Pune Riverfront Project: PMC submits reply to apprehensions by activists, contradicts their claims

PUNE The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has filed a reply with state water resource department to the concerns expressed by city-based activists and also countered the claims made by them about proposed riverfront project, which is currently facing opposition even after PM Modi launched it on March 6

The project costs about 2,619 crore and covers about 44 km of the Mula-Mutha river stretch passing through Pune. The project requires about 768 hectares. Although the project has all the required clearances from the state and central agencies, the project would be reviewed once again after city environmentalists once again raised the issue of faulty planning.

Sarag Yadwadkar, city environmentalist who has been raising voice against the project since the beginning said, “The CWPRS has replied to us that they have not cleared the project and irrigation department as well has said that they have not replied as well. The SEIAC has given environmental clearance which is also wrong.” [Readmore]

सांचोर में मंत्री बिश्नोई क्षेत्र के दौरे पर, CWPRS और अधिकारियों से लिया फीडबैक

सांचोर में मंत्री सुखराम बिश्नोई क्षेत्र के दौरे पर रहे और मंत्री नर्मदा नहर परियोजना के रड़का जीरो पॉइंट पर पहुंचे. 

मंत्री सुखराम बिश्नोई ने बताया कि आखिकार हमारे लगातार दवाब और मांग पर अमल होने की दिशा में काम आगे बढ़ा है. राजस्थान सरकार पिछले 3 सालों में लगातार केंद्र सरकार, नर्मदा नियंत्रण प्राधिकरण के सामने यह बात रखती आई कि गुजरात सरकार राजस्थान को उसके हक का नर्मदा नहर परियोजना का पानी नहीं दे रही है, हमारी इस मांग पर अमल करने के लिए नर्मदा नियंत्रण प्राधिकरण (NCA) इंदौर ने केंद्रीय जल और विद्युत अनुसंधानशाला पुणे (Central Water and Power Research Station- CWPRS) की एक टीम भेजी है जो राजस्थान-गुजरात सीमा पर रड़का क्रॉस रेगुलेटर पर नर्मदा नहर के पानी की प्रवाह क्षमता का अध्ययन कर रही है. यह टीम 31 मार्च 2022 तक अध्ययन करेगी कि आखिर राजस्थान को कम पानी मिलने में क्या-क्या दिक्कतें आ रही हैं? इस दौरान राजस्थान को उसके हिस्से और क्षमता के अनुसार 1800 से 2400 क्यूसेक पानी प्रवाहित कर नहर की पूर्ण क्षमता को भी परखा जा रहा है. निस्संदेह इस अध्ययन से हमारी पानी के मामले में न्याय की मांग को बल मिलेगा.[Readmore]

Mallannasagar earthquake theory baseless, says Telangana govt

Hyderabad: The Telangana Irrigation Department officials rejected the theory of earthquake and claim that Mallannasagar is safe and there are no chances of earthquake.

According to the irrigation department, all the necessary studies has been done before starting the project in Siddipet.

Mallannasagar was inaugurated by the state chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao last Wednesday. The project, according to the state government, will provide water to 8.35 lakh acres of new ayacut under KLIS Package-12 to 19, along with stabilising the ayacut under existing irrigation projects such as Singur, Nizam Sagar and Sriram Sagar phase-1, which will propel the total ayacut under the project to 15.71 lakh acres.

Officials refute claims of earthquake

According to a Telangana Today report, the officials said that earthquake theory was a baseless allegation. The government had the bottom strata of Mallannasagar studied by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) in Pune, which ruled out the existence of lineaments, as stated by opponents.[Readmore]

Water management in India: Ministry of Jal Shakti gets support from Schneider Electric’s Green Yodha initiative

The initiative aims to create a community of warriors who wish to adopt as well as promote practices that are sustainable among individuals and the industries.

