Contamination, Pollution and Quality

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Featured Articles
September 5, 2024
India's sewage future
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
NGT’s uniform standards: A controversial approach to sewage management
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
India’s efforts at water pollution control: Legislative frameworks and real-world impacts
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
From pollution to solutions
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
Weed wars: The hidden costs of herbicide use in rice
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
The ripple effect of safe drinking water on health under Jal Jeevan Mission
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)
Fluorosis mitigation in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh: Experiences of monitoring fluoride levels in drinking water and human urine, and implementing mitigation measures
Vasudha Vikas Sansthan with the help of Water Aid and with the technical support of Peoples’ Science Institute undertook fluoride testing and fluorosis mitigation programme in Tirala, Dharampuri and Umarban blocks of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh. The program began on November 5th, 2008. The data generated and major results of the research undertaken under the programme is presented in this report.
Anil Gautam
Posted on 04 May, 2012 08:48 AM

Background:

62 million people in India, including 6 million children suffer from fluorosis. The root cause of this is excessive fluoride (>1.5mg/l) in groundwater, as is found in 20 states across India.

Objectives:
"Excreta Matters" - A profile of the water and sewage situation in 71 Indian cities - A report by the Centre for Science and Environment
The just released Citizens’ Seventh Report on the State of India’s Environment, “Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta” deals with where Indian urban centers get their water from and where their waste goes. The report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) calls for using correct technology, planning for cost recovery and resource sustainability, building and renewing local water resources and designing sewage systems differently. It also calls for a law on the right to clean water.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 02 May, 2012 12:24 PM

Guset post: Amita Bhaduri 

cover

Source: Excreta Matters, Centre for Science and Environment, 2012

People in National capital territory of Delhi are far away from safe drinking water: Role of governance and civil society
Dhobi Ghat, a slum area with a majority of Muslim population , is situated on the bank of river Yamuna, near Batla House, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi with around 150 families. These families are mostly deprived and poor, surviving with low literacy rate, malnutrition, hunger and lack of sanitation. This report by Ravi Nitesh deals with how people in Delhi do not have access to safe drinking water.
Ravi Nitesh
Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 09:56 PM

Physicochemical assessment of water quality with respect to remote sensing and GIS techniques - Paper published in the journal Advances in Pure and Applied Chemistry
This paper published in the journal Advances in Pure and Applied Chemistry, sheds light on the serious problem of the increasing levels of pollution of water bodies in India due to escalating populations, urbanisation and increasing economic activity and highlights the urgent need to conduct effective and efficient water quality assessment measures. The paper highlights the limitations associated with the conventional water quality assessment methods and discusses the recent advances in Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques and their relevance as promising alternatives for effective water quality assessment to the conventional water quality assessment methods.
Rajnee Naithani
Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 12:43 PM

The paper informs that current techniques normally used in the country for monitoring and assessment of the quality of water bodies involve in situ measurement and/or the collection of water samples for subsequent laboratory analysis of the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water.
Depleting water resources in Thalassery, Kerala: Huge effort is required to address water supply and sewerage handling issues
By chance only I happened to see the IWP, and am very glad and impressed to see the efforts and dedication of the team involved, to help the nation to promote and achieve sustainable use of water. I wish I can also contribute to the portal in whatever way possible to serve this noble initiative, in order to be part spreading awareness and thereby ensuring excess to drinking water to our future generations.
Fazal Maliyakkal
Posted on 22 Apr, 2012 02:57 PM

Author : Fazal Maliyakkal
A framework for rural drinking water quality management, based on experiences from the voluntary sector - A learning document by Arghyam
Arghyam, Bangalore, a non-profit foundation focusing on domestic water and sanitation, has published a document highlighting a water quality management (WQM) framework for rural areas. The framework lays out a phased and process-driven approach to WQM in rural areas and is based on work done by 12 prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who have been working on water quality (WQ), from across the country. Ayan Biswas of Arghyam writes about this.
Arghyam
Ayan Biswas
Posted on 20 Apr, 2012 04:33 PM


The phases that have been identified for a sustainable WQM programme are: 

(1) Assessment of baseline situation

(2) Participatory planning

(3) Water quality monitoring

(4) Implementation
The sanitation crisis in India - An urgent need to look beyond toilet provision
Recent evidence indicates that India is heading towards a major sanitation crisis in the coming years. Efforts made at meeting the sanitation challenges have been found to have very limited results, with as high as 65% of the population not having toilet facilities coupled with very low use of existing toilets in urban and rural areas.
It is perhaps the right time to critically evaluate and move beyond the excessive focus we have on 'provision' and pay attention to the underlying complexities of the mechanisms involved, that influence sanitation behaviour among people. If we dont do so, we stand the risk of "missing all the trees for the forest", i.e. missing the social and economic dimensions of the sanitation needs of the people, in the hurry to count the number of toilets provided ! Aarti Kelkar-Khambete writes about the issue.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 18 Apr, 2012 12:14 PM

Guest post by: Aarti Kelkar-Khambete

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The sanitation crisis and the recent evidence on lack of toilet facilities 
Maharashtra Water Resource Regulatory Authority s approach paper on criteria for determination of bulk water tariff in 2013 - 2016 - Draft put out for inviting comments
The Maharashtra Water Resource Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) has in March 2012 circulated its approach paper on criteria for determination of bulk water tariff for the period 2013-2016. The draft is now put out for public consultation, which is the next step in the exercise as per the regulations.
IWP
Posted on 14 Apr, 2012 09:46 PM

 
Toolkit for integrated urban water management, developed by Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy
This toolkit published by the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP) is an outcome of a study that involved exhaustive review of research undertaken all over the world on various aspects of urban water management by scholars and practitioners. It is not only relevant for water managers of urban local bodies, but also senior policy makers, scholars and practitioners concerned with water resources, particularly urban water.
Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP)
Posted on 12 Apr, 2012 11:24 PM

The review included, but was not limited to urban hydrology, management of water supply infrastructure, water resources management, water quality management (WQM), groundwater management, technical and economic instruments for water demand management, technical and economic aspects of leakage reduction, environmental and economic aspects of wastewater treatment and reuse, storm water management
Water law in a globalised world - Philippe Cullet discusses the need for creating a new framework
Water issues are rapidly acquiring a global dimension, while water laws remain rooted in specific regions. In this paper published in the Journal of Environmental Law, Philippe Cullet examines the need for a new framework for water law that allows for linkages with the global water cycle as well as human rights and environmental law.
Philippe Cullet
Posted on 09 Apr, 2012 11:09 PM

1. Introduction
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