The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday announced budget estimates for the year 2012-13, significantly increasing the councillors' funds in all the wards and focusing on improvement and development of roads and existing infrastructure. With the MCD headed for a split this coming April, Leader of the House Subhash Arya presented the budget saying that future corporations will abide by the allocations.

The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed an amendment bill that proposes to make rainwater harvesting mandatory in all city corporations of the State.

Rainwater harvesting is already mandatory in Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits with the Assembly passing the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage (Amendment) Bill, last year, making it mandatory for citizens living within the jurisdiction of the Palike to install rainwater harvesting systems in their buildings.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized financial institution of the United Nations, will grant a US$ 22.2 million loan to Sri Lanka to improve irrigation infrastructure and crop diversification, and help create new market opportunities for smallholder farmers in Northern Province, a statement released by the Fund said.

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Italy Asitha Perera and President of IFAD Kanayo F. Nwanze signed the loan agreement Monday at the IFAD headquarters in Rome for the Iranamadu Irrigation Development Project.

Chennai Metrowater will soon start monitoring groundwater level and quality in the expanded areas of Chennai Corporation. It will also intensify rainwater harvesting campaign and assess the impact of RWH structures in the newly-merged localities.

The monitoring would help in understanding the groundwater level in those areas where rainwater is not being harnessed properly. For this purpose, the water agency is in the process of identifying observational wells.

SHILLONG: Pointing out that the State is blessed with the highest amount of rainfall, Principal Secretary of Soil and Water Conservation PBO Warjri rued the fact that the State has not been able to retain this blessing.

“The total amount of water which precipitates from Meghalaya either goes to Bangladesh or the Brahmaputra. We are able to retain very less water,” Warjri said after the release of the annual report of the State Soil and Water Conservation department on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Water Resources & Minority Affairs Vincent H Pala has said that pilot and demonstrative artificial recharge studies have encouraging results in recharging the run-off, sustenance of extraction structures through increased availability of ground water , increase in irrigation potential, improvement in environment )through increase in soil moisture and ecosystem conditions.

The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit an undertaking that it would abide by the recommendations of the expert panel set up by the Lake Development Authority on the protection of five lakes in the City.

The Environment Support Group had filed an impleading application to the petition filed by well-known bird expert Zafar Fatehully, objecting to the NHAI proposal to construct a service road over the Hunasamaranahalli Lake.