Aarti Kelkar Khambete

Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Decentralised solar transforming rural India
News this fortnight
Posted on 02 Mar, 2023 09:51 PM

Decentralised solar is transforming rural India

Solar power use in a Tamil Nadu farm (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Low MGNREGA allocation puts the poor at risk
News this fortnight
Posted on 20 Feb, 2023 11:20 AM

Funds allocated for MGNREGA in the Budget 2023-24 adequate for just 17 days of work

The Budget 2023-24 has earmarked Rs 60,000 crore for MGNREGS, that promises a minimum of 100 days of work.  This allocation has been found to be the lowest in the history of MGNREGA in terms of Gross Domestic Product, and has been down to 0.198 percent of the GDP.

Constructing check dams under MGNREGA. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Green growth finds prominence in the Union Budget 2023-24
News this month
Posted on 03 Feb, 2023 09:45 AM

Green growth finds prominence in the Union Budget 2023-24

Mangrove forest at Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu (Image Source: Shankaran Murugan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Building communities of practice on water quality
Water Quality Practitioners from across the country connect every week to discuss water quality issues and ground level challenges, explore possible solutions through the Guided Mentoring programme on Water Quality. Posted on 09 Jan, 2023 01:50 PM

Healing traditions in India have withstood the test of time. Not many of us need to be taught to mix a pinch of haldi in a glass of milk to cope with sore throat, now famously known as turmeric latte, or to add a pinch of dry ginger to our tea when we catch a cold.

Snapshot of a Guided Mentoring session being conducted virtually on Zoom Platform (Source: INREM Foundation)
Greater Chennai Corporation to set up 'sponge parks' to prevent street flooding
News this fortnight
Posted on 06 Jan, 2023 09:22 PM

Greater Chennai Corporation plans to set up 47 'sponge parks' to prevent street flooding

Natural spaces such as water bodies and vegetation in cities can act as sponges and absorb rain and prevent flooding (Image Source: IWP Flicker photos)
Assessing the health of river Ganga
How are dams affecting the river Ganga? What are phytoplankton and how can they help assess health of rivers? What is the connection between dams, barrages, river flows and phytoplankton growth? Read this recent study to know more.
Posted on 08 Dec, 2022 07:07 PM

Dams can bind and gag rivers 

Structures such as locks, dams, barrages, and weirs are known to drastically reduce the longitudinal connectivity of rivers, impact downstream flow, and alter riverine ecosystems.

The polluted Ganges (Image Source: Lane Rasberry via Wikimedia Commons)
Small scale inland open water fisheries of India
What is the status of inland fisheries in India? Read these situational analysis reports to know about inland fisheries, the life of the fisherfolk, governance and tenure in inland fisheries and threats to the sustainability of inland fisheries.
Posted on 04 Dec, 2022 11:24 AM

What are inland waters 

Fishing in an irrigation canal in Kerala (Image Source: Martin Pilkinton via Wikimedia Commons)
Chaos in a concrete jungle
Heavy rains and floods have battered Bengaluru yet again. Uncontrolled and unregulated development and concretisation of the city that pays no heed to the ecology and hydrology of the region needs to stop!
Posted on 13 Sep, 2022 06:32 PM

Bengaluru, once a city of lakes - is in crisis.

Urban flooding in Bangalore (Image Source: Thejas via Wikimedia Commons)
Poisoned waters, threatened lives
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.
Posted on 05 Jul, 2022 11:58 PM

Non carcinogenic health effects of groundwater contamination are equally challenging as the carcinogenic risks.

POisoned waters, dangerous outcomes (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Fluoride contamination of groundwater in Punjab, a growing concern
Fluoride contamination of ground water is on the rise in the Malwa region of Punjab threatening the health of the population. Urgent remedial measures are needed.
Posted on 16 Jun, 2022 02:05 PM

Nearly 85 percent of the Indian population consumes groundwater and this groundwater can get polluted because of a number of contaminants - with fluoride being an important one.

Fluoride contamination of groundwater - a grave risk to health

Groundwater contamination in Punjab, a growing problem (Image for representation only, Source: India Water Portal)
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