Safe Water

All states and Union territories have more than 50 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households, according to official data. Under the Har Ghar Jal scheme, all rural households will be provided with tap water connections by the year-end. As of now, all states and Union territories (UTs) have more than 50 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households with 11 states and UTs having 100 per cent coverage. The states and UTs with 100 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households are Goa; Andaman & Nicobar Islands; Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Haryana; Telangana; Puducherry; Gujarat; Punjab; Himachal Pradesh; Arunachal Pradesh; and Mizoram. The least coverage has been recorded in West Bengal at 52.30 per cent, Rajasthan at 52.91 per cent, Kerala at 53.62 per cent, Jharkhand at 54.26 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh at 64.84 per cent, according to the data. Out of a total of 19,33,38,234 (19.33 crore) rural households, ...

As large swathes of India gasped for breath, choking on air laden with contaminants, the National Green Tribunal grappled with a wide range of environmental issues, including pollution of the Ganga and quality and quantity of groundwater and air pollution in 2023. It went to the extent of imposing huge penalties on states like Delhi and Bihar for poor liquid and solid waste management. In February, the tribunal directed the Delhi government to pay Rs 2,232 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of solid and liquid waste, while in May it imposed a staggering Rs 4,000 crore compensation on Bihar. The green panel also passed orders to check over-exploitation of natural resources. It took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of industrial and environmental disasters, and awarded compensation to the victims. A highlight of the tribunal's directions involved restoring the pristine sanctity of rivers, many of which are venerated entities like the Ganga and Yamuna. Express

It is considered a dirty fuel and has often been banned from use in the national capital and other cities around the world. But now a Monaco-based firm is offering Indian refiners a patented technology to emulsify fuel oil with water that helps cut down on emissions as well as gives better energy yield. FOWE Eco Solutions (FOWE) says a process known as cavitation using its Cavitech device allows for emulsification of fuel oil, also known as furnace oil, with fresh water on land or onboard a vessel. This process does not require any additives or further processing. The result is a considerable reduction in particulate matter, its chief operating officer Hemant Sondhi said. Emissions of NOx, the main greenhouse gas contributors, are significantly reduced and fuel efficiency is improved. "We have successfully tested our patented technology to emulsify fuel oil, which is also known as furnace oil, with 10 to 15 per cent water," he said. "The FOWE emulsified fuel gives better energy yiel

The Rajasthan government has approved Rs 381.74 crore for the development and strengthening of six canal water projects in different areas of the state. With this approval, Rs 79.94 crore will be for water availability in Rajsamand dam by increasing the capacity of Khari feeder, Rs 17.60 crore for Balera and Sanchore lift distribution system of Narmada Canal Project, and Rs 8.05 crore for Bhimgudha distributary system. A sum of Rs 14.43 crore for Ratoda distributary system, Rs 20.47 crore for Manki distributary system and Rs 241.25 crore for strengthening of Parvati main canal in Baran district will be spent. The work of a filter plant will be done near Bada Talab in Guda Vishnoiyan located in Luni, Jodhpur. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved a financial proposal of Rs 123.53 crore for this, according to a statement. With this, the water distribution system will be strengthened and 70 villages will be benefitted.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Monday said Mahoba in Bundelkhand region will soon become the state's first district to get piped drinking water in all its households. The Chief Minister made the observations while chairing a high-level meeting to review the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission and Namami Gange project. "Providing pure drinking water in the dry Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions was a dream that is coming true. Now Mahoba is going to be the first district of the state to have tap water supply in every household," Adityanath said at the meeting. According to a statement issued here, the CM also directed the officials to achieve the government's target of installing tap water connections to every house in Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Banda, Chitrakoot, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra and the entire Vindhya-Bundelkhand region in the next two months. Before the start of the Jal Jeevan Mission, only 5.16 lakh families had access to piped drinking water. The figure ha

Water samples drawn from 29 borewells near an ethanol plant here were found unfit for drinking, a new report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has said. Samples from 12 of these borewells had an unpleasant odour and those from another five had grey or blackish water. Total dissolved solids (TDS), boron and sulphates were found in high concentrations beyond acceptable limits, according to the report submitted to the National Green Tribunal. Water samples taken from two borewells located inside the plant contained huge amounts of heavy metals, including arsenic, chromium, iron, manganese, nickel and lead, it said. In January, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ordered the immediate closure of the plant after a months-long agitation against the unit by villagers. An inspection team also found that 10 borewells and six piezometers were installed on the plant premises allegedly without obtaining permission from the CGWB (central ground water board) or the PWRDA (Punjab Wate

HC allows Daiichi to withdraw Rs 20.5 cr deposited with court

The PepsiCo Foundation on Monday said it will invest USD 4,00,000 in partnership with Pandit Jagat Ram Memorial FORCE Trust to expand its safe water access and sustainable sanitation programme in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. This initiative is aligned with the three priority campaigns of the central government: the Jal Jeevan Mission, Jal Shakti Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission, the Foundation said in a statement. As part of this programme, the PepsiCo Foundation will help provide improved access to fresh water for drinking and domestic purposes, impacting more than 20,000 people and 3,000 children across 13 villages in Mathura district over a period of three years. The partnership will also create WASH awareness (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) focusing on sanitation, solid waste management, and hygiene practices with water quality, safety and personal health behaviours impacting 50,000 people and 3,000 children. "This investment is a natural extension of our global goal to be net wate

Indian people end up paying high costs for water access, primarily due to poor resource management, says WaterAid