By Nitin Jugran Bahuguna

RAIPUR, Chattisgarh State, Sep 17 (IPS) - Like other women in this largely tribal, central Indian state, Draupati Bhosale was averse to the idea of having toilets built within homes, but went along because the government was building them at heavily subsidised costs. ‘’I thought it would give me extra storage space,’’ she said.

NEW YORK, Sep 15 — United States-based Blacksmith Institute, an independent environmental group, in partnership with Green Cross Switzerland, recently issues their Top 10 list of the world's most severely polluted places.

By Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Sep 13 (IPS) - The evolution of the toilet in Japan, from the humble squat latrines of a few decades ago to today’s hi-tech, cockpit like contraptions, parallels the dramatic rise of this country from post-war ruination to global technological leadership.

By Sahana Singh*

SINGAPORE, Aug 31 (IPS/AMIC) - Government officials, sanitation experts, funding agencies and civil society representatives are unanimous that Asia’s water delivery and sanitation problems should be tackled with the same urgency as disaster relief.

By Thalif Deen

STOCKHOLM, Aug 17 (IPS) - As the world faces new threats of water scarcity, triggered by phenomena like global warming and bioenergy demands, Singapore and Iraq have been singled out as two political extremes in water management.

By Thalif Deen

STOCKHOLM, Aug 15 (IPS) - A top United Nations official has learned through personal experience what it is like to live without safe drinking water during her visits home to the Tanzanian capital.

By Thalif Deen

STOCKHOLM, Aug 14 (IPS) - The world is on the verge of "a new and more serious era of water scarcity" than ever before, is the ominous warning coming out of an international water conference here.

By Riccardo Petrella (*)

LOVAINA, August 2007 (IPS) - It is well known that even in countries where mineral water is public property, it is private companies that are making major and easy profits from selling it. The 'business' of bottled mineral water has become one of the most lucrative and fast-growing sectors around the world, dominated until recently by Nestle and Danone, now closely trailed by two other grande dames of water, Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola.

By Richel Langit-Dursin

JAKARTA, Aug 10 (IPS) - On weekends, groups of children and their parents crowd around South Jakarta’s Halimun Pier to go for a joy ride on one of two water taxis, recently introduced by the administration.

By Anil Netto

PENANG, Aug 10 (IPS) - When religious leaders from different faiths sought to jointly affirm the sacredness of water as the source of life but were shooed away by authorities, it was seen as a move to scuttle interfaith harmony as well as support plans to privatise a common resource.