Jal Shakti Mission: The Ministry of Jal Shakti is set to get support from Schneider Electric, global energy management and automation company. In this, the company would be supporting several water management initiatives undertaken by the Ministry. According to a statement, Schneider is lending support as part of its move towards creating a sustainable water management ecosystem. Under this collaboration, Schneider is set to provide several IoT-enabled software, technologies and tools as well as universal automation so that the needs for economical, clean and reliable water could be fulfilled, the company said.[Readmore]

Water commission recommends review of Mullaperiyar dam’s safety

In the report, CWC deputy director Rakesh Kumar Gautham said that the overall condition of the dam and its appurtenant structure based on visual inspection is found to be satisfactory.

KOCHI: In what could be seen as the result of Kerala’s consistent efforts to bring transparency in the operations of Mullaperiyar dam, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has stressed on the need to review the safety of the dam, in the latest status report submitted before the Supreme Court on January 25.

    In the report, CWC deputy director Rakesh Kumar Gautham said that the overall condition of the dam and its appurtenant structure based on visual inspection is found to be satisfactory. However, a fresh review of the safety of Mullaperiyar dam is due and is required to be undertaken.[Readmore]

Don’t go ahead with RDS right canal, Krishna River Management Board directs Andhra

Options available for viable resolution of the issue were discussed threadbare by the KRMB and officials of both the States at the meeting.

VIJAYAWADA: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has directed Andhra Pradesh not to proceed with the construction of Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) right main canal till the finalisation of Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) II Award. 

    If agreed by all the three States, the study may be entrusted by the KRMB to the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) for carrying out physical and mathematical modelling for the intended objective.If a pact is reached by the three States on the recommendation of study, modernisation of the anicut and the head regulator may be undertaken and the cost can be shared in proportion to benefits accrued by each State.[Readmore]

Union Budget: Rs 86,189 crore allocated to Jal Shakti ministry

In the Union Budget 2022-23, the Jal Shakti Ministry was allocated a total of Rs 86,189 crore, higher from Rs 69,052 crore alloacted in the previous fiscal year. 

The Drinking Water and Sanitation Department has been granted Rs 67,221 crore in the Union Budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, while the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation has been allocated Rs 18,967.88 crore. 

Sitharaman said, Rs 60,000 crore has been allocated to provide tap water connections to 3.8 crore households in 2022-23 under the Jal Jeevan Mission. [Readmore]

Republic Day: Jal Shakti Ministry To Display 'Jal Jeevan Mission:Changing Lives' Tableau 

On Republic Day, the Jal Shakti Ministry will showcase how at an altitude of more than 13,000 ft in harsh winter, Jal Jeevan Mission is bringing improvement.

According to the ministry, during winters villages are scattered and rainfall is scarce

"Villages remain cut off from the rest of country for few months in a year due to closure of passes during winters. This affects the supply of materials badly. Further, most of the water sources are in inaccessible areas, in many areas of Ladakh the water bodies freeze in winters, a lot of labour is required for construction and the help of animals & helicopters is taken to lift and transport the material," added Ministry of Jal Shakti press release.

Jal Shakti Ministry's Republic Day tableau details

The tableau shows local women conducting water quality tests by using 'Field Test Kits (FTKs)'. Under the mission, more than 8.6 lakh women so far have been trained to ensure clean tap water to homes with the help of FTKs. Water testing laboratories in the country are now open for the public to get their drinking water tested.[Readmore]

Maharashtra: Green nod in, Aksa beach set for makeover

With all the clearances of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Environment in, the anti-erosion sea wall, under two-feet in height, will come up at a cost of Rs 20 crore at the beach in the western suburbs of Mumbai.

The current plan has been chalked out considering all the CRZ norms. There will be no construction or concretisation activity which is why we have got all the approvals. The area chosen for the activity is also a mid-section for high and low tide. An inspection by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) and IIT-Bombay will be carried out on the quality of the revamp to ensure that the activity does not harm the beach,” said an official.[Readmore]

Parliament gives nod to Dam Safety Bill

Rajya Sabha had passed The Dam Safety Bill on December 2 with minor amendments, including changing the year in the title of the Bill from 2019 to 2021.

New Delhi: Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that seeks to set up an institutional mechanism for the safety of specified dams in the country.

