Swachh Bharat Mission: An outstanding achievement, but challenges remain
Including people who still lack toilets, overcoming partial toilet use and retrofitting sustainably unsafe toilets are some of the massive tasks ahead
Swachh Survekshan 2017 results on May 4; government says signs are ‘encouraging’
Besides covering larger number of cities and towns, this year’s survey also gives more importance to citizen feedback
Why we cannot ignore the poor
One thing is clear—the solutions must work for the poor, for them to work for the rich
Gorakhpur's deadly curse
The Japanese encephalitis virus and enterovirus cannot be tackled unless the administration cleans up its act, observes Sonal Matharu
For a few dollars more
Developing countries immunised 80 per cent of their children by 1990 and saved millions of lives. But 35,000 children, under five years of age, …
Fragile, conflict-affected states disproportionately affected by climate change concentrated in Africa: IMF
By 2040, fragile states could face 61 days a year of temperatures above 35°C — four times more than other countries
Water, Africa’s Gold: How poverty exacerbated Nigeria’s acute water crisis
Lack of clear government funding led to avoidable deaths from water-borne diseases like cholera
What does quarantine mean and when did it begin
In the 14th century, ships arriving at Venice were made to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This practice, called quarantine, was …
What happens to our excreta? Shit Flow Diagrams will help you track
Open-defecation free status is fine, but ensuring sustainable management of our faecal sludge is crucial
Building toilets in rural schools is not enough, they have to be usable too
Around 23 per cent of rural schools have unusable toilets and 11.5 per cent have no separate toilets for girls, finds the 13th ASER report
A zero waste toilet to achieve a clean India
Locals in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh consistently choose evapotranspiration toilet, a zero waste model which requires no human intervention over …
'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 …
Back to toilet school
On August 15, the government announced it had achieved the target of building toilets in all schools in India. But are these toilets functional?
Housing and toilets: exclusions
Who gets access to toilets, and how, is linked to their position in the hierarchy of citizenship
Over 50% of world population to face water shortages by 2050: FAO urges countries to prepare for it
With agriculture contributing to 70% of freshwater consumption, agrifood systems thus become central to the water scarcity faced by the world, …
Cholera: Vaccines can stop spread, but biggest deterrent is clean water
Vaccinologists Edina Amponsah-Dacosta and Julie Copelyn speak about cholera vaccine and other ways to curb outbreaks in countries like South Africa
25% healthcare centres lack water facilities, 20% sanitation facilities: WHO
The report highlights that each year 17 million women in least developed countries give birth in centres with inadequate facilities for water, …
Growing dissent against ‘successful’ economic growth model
A new de-globalising world order means that to find equitable and affordable growth, we need to challenge the polluted model that has pushed us …
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
Faecal sludge management gets world attention
Meet on in Hanoi to identify new waste handling and treatment technologies and sustainable business models
Looking beyond privatisation
Book>> Privatizing water: Governance failure and the world's urban water crisis • by Karen Bakker • Orient BlackSwan • Rs 695
Another plague in the offing
The rash of leptospirosis cases in Mumbai during the current monsoon points towards the gradual breakdown of health services in burgeoning …
Another opportunity lost
This year's UN Commission on Sustainable Development meet provided no roadmap to attain Millennium Development Goals on water, sanitation and …
Review of film 'Wasted'
Film>> Wasted Swecha Productions directed by Anshul Uniyal and Vimalendu Jha 16 minutes
Costs and benefits of India's waste disposal options
Urban India produces 120,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste each day. Businesses want to burn this garbage to produce electricity, using …