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Society, Culture, Religion and History
Flawed embankment strategy converts Bihar into a watery grave
Posted on 27 Jul, 2015 02:31 PMDr. Dinesh Kumar Mishra of Barh Mukti Abhiyaan, an authority on the river network of North Bihar speaks to India Water Portal about the flood problems, the skewed flood control policy of the Government, the Kosi breach of 2008 and the gargantuan interlinking of rivers project.
![Floods in Bihar (Source: Usha Dewani, IWP)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/floods-bihar_1.jpg?itok=_xEsB1C0)
Hindon clean-up, a prerequisite to cleaning the Ganga
Posted on 22 Jul, 2015 11:17 AMCome monsoon and the situation in the Hindon river is truly troubling. Large stretches of the river continue to suffer toxic contamination.
![The polluted Hindon (Source: Hindi Water Portal)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/hindon_river_1.jpg?itok=AtvPniBy)
For the community, led by the community: CLTS experiments in Bihar
Posted on 21 Jul, 2015 08:37 PMThe Swachh Bharat Mission’s baseline survey report of 2012 named Odisha and Bihar as the states having the worst sanitation figures in the entire nation. While 88% of households in Odisha had no toilets, the figure stood at 78% for the state of Bihar.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/Toilet%2520Construction.jpg?itok=JsfTrqWF)
The sacred springs of Sikkim
Posted on 16 Jul, 2015 09:31 AM"Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase". - Martin Luther King, Jr.
![Devithan at Kolbung village, Namthang](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/devithan.jpg?itok=RDhhaeuT)
What are the odds of a dam burst?
Posted on 11 Jul, 2015 10:48 AMOne of history’s worst dam bursts took place in Gujarat in 1979 when the four-kilometer long Machhu Dam II on the Machhu River collapsed. This led to a deluge in the industrial city of Morbi located five kilometers downstream as well as surrounding rural areas destroying thousands of homes and lives. While this was a tragedy, it was by no means an isolated one.
![Sardar Sarovar Dam (Source: Wikimedia Commons)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/sardar_sarovar_dam_2006_india_0.jpg?itok=pBR_Wrfg)
Living rivers, dying rivers: Ganga and the river systems of Bihar
Posted on 10 Jul, 2015 11:11 AMIntroduction: The Ganges
The first discussion was on June 4 2011, in which Rama Rauta and K C Sivaramakrishnan shared their experiences of working with the government and people’s organisations to save the Ganga.
![Kosi river, Bihar (Source:Wikipedia)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/kosi_2.jpg?itok=gGuKPd5T)
WHO & UNICEF Report ranks India worst in eradicating open defecation
Posted on 07 Jul, 2015 11:15 PMIndia's poor sanitation facilities have a direct correlation with stunting in children
![A defunt toilet in a tribal village in Odisha (Source: Vishwanath Srikantaiah)](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/3223299340_4c6754f83b.jpg?itok=uUSqgxH-)
Why use a refrigerator to store water when you can use a clay pot?
Posted on 04 Jul, 2015 10:06 PMWhat's not to like about clay pots? "They cool water naturally due to the tiny air pores present in them, are affordable, save energy and are eco-friendly when compared to refrigerators", says Gautam Bandhopadhaya, a water expert in Chhattisgarh.
![A potter making a clay pot in Jevra Sirsa village in Durg district](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/_dsc0738tps.jpg?itok=8522vshh)
Do more toilets mean a 'Swachh Bharat'? These 6 graphs tell it all.
Posted on 01 Jul, 2015 10:35 PMEvery 10 years, the government gears up to capture colossal amounts of data through its Census.
![What does the increase in toilet numbers really mean?](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/9063610653_0078275a59_z.jpg?itok=9NBiL0Bv)
Enter ‘leg first’ in water-bound Kangra Fort
Posted on 25 Jun, 2015 11:41 AM"Kangra Fort was so well guarded that it was safer to enter ‘leg first’", says the present scion of the erstwhile Katoch family ( Kat means sword,
![Ruins of the Kangra fort whisper the story of a bygone era](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_articles/public/iwp/image_2.jpg?itok=2BsetvuQ)