Science & Technology - Briefs

Ritual ease

A silver lining: Quotes from the earth

Till very recently, it was taken for granted in India that film festivals were avenues, which encouraged critical voices. Selection committees …

Africa’s aquifers hold more than 20 times the water stored in the continent’s lakes, but they aren’t the answer to water scarcity

Due to changing climate & growing population, many of Africa’s surface water resources like dams & rivers are overused & …

UN 2023 Water Conference: Day 1 ends with debates; problem acknowledgement; funding pledges

Day 2 to be crucial as delegates seek to reconcile ambition and vision with implementation  

Shimla suffered from excessive rainfall that won’t solve its water woes

The whole Himachal Pradesh got 500% more average rainfall within a day than it normally does

This idea helped rescue a city of 3.8 million from a water crisis

When water shortages loomed in Chennai, India, one man’s campaign to conserve rainwater saved the day

India’s water is being exported as agri-exports; is there a solution

It is critical for us to adopt the circular water management model of treating and rejuvenating wastewater at source, along with efficient water …

At rock bottom

It is difficult to find water even at record depths in Kolar, Karnataka's horticulture hub

Time to wake up

The demand for water and energy is likely to increase at a geometrical rate in the coming years. What are the policy options for a better …

Live storage in India’s reservoirs increases by 1%

India’s 143 major reservoirs had live storage of 147.631 BCM or 83% of these reservoirs’ total capacity

75 years of people’s power: How this Haryana Gram Panchayat managed its grey water through ponds

The pond-based system treats wastewater by combining three different biological processes — anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic — and using …

World Water Day: Water management, dead rivers seminal issues in India’s groundwater debate

We can revive India’s groundwater if we make dead rivers come alive and manage and conserve water

Lessons from Tauktae: Can extreme weather help with rainwater harvesting?

Cyclone Tauktae that crossed Gujarat as an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’, caused heavy rainfall in semi-arid places

Flourishing juliflora a drain on Ethiopia’s water resources

The invasive plant species consumes 3.1 to 3.3 billion cubic metres of water per year in the Afar region

How the North East uses traditional means to harvest rain water

In Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, people store and harvest rain water through traditional means  

Cauvery faces manifold threats in Tamil Nadu

The delta is up against a subsidence threat due to lack of sediment flow from upstream and seawater ingress

Widespread non-compliance as thermal power plants don’t meet water use norms

An excerpt from an ongoing study by non-profit Manthan Adhyayan Kendra brings out widespread non-compliance by thermal power plants with legally …

Water scarcity in Shimla: A series of unfortunate events

Rain deficit, scanty snowfall, leaking pipelines are few of the many reasons that landed the tourist town into the water crisis

Water level in 91 reservoirs at 36% of total live capacity; southern states most affected

Water storage levels in northern and southern India are at 31 per cent and 27 per cent of total capacity respectively

More dams will not solve Mahanadi water conflict

Stakeholders in Odisha suggest building more dams on Mahanadi to resolve a water-sharing conflict, but that will make matters worse

Why technical discussions are needed for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

The advantages of storing water in the Blue Nile gorge for hydropower generation and flood control have been recognised for decades

‘Freshwater vulnerability threatens developing nations’

A Stanford University study has analysed the situation in 119 low-income countries

Depth of decay

The scenic Kodaikanal Lake is facing a range of threats—from the spread of Alligator weed to deteriorating water quality

The malaise down south

There's enough water in the tanks of Bangalore, Madras and Hyderabad, but more-than-enough corruption leaves the south high and dry