-Down to Earth It is critical for us to adopt the circular water management model of treating and rejuvenating wastewater at source, along with efficient water management strategies to reduce water demand India’s agricultural exports registered a growth of 17.34 per cent, garnering $41.25 billion in foreign exchange for 2020-21 despite the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. In rupee terms, this is equivalent to Rs 3.05 lakh crore. For a government faced...

-Down to Earth Nonylphenol, a hazardous chemical present in detergents, is known to enter water bodies and the food chains Contamination and pollution of water are serious problems today. Many of the chemical substances that are disposed in water bodies are toxic and hazardous. Disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses are solely responsible for waterborne diseases in both humans and animals.  Water pollution caused by detergents is now a big concern in...

-Down to Earth Pandemic-induced poverty and rise in food prices keep healthy diet out of reach of three billion people Good food or just food? “Our choice is always the latter. We need to survive.” Sukru Ojha, the 56-year-old resident of Koraput, Odisha told Down to Earth in April in reply to a query on whether the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic-induced income loss impacted his food intake. Koraput is one of...

-Down to Earth The victims are living without shelter and are severely constrained for food and other necessities Hundreds of families displaced by floods that took place in June in northern Bihar, have been forced to take shelter on nearby roads. Large tracts of land are still submerged by flood waters and there is little chance of water receding in the coming days. The India Meteorological Department has forecast more rains this month due...

-Down to Earth The Government of India amended the payment procedure for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) some time ago. Due to this, MGNREGA workers in the states and Union territories faced a delay in their wage payment. This delay came at a time when the second wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was wreaking havoc across the country. MGNREGA was started in 2006. Economist and honorary...