PANJIM: Desperate efforts are on to plug the entry of sewerage into Panjim’s water supply line which is already suspected of being contaminated within an area of one kilometre in the heart of the city.

The affected area is between Sky Lark apartments and Ding Dong Bar on 18th June Road. The PWD has been working round-the-clock to locate the exact point of contamination but has not yet located the same.

Cutting across political lines, Lok Sabha members on Monday joined hands to demand immediate intervention by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to save the Ganga and make it pollution-free at the earliest. Initiating the debate, SP member Rewati Raman Singh demanded dismantling of all man-made dams on the Ganga. “I demand that the Prime Minister should intervene to save the Ganga which is not just a river but our lifeline and part of our culture,” he said.

Water woes for Bangaloreans will continue with fresh government data demonstrating that the current level of water supply in India's IT capital is almost four thousand million cubic metre short of the requirement, exposing 22 lakh people to water scarcity every year.

Every drop countsThe shortfall is in the prevailing situation. If City aquifers become barren due to over-exploitation, an additional 24 lakh will have a tough time getting their daily water supply from civic authorities, geologists have forewarned. The warning is based on water data collected by the Karnataka government's mines and geology department from 10 deep wells in Bangalore, between April and December 2011.

To prevent fields from being flooded with sullage discharged by the Abohar Municipal Council, the State of Punjab has sanctioned Rs 42 crore. Already, a sum of Rs 21 crore has been released to the Punjab Water Supply and Sewage Board for the job. Farmers are also being compensated for the damage to their crops.

Sewage contaminates sprawling Perungalathur Lake

Unchecked encroachments and pollution are taking a severe toll on many lakes in the southern suburbs of Chennai, and the Perungalathur ‘periya eri' (big lake) is no exception. Originally spread over 150 acres, the lake's expanse is now less than 100 acres, due to unchecked construction of unauthorised structures, according to officials at the Kancheepuram District unit of the Public Works Department (PWD). Officials said that encroachments around the lake, which had began to trickle in some decades ago, had now assumed enormous proportions.

Cities in India are dreaming of becoming New York and London but we seldom worry about as basic an issue as sewage and its disposal in our country. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has brought out a two-volume book titled Excreta Matters: Report on the State of India’s Environment to highlight how only 20 per cent of sewage is being treated in the country. Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, talks about the murky issue plaguing the water sources in this interview to Rashme Sehgal.

New Delhi:While the Centre plans stiff penal provisions for manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis (DCSK) has sought a complete ban on the same in Delhi by May 25.

The Commission’s report called “Banning of manual sewer in Delhi” will be put before the lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna on Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier the commission had sought to declare April 14 as the date for implementation of the proposed ban, but it had to be postponed due to municipal polls.

Taking up its first case involving an environmental issue, a Lahore High Court “Green Bench” comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah sought appearance of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and Environment Protection Agency (EPA) officers concerned to explain alleged disposal of wastewater into the Ravi.

LHC Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had on April 5 last constituted ‘Green Benches’ in the high court as well as ‘Green Courts’ at districts level to hear cases relating to environmental issues or interest litigation.

Glory of City’s largest lake far from being restored; Rs 1.91 crore goes down the drain

Despite spending Rs 1.91 crore, the rejuvenation of the Bellandur lake has been halted midway, states a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.
After the State government’s nod, the Bellandur lake, which is spread across 900 acres and is the largest in the City, was to get a facelift.