Water Scarcity

New York's mayor urged residents to take shorter showers, fix dripping faucets and otherwise conserve water, issuing a drought watch Saturday after a parched October here and in much of the United States. A drought watch is the first of three potential levels of water-saving directives, and Adams pitched it in a social media video as a step to try to ward off the possibility of a worse shortage in the United States' most populous city. Mother Nature is in charge, and so we must make sure we adjust, said Adams, a Democrat. He ordered all city agencies to get ready to implement their water conservation plans. He asked the public to do its part by, for example, turning off taps while brushing teeth and sweeping sidewalks instead of hosing them down. The mayor also exhorted residents to report opened-up fire hydrants and other street leaks. The recommendation comes days after the city fixed a leaky Brooklyn hydrant that fed a homespun goldfish pond on the sidewalk. Just 0.01 inches (0

The powerful storm inundated the western part of the state with catastrophic flooding, destroying pipes, damaging water plants and cutting off power

All water consumers in rural areas of Himachal Pradesh will no longer enjoy the facility of free water supply as the domestic consumers with annual income above Rs 50,000 will have to pay Rs 100 per month. Besides, the commercial establishments will be billed according to kilolitre. The State cabinet which took the decision to increase the revenue and curtail the subsidies on Thursday also decided to provide metered water supply to commercial establishments like hotels and home-stays and bill them on commercial rates. "Domestic consumers with annual income above Rs 50,000 will have to pay Rs 100 per month as water bill while the business establishments like hotels would be charged as per kilolitre and the money collected will be utilised in improving the quality of drinking water," said Sukhu. However, certain underprivileged sections including widows, destitute, 'ekal nari' (single woman), handicapped and other weaker sections will continue to get water free of cost. During the p

Locals, who had been holding demonstrations to protest the ongoing water crisis due to summer, said that their demands for adequate water supply were met through two tankers daily

Delhi water crisis: Quick response teams deployed by the Delhi government to combat leakages

Delhi BJP leaders and workers held a protest march on Friday from Shahidi Park in the central part of the city towards the secretariat over the water crisis in the national capital. Led by Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, the protesters carried placards and raised slogans against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory asking commuters to avoid the stretch. "In view of the protest by a political party near Shahidi Park, BSZ Marg Delhi, Traffic will remain heavy at BSZ Marg, IP Marg and BSZ Marg may be closed for traffic movement between 11.15 am to 2.00 pm. Kindly avoid these roads and plan your journey accordingly," it said in a post on 'X'. On Thursday, BJP Mahila Morcha office bearers held a protest outside Delhi minister Atishi's residence over the water crisis in the city.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board wants to conserve every drop of the water of the Cauvery River and borewells

In the wake of the water scarcity, hoteliers in Bengaluru are mulling the use of disposable cups, glasses and plates to avoid excess use of water. The hoteliers are praying for good rain around Yugadi (Kannada new year) time to overcome the crisis. "Most of our borewells have gone dry and we are dependent on water tankers. If there is no rain around Yugadi, then we will have to make alternative arrangements," Karnataka State Hoteliers Association president Chandrashekar Hebbar told PTI on Saturday. According to him, 90 per cent of the water goes for washing utensils and which eventually goes down the drain. "Now we are seriously exploring 'use and throw' material as an option," Hebbar said. The hotelier said it will be a costly affair but the expenditure on the disposable materials will be passed on to the customers. "We are feeling the heat of the water scarcity in Bengaluru. We are praying for good rain around Yugadi," the KSHA president said. Meanwhile, the civic agency in ..

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said water availability in dams in the state is just 44 per cent as compared to 61 per cent last year. Speaking in the Legislative Council, Fadnavis said the condition in drought-prone Marathwada region was a matter of concern in view of the approaching summer. "The condition in Marathwada division is a matter of concern. Last year, (this time around) Marathwada had 47 per cent water in its dams. This year the storage is just 24 per cent. The region needs special prioritisation (with regards to water management)," the deputy CM said. Nagpur division has 54 per cent water storage as against 55 per cent last year, while Amravati has 66 per cent, up from 57 per cent, which will suffice in summers, he added. "Last time around the water storage in dams was 61 per cent, but this year it is 44 per cent. It is necessary to effectively manage water. Water will be first prioritised for drinking, then agriculture, followed by ...

