Water and sanitation

Funding is not allocated specifically for fluoride-affected areas but is provided for the overall provision of safe tap water, the minister said.

This marks a substantial leap from August 2019, when only 3.23 crore rural households (just 16.7 per cent) had access to tap water, the minister of state for jal shakti, V Somanna said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Kabul, Afghanistan’s sprawling capital, finds itself on the edge of an unprecedented crisis: according to a recent Mercy Corps report, the city’s underground water reserves could be entirely depleted by 2030.

From inadequate rescue equipment and poor inter-agency coordination to health vulnerabilities and absent local representatives, the Kathmandu Valley is staring down a potentially dangerous monsoon season.

With reduced aid, already fragile services are deteriorating, and local efforts to compensate remain insufficient.

The health impacts of the climate crisis do not fall evenly. Vulnerable populations — women, children, ethnic minorities, and those in poverty — bear the brunt.

In 2014, the WHO certified India as polio-free after three years without a single case of wild poliovirus. This was a moment of triumph, celebrated globally as a landmark achievement in public health.

President Murmu pointed out that sustainable water management is integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly through enhancing community involvement in water...