Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil has said that the government would release Rs 38 crore to solve the drinking water problem in rural areas.

As a step towards increasing the capacity to detect, control and prevent food-borne and other infectious diseases, a proposal will be sent to the Centre by the State to include Mysore and Chitradur

‘Chances of being infected with the disease lower during summer’

A total of four H1N1 cases have been reported in the district since January 2013. Of the cases reported, all the patients suffering from the influenza have been cured or are currently recuperating from the viral infection.
District Surveillance Officer, Dr D G Nagaraj said that the potency of the virus declined with the increase in temperature. Therefore, the chances of being infected with the disease was lower in summer months. “All the four people who were infected, were infected during the months of winter,” he said.

Bangalore: The city had not had it so bad in recent past. With the inflow into the Krishnarajasagar reservoir reduced to a trickle, Bangaloreans can now only hope for unseasonal rain in May to escape the water crisis looming over the city.

Authorities confirm that if the catchment areas of the Cauvery do not receive adequate rain during May, Bangalore is certain to plunge into a water supply crisis. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has sensed the alarming situation.

Though water levels at the Krishnaraja Sagar Reservoir have dropped alarmingly, official sources in Mysore have re-assured that water supply to Bangalore and Mysore will not be hit at least for the next two months, which is about the time when monsoon showers are expected.

As on Saturday, water levels at KRS reservoir was 72.71 ft (maximum capacity - 124.80 ft), while it was 48.50 ft (maximum capacity - 84 ft) at Kabini. During the corresponding period last year, KRS had 98.63 ft water, with an inflow of 661 cusecs and outflow 4,925 cusecs. At Kabini, the water level stood at around 67 ft.

Bangalore: Karnataka is now home to 6,072 Asiatic elephants, 5,945 of which were spotted in the Mysore elephant reserve (MER) alone, according to the latest elephant census.

The Karnataka Elephant Census 2012, conducted by the state forest department in May last year and carried out by the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, showed an increase in the state’s elephant population since 2010 when their number stood at 5,800.

Get ready for water rationing. For, the Mysore City Corporation could impose this extraordinary measure well before the end of March to manage the water crisis.

Supreme Court suggests Tamil Nadu take up the issue with Cauvery River Authority

With Karnataka sticking to its stand that it cannot spare any quantum of water for Tamil Nadu to the detriment of its drinking water requirements, the Supreme Court on Tuesday suggested to Tamil Nadu that it take up the matter with the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) headed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Union government has sanctioned a Rs 402-crore contingency plan, under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme, to tide over the water crisis in the State.

The move follows recommendations by task forces of various districts, said Revenue Secretary (disaster management) Tushar Girinath, here on Tuesday. He told a press conference that the funds will be utilised for all the drought-prone districts in the State. While Mysore district gets Rs 13.41 crore, Chamarajanagar will receive Rs 21 crore.

Ensure equitable distribution of water for urban and rural areas, and for wildlife: organic farmer

The State government has been urged to formulate a water policy for the Cauvery basin to harness the resource in a judicious and effective manner. The suggestion comes in the wake of unprecedented drought and failure of monsoon this year and the imperatives of bracing up for a dry summer in Mysore and surrounding regions which depend on Cauvery in the months ahead.