Government urged to implement the Tamil Nadu Tank Protection and Encroachment Removal Act 2007 CUDDALORE: Environmentalists, social service activists and farmers, who met here on Saturday, urged the government to create a separate Ministry for the protection of water sources. The Ministry, in coordination with the people, should formulate measures that would safeguard the water sources.

In one season, land prices in Dhangharwadi shot up from Rs 6,000-10,000 per acre (0.4 hectare) to Rs 1 lakh per acre. But people in this little village in Maharashtra

JAIPUR: Water Institute, a joint initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Rajasthan Government, has become functional here in the Rajasthan capital. A brief ceremony in the rented premises of the Institute over the weekend marked its commencement. The Water Institute is the outcome of a memorandum of understanding signed by CII and the State Government during the Water Summit here in 2006 in the presence of the then Governor of Rajasthan, Pratibha Patil, for setting up a state-of-the-art centre of excellence providing solution to all issues related to water.

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) released 32,000 cusecs more water from the Tarbela Reservoir downstream on Thursday to maintain current quantum of water supply for Kharif crops in the country. Official sources told Business Recorder that water inflow has drastically decreased in the mighty Indus and its three tributaries from 0.5 million cusecs to about 0.3 million cusecs in a week's time which has necessitated more releases from the Tarbela dam. The Indus river inflow at Tarbela dam on 26th June was 0.169 million cusecs as compared to its 16th June inflow of 0.315 million cusecs.

Aimed at meeting the skilled manpower shortage in the water supply and sanitation sector in the country, a state-of-the-art water training centre will come up in the National Capital Region. The National Water and Sanitation Institute, first of its kind in the country, is to come up in 14 acres of land in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs.26 crore with French assistance, a senior Urban Development official said. There is a shortage of skilled manpower for effective management of water supply and sanitation sector.

Recycling involves a separate plumbing system or a number of stages of filtration and microbial digestion to make water fit for washing or flushing toilets, writes Deepti Adlakha Gaining importance: Recycling of grey water has become a matter of priority with compact systems available. Every drop counts. This does not apply only to oil but water as well. Harvesting and conserving water has become crucial as never before. After successfully implementing water harvesting in residences, it is now time to look at recycling of domestic grey water.

Despite various initiatives taken by the Centre, including soil and water management activities, 32.75 per cent of the country's geographical land is still affected by various forms of land degradation or desertification.