The Mission and the Mangoes is a work of fiction that sets its premise around a dystopic, water-starved Earth where unrestrained mining, drilling and the exhaustion of earth’s resources is rendering the planet unlivable. The young author of the book, 12-year-old Hena Parveen, tries to marry a futuristic setting where technological advancements such as humanoid robots and regular space exploration are a reality, with the Earth’s ecosystem that is hurtling towards an inevitable collapse. Interestingly, all this does not take place in a far-fetched future, but in 2050—only 27 years from now...
In summers this year, some European rivers had dried substantially, causing drought in many parts of the region. It revealed to their surface, some ancient stones with intricate engravings on them. Their markings used to indicate the water-level of these rivers, which served as a common forecasting tool for famines. Such stones were called hunger stones. One such is disclosed at the banks of the Elbe River. Dated to 1616 AD, its rock is etched with a warning in German...
The World Water Woe is real. There is crisis everywhere because our water resources are limited. A lot of water is wasted when we use it carelessly. Therefore, we should conserve it by handling it judiciously.
Watch this inspiring movie Drop by Drop featuring the little heroes of class 3, reminding us about the importance of saving water by following the right practices. These practices focus upon three simple ways of preserving water before, and not after, its consumption. For example...
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is considered the world’s most prestigious award offered for a research project on water. It is declared every year since 1997 as a part of World Water Week. High school students, aged 15-20 years, who have developed projects solving some of the world’s most pertinent water challenges are eligible to participate in it. Each year, thousands compete in the national competitions held in almost 40 countries across the globe, and hope to represent their countries in World Water Week...
A Freedom Pledge on water—a promise to conserve every drop for our present, before we even reach the future.
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My friends call me ‘Water Maniac’. They say I suffer from a ‘reverse’ hydrophobia— perennially worried about water. Basically, dreading the prospect when we won’t have any of it…
While there is no escape from washing hands regularly, we can definitely be more mindful of the way we use water and avoid its wastage.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on hygiene practices, the simple act of hand washing using a soap and water, is one of the most effective tools to protect us from getting infected by the coronavirus. Practices such as washing hands before and after eating or using the toilet, maintaining one-arm distance when around others and...
Carrying water by trains could be an emergency measure. Chennai has a strong tradition of water harvesting. But the problem is that most of these structures are either defunct or poorly maintained. Chennai which had 19 major lakes covering an area of 1130 hectares. But these waterbodies have been heavily encroached upon reducing their spread to just about 645 hectares. Its time that we understand the importance of water harvesting.
When the rain gods do not send water for irrigation, farmers look downwards, at groundwater, for help. But, years of groundwater exploitation and lack of recharging, has led to a fall in the water tables. For instance, in north and central Gujarat, water tables have dropped to 20m per decade since 1974, as per a study by the Central Ground Water Board. If this continues, extracting groundwater will get more expensive because we have to dig deeper, or worse, groundwater will be only a myth for future generations.
Why is the Indian monsoon so slippery?
The monsoon of the Indian subcontinent is also shaped by the heating of the Tibetan plateau, the shape of continents and mountains, Eurasian snow cover, temperature difference between eastern and western flanks of the Indian ocean, and, arguably the most important, El Niño (“little boy” in Spanish as this event occurs around Christmas), a weather event triggered by a greater heating of the eastern Pacific near Ecuador than its western counterpart. A strong El Niño, more often than not, implies a weak monsoon. In the last 100 years, 19 out of 43 deficient monsoon years were linked to a strong El Niño, while six went against the dominant pattern. This is one of the many irregularities characteristic of the monsoon that makes long-range forecasting extremely difficult.
