A sharp fall in the water level of the Ganga downstream from Narora in Bulandshahr district of western Uttar Pradesh has fuelled fears of the grand old river being reduced to a trickle at the holy Sangam in Allahabad. The fall in the level of the river, considered the lifeline of the State since ancient times, has set alarm bells ringing. The state of the river in Varanasi is no better than in Allahabad.

The drinking water situation in Chennai is comfortable and the city will not face any water shortage even during peak summer, Secretary to Public Works Department S. Audiseshiah said here on Saturday.

It really makes you believe that old is gold when a Mumbai building adopts the water harvesting system that was used by the Harappan settlement in Dholavira in Gujarat some 5,000 years ago. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly Prince of Wales Museum, became the first heritage structure in Mumbai to adopt rainwater harvesting recently. And, the inspiration came from Dholavira which excelled in water harvesting technology with dams, drains, reservoirs and storm water management that eloquently speak of the engineering skills of builders of that era.

Continuing his arguments in the Ramar Sethu case, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project would not be economically viable and the whole economic calculation was a "fraud.' Justice Raveendran intervened and said, "Even if it is a foolish project in terms of economics, we can't go into it. How much should be spent, in what manner it should be spent are all matters for the government to decide.' Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said, "Our jurisdiction is very limited in such matters.'

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to explore the possibility of an alternative alignment or any other route for the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project without damaging Ramar Sethu and to consider whether an archaeological study could be conducted to declare Ramar Sethu a national monument. Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, heading a three-judge Bench, asked senior counsel Fali Nariman, appearing for the Centre, to consider an alternative alignment and said that by this the government could avoid the controversy (of damaging Ramar Sethu).

The government on Friday called for reinforced collaboration with Unicef to effectively address water and sanitation problems. In a meeting between Federal Minister for Environment, Hameedullah Jan Afridi and Unicef Representative in Pakistan, Martin Mogwanja, the minister pressed for the need to offset additional hygiene related expenditures through launching a comprehensive national programme in collaboration with the Unicef, said a statement issued here.

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to consider conducting an archaeological survey to ascertain whether the Ram Sethu can be declared an ancient monument.

Residents of Boro Maghbazar, Siddeshwari and Ulon moujas yesterday demanded cancellation of the current design of the Hatirjheel project, as about 400-500 families of these moujas will be homeless if the project is implemented with the current design. They urged the government to implement the much-awaited project with the previous design for the sake of their lives.

A growing international water crisis is forcing governments to rethink how they value and use and manage water, especially because economic development hinges on water availability. Freshwater resources Drinking water supplies, agriculture, energy production and generation, mining and industry all require large quantities of water. In the future, these sectors will be competing for increasingly limited freshwater resources, making water supply availability a major economic driver in the 21st century.

The Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project should be scrapped altogether if the government cannot proceed further without destroying Ramar Sethu (Adam's Bridge), Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy argued in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.