AHMEDABAD: Scanty rainfall has reduced the water stock in dams which have 255 million cubic metre (mcm) less water compared to last year.

Officials said that less rains in the past fortnight completely changed the water levels in the dams. On July 20, the state had 12% more water compared to last year. On Monday, dams reported 1.12% less water than August 8, 2010. Officials said that the situation was such that the agricultural department was even forced to release some water for irrigation. Citing example of north Gujarat, he said that on August 7, 2011, there was 299.16 mcm, but on August 8 about 0.16 mcm water was released from the dams for irrigation.

Sector Gets Massive Pvt Investment, Premium; Trend Reverses In 18 Mths

Forcible acquisition of land has turned the 117-year-old Land Acquisition Act into a “fraud”, the Supreme Court said on Thursday, calling the legislation a handiwork of “sick” minds with no concern

GANDHINAGAR: Despite huge claims of rise in water tables across Gujarat and simultaneous improvement in groundwater levels because of tens of thousands of watershed projects, checkdams, village ponds and other recharge structures, an authoritative report suggests there is, if at all, marginal improvement. In fact, even in North Gujarat, where Sujalam Sufalam recharge canal runs across 360-km, water tables appear to have gone down. Also, the quality of water in this region has deteriorated.

AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has cracked down on polythene bag users, but it has not yet regulated it.

AHMEDABAD: Two persons, including a woman Kesar Karim Sindhi, were sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment on charges of poaching a Nilgai.

A fine of Rs 2,500 has also been slapped on the duo by the Patan sessions court under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Nilgai (blue bull) is a protected species and hunting of this species has been long banned.

To be built under PPP in five states.
The finance ministry has approved six road proposals at an estimated cost of Rs 9773.85 crore under public-private partnership (PPP).

The Public Private Partnership Approval Committee (PPPAC), chaired by Economic Affairs Secretary R Gopalan, had granted approval to the six proposals of the ministry of road transport and highways spread across five states,

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government, which announced with great fanfare last week a sharp increase in the release of Narmada waters from the Sardar Sarovar dam into the canal, to help farmers downstream, was forced to cut down the amount of water released to about one-third on Monday.

GANDHINAGAR: Delayed monsoon has forced the Gujarat government to divert a huge 6,300 cusecs of Narmada water to large number of areas that are outside the Narmada command, mainly in central and north Gujarat in order to help farmers to go ahead with sowing operations, currently on a standstill.

AHMEDABAD: Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh declared on Wednesday that a comprehensive mapping of all coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) violations would be undertaken soon. The project would be undertaken by Isro's SAC in Ahmedabad.

"The coastal mapping of industrial projects would be undertaken to zero in on existing defaulters and CRZ violators.