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Society, Culture, Religion and History
Ultratech Cement mines limestone (and villagers) in Chhattisgarh
Posted on 13 Dec, 2015 03:38 PMParaswani village in Balodabazar district, Chhattisgarh contains vast reserves of limestone, a sedimentary rock that is a primary ingredient in the cement manufacturing process. Since 1992, Ultratech Cement Ltd. (UTCL) followed by four other similar companies, have begun excavating this rock within a 30 km radius of the village.
![A view of the Ulratech Cement factory from Paraswani](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/23242374375_229a4cd22e_z.jpg?itok=ZzRNLvKM)
How will India's growing thirst for water impact regional relations?
Posted on 09 Dec, 2015 12:00 AMAs the demand for water is projected to increase globally, South Asia is becoming a hotspot where the economy and the population could be adversely impacted by poor water security due to growing household, agricultural and industrial needs, as well as increase in water-related disasters.
The threat of water security challenges faced by India
![The Brahmaputra river (Source: Wikimedia Commons)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/bramhaputra.jpg?itok=KZbgULki)
Choppy waters and a calm river voyager
Posted on 06 Dec, 2015 12:31 PMThe epic voyage--Nadisutra--along the Ganga may have been the high point of Emmanuel Theophilus’s recent work, but there have been many more peaks and valleys for this fervent mountaineer cum ecologist. Theo lives in a remote village near Munsiyari in Uttarakhand.
![Theophilus being awarded the ' Bhagirath Prayas Samman' (Source: Kush Sethi)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/theo_0.jpg?itok=mpGyg-J1)
Understanding the connect between caste and sanitation
Posted on 05 Dec, 2015 11:14 PMOf the one billion people defecating out in the open globally, 66% live in India of which as high as 92% live in rural areas.
![Factors affecting sanitation outcomes (Source: Sourabh Phadke)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/toilets_7.jpg?itok=ZcAHXV_D)
Water vending machines: How equitable are they?
Posted on 05 Dec, 2015 02:34 PMA water ATM, as the name implies, is a sort of a water vending machine similar to bank ATMs except that in a water ATM, money goes in to the machine in return for water. These machines, which run on a cash as well as a prepaid card or smart card system are built, owned and operated by private companies that have rights over public resources such as land and water.
![Water vending machines at work (Source:Sarvajal)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/girls_getting_water_from_atm.jpg?itok=K9iRQ_Ri)
Communal versus neighbour-shared latrines: Which is better?
Posted on 29 Nov, 2015 01:20 PMA study in Odisha found that communal latrines were less accessible, less likely to have water, were cleaned less frequently and were more likely to have visible faeces and flies.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/toilets_and_social_netwroks.jpg?itok=yLt57jxb)
Sunny balconies and hanging gardens in Goa
Posted on 22 Nov, 2015 09:59 PMIt was a sultry Sunday afternoon in Goa, the time traditionally reserved for heavy lunches followed by long siestas but the small crowd gathered at Arjuntree One in Margao defied the stereotype.
![Karan and Yogita at a workshop on organic container kitchen gardening](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/karan_and_yogita_lead.jpg?itok=YGpRD0d7)
Why do people choose to defecate in the open than use toilets in rural coastal Odisha?
Posted on 19 Nov, 2015 04:45 PMOf the one billion defecating in the open globally 66% live in India, of which 92% live in rural areas. Despite concerted government efforts for the last three decades to promote sanitation, India continues to lag behind in terms of access to basic sanitation facilities.
![Sociocultural factors affecting toilet use (Source: Sourabh Phadke)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/toilets_6.jpg?itok=u4bz7tnY)
Saaf Mathe Ka Samaaj: A treasure of essays on life and water
Posted on 19 Nov, 2015 01:04 PM‘Saaf Mathe Ka Samaaj’ is a compilation of 23 essays on people, land, air and water, on issues and concerns that plague them, and the deep and direct connect between society and the environment they live in. Anupam Mishra is a simple, down to earth man and a true Gandhian.
![Saaf mathe ka samaaj': Essays by Anupam Mishra (Source: Anupam Mishra)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/3_1.png?itok=fLi3PHo7)