The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
ashok Gadgil, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (lbnl), California has invented a device that uses ultraviolet (uv) rays to disinfect water. The invention could dramatically improve health conditions in India and other Third World countries. The uv purifier, called uv Waterworks, uses just a fraction of energy …
Parched and thirsty. A more gloomier scenario could not have been predicted for Asian countries in the coming years by the World Bank (WB). And this is in spite of the periodic floods that visit unfortunate shores in China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and elsewhere. Water supplies in Asia, earlier …
MANTHAN se Pravah (strength from struggle) is a film on a number of largely women-based initiatives for revitalising drinking water resources in different parts of Gujarat. Remarkable in concept, the film covers contemporary initiatives for promoting local and traditional water-harvesting systems in different parts of Gujarat. These movements have been …
The toll of diseases across the world could be reduced to a great extent by using safe water, hygienic latrines and by washing hands before handling food. Staying healthy is, therefore, easier for the rich than the poor. In poorer communities, the potential for staying healthy is greater if clean …
with water-borne diseases on the rise, more and more people have been buying commercial domestic water purifier ( cdwp ) systems. However, a recent study indicates that these filters, instead of diminishing the risks, could actually lead to a greater incidence of diseases, especially diarrhoea. Led by Milind Watve of …
water in the us will now flow with a guarantee. President Bill Clinton recently signed a bill designed to upgrade municipal water systems in view of the deteriorating water standards. The new law also lays the onus on local water agencies to inform the public annually on the chemical contents …
Irked by Britain's failure to enforce European Union (EU) standards on the quality of drinking water even after six years of efforts to reach an agreement, the European Commission (EC) has decided to take the issue to court. The EC's decision to take legal action differed sharply with a report …
Vesta Dama Pawra and Bhamta Tukya Padvi, two tribals from the Sardar Sarovar submergence zone villages in Dhule district of Maharashtra, alongwith the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar, went on an indefinite fast in front of the office of the Dhule collector since May 17. Supported by the …
Is your electricity supply regular? Is your drinking water free of germs? Do your telephones work smoothly? These questions would evoke a unanimous No from most of us. It is now a widely held belief that most of our public services are marked by corruption and callousness. Now a recent …
The achievements of Habitat I have been limited. This was so because of the economic crisis of the '805. According to official statistics, at least 280 million urban and more than 800 million rural dwellers lacked safe and sufficient drinking water supply till 1994. Besides, at least 590 million of …
BEFORErefrigerators became the norm of the day, earthen pots were used to store cool drinking water. The water in the pot reaches the outer surface through the pores in the earthen pots which on evaporation, humidifies, cooling the air around it. This in turn cools the water in the pot. …
ALTHOUGH the majority of rural folk have always been lacking access to clean hygienic water for a considerable time, traditional water purification techniques have generally been overlooked. Some of these traditionally proven methods use locally available plant seeds much in contrast to the modern treatment of water. Functionally significant, these …
The campaign to save coastal areas from the stranglehold of aquaculture has received a shot in the arm with a recent Supreme Court order, passed on August 24, directing all coastal states and union territories not to issue long- term licences or permissions for Guidelines have also been by the …
WHAT happens when a teabag is placed in a cup of hotwater? The colour of tea immediately diffuses into the hot water. But when the same experiment is tried in a cup of cold water, the colour change is significantly slower. Now, a Russian scientist, Vithold Bakhir, has demon- strated …
As a sequel to a Delhi High Court order, a judicial committee has been established to ensure the availability of drinking water to the capital's residents. The mediation of the HC is part of the process of "judicial intervention to ensure human rights". The 2-judge bench had ordered the Municipal …
What are the most serious environmental problems facing Russia at present? More than 15 per cent of Russia's territory is ecologically unsafe. The poor quality of drinking water and radiation are the main problems, along with air and chemical pollution. Some 75 per cent of Russia's waterbodies are highly contaminated …
The world is heading towards a water crisis. The doubling of the world's population between 1940 and 1990 has led to a doubling in per capita use of water, from 400 to 800 cubic metres per person per annum. The result: global use of water quadrapled. Africa and West Asia …
THIS is Cool Stuff. Pure drinking water may soon cease to be an idyllic dream. Water testing laboratories in every district within the purview of the 8th Plan are being set up by the rural development ministry to monitor and survey the quality of potable water in rural India. The …
BAD water kills. Since its 1979 conference the World Health Organisation (who) has been stressing that the high mortality rate in the rural Third World stemmed mainly from contaminated drinking water. And notwithstanding efforts undertaken by various countries, the problem still largely exists. Hence, many international aid agencies like the …
FILMS and videos have been used by environmentalists as promotional material for spreading their message. In addition to this, flash cards and posters have always formed an integeral part of the rural development programmes organised by governmental and the non-governmental organisations, which base their work on the assumption that if …
