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Mumbai wetlands as parking area: FIR filed
News this week Posted on 21 Nov, 2016 06:06 AM

FIR against man who let vehicles be parked on Mumbai wetlands

Mumbai wetland (Source:Wikipedia)
World Toilet Day: Beyond BCC
Though toilets are being constructed rapidly across India, questions remain about their acceptance and usage. Until that happens, complete 'swachhta' cannot be realised. Posted on 19 Nov, 2016 07:22 AM

The Swachh Bharat (Gramin) website reports an increase in the total percentage of household toilet constructed from 42.02 percent in 2014 to 56.85 percent as on November 15, 2016. The number of open defecation free villages have also increased from 50,168 in 2015-16 to 1,17,242 villages.

Children pose outside a toilet in Sanarpudur village, Namakkal.
Water sharing: Beyond economic concerns
It is important to look at rivers from an ecological point of view to solve transboundary water issues amicably. Posted on 15 Nov, 2016 11:49 AM

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin is the third largest river flow system in the world with an annual runoff about 1,150 billion cubic meters (BCM) and the peak outflow of 1,41,000 cumecs.

The lower Ganga, just upstream of Farakka, displays bank cutting and erosion. (Source: India Water Portal)
Crop change for better yield?
Crop patterns in India are changing without consideration for local agro-climatic conditions. This puts a burden on environment, incurring huge long-term losses. Posted on 15 Nov, 2016 10:48 AM

The past few months saw Karnataka and Tamil Nadu bickering over the sharing of the Cauvery water. It was the failure of the south-west monsoon that had put crops in Karnataka at risk, forcing the government to stop water supplies to Tamil Nadu. The arrival of the north-east monsoon in Tamil Nadu, however, has eased this tension.

Since the introduction of green revolution, four kharif crops have marched to newer grounds.
NGT raps Delhi government over air pollution
News this week Posted on 14 Nov, 2016 05:59 AM

Environment minister calls Delhi pollution 'emergency situation'

Delhi shrouded in smog. (Source: Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy/Flickr)
Sutlej Yamuna Link canal row intensifies
Policy matters this week Posted on 14 Nov, 2016 05:44 AM

SC sets aside Punjab's order quashing water-sharing agreement with Haryana

Satluj river, Punjab (Source: Harpreet Riat/Wikimedia Commons)
Saving Tso Moriri
Pristine Tso Moriri attracts hundreds of visitors, both winged and biped. Today, it is the human visitors that threaten the survival of this Ramsar wetland. Posted on 14 Nov, 2016 05:31 AM

Poised at a breathtaking 4,595 metres above sea level, Tso Moriri is a clear lake fed by multiple springs as well as snowmelt that drains into it from the nearby mountains. Of the streams that feed it, the two primary stream systems lie to the north and the south-west.

Black-headed gull is one of the 40 species of birds at Tso Moriri. (Photo: Keith Goyden)
Change in approach for better result
WASH policies need to consider nuanced needs of people across their lifespan for better results, finds out a study. Posted on 11 Nov, 2016 11:11 PM

Providing access to water, sanitation and hygiene or WASH to everyone has been the focus of governments for many decades. The declaration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 set aside definite targets for water and sanitation that countries need to work towards.

There is a need for a nuanced approach in making water and sanitation available to public. (Source: India Water Portal)
A city pond of its Aayi
Aayi Kulam in Puducherry is not just a pond that does its job of recharging the groundwater. It is a slice of history that needs to be preserved. Posted on 10 Nov, 2016 10:21 PM

Muthirapalayam has figured prominently in Pondicherry’s water supply map for a couple of centuries, dominating especially during the French regime. Though the burgeoning population has necessitated the commissioning of alternate supply routes and source wells, the story of Muthirapalayam is like no other.

Aayi Kulam is now completely dried up.
At home, in the wetland
Not just a site of global importance for migratory birds, Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is home to diverse creatures that depend on it for food, shelter and livelihood. Posted on 10 Nov, 2016 10:01 PM

Long necked, rosy white birds with heavy pink bills stand etched across the horizon. These are the flamingos that fly miles from across Iran’s Caspian Sea and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, to reach the inland waters of Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.

Flamingoes fly miles to reach Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu.
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