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Political
Water worried, Ranchi looks for a way out
Posted on 13 Dec, 2016 10:23 AMRanchi, the capital of Jharkhand, has gained disrepute for the plummeting groundwater level and water shortage in its dams. Once a settlement of the indigenous communities of Munda and Oraon, the city, located in the coal-steel belt of India, witnessed unprecedented growth since 1869.
![Harmu, a dirty waterway winds through the centre of the city.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/harmu-river-pollution.jpg?itok=n14fva10)
NGT cancels illegal salt pans in Sambhar Lake
Posted on 13 Dec, 2016 07:19 AMGood news for Sambhar Salt Lake
![Sambhar Lake, India's largest salt lake. (Source: IWP's Flickr photos)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/2971840426_eb67304faf_z.jpg?itok=go_RIKLM)
Cyclone Vardah hits TN
Posted on 13 Dec, 2016 07:11 AMCyclone Vardah makes landfall in TN, causes massive damage
![Tropical cyclone of 2013. (Source: NASA WorldView)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/cyclone_phailin_11_october_2013_0_0.jpg?itok=wsAYqAQ1)
Breathing life into Baitarani
Posted on 12 Dec, 2016 12:13 PMPranab Choudhury has been actively engaged with the causes of the poor and the environment for more than a decade.
![Pranab Choudhury](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/thumb_dsc0041_1024.jpg?itok=Zn5i5BzD)
For a flood-free Chennai
Posted on 07 Dec, 2016 09:07 PMChennai’s drainage system--both natural and man-made--is unparalleled. Three rivers flow through the city--the Kosasthalaiyar to the north, the Cooum cutting right through the centre and the Adyar to the south; around 16 major drains criss-cross the metro in addition to the mammoth Buckingham canal along the coast.
![Home to over 300 species of birds, the Pallikaranai marsh is being increasingly threatened by rapid urbanisation. (Image: IWP Flickr)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/30836106336_440af3b8f4_z.jpg?itok=iYSnotQN)
Remembering Amma’s generosity
Posted on 07 Dec, 2016 06:12 AMOne of Tamil Nadu’s most populist leaders and a big inspiration to women across the state and beyond, J. Jayalalithaa has left an indelible mark on the people as well as the politics of the state. Though detractors objected to the ‘Amma’ prefix in most of her schemes, the people of Tamil Nadu did not seem to mind, given that many of their basic needs stood satisfied to a great extent.
![Amma rose to popularity with her many welfare schemes for the poor.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/amma-kudineer.jpg?itok=xnoD9L-y)
Mining of rare earth minerals poisons land and water
Posted on 06 Dec, 2016 12:49 PMMining and processing of heavy and rare earth minerals can produce a tremendously negative impact on the land and environment in the area, the magnitude and intensity of which depends on the kind of chemicals and processes used, the efforts taken in the management of waste as well as on environmental fragility of the location.
![Sand mining and environmental pollution (Source: Wikimedia Commons)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/sand_mining.jpg?itok=YisrqyYU)
A cut above the rest
Posted on 05 Dec, 2016 09:41 PMDeot Masih’s family has been extracting lotus root from the marshy land in his village near Gurdaspur for several decades. Delicate and crunchy, the edible roots are in high demand going as far as Srinagar in the north and Delhi in the south. Similar is the case with chestnut grown in this swamp.
![Keshopur, a favourite of native and migratory birds in Punjab.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/_dsc0647.jpg?itok=1Fii1qpd)
Rift over Indus Water Treaty continues
Posted on 04 Dec, 2016 08:45 PMConflict between India and Pakistan over Indus Water Treaty continues
![Indus river (Source: IWP Flickr photos)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/9245084431_9e540906f3_z.jpg?itok=q7FwhF27)
Ganga clean-up programme has failed: IIT consortium
Posted on 04 Dec, 2016 08:31 PMGanga clean-up fails, thanks to multiple authorities and no monitoring
![Man searched for coins in polluted water of Ganga river at Allahabad (Source: IWP Flickr photos)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/2934020141_365e706489_z.jpg?itok=_gJaxFvb)