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 […]
groundwater
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 […]
Environmental toxins: AIIMS issues warning
A grave warning has been issued by doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) about the sheer number of people with dangerous levels of environmental toxins in their systems. AIIMS physicians tested 216 severely ill patients for whom there was no clear reason behind their ailment. Of these, 32 (14.8 percent) displayed […]
Is Day Zero coming to Hyderabad?
Day Zero – the point when the wells run dry and a city runs out of water – is looming over Hyderabad. In fact, it may be only 48 days away. The Telangana state capital is set to be hard hit by a monsoon season which was both delayed and deficient. The Indian Meteorological Department […]
Climate crisis concerns echo in the Indian Parliament
As India battles the implications of its climate crisis, a war of words broke out in Parliament’s upper house, Rajya Sabha, on Thursday with the Opposition accusing the government of giving priority to business over environmental concerns. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar denied the charges, asserting that he would both ensure economic development and protect […]
Water supply crisis hits Chennai’s hospitals
Chennai’s crippled water supply is affecting everyday life in a multitude of ways. Hospitals are no exception to the scourge. The depletion of groundwater and borewell reserves have forced hospitals in the city to foot ever-bigger bills to avail water. To cope, some hospitals have even increased the prices of operations. “A few days ago, […]
Water crisis: Day Zero arrives in Chennai
India has been staring down the barrel of a water crisis for some time now. In Chennai, it has materialised. All four major reservoirs of the Tamil Nadu state capital have effectively run dry, their reserves dropping to a seventy-year low. This is severely affecting the capacity of the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage […]
Water crisis: How India’s government plans to tackle it
As a parched India awaits the monsoon showers with bated breath, it continues to battle the severe consequences of its water crisis – manifest in blistering drought. Wells and taps are running dry, crops are failing and now it is a matter of survival for 600 million people across the country facing acute water shortages. […]
World Environment Day highlights a health crisis
World Environment Day is observed annually on June 5th to commemorate the importance of conserving our environment from the many threats it faces. For India, World Environment Day offers a valuable opportunity to recognise one of the major issues confronting the nation: its poor environmental health, ranked as the worst in the world in the […]
When voters boycotted polls because of water scarcity in Gujarat
In Gujarat last month, voters turned to the polls to protest water scarcity in the state – by sitting them out entirely. The 17th Lok Sabha polls in Ahmedabad was the scene of fanfare on April 23rd, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote in this year’s elections. However, elsewhere in the state, many […]