/topics/contamination-pollution-and-quality
Contamination, Pollution and Quality
Locals struggle with WASH issues post-Amphan
Posted on 17 Aug, 2020 12:17 PMUN’s recognition of safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right recently hit a decade and this makes us ponder even more about the situation in the Sundarbans after the Amphan cyclone. The destruction caused by Amphan in the Sundarbans poses a massive threat to the very right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation of the people living there.
![Having no source of water is proving to be extremely difficult for the people living in the Sundarbans. (Image: WaterAid, Subhrajit Sen)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/w5.jpg?itok=J4P7V49H)
Groundwater extraction: NGT gets strict with commercial entities
Posted on 12 Aug, 2020 08:41 AMNGT bans granting general permissions for groundwater extraction to commercial entities
![NGT gets strict with commercial entities (Source: IWP Flickr album)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/32493765187_81650bd26f_c_1_0.jpg?itok=VbwhA7fP)
Understanding Atal Bhujal Yojana through the program guidelines
Posted on 10 Aug, 2020 03:59 PMGroundwater fulfills the drinking water requirements of nearly 85% and 50% of the rural and urban Indian population, respectively. 65% of the total irrigated area utilizes groundwater. It also caters to the water needs of the industrial sector in India.
![Community participation is expected to facilitate bottom-up groundwater planning process to improve the effectiveness of public financing and align implementation of various government programs on groundwater in the participating states (Image: Water Alternatives, Flickr Commons)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/groundwater_4.jpg?itok=HkdNjORG)
India-UK team tackles antimicrobial resistance spread in waterways
Posted on 07 Aug, 2020 11:30 AMAn estimated 58,000 babies die in India every year from superbug infections passed on from their mothers, whilst drug-resistant pathogens cause between 28,000 to 38,000 extra deaths in the European Union every year.
![The Musi river in Hyderabad, which has high concentrations of antibiotics released from production facilities (Image: Newcastle University)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/musi_river_india_standard.jpg?itok=dwsR91Od)
When solving one problem triggers another
Posted on 06 Aug, 2020 06:56 PMCome monsoons and vector borne diseases start making headlines every year in many parts of India, especially mosquito borne diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis.
What are vector borne diseases
![Guppies for mosquito control (Image Source: Rchampagne via Wikimedia Commons)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/guppies_final1.jpg?itok=n9ZxrtSB)
A third of world’s children poisoned by lead: UNICEF
Posted on 05 Aug, 2020 01:35 PMAround 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – have blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per decilitre (µg/dL), a level that the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated requires global and regional interventions.
![Two girls recycle metal from used batteries at a workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Image: UNICEF/Naser Siddique)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/unicef-pic.jpg?itok=c7S2dBZo)
Bihar and northeast India reel under floods, Assam worst hit
Posted on 23 Jul, 2020 09:26 AMFlood batters three northeast states, Assam worst affected
![People take a boat to cross the flood-ravaged Brahmaputra (Source: IWP Flickr photos)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/11798489896_4f25d0c9d7_z_0_0.jpg?itok=KECDRlFh)
Green court slams centre over groundwater withdrawal in dry areas
Posted on 23 Jul, 2020 09:24 AMNGT slams centre over groundwater extraction in dry areas
![A well in Rajasthan (Source: IWP Flickr photos)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/27560459605_dd7aeae4a2_z_0_2_0.jpg?itok=YSl0s1KE)
Controlling epidemics, as monsoon sets in
Posted on 16 Jul, 2020 08:40 AMWhile the monsoon has set in, this is a time when vector borne diseases could become rampant, and neglect of preventive measures could lead to a spike in these diseases.
What are vector borne diseases? Here's a primer that explains them in detail.
![Mosquitoes, deadly killers in disguise! (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/malaria_2_0.jpg?itok=D09esMxb)
Reinventing waste management during Covid-19
Posted on 11 Jul, 2020 10:19 PMIndia stares at a Covid-19 induced waste management crisis and there is a need to strengthen waste management services. An important sanitary barrier to prevent the dissemination of illnesses and diseases, waste management’s impact on the world’s healthcare systems, and the economy are significant.
![A lab technician discarding disposable gloves (Image: CDC/Kimberly Smith, Christine Ford acquired from Public Health Image Library)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/a-lab-technician-discarding-disposable-gloves-pv.jpg?itok=Qlw0ixZI)