Contamination, Pollution and Quality

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Featured Articles
September 5, 2024 The current state of play regarding sewage treatment standards in India
Clogged pipes: India's sewage treatment crisis (Image: Trey Ratcliff, Flickr Commons; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
September 2, 2024 Recommendations made by an expert committee, the NGT's subsequent orders, and a critical analysis of these developments
Drum screens at Bharwara sewage treatment plant (Image: India Water Portal)
August 30, 2024 This article traces the evolution of the legislative framework for water pollution in India and its implications for wastewater treatment standards in the country. 
Open drains in Alwar (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
August 22, 2024 The journey of sewage treatment standards and the challenge of treating India’s growing wastewater
Need to fix wastewater effluent standards (Image: Kristian Bjornard)
August 1, 2024 Recognising the limitations of relying solely on herbicides, a strategic shift towards preventive measures is crucial
Relying solely on chemicals to keep weeds at bay isn't sustainable and can harm the environment. (Image: Needpix)
June 12, 2024 Leveraging research to optimise water programs for improved health outcomes in India
Closing the tap on disease (Image: Marlon Felippe; CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Water contamination and pollution - A growing challenge for health and biodiversity
Get comprehensive information on water pollution, its causes, and effects on health and biodiversity. Learn about the growing challenges and solutions to combat water contamination. Posted on 17 Oct, 2021 02:03 AM

Where is water on earth located?

Water on earth exists in two forms, freshwater and salt water. Less than 3 percent of the water found on earth is freshwater, and the remaining 97 percent is salt water found in the oceans.

Poisoned waters of the Yamuna (Image Source: India Water Portal)
India needs a comprehensive emissions database
India needs an official national emissions inventory for pollutants, as existing ones show 37% variation Posted on 10 Oct, 2021 01:35 PM

India needs to develop and maintain a comprehensive inventory of baseline emissions to ascertain whether its policy and technological interventions are able to reduce air pollution, according to an independent 

Database needed to assess emissions from industries, power plants, road transport, domestic sources, and agricultural waste burning (Image: Pxfuel)
Over 500 million people in India exposed to sand and dust storms
Storms worsen air quality and degrade vast farmland areas, as per a new UN study that analyses the impact of sand and dust storms on health, clean energy, transport, glaciers, cities and agriculture in Asia and the Pacific. Posted on 08 Oct, 2021 02:25 PM

According to a new UN report, more than 500 million people in India are exposed to medium and high levels of poor air quality due to sand and dust storms.

Storms worsen air quality and degrade vast farmland areas, disrupt commercial flight services, lower the efficiency of solar power generation, and accelerate the melting of glaciers. (Image: ESCAP)
Only a third of sewage generated per day in India treated, reports CPCB
News this fortnight Posted on 23 Sep, 2021 01:30 PM

Only a third of sewage generated daily is treated in India, according to CPCB

A sewage treatment plant in Karnataka (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
The holy composting unit
While preventing nirmalya (religious waste) from being thrown in the rivers along the ghats of rivers in India is a dire need, so is increasing public awareness and citizen involvement on the issue, urges Jeevitnadi from Pune. Posted on 18 Sep, 2021 03:48 PM

Cleaning the river banks has been a regular activity taken up by Jeevitnadi Living River Foundation (an NGO working on saving the river Mula Mutha in Pune city through citizen involvement) as a part of the Adopt a river stretch initiative.

A composting unit installed in one of the temple premises in Pune (Image Source: Jeevitnadi Living River Foundation)
Transforming wall paintings into speaking walls
An innovative initiative for awareness building and communication on water quality issues Posted on 09 Sep, 2021 07:02 PM

If you travel to rural India, you can find wall paintings near bus stands or compound walls of schools or walls of a Panchayat office adorned with messages.

Fluoride contamination is leaving villagers crippled, while authorities struggle to find solutions. (Image: India Water Portal)
Uranium in drinking water: A growing concern for India
A recent report by CGWB reveals that uranium contamination of groundwater is on the rise with Punjab and Haryana being the most affected. Posted on 07 Sep, 2021 04:47 PM

Groundwater continues to be extracted at frightening proportions in India and the fear of severe depletion of groundwater resources in the coming years is real. As if this is not enough, the available groundwater is also deteriorating in quality posing a severe threat to the health of the population.

India drinks water poisoned with uranium

Uranium contamination of drinking water on the rise in India  (Image: Pxhere)
Poisonous encounters: Nitrate contamination of groundwater in Rajasthan
This study from Rajasthan found that anthropogenic factors led to nitrate contamination of groundwater. High nitrate levels in drinking water posed major health risks to children. Posted on 26 Aug, 2021 08:24 AM

Groundwater in arid and semi arid regions continues to be a valuable and often the single most source of freshwater and conservation of this resource remains crucial for the survival of communities residing in the area. At the same time, a serious decline in the quality of groundwater is adding pressure on these water resources.

A well in Rajasthan (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Water levels in reservoirs of north, central India plummet - Rainfall deficit to blame
News this fortnight Posted on 24 Aug, 2021 11:59 AM

Deficient rainfall results in low storage in reservoirs of north, central India

Chicklihole Reservior Coorg (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
Government notifies ban on single-use plastics from July 2022
Policy matters this fortnight Posted on 24 Aug, 2021 12:04 AM

No more single-use plastics from July 1, 2022

Plastic menace in Kufri, Himachal Pradesh (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
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