As lakes dry in Mumbai, city stares at water shortage crisis
Mumbai gets it water supply from seven lakes and dams which are apparently drying up. The catchment areas of these lakes and dams have not registered any increase in the water stock, even as the first month (June) of the monsoon season is about to end. However, the municipality has urged people to remain calm and not panic. It has also made clear that there will be no water cuts in the city.
The total storage capacity of all the seven lakes is about 14.47 lakh litres. At present, only 1.54 lakh litres of useful water is available in these lakes. To city’s demand for 4,200 million litres, BMC is able to supply 3,750 million litres of water only.
Source: Hindustan Times
Noida, Ghaziabad hesitant in sharing COVID-19 data
Noida has been one of the top districts in UP in terms of handling the COVID-19 cases; however, the administration is hesitant in sharing the data. The authorities have stopped publishing the daily district bulletin. The data has also stopped reflecting testing stats. It shows fresh cases, deaths and discharges (in the state bulletin of UP). The RT-PCR tests have also been plagued by delays, leading to late identification and treatment of positive cases.
The situation in Ghaziabad has been the same. The district had one of the lowest testing rates and the highest positivity rate until last week. Here also, the district administration has stopped publishing the testing data. The administration recently declared that it would conduct 1000 RT-PCR tests, but did not specify a clear timeline for the same.
Source: The Print
Kejriwal confident about Delhi’s fight against COVID-19, kick starts serological survey
The Delhi government has been waging a war against the pandemic, even as the capital city recently overtook Mumbai in terms of the maximum number of cases in any city. Delhi residents had criticized the Kejriwal government for mismanagement of the crisis, especially over the issue of non-availability of beds in the hospitals. However, on June 27th, the CM clarified that adequate arrangements had been made by the government and there is no shortage of beds.
The government has also started providing oximeters and oxygen concentrators for patients in home isolation. It is also providing plasma therapy to patients.
Arvind Kejriwal also informed that the government has initialized a serological survey to ascertain the level of spread in the community.
Source: The Print | The Times of India | Scroll
Locust swarm enters Gurugram; Delhi on alert
As swarms of desert locusts made their way to Gurugram and the bordering areas of the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai chaired an emergency meeting of senior officials, following which an advisory was issued for residents of the capital. They were asked to create loud noise by various means and burn neem leaves. People were asked to stay indoors and cover their outdoor plants with plastic.
Meanwhile, videos on social media posted by Gurgaon residents showed the swarm in Cyber Hub, MG Road and DLF Phase 1 and 2. The swarm entered the city around 11 AM on 26 June 2020. The Gurugram district administration had already cautioned residents, asking them to keep their windows shut and make a clamour by banging utensils to ward off the insects.
Source: Scroll
Body disposal rules being flouted in Hyderabad, allege residents
Residents of Hyderabad have claimed that the bodies of COVID-positive patients who succumb to the disease in private hospitals are not being managed as per the standard operating procedures (SoP) issued by governments. For example, the SoP makes it mandatory for the hospital to manage the entire burial process of the patient, but in reality family members are being asked for everything by the hospitals. The family is being asked to arrange for ambulances, crematorium services etc.
The municipality has formed a special committee headed by a nodal officer to ensure that dead bodies are handled in accordance with guidelines.
Source: The Times of India
Compiled by Rishabh Shrivastava