Despite a second sewage treatment plant on the verge of becoming operational in Panchkula, residents will have to wait for more time before treated water is pumped into parks and lawns. The new plant, constructed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is housed in Sector-22 and will have the capacity to treat 39 million litres per day (mld). It will become operational in a week’s time. At present, Panchkula has one sewage treatment plant in Sector-20 which treats 18 mld.

Center for Science and Environment's second volume of the seventh State of India's Environment report - Excreta Matters (71 cities: a survey), claims that India's cities are wallowing in their waste and the rivers becoming a dumping ground for it. In this report CSE profiles 71 cities on their waste water management capability and maps the state of groundwater and its sources. Each city is mapped to know more about its past, current and future water footprints, the amount of waste it generates and its disposal system.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the Rawalpindi Environment Improvement Project (REIP) failed to achieve sustainable reduction in environmental degradation and operation of basic urban services.

ADB in its assessment report released on Wednesday stated that the project was closed prematurely as it was facing serious implementation delays.

Poor performance of civil works contractors, especially on sewerage and drainage contracts, was another important reason for not delivering according to the project schedule.

If a new report is to be believed, India is swimming in its own sewage and turning its rivers into drains for its ever-expanding cities.

The Center for Science and Environment, a 22-year-old New Delhi-based advocacy and research organization, has just released its seventh report—this one entitled, “Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta.”

Over a dozen housing societies, including the military-run Defence Housing Authority (DHA), are in trouble with the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) for brazenly violating the environment laws of the country.

Section 12 of the Environment Protection Act 1997 says no proponent of a housing project can commence construction, or operation, unless it hands in an Initial Environment Examination (IEE) or, depending on the size of the project, an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report to Pak-EPA.

Real-time monitoring by technological tools, such as smart meters and sensors, can help big cities save up to Rs 27 lakh a day and at least 15 per cent of water that's lost owing to leakages and pilferage.

Unaccounted for water (UFW) is high at 20-50 per cent in urban India, indicative of inefficient management. The highest UFW is in the National Capital Region, says a recent report by TERI and Nasscom titled “Sustainable Tomorrow: Harnessing ICT Potential.”

Mumbai: In a bid to tackle the growing sewage problems in the western suburbs, the BMC is all set to unveil its Rs-400 crore project proposal under the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project Stage II for Zone 5 (Malad, Borivli, Dahisar). By preventing the overflow of sewage in low-lying areas, the project aims to improve the condition of 48 chronic flooding spots.