The campaign for eco-friendly Ganesha idols does not appear to have yielded the desired results.

A deadly virus is stalking the big cats, but the State Forest department is yet to wake up to the warning.

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) has reportedly affected tigers in the northern and eastern parts of the country, killing two cubs in Patna Zoo, a couple of months ago.

Processed sewage from K&C valley plant to be used for the purpose

Though the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has commissioned its last and final drawal of 500 million litres of water (mld) from the Cauvery basin, through Cauvery IV stage II phase project, the Board is still far from reaching 12 lakh consumers in 110 villages in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike jurisdiction.

World Water Day

It would be too late to realise for Bangaloreans if necessary action to use water judiciously is not adopted now. Even with alarming low reservoir levels recorded at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini at present, there has not been any significant effort taken by BWSSB to educate consumers. Bangalore needs 3.5 tmc (thousand million cubic) feet of water till May-end and at present the live storage above sill level at KRS is 3.917 tmc and at Kabini, the level had recorded zero.

PIL against officials for issuing NOCs to bring jumbos from other states

Elephants being used in various ceremonies and processions have for long raised the heckles of environmentalists, on the grounds that the ‘gentle giants’ are subjected to inhuman treatment in the name of culture and tradition. Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) and Akhila Karnataka Prani Daya Sangha have gone a step further and have filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the High Court, against the Principal Secretary to the Department of Environment and Ecology, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden.

The ambitious Cauvery IV Stage II project has found no takers. Five months after its launch in October 2012, the board has managed only 43,513 connections against 1,04,272 applications, a far cry from the estimated two lakh connections.

The lukewarm response has put the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in a fix, which is unable to raise enough money to pay its energy bill.Besides the newly added areas, the project was also intended to stabilise water supply in core areas.

Only 50 of the 1.72 lakh borewells in City registered with KGA

Two months have passed since the State government issued a notification, making registration of all borewells and permission for sinking of new borewells mandatory in the State. However, so far only 25 drilling agencies in the State and just over 80 households in the City have registered with the Karnataka Groundwater Authority (KGA). The government notification called for compulsory registration under the Karnataka Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Act, 2011, wherein every existing user of groundwater in the notified area has to register within a period of 120 days from December 3, 2012.

BDA accused of forming sites on 6.21 acres of encroached lake bed

The Mestripalya Lake at Koramangala is likely to get a fresh lease of life, after nearly seven years, with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) agreeing to fence the nine-acre lake bed soon. The BDA engineer in charge of the area told Deccan Herald that a Rs 12-lakh tender has been called to fence the lake and the work is expected to be executed in a week. The decision, however, came after much dillydallying in preparing the detailed project report (DPR), followed by getting approvals from the Lake Development Authority (LDA) and the Revenue Department.

Bangalore’s drinking water crisis is not going to end in a hurry. But, the year 2012 witnessed the pinnacle of this crisis, particulary during summer.

Residents of the newly added BBMP areas, however, had a reason for some hope by the end of the year with the commissioning of the much-awaited Cauvery IV stage II phase by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in October. The last and the final drawal from the Cauvery basin to the City will be supplying an additional 500 million litres (mld) of water per day wherein the City will be receiving a total of 1,400 mld by January 2013.

Study shows high leachate levels remain untreated

The haphazard dumping of garbage at various landfills outside the City has taken a toll on the health of residents in surrounding villages. Leachate, a toxic fluid which is often discharged from decomposing urban organic waste has been responsible for the contamination of both groundwater and surface water in areas around the dumping grounds.