Hooghly (Ganga)

Reservoir levels increase to 85 percent of overall capacity this year

TSR Subramanian Committee submits report on environmental laws to the Environment Ministry

They take your pain and give you what you need. They will absorb the excess showers that our cities can’t handle and replenish water underground when our taps run dry. Often underestimated, these shallow water bodies are also home to countless life forms and serve as winter destinations for distant migratory birds. Blame me for being philosophical but I equate wetlands to mothers.

Bangladesh shares 54 rivers with India. Any unilateral action by India on any of its international rivers will degrade its relations with its neighbours while also adversely affecting its ecology, economy and society. Bangladesh being a riverine and a lower riparian country remains sensitive to matters of water, whether inland or maritime.

The report describes the results of the study of arsenic pollution in groundwater in Nadia as well as the hydro-chemical study of the river Hoogly in West Bengal. The alluvial tract along the river Hoogly covering a stretch of around 470 km encompassing eight districts is affected by arsenic pollution of ground water, the source being geogenic.

The availability of water, water requirement versus supply, water requirements for some major crops, groundwater exploitation, growth of population, and declining per capita water in the state of West Bengal are presented.