Multiple states are taking a vigilant footing against water-borne disease. Maharashtra – embattled by torrential rainfall – is on guard against water-borne disease in the state. The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), governing body of the Kalyan-Dombivli in the state’s Thane district, is looking into sanitising and disinfected areas of the twin city affected by waterlogging. […]
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WASH: WHO, UNICEF issue stark warning about sanitation
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF issued a dire warning about the state of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health facilities. Almost two billion people worldwide rely on healthcare delivery in settings where those services are substandard – or lacking altogether. The global progress report on WASH services in […]
Sustainable sanitation: India’s scorecard
Today marked World Toilet Day. The observance seeks to draw attention to sanitation which has long stood as one of the most pressing challenges India faces when it comes to health and development. In fact, on the Narendra Modi government’s health agenda, sanitation has been a priority. Sustainable sanitation is the need of the hour […]
Water crisis imminent in India’s cities, report states
Multiple Indian cities face a water crisis based on a report identifying “water risk” in the world’s cities. Of the 100 cities the report flags, almost one-third are in India. The Water Risk Filter – a digital tool developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature and Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG) – identifies a […]
Poverty: The scourge of the hour
During the COVID-19 pandemic, those living in poverty are among the most vulnerable. In India, where “the proportion of employed population below $1.90 purchasing power parity a day in 2019 is 10.7 percent” according to the Asian Development Bank, it is an issue that must be addressed. Earlier this month, the World Bank warned that […]
Desertification: The decay of the land
Desertification is perhaps not as widely publicised an environmental issue as others, but this does not take away from the severity of the threat it poses – that of a fundamental threat to our way of life. India is beset by a plethora of environmental issues – desertification looms among them. As defined in a […]
Environmentalism in a time of COVID
Last year, Time magazine named Greta Thunberg their Person of the Year. The now-seventeen-year-old climate activist from Sweden has inspired a global movement, assuming the role of a bastion for environmentalism. Across the world, young people have protested for their future, for the future of their environment, and their planet – including in India. Thunberg […]
World Meteorological Day, water, and climate change
“World Meteorological Day,” the World Health Organization (WHO) explains, “takes place every year on 23 March and commemorates the coming into force on 23 March 1950 of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization. It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society.” World Meteorological Day […]
Water availability on the decline: World Water Day 2020
India is home to around eighteen percent of the global population — with numbers set to increase in the coming years. Despite such a vast population, India only has access to around four percent of global freshwater resources. Meanwhile, India’s per capita water availability is on the decline, presenting the very real possibility of a […]
Cholera outbreak in Bengaluru?
A potential cholera outbreak has been reported in Bengaluru as hospitals in the Karnataka state capital have witnessed a spate of suspected cases in the last week. Seventeen people are suspected to be infected with the water-borne diarrhoeal disease, with two cases confirmed. As reported in The Hindu, the seventeen suspected and confirmed cases are […]