NGT raps green ministry for failing to curb depletion of groundwater
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the environment ministry for failing to furnish a report, sought by the tribunal earlier, on the actions taken to tackle groundwater depletion. In January, the tribunal had ordered t...
A recent study by Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy organisation on batteries titled Dead and buried: A situational analysis of battery waste management in India estimates that 2.7 billion pieces of dry cell batteries are being consumed annually in India. The report talks abou...
Under Namami Gange mission, only 10 out of 100 new sewage projects completed
As per the records, the government has been able to finish only 10 of the 100 sewage infrastructure projects under the Namami Gange mission. Nearly Rs 28,000 crore has been sanctioned for the sewage management wo...
The Yamuna was considered a nurturing and life-enhancing goddess in the past. Legend has it that bathing in the sacred waters of the Yamuna, the sister of Yama, the god of death, frees one from the ordeal of death. The 1376-km river is a tributary of the Ganga and originates in the Yamunotri gl...
India has the highest national freshwater demand globally and 91 percent of our freshwater is used in the agriculture sector. Cereals account for over 50 percent of the dietary water footprint in India and represent a potential opportunity for reducing water use in Indian agriculture. After the gree...
India is on the brink of a major water crisis. With drought looming over the southern and western parts of the country, the existing water resources are in peril. Rivers are getting more polluted, their catchments, water-holding and water-harvesting mechanisms are deteriorating and groundwater level...
Ganga laden with high proportion of antibacterial agents: Study
As per the study Assessment of Water Quality and Sediment To Understand Special Properties of River Ganga conducted by the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), the Ganga river water has a sign...
India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. It uses an estimated 230 km3 of groundwater per year, which is over a quarter of the global total. About 85 percent of rural drinking water needs, 65 percent of irrigation needs and 50 percent of urban drinking water and industrial needs are ful...
India, the second largest population in the world, is facing a water crisis with over 600 million people facing acute water shortage, as per a report by Niti Aayog, the government think-tank. India’s water crisis is expected to worsen, threatening the country’s food security as over 80 percent o...
Study reveals that nearly 42 percent of India’s land area is facing drought
According to the Drought Early Warning System (DEWS), a real-time drought monitoring platform, nearly 42 percent of India’s land area is facing drought, with six percent exceptionally dry. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat...
DDA allocates 42.5 acre plot on Yamuna floodplains for waste dumping
As an alternative dumping site to the oversaturated Ghazipur landfill, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has allocated a 42.5 acre plot, located in the Yamuna floodplains, to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) to dump...
Compiled by Pankaj Kumar S., Resource Person and Ramya Gopalan, Research Associate, 22 December 2006 From Sarbeswara Sahoo, Kalpataru, Angul, Orissa, Posted 21 November 2006Kalpataru is an NGO working in central Orissa on common property resources, specifically sustainable water resources manag...
Compiled by Pankaj Kumar S., Resource Person and Ramya Gopalan, Research Associate, 13 December 2006 From Kanishk Negi, Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development (SPWD), Udaipur, RajasthanPosted: 29 September 2006 I work in the western arid zone of India with the Society for Promotio...
Lower Subansiri hydel project: SC seeks review of NGT's order granting nod to the project
Setting aside the order of the National Green Tribunal giving a go-ahead to the 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri hydroelectric project, the Supreme Court has called for a review of the project. The court has found fau...
Activists seek President, PM intervention to protect mangrove trees in Maharashtra
Environmental groups Nature Connect and Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP) have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect 53,465 mangrove trees from destruction by the bull...
The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) cover 3500 kms across eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Commonly described as the “water towers for Asia” the HKH are the source of 10 major rivers including the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Ind...
At 42 years, Bhagwat Ghagare seems young. But he is old enough to have seen his village prosper and decline many times. Farming had traditionally been small and distress migration rampant at Kumbharwadi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.
Between 1998 and 2002, a non-profit organisation, Watersh...
UN releases the World Water Development Report 2019
During the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and in conjunction to the World Water Day, the United Nations has launched the World Water Development Report titled Leaving no one behind. The report demonstrates how imp...
In a decade, only a quarter of centrally funded major to medium irrigation schemes completed: Report
As per the government's audit report, between 2008-17, only 31 percent of 201 big projects and 71 percent of 11,291 minor schemes have been completed under the accelerated irrigation benefit program...
Study reveals how tossing of dry cell batteries in our dustbins poisons the environment.
A recent study by Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy organisation on batteries titled Dead and buried: A situational analysis of battery waste management in India estimates that 2.7 billion pieces of dry cell batteries are being consumed annually in India. The report talks about their use in a variety of products and devices ranging from cars to mobiles, laptops, watches, television remotes, toys, medical devices and inverters.
A sensor network system is being used for mapping and monitoring the water quality of river Yamuna.
The Yamuna was considered a nurturing and life-enhancing goddess in the past. Legend has it that bathing in the sacred waters of the Yamuna, the sister of Yama, the god of death, frees one from the ordeal of death. The 1376-km river is a tributary of the Ganga and originates in the Yamunotri glacier in the lower Himalayas. It passes through several states in north India including Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi where the river was once its lifeline.
Changes in cereal production practices can contribute to improved efficiency of water use in India.
India has the highest national freshwater demand globally and 91 percent of our freshwater is used in the agriculture sector. Cereals account for over 50 percent of the dietary water footprint in India and represent a potential opportunity for reducing water use in Indian agriculture. After the green revolution, cereal production shifted from traditional cereals such as millet and sorghum, and towards higher yielding rice and wheat. Cereals are increasingly produced in the winter (rabi) season.
India is facing a major water crisis and a number of water sector challenges remain unaddressed even today.
India is on the brink of a major water crisis. With drought looming over the southern and western parts of the country, the existing water resources are in peril. Rivers are getting more polluted, their catchments, water-holding and water-harvesting mechanisms are deteriorating and groundwater levels are depleting at an alarming rate.
Study shows a rapid decline in usable groundwater between 2005 and 2013 leading to the risk of severe food crisis and drinking water scarcity for millions of people.
India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. It uses an estimated 230 km3 of groundwater per year, which is over a quarter of the global total. About 85 percent of rural drinking water needs, 65 percent of irrigation needs and 50 percent of urban drinking water and industrial needs are fulfilled with groundwater.
Civil society activists champion alternatives to conventional water management solutions implemented by the government.
India, the second largest population in the world, is facing a water crisis with over 600 million people facing acute water shortage, as per a report by Niti Aayog, the government think-tank. India’s water crisis is expected to worsen, threatening the country’s food security as over 80 percent of our water is used in agriculture. Twenty-one cities are likely to run out of groundwater by 2020, despite increasing demand, as per the report.
