Contamination, Pollution and Quality

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Featured Articles
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)
June 4, 2024
Azolla, a floating fern that drinks oil
Azolla pinnata, a floating water fern provides a unique environmentally friendly approach to mitigate the negative impacts of oil spills and promote cleaner water bodies.
Azolla pinnata, water fern that drinks oils (Image Source: Yercaud-elango via Wikimedia Commons)
May 6, 2024
Floating forward: An entrepreneur's tryst for 'clean-water' bodies
In our quest to spotlight dedicated entrepreneurs in the water sector, we bring you the inspiring story of Priyanshu Kamath, an IIT Bombay alumnus, who pivoted from a lucrative corporate career to tackle one of India's most intricate water quality challenges, that of pollution of its urban water bodies.
Innovative solutions to clean urban water bodies, Floating islands (Photo Credit: Priyanshu Kamath)
April 1, 2024
FAQ - Stubble burning in India: Causes, effects, and solutions
Decoding the problems and solutions related to stubble burning
Burning of rice residues after harvest, to quickly prepare the land for wheat planting, around Sangrur, Punjab (Image: 2011CIAT/NeilPalmer; CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
February 20, 2024
Sewage will overtake agriculture as the biggest polluter of river sub basins in India
This study predicts that sewage will become the dominant source of nitrogen pollution in rivers due to urbanisation and insufficient wastewater treatment technologies and infrastructure in worse case scenario projections in countries such as India.
The polluted river Yamuna at Agra (Image Source: India Water Portal)
January 30, 2024
Sustaining water quality in water supply initiatives
The workshop provided inputs into the newly formed committee for “Standard Operation Procedure for Quality Testing of Drinking Water Samples at Sources and Delivery Points”
Sector partners come together to supplement the efforts of the government on water quality and surveillance (Image: Barefoot Photographers of Tilonia)
Tamil Nadu may charge fees for commercial groundwater extraction: Upcoming revisions to State Water Policy
Policy matters this fortnight
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 15 Nov, 2023 09:19 AM

Tamil Nadu’s initiative to enhance water policy and management: Updates expected by January
Need to push for tough laws to restrict groundwater overextraction (Image: Rawpixel)
The plastic siege of rivers and lakes in India
Microplastic pollution in our rivers and lakes is increasing threatening livelihoods and health. More research and evidence is urgently needed to design environmentally sound coping and disposal mechanisms.
Kannaiyan Neelavannan
Indra Sekhar Sen
Posted on 26 Oct, 2023 03:18 PM

Plastic pollution of freshwater ecosystems in India is increasing - particularly that of rivers informs this paper titled 'Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems of India: Current trends and future perspectives' published in ACS OMEGA.
The polluted Ganges (Image Source: Lane via Wikimedia Commons)
Women: The harbingers of change, not silent sufferers
Women have often led the acts of resilience, and transformation, batting two warfronts at once, calamities and gendered social restrictions. It becomes important to explore, highlight, and reiterate their accomplishments as the changemakers, and not as the passive recipients.
Ayushya Singh
Posted on 21 Oct, 2023 05:03 PM

In times of crisis and calamity, women have repeatedly been cast, portrayed, and even studied as vulnerable groups, their agency overshadowed by societal perceptions. This characterization extends beyond disasters to encompass human-induced socio-economic upheavals too. While this narrative implies a lack of agency among women, the reality is quite different.
Women as trailblazers: Resilience, transformation, and breaking barriers on dual fronts (Image: ILRI/Mann; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)
National Green Tribunal issues notices for non-compliance with river cleanup orders
Policy updates this fortnight
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 17 Oct, 2023 03:12 PM

NGT issues notices for non-compliance: States and Centre criticised for failing to clean polluted river stretches
River Yamuna in Delhi (Image: Mirza, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED)
Government of India launches AI Chatbot to revolutionise farmers' support
Policy matters this fortnight
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 01 Oct, 2023 03:12 PM

Tech-driven transformation: AI Chatbot elevates efficiency of PM-KISAN scheme for Indian farmers
The Indian government introduces an AI Chatbot to transform support for farmers: A significant stride for the PM-KISAN scheme (Image: Freepik)
Water fleas see red as river Mula Mutha in Pune chokes
This study conducted by freshwater biologists Avinash Vanjare, Yugandhar Shinde and Sameer Padhye finds that pollution and faulty restoration practices have spelled doom for smaller animals residing in the Mula Mutha river indicating serious threats to the river ecosystem in the long run.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 29 Sep, 2023 09:57 PM

Mula Mutha, a river under seige
The Mula Mutha river at Pune (Image Source: Alexey Komarov via Wikimedia Commons)
Monitoring water quality of lakes and ponds in Kolkata
Using organisms living in the water as indicators of the status of water bodies provides a number of advantages over chemical analysis and is increasingly being used to monitor water quality of rivers and lakes in India.
Subhadip Ghosh
Shaheen Akhtar
Kanchan Kumari
Posted on 22 Sep, 2023 01:07 PM

Biomonitoring, to assess the pollution levels in water bodies
Santragachi Lake, beside Santragachi rail station at Santragachi, Howrah district, West Bengal (Image Source: Pinakpani via Wikimedia Commons)
Training workshop on Drinking Water Quality Testing - September 12-15, 2023
S M Sehgal Foundation, India in partnership with CAWST, Canada is hosting a four-day training workshop on Drinking Water Quality and Testing (DWQT).
Posted on 30 Aug, 2023 09:47 AM

Safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is the basic need for leading a healthy and dignified life. Marginalised communities in India still struggle with waterborne diseases, mostly due to unsafe drinking water and WASH behavior. According to a Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) Report by WHO in 2021, two billion people across the globe lack safely managed WASH services.
Indian biodiversity regulation changes may enable exploitation
Policy matters this fortnight
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 15 Aug, 2023 11:02 AM

Changes in Indian biodiversity regulations might allow for exploitation

A bill passed last week by India's Parliament, according to legal experts and environmental activists, may increase commercial exploitation of the nation's ecosystems and hurt the populations who depend on them.
The recent modifications to the Biodiversity Act exempts practitioners of many traditional Indian remedies from licensing and benefit-sharing obligations (Image: Tjiho, Pixabay)
The pit lakes of Raniganj
While pit lakes are formed as discards of open pit mining operations, they store huge amounts of water and support the drinking and daily water needs of communities living around them. Sustainable plans to improve water quality and biodiversity in the pit lakes are crucial.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 26 Jul, 2023 11:52 AM

Pit lakes formed as discards of open pit mining operations in West Bengal and Jharkhand buzz with activity as a large number of migratory winged visitors visit the lakes to rest and refuel, providing a ray of hope for the large number of abandoned pit lakes that are found in mining areas of India.
Pit lakes can provide a great source of water. Image for representation only (Image Source: Aniket Rajendra Ingole via Wikimedia Commons)
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