The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs at its meeting here on Thursday approved a scheme of the water resources ministry for creation of a data bank to coordinate and process information with regard to water resources, reports our correspondent. The scheme, called "Development of Water Resources Information System", will be implemented during the current Plan period at a cost of Rs 234.3 crores.

Environmentalist and Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan Vice President Nandkumar Kamat is at a loss of words to explain the Government's inefficiency to check whether water supplied in people's homes was actually safe for drinking. Addressing a press conference on the eve of World Environment Day that falls tomorrow (June 5), Kamat lamented, "What we are drinking is actually poison water. There are no quality checks and the Government has not bothered to address the problem in spite of reminders and individual representations.'

In a landmark judgement, a South African court has slammed the Johannesburg municipality for its discriminatory approach in supplying water and ordered the removal of prepaid water meters.

Water crisis in Maharashtra is the making of the state's faulty strategy and misguided policies. A recent report, Combating drought in Maharashtra, explains how by critically analyzing Maharashtra's

The Telugu Desam state president, Mr Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Tuesday found fault with the Godavari water policy of the Congress government. Speaking to newsmen, Mr Naidu said that the government has no vision in using Godavari river water for the purpose of irrigation. He said that the projects taken up by Dummugudem Link Canal Project and Indirasagar Irrigation Projects were not pragmatic and the government is wasting crores of rupees by going to impractical projects.

Punjab will set up an appropriate regulatory authority to control, manage and regulate water resources for its judicious and equitable utilisation. The state government will also formulate a new comprehensive and unified legislation on the management and administration of canals and drains in the state. These proposals are part of the State Water Policy-2008, the draft of which was approved today by the State Water Resources Committee, headed by chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh.