The government is planning to develop new reservoirs to conserve rainwater that usually finds its way into the sea. This was stated by Sindh Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani at a press briefing at the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) head office here on Wednesday. He said he had constituted a committee to chalk out a plan for the new water reservoir in the city.

Energy is the lifeline of economic development, but unfortunately, Pakistan has historically suffered from energy shortages and demand suppression because of limited supplies and lack of adequate infrastructure development for provision of energy to the industrial sector. Furthermore, the capacity of Pakistan's existing reservoirs (Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma) has declined by 27 percent and the cumulative decline will increase to 35 percent by 2012 and to 57 percent by 2025.

In the series of Pre-Hault programmes of science express, a speech competition was organised by Science Centre Gwalior in the campus of Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Ratanpur. The students of class IX to XI participated in the programme and expressed their views and ideas on the topic 'Water Conservation'.

Nearly 300 residents of over 10 societies near Charkop lake, a 50-year-old water body, fear that construction on the lake is going to adversely affect them in the coming monsoon. In February, the residents had raised a red flag over partial filling of the six-acre lake for a housing project. Consequently, on February 20, the Mumbai Suburban Collector's office issued a notice to stop the land-filling till further notice and ordered a high-level inquiry into the issue.

World's fastest growing acquatic weed, Water Hyacinth has returned back in the River Sal along the water course between Khareband and Benaulim. Known to multiply within days, weed has spread across the river, especially along the water course from Mungul to Benaulim. A look at the river course from the Khareband bridge would make any stranger to believe that the river has run dry and instead replaced by a green agricultural cover. The last time the weed was removed from the river was around half a decade ago during the de-silting of the river.

The scorching sun has been beating down on parched farmlands in Malda, sucking the waterbodies dry and causing the groundwater level to plummet. Officials in the district agriculture department fear huge crop losses if it does not rain in the next few days. The four blocks of Old Malda, Bamungola, Gajole and Habibpur are already facing severe drinking water shortage. Standing boro paddy and jute stalks are wilting in the searing heat.

KUPWARA: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has asked the National Conference (NC) Patron Dr Farooq Abdullah to make clear to the people why he illogically bartered the state's water resources with the Center for a worthless 12 percent royalty in 2000.

The state government has issued instructions for providing special protection to wild animals near sources of water. In this connection, all the Territorial Conservators of Forests (Wildlife) have been directed to identify the water sources where wild animals come to quench their thirst and make special arrangements for wild animals' protection there.