Rajya Sabha had passed The Dam Safety Bill on December 2 with minor amendments, including changing the year in the title of the Bill from 2019 to 2021.

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat moved amendments to the Bill in Lok Sabha, which approved it with a voice vote.

The Bill provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of the specified dams for the prevention of dam failure-related disasters. It provides for an institutional mechanism to ensure a safe functioning of the dams.[Readmore]

PM Modi to launch hydropower projects worth ₹11,000 crore in Himachal today

Built at a cost of ₹7,000 crore, the Renukaji Dam will optimally utilise the hydropower potential of the Himalayan region to bring benefits to as far away as national capital Delhi, which will be able to receive a water supply of around 500 million cubic meters per year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visit Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation for hydropower projects worth more than ₹11,000 crore. Included among these is the Renukaji Dam project, lying pending for around three decades.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the completion of the 40-megawatt hydropower project was only made possible by the collective effort of six states—Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Delhi—at the behest of the central government.[Readmore]

India's Mega Projects: How Hirakud Dam Became The World's Longest Dam?

The Hirakud Dam, built across the Mahanadi River, is the longest in the world, with a length of 4.8 km. It was one of the first initial projects that an independent India undertook. The first Prime Minister of the country, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, put the first piece of concrete of the dam on April 12, 1948. For adequate supervision, Mazumdar Committee was appointed to check the technical soundness and the feasibility of the project, which cost more than US$ 1 Billion in ancient times. Initially, the Committee had pegged the cost at nearly ₹94 crores and predicted the dam's completion by June 1955.[Readmore]

As told to Parliament (December 13, 2021): Sea level along Indian coast rising at 1.7 mm/year

The sea level along the Indian coast was rising at about 1.7 millimetres per year according to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services.

Shoreline change including erosion and sea level rise were slow phenomena and manifesting globally, Ashwini Kr Choubey, minister of state in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change told the Lok Sabha December 13, 2021.

Ambient air quality data

Ambient air quality data in 96 cities showed a decreasing trend of PM10 whereas 36 cities showed an increasing trend of PM10 concentration in 2020-2021, as compared to 2019-2020.

Eighteen cities were found to be within the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standard (PM10 less than 60 µg / m3) in 2019-20 which has increased to 27 in 2020-21.[Readmore]

PM Modi to lay foundation of Rs 6,700-crore dam in Himachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be laying the foundation of the Rs 6,700-crore Renukaji Dam project from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi town today.

The project on the Giri river in Sirmaur district, once completed, is expected to generate 200 million units of energy in a surface power house with 40 MW installed capacity which would be utilized by the state.[Readmore]

Supreme Court to hear pleas pertaining to Mullaperiyar dam’s safety today

The Kerala government had earlier moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Tamil Nadu to not release a huge quantity of water in the wee hours from the spillway shutters of the century-old dam, saying it causes heavy damage to people living downstream.

The Supreme Court is set to hear on Wednesday a string of petitions which have raised safety concerns regarding the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, a broiling operational dispute between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

A bench of justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar had last Friday adjourned the hearing to December 15 after senior advocate Shekhar Naphade informed the top court that the Tamil Nadu government will be requiring more time to file its reply to the fresh objections raised by Kerala.[Readmore]

Union Minister Pralhad Singh Patel Reviews Work At National Water Academy and Central Water and Power Research Station at Khadakvasla

Pune, 24 December 2021: Union Minister of State for Water and Food Processing Pralhad Singh Patel is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra. On the second day of the tour today, Patel visited the Satara Mega Food Park and inspected the ongoing works over there. This food park has not yet started at full capacity. The Minister assured to try and remove the problems related to this project. “Cold storage facilities should be made available in this food park”, he added.

Patel also visited Apshinge village of Satara Taluka and Gutalwadi village in Khandala Taluka of Satara district and inspected various works carried out under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to supply safe and adequate drinking water to households. The Minister appreciated the waste recycling process adopted by the villagers of Gutalwadi.[Readmore]