Article on sanitation in The Straits Times

My article on sanitation appeared in the Straits Times on the first day of Singapore International Water Week 2011 http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/docs/media/20110704_ST_SIWW.pdf

 

Failing to prepare

The magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami in Japan brought the focus once again on disaster-management. That extreme events have become common is now common knowledge; but for some reason, disaster-management becomes a topic of discussion only after a disaster.

Innovations galore but do not forget common sense

There has been an explosion of innovative desalination technologies in the past few years thanks to the growing scarcity of clean water. In the beginning, it was confined to the oil-rich Gulf countries which had plenty of cheap energy to extract water from the sea.

The Forgotten Cycle

Finally got around to making my own film on water. Hope it makes sense!

Do we really need fluoride in water?

Have you ever wondered why we need to have fluoride in drinking water when there is already fluoride in our toothpaste?

And now peak phosphorus?

A phosphate mine

The murmurs heard a few years ago are now getting louder. The scientific community is worried and it may not be long before the mass media gets to another inconvenient truth.

Enviroligious leaders must join hands

When a river is as revered as India’s Ganga (I find it hard to call it by its anglicised name), one struggles to understand why it is so polluted.

Not quite right

Water and sanitation have been recognised as a basic human right at the UN General Assembly last month, with 122 countries voting for it and 41 abstaining. The right is not legally binding, but more like an ideal towards which countries have to work.

Running for water

 

As I walked at the Dow Live Earth Run/Walk for Water along with thousands of others last fortnight, I wondered if the women and children whom we were symbolically supporting could feel our empathy.

A little money goes a long way

A little money goes a long way

Years ago, I went inside an urban slum for the first time in my life. It was to see how improved water and sanitation facilities were affecting the lives of the dwellers. A group of women came up to me and proudly showed their bank pass books. It was a soul-stirring and deeply moving moment. The women had saved small amounts in the range of US$20 to US$30. That was my first introduction to micro-credit.

The Age of Information Technology?

Data data everywhere but where is the information?

Do you know how much water your country has in its lakes, rivers and wells? Do you know the same about your state? Or maybe your city? Do you know where to get all this information from or whether it is updated and reliable? These were the questions put forward by Rajendra Singh, an expert in traditional rainwater harvesting at a conference held in the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur. There were no answers.

How about water quality monitoring on Planet Earth?

 

It was the ultimate irony. The moon was bombed to find water. Prior to that, the discovery of water molecules in the moon had made it to the headlines of every newspaper.

This is climate change

A few years back, people were wondering what the actual impact of climate change would be on water utilities. The answers were vague – no one really knew.

Water – the medium for climate change

With just a few months left for the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (also called COP15); many water sector professionals are crossing their fingers and hoping that water will be a part of the negotiations.