Steep fall in water table worries Tamil Nadu
Ground water level has fallen sharply even in Coimbatore and Theni, the districts abutting the forested Western Ghats region. Across the state, water table has fallen by 0.5 metres to 2.3 metres in the last one year
Water level in Narmada dams hits record low
Water level in both the Indirasagar dam in Madhya Pradesh and Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat depleted considerably in February and March, raising fear of water crisis in the wake of the El Nino forecast
Excess rainfall but no drinking water in Adilabad
Tribals living in 1300 habitations in this Andhra district are forced to drink dirty water from a river five km away, resulting in water-borne diseases. The district administration has not been able to supply them clean drinking water despite 150% excess rain last year
Bottled water a hit in Bangalore, no worries about quality
More than one lakh cans are sold daily in the city even as most of the packaged water does not even carry an ISI mark of the Bureau of Indian Standards
Tamil Nadu approaches SC as Karnataka impounds Cauvery water
The state has raised objection to the canal modernization work worth Rs 330 crores being undertaken by Karnataka which includes schemes to impound water in tanks, thereby resulting in less flow in the Cauvery
More than 2000 bio-toilets installed in trains
The toilets will prevent discharge of human waste on tracks and prevent railway lines from corrosion that costs the Railways Rs 350 crores every year. The bio-toilet converts waste into neutral water
Boat lab to study pollution in Kerala lake
The floating research laboratory on Alappuzha's Vembanad lake, set up by the Kerala Agriculture University, will study pollution level, aqua weeds and other ecological aspects
Singapore sets example in water recycling to tackle scarcity
The island nation with no rivers, which buys fresh water from neighbouring Malaysia, uses a very sophisticated membrane technology to filter water. By 2011, the country managed to have water so clean that it exceeded WHO drinking water standards
Can cloud-seeding tackle water scarcity?
An experiment that involves spraying chemicals on passing clouds to help them condense, precipitate and deliver rain has been on in India for some time now. Government encouragement in terms of more research funds, however, is needed
This is the news roundup of April 12 and 13, 2014.