The Karnataka Government plans to regulate reckless ground-water exploitation by bringing private water suppliers under the trade licence ambit.

The State Government is planning a 4,000-acre solar park in Bijapur district.

The solar park, which will come up in Mannur, will be similar to the solar farm at Charanka in Gujarat.

There is a direct link between unabated mining and the floods which devastated the North Karnataka region in 2009, said environmentalist and High Court Lok Adalat member Y N Yellappa Reddy.

Speaking with mediapersons here on Friday, he said mining activities in the Western Ghats region - the main source of rivers and lakes - has led to the deterioration of environment. Constant mining activities had led to the destruction of grassland.

The State government has directed the Palike to ensure that tankers supplying drinking water are strictly monitored by the authorities in order to curb water mafia.

After a meeting with the officials of BWSSB, Transport, Mines and Geology and Minor Irrigation Departments on Friday, Urban Development Minister Suresh Kumar told reporters that details such as the quantity of water being carried and the price should be displayed on the water tankers.

New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday asked former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and the country's third-largest steel producer, JSW Steel, to file documents to prove their innocence in the Karnataka mining scam.

The court said it will pass an order next week on the Central Empowered Committee's (CEC) recommendations, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged massive illegal mining activities in Karnataka and the roles of Yeddyurappa and two companies — JSW Steel and Adani Enterprises — in the scandal.

At a time when the State is reeling under severe drought conditions, about 4,000 cusecs of water gets wasted everyday at the Basavasagara reservoir in Narayanapura due to the lack of maintenance of the reservoir.

The reservoir, which helps irrigate 10 lakh acres of land, has an inflow of about 10,000 cusec of water everyday. Of this, only 6,000 cusec reach the agricultural lands.

The Kempambudhi lake is all set to be a centre of tourist attraction after two months, if the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has its way.

Desiltation, cleaning of the lake and boating facilities, etc, will provide a new lease of life to the City’s oldest water body. Choked with weeds, hyacinth and sewage, the lake, at present, is an eyesore to the public. Constructed by the founder of Bangalore, Kempegowda, the water body served as a catchment area.

A Karnataka High Court-appointed committee has said the State Government should take up as top priority medical treatment of 68,000 children suffering from malnutrition.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) has asked the State government to tighten the vigilance in the five tiger reserves in Karnataka.

According to a letter written by Dr Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, NCTA, a copy of which is in possession of Deccan Herald, gangs of poachers have planned to raid 29 tiger reserves in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Bandipur, Nagarahole, Dandeli-Anashi, Bhadra and Biligiriranganathaswamy Temple tiger reserves in the State are on the list of the poachers.

Junk must be deposited with authorised recyclers

The State government is all set to issue the e-waste guidelines in the next two weeks, with the Electronic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, coming into effect from May 1. Highly placed sources told Deccan Herald that even though the guidelines were supposed to be introduced soon after notification of the Act, it has been delayed as the government took time for consultation with stakeholders and NGOs.