Top planners of the country have asserted that pricing and rationing are the most important tools to make optimal use of the most precious natural resource - water - and achieve sustainable development even though states, bound by political compulsions and fiercely protective of control over water management, may never agree to it.

Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia says pricing of water and rationing by regulation are the most effective tools to stop the gross misuse of water resources, even though they are very difficult decisions.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad is facing the threat of groundwater degradation beyond recoverable level, warn Indian researchers of a German University.

A team of four researchers from the department of engineering geology and hydrogeology, RWTH Aachen University has taken up studies on the scarcity of water in the mega cities in India. Hyderabad is one of the cities selected for research thanks to its rapid urbanisation and heavy pressure on water resources.

The Karnataka department of urban development is formulating a policy for urban development to ensure a sustained and balanced development of the cities. Principal secretary of the department of urban development Amita Prasad said the draft policy is getting ready.

Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Development of the north Karnataka region with a focus on small and medium towns’ organised by NGO Eco-Watch and Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Developments and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) here, she said focus would be on the development of North Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka districts where 52 per cent of the population has been deprived of basic infrastructure.

Ranchi, Dec.

PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar expressed his opposition to any transfer of water from river basins before ‘within basin requirements’ were taken into consideration and wanted a permanent