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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)
JalKalp: Water sands impurities
A new biosand filter is revolutionising water purification in rural India with increased filtration, better portability and affordability. Posted on 13 Nov, 2017 12:11 PM

Urmila Devi lives in Chaitabazaar village which is barely five kilometres from the eastern bank of the Burhi Gandak river. It is located in a particularly flood-prone area of East Champaran in north Bihar. The drinking water quality in this area is poor. The recurrent floods only make it worse.

The drinking water in Chaitbazaar village is dark in colour because of high levels of iron and has a peculiar stench from bacteriological contamination. (Image: Sehgal Foundation)
India Industry Water Conclave on Nov 28, 2017 at FICCI, New ??Delhi
The third edition of India Industry Water Conclave and fifth edition of FICCI Water Awards on Theme : ‘Water Use Efficiency- An Imperative for India’
Posted on 07 Nov, 2017 10:12 AM

The theme for the Conclave this year is “Water Use Efficiency: An Imperative for India” to highlight the imperative of water use efficiency in the industry, agriculture and urban contexts

Are people in villages less thirsty?
Veteran journalist P. Sainath says we are living in a time of inequality--of wealth, water and income--driven by policies. Shouldn’t we be more angry about this? Posted on 18 Oct, 2017 07:49 PM

In India, there has been a stunning growth of inequality in the last 25 years and a spectacular growth of inequality in the last 15 years. It is not just a question of wealth and income; inequality is visible in every sector. It is visible in water whether (it is) water for irrigation or drinking water.

An upcoming building in Mumbai has a pool on every floor. At the same time, migrant labourers rely on tapping municipal leakages for their drinking water. India has more inequality than the rest of the world.
Salt and sweet: When sun turned saline water potable
A Rajasthan village gets to drink sweetwater despite high salinity in its groundwater, thanks to a solar-powered desalination unit. Posted on 18 Oct, 2017 07:08 PM

Solawata, a small village in Jaipur district is barely 10 kilometers away from Sambhar, India's largest saline lake which is a major centre of salt production that produces about two lakh tonnes of salt a year. On our way to the village from Sambhar, we see caravans packed with bright coloured camel saddles parked on the road.

Villagers operate the solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination plant that provides safe drinking water to the community at Solawata.
New biological tool to treat azo dyes
Highly toxic azo dyes in wastewater from textile industry can now be removed through an eco-friendly method. Posted on 03 Oct, 2017 08:23 AM

A new eco-friendly method could soon be available to address pollution due to azo dyes in wastewater from textile units. 

Wastewater from textile industries are highly toxic due to azo dyes. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Centre shows red flag to green court
The NGT that has made some landmark judgements to safeguard the environment, will lose its teeth soon if the government has its way. Posted on 21 Sep, 2017 04:28 PM

India is a pioneer among developing countries in establishing a “green court” to deal with environment-related litigations. Established through an Act by the government of India, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a quasi-judicial body has ensured speedy justice on several green cases.

The National Green Tribunal has given a number of notable judgements. (Image source: SANDRP)
Can grey and green coexist on urban landscape?
As cities spread wide, grey infrastructure projects flout green norms to provide affordable housing for all. Posted on 31 Aug, 2017 03:03 PM

Far in the distance, towards the edge of Noida and Greater Noida flows the Hindon river amidst clusters of modern highrise buildings. A few years ago, the landscape here was more countrified and quite distinct from the low rise neghbourhoods of Delhi dotted with its numerous parks and abundant institutional spaces. 

Building bye-laws mandate that builders adhere to environmental norms and install energy-saving mechanisms like solar installations, water harvesting and waste recycling methods.
Bad times at Baddi
Unless industries clean up their act and authorities take it up seriously, Baddi’s water will continue to be polluted causing hardship to its residents. Posted on 09 Aug, 2017 05:59 AM

When Satya Devi was a child, the open well near her house in the village of Malku Majra was the water source for the household. She reminisces, “The water was clean and soft. The well would never go dry.

The state pollution control board insists that none of the factories in the area allow any pollutants to be discharged into the environment. The state of the surface water bodies, however, belies this statement.
What happens to your e-waste?
Though informal e-waste handling, segregation and import are prohibited by the law, e-waste business is thriving in the country. Posted on 05 Aug, 2017 05:44 PM

Take a walk through the maze of lanes at Seelampur in north-east Delhi, you could see small children rummaging through electronic waste that has made its way here from all over north India. They segregate end-of-life electrical and electronic products, prise them apart, put them through acid wash and also burn circuit boards in the hope of extracting precious metals.

Boys sort discarded computer parts as sparks fly from a grinding machine.  (Image: Greenpeace, Flickr Commons; CC BY-ND 2.0)
Seed of doubt
While several studies confirm that GM crops can have serious impact on the safety of both humans and environment, the government is going ahead with GM mustard. Posted on 21 Jun, 2017 05:30 PM

Signs of mustard aphid, a key pest of the mustard crop appeared predictably in November last year in Dinesh’s farm. Drifting across the open green fields, it landed on the tender leaves of the mustard crop. “It sets in November during the flowering and pod bearing stage of the crop and lasts till January.

Opposition to GM mustard intensifies in India. (Image: Swadeshi Kheti)
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