LUCKNOW: The quality of forest areas in Uttar Pradesh is on the wane. A survey taken up by forest officials on a 10,000 hectare area of reserve forest land in the state has acted as an eye-opener on how fast the deterioration is setting in.

LUCKNOW: As dry hot westerly winds coming from deserts of Rajasthan continued to lash north India, the state was gripped by a severe heat wave.

Almost all the districts of UP recorded hottest day of this summer on Monday.

LUCKNOW: For the mango producers in UP who have been hit by poor production this year there is at least one reason to cheer. The exporters from the state have bagged off-shore deals to export the `Nawab' brand of the Dussehri mango to Russia and Kuwait.

LUCKNOW: In order to tackle acute shortage of water and manage the available one in a pooled manner, the government has decided to set up water management committees at gram panchayat level all over the state.

LUCKNOW: It is an official projection that 6-hours is the minimum waiting required for a vehicle to get re-filled at any of the CNG stations in Lucknow. In such a situation even temporary shutdown of any of these stations for routine maintenance hits public transport hard. However, commissioning of an online station by August might ease out things.

Carrying a water bottle and a polythene bag inside city zoo will now require shelling out Rs 20 extra for a refund coupon. Taking note of the report published in the TOI that plastic bottles are blatantly being thrown inside the enclosures of zoo inmates and there is hardly anyone to check, the authorities have taken action. The refund coupon will act as a check against such activities.

LUCKNOW: Experts, on the occasion of Ground Water Day, expressed grave concern over the fast depletion of groundwater level all over the country. They warned that until and unless remedial measures are taken, water crisis would pose a grave danger to the existence of mankind.

LUCKNOW: In a bid to bring transparency in implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), department of rural development has introduced biometric smart cards on a pilot basis here on Wednesday. The scope of the pilot project are ten villages spread in two development blocks of district Unnao. If successful, it will be replicated in all districts of the state.

LUCKNOW: Felling of old roadside trees last year might have been a huge environmental loss for Lucknow, but for the forest department it has been a big monetary gain. In fact, the felled trees have brought maximum revenue and compensation to the department in the past five years.

LUCKNOW: Construction activity in and around Gomtinagar and Alambagh has taken a toll on the ambient air quality. Pollution levels recorded here have shown an increase from last year. It is mainly due to the increase in the volume of ultrafine particles (RSPM) that remain suspended in air for long.