Maharashtra reeling under its worst water crisis
With no live storage in many reservoirs in Maharashtra, the State is having a tough time in providing drinking water to its people. With intensifying drinking water scarcity, the number of tankers supplying drinking water to remote villages and hamlets has increased by 12% within a week. Along with this, the drought has also taken a heavy toll on rabi crop production. There has been a reduction in both the area under cultivation during the rabi season and agricultural productivity. Overall production of all crops is likely to come down by 17%.
14.4 lakh litres of water used to fight Deonar fire in Mumbai
While Mumbai battles an acute water crisis, fire has broken out at the Deonar dumpyard. So far, over 14.4 lakh litres of water including potable water have been used to control the fire. For now, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued orders to dig borewell in the periphery of the dumping ground and also start using water from Ashish Talao, a waterbody in Chembur. A local has suggested to use sea water to extinguish the fire instead of potable water, however, per the Chief Fire Officer the sea water will corrode pumps used in the fire engines.
Bengaluru loses 30% of Cauvery water to leakages
While Bengaluru is deprived of sufficient water, 30% of Cauvery water is lost to leakages. This is a huge water loss as against the standard of 12% set by the Central Public Health Engineering and Environmental Organisation (CPHEEO). However, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which is losing revenues of nearly Rs 90 crore a month due to the loss, does not have funds to plug leakages.
Noyyalai Nokki, initiative to restore Noyyal river, launched in Tamil Nadu
On March 26 Noyyalai Nokki was launched in Tamil Nadu. Noyyalai Nokki is a people’s initiative to restore the 160-km long Noyyal river which originates in the Western Ghats and passes through Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, and Karur districts to join the Cauvery at Noyyal village. The project will involve volunteers, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations and the Government and would be implemented on divide-distribute-develop model by forming committees for every 500 metres of the river.
Check dams to come up in Jaipur as part of Dravyavati river rejuvenation
The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) has decided to rejuvenate the Dravyavati river in order to revive the city's water table. The project that will be executed by the Tata Group, envisages construction of 85 check dams and 122 fall structures in the 47-km river in 30 months. The project is a first of its kind in the country as the check dams and fall structures will be constructed in the city area. Per a recent report, groundwater levels in Jaipur have depleted by 25 metres in the past decade and all the 13 blocks in the city have been declared as dark zones.
This is a roundup of important news updates from March 22 - 28, 2016. Also read last week's policy matters update.