Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (August 28, 2019)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal

World Water Day: Cities of joy

Last year, the South African city of Cape Town averted Day Zero, but the threat has not disappeared. With changing climate, more cities across …

‘Climate change one of many reasons for Kerala’s receding groundwater table’

Anand Zacharias, development associate (water) with MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, talks about how open well recharge system is helping …

Why UNESCO's 'natural solutions' to water problems won't work in Africa

Nature-based solutions to water can work in some places, but on the whole they face serious limitations

Pine forests are depleting natural water resources in the Himalayas

Recent studies in Almora show that the groundwater recharge rate in oak forests is 23 per cent, compared to a measly 8 per cent in pine forests

Questionable move

Going dry

How paddy affects: Groundwater table in this Karnal village is now at 1,000 feet

Ardana farmers do not want to grow any other crops besides wheat and paddy since the government offers MSP only on them

Bihar may introduce licences for borewells

The state is planning to introduce several measures, including making prior permission mandatory to fetch groundwater from borewells 

Thirsty by the river

Is your state using water efficiently? Govt's new assessment tool will find out

NITI Aayog will launch Composite Water Management Index to assess and improve states’ performance in efficient management of water resources

Confer this

Angioplasty of streams

Politician-scientist duo turns an arid region in Maharashtra lush green

How a water-scarce village in Maharashtra became water-prudent

Villages in Bhokardan block created sustainable provisions for drinking water while also managing greywater despite unfavourable hydrogeology

New CAG report exposes wide gap between India's groundwater management regulations & implementation

77% packaged drinking water units in 18 states operating without no-objection certificates

Over 20,000 water bodies freed from encroachment in Bihar for rainwater harvesting

The state lost over 100,000 ponds in three decades, mostly to development projects

Waterlogged Delhi, Mumbai missed chance to recharge groundwater

Both, Delhi and Mumbai, must clean their stormwater drains and maintain their green spaces to conserve rainwater

Water-stressed in India: Reports from the districts

Down To Earth hot the ground at water-stressed districts that were adjudged the best and worst in water conservation works under …

There is a strong consensus that afforestation will lead to more stable rainfall

“In India, rivers are mostly forest-fed; therefore bringing back the tree cover on the either sides of the river is the only long-term …

Karnataka wants to drill more borewells, but where’s the water?

Despite groundwater depletion and huge expenditure incurred, the state government seeks answer to water scarcity in borewells 

Reaping rainwater

The innovative use of stormwater drains to harvest water has meant a new lease of life for water-starved Chennai

Lake in transition

Is the Pushkar conservation project off the mark?

Here are five ways to counter groundwater depletion in the Ganga basin

Managements of river catchments, surface waterbodies, wastewater and the agricultural sector, in addition to a water resources database can …

Industries rampantly flout new groundwater rules 10 months after notification

Successful rollout will require massive capacity building, say experts  

Tax rebate to promote rainwater harvesting

Various municipal corporations in the country are offering concession of property tax in exchange of a rainwater harvesting system. Is the scheme …