Africa's waste challenge

For Africa, solid waste management is becoming a major concern. The writer reports from Zanzibar and Swaziland on how two contrasting scenarios …

Freedom from single-use plastics: A dream or an achievable target?

After Modi in his August 15 address appealed to make India free from single-use plastics, the country now needs a robust roadmap to weed it out

‘Compostable’ not ‘Recyclable’ is the only way out

We all compost at the end of life. Let us learn from what is all around us and adapt our choices so that we can continue to survive and thrive

'78% of sewage generated in India remains untreated'

Analysis and reporting by Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth magazine reveal how Indian cities are disposing of excreta in an …

E-toxic trail

Moradabad's e-waste dismantling and recycling industry has severely polluted the Ramganga river, finds a new CSE study

Is sewage farming safe?

Madhya Pradesh's order to destroy crops cultivated using sewage has triggered a debate over the age old practice of using wastewater for irrigation

New plan, old problem

The proposed Sewerage Master Plan 2031 that promises to end Delhi's drainage troubles underestimates the wastewater volume of the city

Swachh Survekshan 2017 encouraging unsustainable approaches for waste management: CSE

Says the survey should give preference to waste segregation and recycle and reuse over centralised approaches like landfill and waste-to-energy plants

Sri Lanka becomes first country in South Asia to recycle compact fluorescent lamps

At a time when developing countries are struggling with safe disposal of compact fluorescent lamps, Sri Lanka is leading by example

Why restoring water systems should be top priority for Biden administration

Healthy rivers can no longer be separated into the ‘nice-to-have’ column of environmental progress

E-waste is not waste, but treasure

There is 100 times more gold in a tonne of smart phones than in a tonne of gold ore itself! But the precious metal is virtually thrown away …

International E-Waste Day: Why India needs to step up its act on recycling

India generated 3.2 million tonnes of E-waste in 2019; details of 90 per cent of this waste are undocumented

Using tannery waste in fields turning soil toxic: study

Researchers studied soil and groundwater samples from farms irrigated by tannery effluents in and around Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh

India’s challenges in waste management

The key to efficient waste management is to ensure segregation source and resource recovery

Capacity building for water conservation needs: A young mind at work

How an architect implemented rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse projects in urban and peri-urban areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat

A burning question

Waste-to-energy plants are being touted as a wonder solution for garbage management. But how feasible is this option?

Alternative to the natural

Fuel from plastic wastes and chemicals from grains: researchers in UK experiment with innovative substitutes

Light on mercury

Regulations to check mercury pollution take backseat as Centre promotes fluorescent light

Mission possible

The Centre gives India just about eight years to free its villages of open defecation. This seems unlikely. But the states of Sikkim, Haryana and …

Inaction in waste management leading to huge economic loss

Huge investment needed to clean billions of tonnes of waste that has been dumped across the world

Dharavi's real estate threat

The Maharashtra government wants to redevelop Dharavi, Mumbai's sprawling slum. But its plan has not taken into account the fact that people not …

Panchayats to spend Rs 1.42 lakh crore on water and sanitation

Spend 60% grant on water and sanitation: 15th Finance Commission recommends to rural local bodies  

Restoring lakes not an engineering task: How some communities did the job

Local bodies and activists in Bengaluru, Pune are coming together to deal with lake pollution, de-silting, encroachment 

Government notifies new solid waste management rules

These will replace the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, which have been in place for the past 16 years  

COVID-19: Can wastewater help in tracking outbreak in India

Wastewater research can help determine how much the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurs in the Indian population