Will India get freedom from open defecation?

Skyrocketing numbers on government websites project a doubtful picture of what has been achieved in one year. Read our Independence Day special

Why environmental degradation is a big health risk

Down To Earth and Centre for Science and Environment jointly release Body Burden 2015, an annual health report

World Bank approves $ 1.5 billion loan for rural sanitation programme

The project will result in bringing significant health benefits to the poor and the vulnerable sections living in rural areas

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 …

Swachh Bharat gets a thumbs up

According to the Budget document, SBA for rural sanitation has received Rs 9,000 crore while for urban sanitation, the scheme has a plan outlay …

Water stress to increase, but so will water-related jobs, says UN report

According to the report, the lack of sufficiently skilled labour in water and sanitation has contributed to the estimated leakage of 30 per cent …

Why we cannot ignore the poor

One thing is clear—the solutions must work for the poor, for them to work for the rich

'78% of sewage generated in India remains untreated'

Analysis and reporting by Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth magazine reveal how Indian cities are disposing of excreta in an …

Kartik Chandran: Converting faecal sludge to bio-diesel

Kartik Chandran, Associate Professor at Henry Krumb School of Mines, Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University talks …

Urban shit: where does it all go?

India is staring at a big sanitation crisis and needs to reinvent its excreta disposal mechanism

Slums on rent

Dhaka has seen a sharp rise in privately owned slums. Are these a better alternative to 'squatter settlements' common in India?

Usage of toilets in India is over 95 per cent, reveals new NSSO survey

This finding is, however, from a two-month rapid survey, considered too short by experts

How to reinvent the sanitation wheel

The city “shit-flow” diagram shows that the situation is grim as all cities either do not treat or safely dispose the bulk of the …

Flush with finance

Microfinance is helping poor people construct toilets in Tamil Nadu

World awakes to new danger: use of water as weapon of war

Using water as a weapon to weaken people is a tactic used in Syria, other countries of West Asia and Africa

Are we really getting a clean Ganga by 2019?

We have already lost 30 years after the launch of the first Ganga cleaning programme. It is time to take strong and quick actions on the ground.

Two years of Modi government: A civil society review

According to a report, government allocation in most social sectors do not address critical concerns in health, education and civic …

Highlights of Sunita Narain’s speech at IDS Conference in UK

According to her, the world cannot succeed in environmental management unless we achieve inclusive economic growth

It’s a fallacy that all Australians have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene

Drinking water in remote communities is contaminated with uranium, faecal bacteria and nitrates above the recommended levels

Roadblocks for bio-toilets in India

Bio-toilets are gaining ground. But emerging challenges could defeat the purpose

World Toilet Day: India needs one toilet every two seconds to achieve target by 2019

The need to construct toilets per minute has increased from 35 to 41; target may stretch up to 2035 due to extremely slow pace

Unused toilets prompt Haryana to tweak Swachh Bharat Mission

State adds 'cleanliness' as important prerequisite for receiving subsidy

Globally, one in four children is stunted

India is home to the largest number of stunted children in the world

India needs to adopt nature-friendly sanitation technologies

Making design changes in toilets that conserve water and do not create sewage is the key to ecological sanitation

From health to faith, everything at stake for refugees in Greece

Tens of thousands of these migrants now feel trapped in a country that is least equipped to provide care