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News and Articles
Bio-loos on track, Railways to clean up its act
Posted on 03 Aug, 2016 10:27 AMFor almost two decades, the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act of 1993 was a paralytic occupant of the statute books. The Act prohibited the construction of dry toilets which required faeces to be removed manually and outlawed manual scavenging.
![A rail coach fitted with bio-toilet. (Courtesy: India Railway Info)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/1370953633942-dsc_1365_bio_toilets_are_seen_fitted_to_coach.jpg.jpg?itok=kG94xNzS)
Rejuvenating traditional water system in Maharashtra
Posted on 02 Aug, 2016 09:44 AMMalguzari tanks were ponds made for water harvesting by the Malguzaars, who were zamindars or tenants in eastern Vidarbha, Maharashtra two centuries ago.These tanks provided water for irrigation and also increased the availability of fish for local consumption.
![Janbhora Malguzari tank in Bhandara](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/janbhora_tank_in_bhandara_district.jpg?itok=i28MQ1HM)
Riverbed off limits, farmers fume
Posted on 01 Aug, 2016 08:23 PMChampa Devi has been working as a sharecropper on a two-acre farm at Nilothi village in west Delhi. Until a few years ago, the water she used for irrigation came from the Najafgarh drain that empties into the Yamuna river. This form of cultivation using waste water was a norm in the area till sometime ago.
![Thousands of farmers like Champa Devi (in pic) who were growing edible crops or doing fodder cultivation on the riverbed and its floodplains took the brunt of the court’s decision.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/champa-kewat_0.jpg?itok=ot4vx_ZF)
Where the holy rivers meet
Posted on 01 Aug, 2016 07:53 PMTemples in India have always had a water body near its premises. Whether it is a natural pond, a free-flowing river or a man-made tank, the water inside them seem to imbibe the sacredness associated with the temples, thereby becoming an integral part of the cultural, social and religious landscape of that area.
![Once every 12 years, pilgrims take a dip in the sacred tank where the holy rivers are believed to converge during the Mahamaham festival.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/dsc_0093.jpg?itok=PqN6_9xS)
Living in fear of water
Posted on 31 Jul, 2016 11:41 AMFarmer Ravikant Deshmukh (40) is a much worried man. He lives in Kudari Dalli in Balod district in Chhattisgarh, a village that would get affected adversely if Mohar reservoir project takes off. The project, once realised, is estimated to submerge the agricultural land and houses of 1200 villagers in Kudari Dalli.
![Punam Kumar Deshmukh at the proposed Mohar reservoir site near Banjaridihi village.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/28379682532_a6481444f3_o.jpg?itok=KBp_1uvs)
NGT gets strict over notification of wetlands
Posted on 30 Jul, 2016 11:53 PMNGT orders CWRA to meet every month for identification of wetlands
![A wetland in Assam. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/11799415546_e40abe974f_z.jpg?itok=3N3TBXXj)
Thanks to dirty water, Indian children stunted
Posted on 30 Jul, 2016 11:39 PMIndia has largest number of stunted children in the world: Study
![Stunting in children highest in India. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/9065795548_9bd67e75af_z.jpg?itok=g8iH93Xu)
Haryana gets toilets, now to focus on usage
Posted on 30 Jul, 2016 11:43 AMRamkaran Sharma built a new house three years back. From one room and kitchen on a terrace, his family graduated to three rooms, a bigger kitchen and a separate toilet and bathroom. Still, Ramkaran prefers to go out in the fields to relieve himself. “I like to take a long walk.
![A toilet constructed is no guarantee that it will be put to use.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/dsc04543.jpg?itok=KKXJQxP9)
Groundwater revival comes a cropper
Posted on 24 Jul, 2016 09:05 PMWater crisis is a reality in most of India. After the summer of droughts come the monsoon floods. Take Maharashtra, for instance. If at one time it is desperately searching for drinking water, at another time, its capital, Mumbai is wading through knee-high water. How do we overcome these annual crises?
![A villager shows the rainwater harvesting structure in Aravalli hills.](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/aravalli.jpg?itok=c1kZlSI7)