"The West now understands that waste can be a resource"
Sweden's UNO WINBLAD was not a sanitation engineer but had trained as an architect in London in the late '50s. Those were the days of mounting …
Urban India's deprived lot
India is becoming dominantly urban, and the urban poor, who are increasing in numbers, face exclusion from basic amenities like safe drinking …
The dirty truth
On the occasion of the World Toilet Day, we present some stark truths about sanitation challenges in India, including the progress report of the …
When a river weeps
Reduced to being a receptacle of household and industrial wastes and victimised by lopsided development, the Yamuna, Delhi's lifeline, is crying …
Court bars slum-dwellers defecating in the open
Residents of Delhi's slums find themselves in a Catch-22 situation. Public conveniences in the Capital are woefully inadequate, but when they are …
Swachh Bharat Mission: Need focus on citywide sanitation, clean Ganga
Safe and equitable access to sanitation and ensuring behavioural change necessary for sustenance
'Both, solid waste and faecal sludge must be tackled for clean cities'
The policy advocacy head of international non-profit WaterAid’s Bangladesh unit, Abdullah Al Muyeed talks to Rashmi Verma about how a small …
Savda Ghevra vs Delhi: How effective septage management differs even with the same city
Centre for Science and Environment did a comparative analysis on septage management in Delhi and a resttlement colony located on its border; here …
Water-sensitive innovations to transform health of slums and environment
A five-year project announced today will implement an innovative water-sensitive approach tailored to informal settlements. The goal is to …
Despite Centre's advisory, people are still intimidated into ending open defecation
In Rajasthan last month, local district administration arrested locals for defecating in the open and ordered discontinuation of electricity …
Private sector gives urban rubbish a new look
With government efforts proving inadequate, private organisations recycle the lion's share of urban waste in India.
Kolkata sewer deaths: Do not improve sewerage and water supply at the cost of sanitation workers
4 lives lost puts many on the dock including local officials as well as state government
Raising a stink: Delhi’s Raota village sinks under wastewater
A village in outer Delhi is sinking in wastewater overflowing from the Najafgarh drain. That’s because of construction over a wetland, …
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
What a waste: Reviving India’s sanitation systems
Indians often confuse toilets with sanitation; but they are mere repositories to receive waste
NFHS-5: Why figures on improved sanitation shouldn’t be taken on face value
The latest NHFS-5 figures on improved sanitation are restricted to a select number of households and individuals and have been taken from a …
Rooftop rainwater harvesting: A tool for refashioning India’s water management praxis
Discipline of water management is now situated at the precipice of change; it has opened its traditionally closed and ‘elite’ …
India even behind Somalia when it comes to safely managing sanitation services
The JMP report also shows significant inequalities in basic drinking water and sanitation services within regions
Down To Earth wins Indian Sanitation Coalition-FICCI award for its coverage on sanitation
Besides sustained campaigns on sanitation, Down To Earth has been exploring the connection between sanitation and health in order to trigger a …
Sanitary insights
January 2, 2017, is the 15th death anniversary of Anil Agarwal, founder of the Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth. This year, …
World Toilet Day: So far, we have overlooked sanitation in the climate resilience discourse
Safe and inclusive sanitation solutions can play a pivotal role in safeguarding against risks imposed by climate change
Swachh Bharat Mission 2: Way ahead for a long-term urban sanitation strategy
State governments need to develop an urban waste water management strategy: A mix of waste water treatment solutions for different towns based on …
Swachh Bharat Mission 2: The pitfalls — and the lure — of centralised urban sanitation system
Tapping nullahs, setting up one-STP without sewerage connectivity is neither a short-term nor a long-term solution for urban towns
Sanitation woes cost Africa 115 lives every hour
New UN study urges African countries to pay special attention to invest in sanitation systems for faecal sludge management
How to sustain municipal sanitation: Delhi’s Aya Nagar offers some lessons
The pilot project is a prototypical model for evolving a sanitation management programme in a high density settlement