Heavy rains, cyclones and floods affect the life of millions; News Roundup (1-7 November 2010)

Recent news indicates extensive reports on the threat and destruction unleashed by cyclone Jal in the three states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka being affected the most. Cyclone Jal has led to heavy rainfall in both these states leading to floods and a heavy death toll in the coastal districts of both the states, besides reports of destruction of agricultural produce in the state of Karnataka.

South India

• 'Cyclone Jal' hits South India leaving nearly 30 dead and scores injured

Andhra Pradesh

• Administration on high alert with the threat of cyclone Jal approaching the Andhra Pradesh coastline
• Cyclone 'Jal' claims lives in Andhra Pradesh
• Cyclone 'Jal' claims five lives in Andhra Pradesh
• Cyclone threat in Andhra, rains kill 20
• Andhra rains cause havoc, death toll rises to 25
• Rain claims 4 lives in Vizag, 2 in East Godavari
• Rain fury continues in Andhra Pradesh's coastal districts
• Heavy rains wreak havoc in coastal Andhra Pradesh

  
  

Karnataka

• Heavy rains likely in 10 districts in Karnataka with the approach of cyclone Jal
• Rain claims lives in Karnataka state
• Heavy rains claim two lives in Karnataka
• Rain claims four more lives
• Officials in Karnataka issue a flood warning downstream Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS), built across River Cauvery
• Traffic situation worsens, houses collapse, agricultural fields inundated in several places, rains wreak havoc in districts in Karnataka
• Farmers troubled as incessant rain threatens to ruin the bumper crop in Karnataka
• Several coconut, ragi plantations destroyed, rains inundate Kadur, lakes and tanks overflow following heavy rains in Karnataka
• Continued rain worries farmers in Hassan and Mandya districts, Karnataka

Tamil Nadu

• Cauvery river in spate in Tamil Nadu

Other news

Water Bodies/Rivers

• Rs 600-cr project on the cards, to revive Mula-Mutha river in Pune, Maharashtra within 3 years
• Idols made of plaster of Paris pollute rivers in Uttar Pradesh
• Noyyal river water in Chennai contaminated according to a NEERI report
• Sea-canal linkage project in Alappuzha, Kerala gets environmental clearance
• Karnataka state dams set to go high-tech
• Another mega hydropower project in Himachal Pradesh caught in a logjam: The Environment and Forests Ministry objects to transfer of forest land
• Polavaram dam: Centre threatens to book Andhra Pradesh for eco-violations
• New Mullaperiyar dam: Kerala completes survey
• Large-scale mining in state disastrous: Himachal Pradesh
• An action plan to save river dolphins 
• Historic step wells in Delhi full of modern filth 

Initiatives undertaken to clean the Ganga and restore its environmental health

• States through which the Ganga flows will be given additional funding to clean the river and restore its environmental health
• Centre declares 135-km Gaumukh-Uttarkashi stretch of the Ganga river as eco-sensitive
• 135 km of Ganga declared sensitive, 3 projects shelved
• Face lift for Ganga riverfront in Allahabad, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Bengal gets Rs 539 cr for cleansing Ganga
• 135km stretch of Ganga in Uttarakhand gets green shield

Drinking Water/Urban Water/Water Quality

• Drive to check water quality intensified in Chennai
• Water-borne diseases claim lives in Assam

Climate Change

• Climate change: India to host 48-nation talks

Agriculture

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  Irrigation project to benefit 13 villages in Belgaum

Water and Industry

• India water purifier market outlook 2014 predicts an annual growth rate of more than 22% between 2011 and 2014

Groundwater

• Questions raised regarding the impact of proposed distillery of Kings India Chemicals Corporation Limited on groundwater in Vadaseri village in Tamil Nadu
• Farmers in Andhra Pradesh pool groundwater to protect against drought
• With India’s first aquifer project, 29 villages tide over water crisis in Aurangabad district in Maharashtra

Wastewater/Sanitation

• Most states fall short of the Center's target: Total Sanitation Campaign
• Godavari district aims at total sanitation
• A tale of filth: Bangalore's looming garbage crisis
• India toilet cleaners stage protest over working conditions
• Protest against manual scavenging across India

Watershed Development

• The Karnataka Government watershed and soil enrichment initiative for rain-fed areas, called BhooChetana, has helped to improve farm productivity by 20 to 25 per cent