PUNE: The district administration has appointed 13 squads, one for each taluka, to keep a check on illegal extraction of sand from rivers and its transportation following a rise in the number of ca

Authorities Deploy 136 Additional Tankers

The System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), which provides information about air quality, weather and the current UV index was launched by Dr Shailesh Nayak, secretary, Ministry of

Of the 7.2 lakh registered properties in Pune, only 1,411 have installed rainwater harvesting systems as of July 2012, statistics with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) show.

Of the 7.2 lakh registered properties in Pune, only 1,411 have installed rainwater harvesting systems as of July 2012, statistics with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) show.

Over 13 lakh trees have been illegally cut in state-owned forests since 2005, depriving Maharashtra of its precious forest wealth.

Strong Wind Keeps Blaze Alive, Villagers Send Dumpers Away

Pune: Villagers from Phursungi and Uruli on Tuesday blocked trucks carrying waste from entering the garbage depot to protest against the Pune Municipal Corporation’s inability to control the fire raging at the landfill site since Sunday.
The fire that spread to surrounding piles of waste grew worse on Tuesday. The villagers claimed that three acres of the landfill site had caught fire and clouds of smoke posed a health hazard for them.

Phursungi-Uruli Villagers Warn Of Agitation If Blaze That Broke Out On Sunday Is Not Put Out

A huge fire that broke out at the garbage depot in Phursungi-Uruli on Sunday afternoon was not completely extinguished till late Monday evening, villagers said. They complained of irritation in the eyes and difficulty in breathing as the smoke pervaded the area surrounding both villages. The villagers, who have been protesting for years against the very presence of the garbage dump, have threatened to block garbage trucks from entering the depot if the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) fails to put out the fire by Tuesday evening.

This year’s drought cannot be called worse than the one in 1972: SANDRP

While the Maharashtra government is crying hoarse about this year’s drought surpassing the one in 1972 and farmers are cutting off their crops and digging deeper than ever for water, an analysis based on rainfall patterns blames it on poor long-term vision and unequal water distribution. With 3,712 major, minor and medium projects, Maharashtra has the highest number of dams in the country; yet its irrigation coverage was 17.9 per cent in 2009-10. Its projects are plagued with delays and cost overruns, and a special team headed by Madhav Chitale is investigating them.