GUWAHATI: Every household in Guwahati is expected to have round-the-clock supply of safe and clean water by 2016.

The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has tied up with the Central government, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank for total funding of Rs 2,713 crore for undertaking four water supply projects which will cover the entire city.

Unless there is a fundamental shift in the mindset away from one which separates the rural from the urban, Indian planning cannot address the challenges of urbanisation in our present stage of deve

Thanks to rider that flow of JnNURM funds would stop, if it is not formed. The State government has begun the process of constituting the much-delayed Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) for Bangalore.

Under the 74th amendment of the Constitution, MPC is mandatory for a city with a population of more than 10 lakh. Bangalore is home to over 85 lakh (as per census 2011).

The Centre has granted chief minister Prithviraj Chavan a whopping Rs12,300 crore to implement various mega projects in the state.

Vellalore chosen for reconstruction of the 144 dwelling units

For the reconstruction of the 144 dwelling units at Ammankulam, found structurally unstable, the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) has identified a new site —Vellalore. Sources in the district administration and the Board say that after a formal approval and go ahead from the latter's headquarters in the Chennai, tenders will be floated for construction.

The city corporation council has decided to seek government’s immediate intervention in resolving the issue of water scarcity in various parts of the city.

The council will exert pressure on state government to hasten land acquisition and other works for the proposed Piravom water supply scheme, which will augment water supply to West Kochi and adjoining areas.

CHENNAI: The Institute of Town Planners India (ITPI), Tamil Nadu chapter, has urged the state government to constitute a technical advisory group of eminent citizens for Chennai Municipal Corporation, and other major cities, to advise on sustainable development.

ITPI secretary R Shivakumar told Express after the release of a newsletter ‘Planners’ that the recommendations had been submitted to the government after a workshop was held to mark the golden jubilee of the institute.

A meeting to review the status of the drinking water projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for Kochi will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

Convened by Water Resources Minister P J Joseph, the meeting is expected to discuss the initiatives for solving the portable water crisis faced by the city, especially the West Kochi area. The ministers from the district, the MLAs and Mayor Tony Chammany will attend the meeting.

ZAFAR ALAM KHAN notes that first blood was spilled in Aishbagh police station area where a man was murdered following a dispute over filling of containers.

When the first set of detailed data from Census 2011, Houses, Households Amenities and Assets, was released a couple of weeks ago, there was much flinching at the fact that around half of all Indians still defecate in the open. The census data also showed that piped and treated drinking water is presently enjoyed by just a third of Indian households.

Now, the aim of providing sanitation and piped drinking water for all will demand increasing allocations. But the CSE report Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta shows that mere money just can’t solve the problem.