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New policy to manage landfills in Delhi on the cards
Policy matters this week Posted on 13 Feb, 2018 12:23 PM

Union environment ministry to come up with policy to manage landfill sites in Delhi

A mountain of refuse. (Picture courtesy: India Today)
Floating filth mars market on water
Kolkata’s floating market that opened to much fanfare paints a picture of neglect within days of its inauguration. Posted on 08 Feb, 2018 02:49 PM

The beautiful city of Kolkata had another first to its credit when the much anticipated floating market was inaugurated on January 24 by the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee.

A fruit stall at the market. (Pictures courtesy: Gurvinder Singh)
What budget has for farm and rural sectors
There is a sharp rise in allocations for rural and agriculture sector in this budget. Posted on 07 Feb, 2018 04:31 PM

This year’s budget was expected to be extensively farmer- and rural-sector oriented. And that is exactly what it turned out to be. The distress in the agrarian sector has intensified and its political implications were rife this year considering the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled next year.

The budget has a slew of initiatives to revive the farm sector. (Image: Azhar Feder, Wikimedia Commons-CC-BY-SA-3.0)
Let’s poka-yoke lives of STP operators
10 safety guidelines to ensure STP operators are safe while on duty. Posted on 07 Feb, 2018 11:30 AM

Poka-yoke* is a simple Japanese quality principle from the 60s--the use of any automatic device or method that makes it impossible for an error to occur. It is a simple idea. 'Simplicity' always wins! 

Now, let's switch to STP operators and poka-yoke! 

Asia's largest sewage treatment plant at Bharwara, near Lucknow. (Source: IWP Flickr photos; photo for representation only)
Rs 10,000 crore boost for fisheries
Policy matters this week Posted on 06 Feb, 2018 01:08 PM

Rs 10,000 crore set aside to boost fisheries, aquaculture and animal husbandry: Budget 2018-19

Fishing livelihoods (Picture courtesy: Conservation India)
New lease of life for three wetlands in Chennai
News this week Posted on 06 Feb, 2018 01:04 PM

CareEarth Trust helps restore three wetlands in Chennai city

The recently restored Narayanapuram wetland. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Toilets for women, women for toilets
Women are leading the way to a Swachh Bharat in the hinterlands of India. Posted on 05 Feb, 2018 11:16 AM

Rural India’s tryst with toilets began with its first sanitation programme--the CRSP (Community Rural Sanitation Programme) in 1981, when the country’s rural sanitation coverage was a mere one percent. By 2014, it was 39 percent, i.e., an average of about one percent increase in sanitation coverage per year.

The graph shows the sanitation coverage in rural India.
Conflict around wetland use in West Bengal
Finding a balance between conservation and usage is key to solving conflicts between various stakeholders of wetlands in West Bengal. Posted on 01 Feb, 2018 07:56 PM

Lower Gangetic Plains of West Bengal is blessed with a variety of wetlands ranging from coastal and marine wetlands to inland freshwater lakes, dams and swamps as well as the constructed wetlands in irrigation schemes and sewerage treatment systems and also the mountain wetlands.

Increased demand for wetlands pose a threat to fisheries sector in West Bengal. (Source: IWP Flickr photos; photo for representation only)
Weeds to increase with climate change
A new study finds out that climate change could exacerbate weed problem as weeds can better adapt to it than crop plants. Posted on 01 Feb, 2018 07:40 PM

Weeds are a persistent problem for farmers. A recent assessment by the Directorate of Weed Research shows that India loses crops worth $ 11 billion every year to these farm intruders. 

Weeds are sturdier than crop plants and could survive climate change. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Government announces new river revival strategy
Policy matters this week Posted on 30 Jan, 2018 08:54 PM

Environment ministry announces new strategy to revive major river water systems

River Cauvery at Hogenakal, Karnataka (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
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