Floods wreak havoc in North India

Heavy rain causes floods in Uttarakahand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

Two days of incessant rains have severely affected Uttarkhand with the major rivers like Ganga, Nandakini and Pindar flowing above the danger level. In Uttar Pradesh, 28 people have been killed due to floods with nearly 1500 villages inundated due to heavy downpour. Nine districts in the state have been marooned due to the release of floodwaters from Nepal. 4 lakh people across nine districts in Bihar have been affected by the furious Kosi, Gandak and Bagmati rivers. In Assam also, 3 lakh people have been affected due to floods in Upper and Central Assam districts.

Sanitation poor in government schools of Meghalaya, Arunachal, Telangana and J&K

Meghalaya tops the list of states where the majority of government schools lack toilet facilities, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Human Resources and Development. It is followed by Arunachal Pradesh with 80%, Telangana 77% and Jammu & Kashmir 60%. The survey has also noticed a national trend of girls dropping out of schools especially when they reach Class VIII, owing to the lack of sanitation facilities in schools.

List of 972 industrial units polluting Ganga uploaded on CPCB's website

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has uploaded on its website a list of 972 industrial units that have been polluting the Ganga and its tributaries, following an order from the National Green Tribunal. The Board has also created an Environmental Surveillance Squad Programme under which it conducts surprise inspections and assesses pollution levels of industrial units. It has carried out such inspections in 201 industries in various states in 2013-14, informs the Environment Ministry.

Centre initiates deep drilling project in Maharashtra to study earthquake

The Ministry of Earth Sciences has undertaken a national project that involves deep drilling in the earthquake-prone Koyna intra-plate seismic zone in Satara, Maharashtra. The project will study and measure the various parameters of an intra-plate, active fault zone in the near field of the earthquakes. The project is significant as the Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the best example of Reservoir Triggered Seismicity and has experienced the largest ever reservoir-triggered quake in December 1967. Since then, the region has faced many small and micro-earthquakes of varying magnitudes.

Chennai's flood issues remain unresolved: CAG

To resolve the issue of flooding in Chennai, the previous government had granted Rs. 633 crore under flood protection schemes to improve the macro drainages in the city. However, after spending nearly Rs. 394 crores the state government has stopped work on several projects due to defective planning, delays and increased cost, informs CAG. According to the original proposal, the scheme would have drained 3,500 cubic feet per second of floodwater from south Chennai into the sea in no time.

This is a weekly roundup of important news from August 12-18 2014. Also read last week's policy matters updates.