Silent epidemic: Superbugs killing India’s newborns

Each time we use antibiotics, we allow the few superbugs—bacteria that are able to survive the antibiotic—to thrive, says an expert

An urban puzzle

India’s population and cities are set to double by 2030. Can it cope with the pressures?

Swachh Bharat cess: A few states may not agree on it

Except Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand, no other state has directly agreed to the central proposal

Banning manual scavenging in India: A long, complex passage

Union government is set to introduce The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, in …

Dust pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa raised infant mortality: Study

A 25% spike in local annual mean particulate concentrations in West Africa caused an 18% increase in infant mortality

COVID-19 and SDG 6 goals: All that we need to learn and do

We need political will and commitment during COVID-19 times. Our world is packed with knowledge and we can achieve SDG6 goals if we remain engaged&…

Can a cash-on-delivery model work for global aid?

As rich nations try to heal the scars of 2008 global financial crisis through deep budget cuts and protectionist policies, business models like …

Blind spot in Namami Gange

By 2019, when Swachh Bharat Mission comes to an end, some 30 million septic tanks and pits would have been dug along the Ganga. It's time the …

Unreal in pampered India

With NDMC winning the smart city challenge, the contrast between where the government lives and where the rest of the citizens live could not …

Fixing old houses on Himalaya

German architect Andre Alexander has been restoring old buildings in the Tibetan capital Lhasa for 15 years now. Over the past few years he has …

How Chunar, a small town in UP, is combating COVID-19

How awareness drives involving local bodies, distribution of PPEs and other equipment, helped turn the COVID-19 situation around  

Swachh Bharat Mission Phase II guidelines released

Safe toilets, with well managed black and grey water, are the need of the hour, particularly in rural areas

Periods in a pandemic: Women, girls in low-income settlements need more support

Measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 may have made things worse by affecting their ability to buy sanitary products 

World Health Statistics 2015: some achievements, many concerns

Down To Earth highlights the world’s performance on health-related development goals, where our successes lie and where efforts are still a …

Citizens' forum demands continuation of AAP's free water supply scheme

On poll eve they prepare a resolution for all political parties, demanding extension of free water supply to all residents of Delhi and scrapping …

Union budget 2020-21 - explained in 15 charts

Nirmala Sitharaman's budget has little to offer rural India. Allocation to several schemes were slashed below 2019-20 revised estimates&…

Open defecation linked to stunting in Indian children

Research finds 10 per cent increase in open defecation associated with a 0.7 per cent increase in stunting in 112 districts

Algae alleviates

South African townships that were earlier helpless in the face of pollution caused by human wastes, are now bucking up to the problem. Spirulina, …

Is India really open-defecation-free? Here’s what numbers say

15% of the total population in India defecates in the open in India, according to WASH report 2021

How e-waste crisis continues to plague informal sector

Over 90% of electronic waste management is done by informal sector workers, most of whom are unaware of their rights  

A new planning commission or an advisory body?

Indications are that the National Development Reforms Commission that will replace the Planning Commission will not have financial allocation powers

Will access to toilets guarantee women's security in rural India?

The Badaun rape incident shows how vulnerable women are to sexual violence when there are no toilets in homes

Prevention is cure

When preventive measures can fight encephalitis, is there a need for treatment in ill-equipped primary health centres?

Sanitation workers on COVID-19 front lines: How to save the warriors?

Several incidents in the last few months have shone spotlight on abysmal conditions under which sanitation workers function — without …

High risk

Problem: Tall buildings risky in high seismic zones; Status: Hill-stations are getting concretised and growing vertically; Challenge: Use local …