Secretaries of all grama panchayats have been directed to tighten vigil against illegal sand-mining practices and enforce provisions of the laws related to protection of rivers and mining of river sand.

The directive comes in response to complaints from the Chaliyar Agitation Committee that sand-miners often resorted to practices harmful to river, its fish, and other organisms. P.K.M. Chekku, secretary of the committee, had complained to the District Collector that river sand was being extracted from 30 to 40 ft deep into the river bed.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday warned that any delay in resumption of mining banned by a Supreme Court order could result in violence and suicide.

Parrikar also claimed that the the water level of rivers in the state has started dipping in an unexpected fall out of halt in mining activity. The Chief Minister said his government has limited options at its disposal in the event of a "flare-up" as people are agitated over the loss of livelihood, following an interim ban on mining imposed by Supreme Court four months ago.

Sitapur: Taking a cue from their counterparts in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, who participated in neck-deep ‘Jal Satyagraha’ in September 2012 demanding the lowering of the water level in th

China aims to spend $850 billion to improve filthy water supplies over the next decade, but even such huge outlays may do little to reverse damage caused by decades of pollution and overuse in Beij

Pakistan on Tuesday lost the case of construction of 330 megawatts (MW) Kishanganga Hydro-electric Power (KHEP) project in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) in the International Court of Arbitration (COA)

New Delhi: In a major victory, the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague has upheld India’s right to divert water from the Kishanganga hydro-electric project (KHEP) in Kashmir.

While the permanent court of arbitration at The Hague has given a green signal to India to go ahead with the 330 MW Kishanganga hydel project in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi is faced with yet anoth

Court of Arbitration in The Hague to decide on minimum flows by year-end

Though the Court of Arbitration at The Hague has upheld Indian’s right under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty to divert waters from the Rs. 3,600-crore hydro-electric project in the Kishenganga, the battle is not yet over. In its ‘partial award’ delivered on Monday in the dispute between India and Pakistan over the 330 MW project, the Court ruled that India would have to maintain a minimum flow in the river, known as Neelum in Pakistan.

The state delegation led by chief minister Jagadish Shettar urged prime minister Manmohan Singh not to constitute the Cauvery Management Board.

The Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries (University of Kerala) and Agency for Development of Aqua Culture, Kerala, have identified the use of small mesh encircling nets as one of the biggest threats to the biodiversity of Vellayani lake, the second largest fresh water body in the State.

A participatory fish census conducted by the institutions has found that many perennial streams, which supplied water to the lake, have dried up. Paddy fields and wetlands have been land filled. The research team also noticed an alarming depletion of frogs in the lake. Pesticide contamination of the lake and shrinking of its area were other major issues affecting the water body’s survival.