Articles by News Desk

Rain brings relief, but not enough to combat water crisis The intermittent showers in the city since early this week, brought on by low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, came as relief for the water-starved city, but wasn't enough to tide over the situation. The overnight rains around the city reservoirs brought only minimal water flow into the reservoirs, which will meet only four days of supply to the city. Officials of the Water Resources Department said the combined storage of the reservoirs stood at 1,697 million cubic feet (mcft) against the capacity of 11,257 mcft on Thursday (November 22nd)…

State to fund PRR land acquisition, Cabinet discusses pending issues Several issues awaiting the cabinet's approval were finally addressed in a meeting presided over by the Chief Minister on November 19. Minister for Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary affairs, Krishna Byre Gowda, briefed the media on the important decisions taken. Among them was the nod given to execute the Peripheral Ring Road project at a cost of Rs 17,000 crore. Toll fee collection will be a revenue stream for this project. Since there were no agencies ready to fund the land acquisition due to controversies surrounding compensation to farmers, the state…

Kolkata beats Delhi in pollution The past week saw Kolkata pip Delhi in air pollution with its Air Quality Index (AQI) readings on November 17 at a staggering 330 compared to Delhi’s 283. The monitor at Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) consistently clocked readings over 300. The increasing usage of diesel-powered vehicles is a reason for the high levels of pollution with close to 99% of commercial vehicles using diesel. This is bucking the national trend where diesel vehicles are on the decline. PM 2.5 is the most prominent pollutant in Kolkata according to a recent study by the Centre for…

Between 2012 and 2017, India’s polluting thermal power plants led to an increase in the levels of toxic sulphur dioxide in air by 32% and in PM2.5 levels by 34% across India, which has already earned the dubious distinction of being home to 14 of the world’s 15 most polluted cities, besides being ranked number one globally by The Lancet in terms of pollution-related deaths! Not surprisingly, the recent inclusion by the Union environment ministry of mandatory baseline health assessments and periodic health monitoring as a standard condition for all Environmental Clearances for Thermal Power Plants is being hailed as…

Mumbai faces 10% water cuts A drop in water stock by 16% from November last year has seen Mumbai face water cuts to the tune of 10%. The seven lakes that supply water to the city have seen a drop in the water stock this year leading to decreased water supply. As on November 11th, data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows the seven lakes to be 76% full, with 11,11,385 million litres of water. The stock is expected to last 292 days. A reduction in rainfall in August and September is seen as the cause behind the decreased…

Gaja spares Chennai with mild showers Cyclone Gaja passed between Nagapattinam and Vedharanyam in Tamil Nadu, crossing six districts in its entire cycle. Uprooting several trees with wind gusting at a speed of up to 120 kmph, Gaja crossed in the early hours on Friday casting a heavy spell in the surrounding areas, leaving over 25 dead. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday announced a grant of ₹10 lakh each for the families of those who lost their lives, ₹1 lakh for the severely injured and ₹25,000 for those with minor injuries. Earlier this week, Gaja was at…

Pre-property registration work goes online; citizens unhappy with RERA-K The Karnataka government has launched a website to help citizens cut through long queues to register properties at the sub registrar's office. It provides the option to make appointments online. One can get the right valuation of the property. The website helps in the issuance of marriage licenses as well. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy launched it on November 16. The launch date was earlier shifted from October 16 due to the model code of conduct for bye-elections. The web application of the Department of Stamps and Registration can be used to download…

Decline in air quality across cities around Diwali There has been a marked decline in air quality across most cities during and after Diwali celebrations. The bursting of fire crackers had been cited as one of the reasons for the decline, despite efforts by the Supreme Court to curb the usage of fireworks by setting a restriction on the time period. The order was violated en masse, leading to a rise in pollution levels. Pune saw its air quality drop to “very poor” category despite having received rains during the week. The air quality recorded was worse than the same…

Palike appoints marshals to catch citizens dumping garbage BBMP Counsel D N Nanjunda Reddy informed the High Court during the hearing held on November 5 that throwing of garbage in black spots beautified by pourakarmikas for Kannada Rajyotsava still continues. In response, the HC bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, directed the Palike to file criminal complaints and fine the litterers as per the guidelines under the Karnataka Open Spaces (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act 1981. An affidavit with specific details of the violations is to be submitted before the next court hearing on December 15. 2018. Over the last…

SC rule on bursting crackers flouted The Supreme Court order on the two-hour window for bursting crackers and the subsequent directive from the TN Government stipulating one hour each in the morning and evening did not deter Chennaites from enjoying Diwali their way. Most parts of the city went on with the celebrations as usual, unmindful of the apex court order. Tamil Nadu police have registered around 1500 cases on those who violated the SC rule, including 342 cases in Chennai alone. However, despite violations, the average particulate matter level was way below this time, compared to last year according…