Bid to make the Capital a water-efficient city

Joint task force to take policy decisions

Bureau of Water Efficiency planned

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board signed a memorandum of understanding with the Confederation of Indian Industry in the presence of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit earlier this week with the aim of transforming Delhi into a water-efficient city.

According to Delhi Jal Board officials, a joint task force has been constituted along with the CII to work together on various water-related issues.

The French government on Thursday ordered an investigation into the water table around all of France's 58 nuclear reactors in an effort to dispel fears raised by a leak from a treatment plant run by Areva in southern France.

Jean-Louis Borloo, ecology minister, has asked an independent committee to carry out the probe to stem mounting public concern over nuclear waste management after a low-grade leak at the Socatri treatment plant at Tricastin focused public attention on a still unexplained, older contamination of the water table.

"Punjab is one of those six states in the country which feels it is not necessary to enact legislation on control and development of groundwater resources,' said union water resources minister Saifuddin Soz. The other five states are Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Mnipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Incidentally, in neighbouring Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, initiatives are being taken for enactment of the Model Bill circulated by the Centre while Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh belong to the category that had already enacted and implemented the groundwater legislation.

R. PRASAD Two proteins in rice are responsible for transporting arsenite from soil Carcinogen: Arsenic present in the groundwater and in paddy fields irrigated by the groundwater causes skin cancer. Scientists in Japan have cracked the reason why rice is particularly efficient in assimilating arsenic from paddy soils. The findings reported in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal have particular relevance to West Bengal and Bangladesh where arsenic poisoning is seen.

PANJIM, JULY 5

DH News Service, Shidlaghatta: MLA V Muniyappa expressed his displeasure over the return of about 70 per cent of the funds sanctioned by the World Bank, for the desilting and revival of lakes and ponds in Shidlaghatta taluk. He was speaking after inaugurating the Nallenahalli mini water supply scheme and Nadipinayakanahalli mini water supply scheme and also the stone-laying ceremony of the first floor of the milk producers co-operative association - all of which come under Nagamangala Gram Panchayat limits, in Shidlaghatta taluk on Wednesday.

If all the rain that fell in Goa during the year was trapped, the entire state would be flooded with water between seven and 10 feet deep, depending on whether it was a bad or good monsoon. That is the bounty nature has blessed this land with. Yet, today, we have a shortage of drinking water. Our cities get just a few hours of water supply a day, and many of our villages get water only once every alternate day, sometimes even less frequently during the summer. There could not be a contrast more stark.