh’s home. She is a multi-purpose local leader and is a member of the local Self Help Group (SHG), Mahila Arogya Samiti and Slum Sanitation Committee (SSC).

As a part of Project Nirmal, community structures including Slum Sanitation Committees (SSCs) and Ward Sanitation Committees (WSCs) were constituted at the slum and ward level (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Agriculture and food security challenges amid Covid-19
The pandemic has bared our vulnerabilities and shaken our collective consciousness to focus on agriculture and rural economy. Posted on 09 Sep, 2020 03:32 PM

India has seen large scale rural-urban migration of people trying to escape rural distress in the last few decades.

Women farmers produce vegetables through innovative farming practices in Banka, Bihar. They can sell their produce at regional markets, and earn a better income for their families. (Image: USAID, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Empowering, involving local communities crucial for reviving Yamuna: Study
A user-friendly water quality index could be created to help riverine communities take informed decisions. Posted on 07 Sep, 2020 12:56 PM

There aren’t many studies on understanding the socio-economic impact of river pollution, and the handful of those available miss out on capturing the voices of the local communities who are most affected by river pollution.

To improve the participation of the riverine communities in river clean-up activities, a platform can be set up as a governance mechanism. (Image: Thommen Jose, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Is the draft EIA notification 2020 anti-environment?
The draft notification is alleged to dilute the process and standards for environmental clearances for industries. Posted on 30 Aug, 2020 04:48 PM

Economic development and creation of jobs have been India’s most critical challenges, and continue to be an overriding priority for the government. India’s rise in the World Bank’s global ranking on the ease of doing business is complemented with a successive downturn in its position on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) from 2014 to 2019.

Villager looking at mining devastated areas in Goa (Image: Frederik Noronha; Wikimedia Commons; CC A-S A 4.0 International)
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