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)
Pest gene to kill pesticides
Researchers isolate a pest gene that can help fight pesticide contamination in environment. Posted on 11 Jan, 2018 03:09 PM

Persistent use of chemical pesticides to increase crop productivity has led to their accumulation in soil, water and even food. Now a group of researchers from Pune have isolated an enzyme from a pest and found that it can be used to clean up pesticide residues from food and environment.

A new gene from pests can destroy the pesticide residues in food and environment. (Source: IWP Flickr photos; photo for representation only)
Stubble burning banned, farmers stumped
While banning stubble burning is a positive step towards reducing air pollution in the Delhi-NCR sector, the farmers need support from the government to adopt measures to enable smooth crop rotation. Posted on 07 Jan, 2018 06:20 PM

Amar Singh sits in his huge courtyard at the centre of his home in the village of Atraula in Meerut. Lying in the far west part of Uttar Pradesh, this is a flourishing sugarcane belt. An important agricultural region, its demographic, economic and cultural patterns are similar to that of nearby Haryana and Rajasthan.

A large amount of crop residues are available in western UP and most of these are burnt in the field (Image: Ed Dunens, Flickr Commons)
Save Thane Creek
The rich biodiversity of Thane Creek needs to be protected for it supports various flora and fauna with flamingos as its major attraction. Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 03:53 PM

Thane Creek is an inlet along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea that isolates the city of Mumbai from the Indian mainland. It is Asia's largest creek with a length of 26 km. The creek is lined up with mangroves on both sides and plays host to a lot of species ranging from iconic flamingos to tiny crabs. 

Thane Creek (Source: GIZ)
Hotels and industries polluting the Ganga to be sealed
Policy matters this week Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 11:43 AM

Hotels, industries, ashrams polluting the Ganga to be sealed

Ganga river at Sangam, Allahabad (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Cauvery loaded with toxins
News this week Posted on 27 Dec, 2017 11:10 AM

Cauvery found to be the most toxic river in the country 

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)
Farmer suicide cases decrease: Govt data
News this week Posted on 20 Dec, 2017 11:22 AM

Government data shows decreasing suicide trend among farmers for the second consecutive year

A farmer in his field. (Source: India Water Portal)
India faces superbugs
Superbugs can not only render antibiotics useless but lead to prolonged suffering and death in humans. Focus on better sanitation and public awareness is the need of the hour. Posted on 20 Dec, 2017 10:53 AM

There is a huge dearth of cleanliness in India--open defecation is rampant; garbage management in most cities is in shambles; toxic hospital and industrial wastes and sewage are allowed to drain into water sources and food products are laced with chemicals.

Highly polluted rivers such as the Yamuna can breed superbugs. (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
Is it worth the salt?
Unregulated salt production near Sambhar lake is not just causing health problems among salt workers, it is also depleting groundwater and ruining the ecosystem of the wetland. Posted on 12 Dec, 2017 12:22 PM

The fields are silvery white with raw salt crusts in the vicinity of Nawa, a small town on the northwestern banks of Sambhar lake, India’s largest inland lake. Nawa lies about 90 kilometres east of Jaipur. Also an extensive saline wetland and a Ramsar site, the blinding white salt flats stretch as far as one can see.

Ramachander Singh, a salt worker who has been raking salt for decades now at this salt pan or kyari dotting the lake bed of Sambhar, Rajasthan.
World Culture Festival ruined Yamuna floodplains: NGT
Policy matters this week Posted on 12 Dec, 2017 11:54 AM

Art of Living responsible for destroying the Yamuna floodplains: NGT

The front view of the giant stage under construction for the World Culture Festival. (Source: Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan)
Soil health is declining in India: Report
News this week Posted on 12 Dec, 2017 11:24 AM

Carbon content in India's soil decreases

India's soil health needs attention. (Source: IWP Flickr photo)
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