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The GNLF-controlled Darjeeling municipality has decided to stop supplying drinking water and clearing garbage in the town from tomorrow. In Calcutta, home secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray said the situation in the hills was "worrisome' but tourists were safe. "Those feeling unsafe would be brought down to the plains,' he added. Although a lean season for tourism, there would be several hundred tourists in the Darjeeling hills now. The peak period will begin in March.

New Delhi has proposed that India will provide a village in Bangladesh with solar electric supply as part of the energy cooperation initiative in the SAARC region. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka on Sunday sent a letter to the foreign ministry proposing that Delhi wanted to install solar power systems in one of the villages in Bangladesh for electric supply to 300 home-lights and 50 streetlights. The foreign ministry forwarded the letter to the Power Division on Monday, sources in the division said. In the letter, Delhi suggested that Dhaka should send in the names of 2 or 3 villages to choose one from among. A team of experts of India will select the village after visiting the proposed sites. The letter said Delhi had made the proposal to provide one village with solar power in keeping with the decision on energy cooperation made at the 14th SAARC Summit in April 2007. Sources in the Power Division said the Rural Electrification Board was no Monday advised to send in the names of three remote villages, especially in coastal areas, where it would not be possible for the government to supply power from the national grid.

BMDA to supply drinking water to remote areas Rural people in 25 upazilas to be benefited Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Rajshahi THE Barind Multipurpose Development Authority has undertaken a project to supply arsenic-free drinking water among the rural people through pipeline. According to officials concerned, the main objective of the project is to supply round-the-year drinking water to every household of the rural people in the targeted area. The Tk 99.40 crore project titled

The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) is ready for a possible dispute with the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and the Western Provincial Council as both institutions are opposed to the taking over of Colombo's sewerage system by the former. In a surprise move yesterday the CMC decided to oppose the handing over of the sewerage system to NWSDB which comes under the Ministry of Water Management. This was a sudden and surprising decision as the Council had passed a motion to hand over the sewerage system to the Water Board during the sessions on February 12. However a fresh proposal to revise the earlier decision was unanimously passed at the sessions yesterday. The motion which was presented yesterday was signed by several councillors including JVP Member, Hemantha Kumara, DUA Councillor, Roy Bogahawatte and F. M. Sharafdeen. Mr. Bogahawatte who moved the motion said the NWSDB Chairman had taken this decision on his own as the subject Minister has not made such a request. Meanwhile the main opposition UNP was to move a motion to oppose the NWSDB move to takeover the sewerage system at the Western Provincial Council sessions today. The motion was to be moved by the UNP Provincial Councillor, C. Y. P. Ram. Mr. Ram told Daily Mirror the takeover of the sewerage system by the NWSDB would pave the way to impose a sewerage levy from the city dwellers. He said this would be charged as a percentage of the total amount shown in the water bill. The party was to request the Western Province Chief Minister, Reginold Cooray to take steps to prevent this act taking into consideration the difficulties faced by the people due to the sky rocketing cost of living. Mr. Ram said some UPFA councillors have pledged their support and were expected to vote for it. He said he would discuss with the JVP too and was confident that the party would also support him. According to Mr. Ram the Attorney General had also stated the taking over of the sewerage system was illegal as there was no move to seek approval of Parliament which was compulsory for such a take over.

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said yesterday the poor conditions of Colombo schools have contributed to the current outbreak of Hepatitis in the city. Dr. Kariyawasam said most of the small schools in the city lack basic sanitation facilities and the toilets were in very poor condition and lacked water supply. Some schools were found without proper drinking water facilities according to him. Schools have been subjected to inspection as it was found that the majority of the infected persons during the past two months were of school attending age. Accordingly there had been 39 cases of Hepatitis and all of them were reported to be school children. Dr. Kariyawasam explained the outbreak was reaching its peak level but was confident that it would be under control in a few weeks time. The CMC has carried out intensive house to house inspections and education programmes to prevent further spread of the disease. Thousands of leaflets have been distributed among the residents in Modera, Mahawatte, Mattakkuliya and Bloemendhal areas. Water samples were taken from the main lines and checked for germs and all were found to be negative. Dr. Kariyawasam explained the CMC has planned to carry out disinfection programmes in schools from today. All water supply points would undergo chlorination. "However, there has to be a long term plan to build proper toilet facilities and provide adequate water supply to these schools which are attended by children of marginalised families/communities in the city,' he said .

Reputed political and economic commentator, the Paris-born Erik Orsenna will visit Kolkata on 20 February to lecture on "Issues related to water supply and allied aspects' at the Indian Chamber of Commerce. The author of numerous essays and novels, a famous one being Voyage aux pays du coton petit pr

Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Limited has officially taken over the responsibility of carrying out water supply works in Kathmandu Valley from Sunday. The responsibility to manage valley's water supply was given to the firm established as per the public-private partnership concept following pressures from the Asian Development Bank and other donors to the government to handover the water distribution responsibility in Kathmandu valley to an autonomous body. This was also the main precondition of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

Bosga Tank, that supplied water to the entire city of Gulbarga for over five decades, is now in a pathetic state. It is about time the tank was revived, writes Chandrahas Kotekar. Every living being on earth requires water, air and light. Without these, there is no life. At the same time, a village's neglect towards its water bodies - rivers, tanks and wells - means an apathy towards progress.

The Central Water Commission failed to secure an agreement between Delhi and Haryana over sharing of water and power from the Renuka Dam at meeting here on Monday. With Delhi refusing to give in to Haryana's demands and depart from the agreement signed in 1994 on sharing of water and power, the matter is now likely to be referred to the Planning Commission for a resolution. Haryana's demand for a share from the water and power that will be generated once the Renuka Dam is commissioned has struck a discordant note as Delhi has objected to the change in agreement.