The Maharashtra government on Monday tabled supplementary demands of Rs 8,609 crore on the first day of the Budget session of the state assembly. State finance minister Ajit Pawar tabled the supplementary demands, which are additional funds sought by the government over the budgetary allocation, in the legislative assembly, followed by the council. "I table the supplementary demands of Rs 8,609.17 crore before the House," Pawar said. As per the supplementary demand note, demands of Rs 2,210 crore were for financial assistance to farmers whose crops were destroyed due to the unseasonal showers, hailstorms and water scarcity. During the winter session in December last year, supplementary demands of Rs 55,520.77 crore were tabled in the state legislature and eventually cleared.

The district has 2,971 villages, locally called 'dhannis', and respective gram panchayats are the implementing agencies

Tighter water restrictions for drought-stricken northeast Spain went into effect Wednesday, when authorities in Catalonia said that Barcelona may need to have fresh water shipped in by boat in the coming months. Catalonia is suffering its worst drought on record with reservoirs that provide water for about 6 million people, including Spain's second-biggest city Barcelona, filled to just 18 per cent of their capacity. By comparison, Spain's reservoirs as a whole are at 43 per cent of their capacity. Spanish authorities and experts point to the impact of climate change in the increasingly hot and dry weather behind the extended drought in Catalonia. Barcelona has already been relying on Europe's largest desalination plant for drinking water, and a sewage treatment and purification plant to make up for the drop in water from wells and rivers. Catalonia officially entered the pre-emergency phase for drought, which lowers the daily use per person from 230 to 210 liters (60 to 55 gallons

The PM in 2019 had launched the mission as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, eyeing to provide around-the-clock water supply in every rural household

There has been an increase of about 1.42 million micro irrigation schemes between 2013-14 and 2017-18, according to latest official census data released on Saturday. The sixth census of minor irrigation (MI) schemes showed that the number of both groundwater and surface water schemes have increased at the national level. Out of 23.14 million MI schemes examined, 21.93 million (94.8 per cent) constitute groundwater schemes, while 1.21 million (5.2 per cent) are classified as Surface Water Schemes. This underscores the substantial reliance on groundwater resources for irrigation needs. There has been a delay in release of the 6th census due to COVID-19 and work on the 7th census has already been started, a senior official said. The census data revealed that Uttar Pradesh claims the largest share of MI schemes, closely trailed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Defined as structures within either groundwater or surface water categories with a Culturable Command Area (C

A new study reveals 62 resilient plant species in India's western ghats that have high potential in agricultural and conservation applications

26% of the world's population doesn't have access to safe drinking water

India is expected to be the most severely affected as the global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to increase from 933 million in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion people in 2050, a flagship UN report said on Tuesday. The 'United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: partnerships and cooperation for water', issued Tuesday ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference, said that around 80% of people living under water stress lived in Asia; in particular, northeast China, as well as India and Pakistan. "The global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to increase from 933 million (one third of global urban population) in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion people (one third to nearly half of global urban population) in 2050, with India projected to be the most severely affected," the report said, citing data. "There is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiralling out of control," said UNESCO Director-General .

A Parliamentary Standing Committee has asked the government to initiate a study to evaluate the role of climate change in aggravating water scarcity, noting that changing global climate with the rise in temperatures has serious implications on water availability. Combined with rising population and urbanisation, extreme climate events have already started having serious repercussions on water balance in the form of excessive rainfall within a short span of time causing floods and increasing runoff without enough water getting seeped into the ground causing a decline in the water table beneath the ground, the standing committee report on water resources, which was tabled in Parliament on Monday, said. Long spells of summer with rising temperatures, on the other hand, leave the land parched without enough water storage in the face of disappearing water bodies due to human encroachments, it noted. In the face of such challenges, the committee expressed its apprehension that the measure

It is now bearing fruit in just a year, and the results are encouraging with the government saying micro-irrigation has increased the yield of fruits and vegetables by 52 per cent

About 219 of Rajasthan's 302 blocks, including seven urban areas, fall under the 'over-exploited' category in terms of groundwater usage, the Assembly was informed on Wednesday. In reply to a question by BJP member and Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, the government said the latest groundwater analysis report from March 2022 showed that 219 blocks were 'over-exploited'. Among the others, 22 blocks are 'critical', 20 are 'semi-critical' and 38 are in the 'safe' category, it said. Three blocks were not included in the analysis due to saline groundwater. The seven urban areas included are Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Kota, Udaipur and Bikaner. Sixteen blocks in Jaipur are over-exploited -- the highest in the state -- followed by Jodhpur (15), Nagaur (14) and Barmer (14). Among the blocks in the 'safe' category, nine are in the Sriganganagar district, eight in Hanumangarh and six each in Banswara and Nagaur. The state government said a draft bill has been prepared i