Aarti Kelkar Khambete

Weather or not: Women workers need care in summer

There is a grave health concern around women manual workers who work under extreme conditions of heat with poor access to sanitary facilities. This needs urgent redressal at the policy level. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 6 months ago

Women work under poor working conditions. (Source: Wkimedia Commons)

Rivers: Not just clean them, revive them

The increasing pollution and the decrease in river water flow have made revival of rivers a non-negotiable need today. The solution is in cleaning the rivers--not in parts but as a whole. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 6 months ago

River Krishna at Wai (Source: India Water Portal)

Identifying WASH barriers

Policies that address the WASH need to acknowledge the presence of a glass curtain that curtails access to its appropriate gender and age-related services. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 6 months ago

A coastal village with poor sanitation facilities in South India (Source: India Water Portal)

Stunting in India: The sanitation connect

India has the highest number of stunted children worldwide. Not just toilet numbers, but poor toilet use and hygiene behaviour too need urgent redressal at the policy level to reduce stunting. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

Rally on nutrition awareness by Jeebika Suraksha Manch, Odisha (Source: Amir Khan)

Sanitation and the risk of sexual violence

A study finds increased risk of sexual violence among women who defecate in the open due to lack of proper sanitation facilities. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

Open letter to Uma Bharti, Minister for Water Resources

What are the gaps in the recent gazette notification on river Ganga rejuvenation? Dr Brij Gopal, coordinator, Centre for Inland Waters in South Asia writes an open letter for public discussion. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

Chhatris on the banks of the Betwa river. (Source: Vadaykeviv Wikimedia Commons)

Mining of rare earth minerals poisons land and water

Potential threats of environmental deterioration continue to be ignored in Kollam partly due to the difficulty in regulating an industry that produces resources of high strategic importance. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

Sand mining and environmental pollution (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Traditional ways to water security

Reviving traditional water bodies, and not environmentally-unsustainable mega projects which are expensive, is the most viable solution to deal with water scarcity in parched lands like Bundelkhand. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

A traditional pond in the fort city of Charkhari, Bundelkhand. (Source: India Water Portal)

Wai celebrates Krishnabai Utsav

Celebrated over eight days, a festival pays homage to the Krishna river which is dammed, stagnant and polluted but still holds hope for many. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

The river Krishna at Wai (Source: Makarand Shende)

No land for nomads

The lives of Dhangars in Maharashtra is a perfect example of the threats faced by pastoralists in India due to rapid urbanisation and hostile state policies. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

Dhangars are pastoralists in Maharashtra. (Source: India Water Portal)

Use rain to beat drought

An analysis by IMD proves that rainwater harvesting is the best way to overcome the continuous dry spells the country witnesses. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 7 months ago

Mumbai in monsoon. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Mumbai’s vanishing coasts

The implementation of the CRZ rules and prioritising the needs of fishing communities by involving them in the process is the right and holistic approach to end coastal deterioration. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 8 months ago

The deteriorating coasts of Mumbai. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Water sharing: Beyond economic concerns

It is important to look at rivers from an ecological point of view to solve transboundary water issues amicably. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 8 months ago

The lower Ganga, just upstream of Farakka, displays bank cutting and erosion. (Source: India Water Portal)

Change in approach for better result

WASH policies need to consider nuanced needs of people across their lifespan for better results, finds out a study. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 8 months ago

There is a need for a nuanced approach in making water and sanitation available to public. (Source: India Water Portal)

Those invisible farm hands

Farm women are often overworked and have several health issues. With no claim on their land or decision-making power, this gender-based discrimination needs redressal at the policy level. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 8 months ago

Women at work on a farm. (Source: India Water Portal)

When neighbours fight for water

As conflict over sharing of river Brahmaputra threatens to raise its ugly head again, cooperation, not competition between China, India and Bangladesh alone can solve the issue Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 8 months ago

The river Brahmaputra (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Health check up for the rivers

While the health of the rivers needs to be comprehensively assessed to bring the contamination down, public participation remains crucial in keeping the rivers alive. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 9 months ago

The Krishna river, Wai, Maharashtra. (Source: India Water Portal)

Why is Lukha feeling blue?

Heavily polluted and poisoned at its confluence with the Lunar river, the Lukha turns mysteriously blue as it flows downstream. The studies are on to know the cause. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 9 months ago

The Lukha river in Meghalaya. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

MGNREGA demands makeover

A decade after its implementation, MGNREGA is in shambles. Taking Jharkhand as an example, a paper analyses what went wrong and how to rectify the mistakes. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 9 months ago

Labourers build check dams under MGNREGA. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)

A river on fire

Communication, based on sound scientific information, involving farmers as well as other stakeholders, is the only way to solve the Cauvery dispute. Political mandate, too, is important. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 7 years 10 months ago

Cauvery river at Hogenakal, Karnataka. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos via Claire Arni and Oriole Henri)