News roundup (16-22 November 2010)

Sanitation/Wastewater

• India tops the list of nations lacking toilets
• India hunts for a Rural Toilet Design, 1000 Euros up for grabs
• 82% of rural India deprived of three basic necessities of life — tapped drinking water, electricity connection and sanitation
• There are 700 million cell phone connections in India, but only half this number of Indians have access to private toilets, says a UN study

Groundwater

• Lucknow records the maximum rate of ground water table decline in Uttar Pradesh
• The steady decline in the ground water level in Calcutta has prompted the government to launch a $300m World Bank-funded irrigation project that will include recharging of underground aquifers
• Water board to dig 52 new bore wells and install digital water level recorders for groundwater assessment in Panaji, Goa

Water Bodies/Rivers

• Large Dams Pose Threat to Brahmaputra river Dolphins
• Himachal villagers protest against the construction of a hydroelectric project in Sirmaur district
• Varanasi: The district administration has called for strict imposition of penalty and legal action against those polluting ghats and the Ganga
• Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB), has declared Subernarekha river “most polluted” between Hatia and Baharagora
• Researchers in Mumbai look to revive river Mithi
• Efforts started to save mangroves on river Mithi
• Kerala Pollution Board imposes ban on endosulphan following analysis of water in Cheriya river in Kasargode district
• Water Conservation work for regeneration of rivers started in 97 villages of Jabalpur
• Hemavathy backwaters in Karnataka bring misery to families
• Peoples’ movement against erosion in Assam: 20 villagers form organisation to save affected areas
• In the latest setback to Posco's Rs. 54,000-crore integrated steel plant in Orissa, the Environment Ministry rejects its forest clearance 
• The Supreme Court orders inspection of six mines near Bellary forests in Andhra Pradesh
• Sand mining hits water levels and environment: Karnataka
• Dhakul-Maina lake in Goa threatened by mining

Water and Industry

• BHEL, GE India in a joint venture to develop water treatment solutions
• Mobile water treatment plant developed in Hyderabad
• Over 300 industries in Madhya Pradesh flout pollution control norms

Climate Change

• India will face major climate changes by 2030: Report
• India: North-East vulnerable to climate change
• Climate change will make India hotter, bring heavier rain
• Temperature rise in sensitive regions in India projected
• Dry, hot days ahead for Himalayas
• Temperature rise to hit water, forest, health, agriculture: Report
• Climate change will have mixed impact on agriculture
• A new formula to map climate action proposed for India

Drinking Water/Urban Water/Water Quality

• Water might soon come at a price
• Govt contemplating changes in water policy

Floods/Rainfall

Recent news indicates heavy showers in Andhra Pradesh, combined with threats of floods in parts of Tamil Nadu. The monsoons seem to deliver positive as well as negative news with reports of the negative impact of the rains and cyclones on the crops in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and the positive impact of heavy monsoons on hydel power generation in Punjab.

Rainfall

• Heavy rain claims lives in Andhra Pradesh
• More rain ahead for Tamil Nadu, North East monsoon gets active
• Heavy rain lashes parts of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu
• Incessant rains in Pondy, Tamil Nadu for second successive day
• Rain in Chennai city suburbs for the third consecutive day
• Showers hit traffic, Chennai city floats

Impact of the rains

• Nashik, Maharashtra: Untimely Rains Cause Severe Damage to Crops
• Untimely showers damage crops on 1.5lakh hectares in Maharashtra
• Monsoon bounty: Punjab’s hydel power output doubles

Floods

• Flood alert issued in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu

Cyclones

• Cyclones empty Andhra Pradesh, the country’s rice bowl

Other

• Flood risk mapping Chennai: Mapping shows elevated roads and subways blocking rainwater
• Kerala to be Asia’s premier weather forecast hub with Rs 20-crore radar
• WAT-SAN, a unique pyramid shaped handpump, can provide safe drinking water to those marooned during floods: District Magistrate's proposal on handpumps for flood-hit people accepted