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• Water scare makes Tripura take action

  With the growing threat of water scarcity in the state capital and suburbs, the Tripura Government has sent a proposal of Rs 665 crore for a project to transport water from the Gumati river, about 70 km away, through pipelines to ensure water supply to an additional 1.5 lakh families in the city. Official sources said here today that a high level committee, headed by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, approved the project earlier this week and sent it to the Union Urban Development Ministry for funding under the Jawaharlal Neheru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

  • 22/05/2008

  • Sentinel (Guwahati)
  • • Water Harvesting
    • Water Demand
    • Urban Water Supply
    • Drinking Water Scarcity
    • Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)
    • Bharat Nirman
    • Tripura
    • Agartala

• Centre asks NE to ensure smooth NREGA work

  To ensure transparency in implementation of rural development projects in north-eastern States, the Centre has asked the concerned State Governments to regularly submit reports to the Union Rural Development Ministry. Official sources said here today that the NE State governments were asked to develop mechanisms for ensuring timely verification of the work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and report it to the Ministry at frequent intervals.

  • 22/05/2008

  • Sentinel (Guwahati)
  • • North East
    • Anti-Poverty Programmes
    • National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)
    • Unemployment
    • Ministry Of Rural Development

• Move on to estimate value of natural resources of State

  As part of its nature capital approach to development, Asom Government is contemplating on estimating the total value of its natural resources like crop land, water, forest, mineral, hillocks, rivers etc to ensure sustainable development so that the economy of the State can be given a fillip through proper implementation of "naturenomics'.

  • 22/05/2008

  • Sentinel (Guwahati)
  • • Environment
    • Agriculture
    • Water Management
    • Fisheries
    • Tourism
    • Assam

• WB report on city makeover by next month

  Bank team, state bodies try to identify financial resources for Rs 2.60 lakh-cr business plan In a boost to its much-touted plans to transform Mumbai into an international city and improve the quality of infrastructure in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the State Government is tapping financial sources to help it implement its ambitious Rs 2.60 lakh-crore business plan.

  • 22/05/2008

  • Indian Express (Mumbai)
  • • Water Resources
    • Health
    • Urban Development
    • Urban Transport
    • Metro
    • Mono Rail
    • World Bank
    • Maharashtra

• Belated support for BRT corridor from users

  CSE releases findings of a perception survey of commuters

  • 22/05/2008

  • Hindu (New Delhi)
  • • Public Transport
    • Urban Transport
    • High Capacity Bus
    • CSE Study
    • CSE
    • Delhi

• UPA counters Oppn claim on low rural spending

  In a bid to hit back at the chief ministers who have complained of inadequate funding for rural development projects, especially the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh released a report detailing funding for the last eight years. "I challenge any chief minister to stand up now and say that he didn't get money from the UPA (United Progressive Alliance)," he thundered.

  • 22/05/2008

  • Business Standard (New Delhi)
  • • Rural Development
    • National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)
    • Ministry Of Rural Development

• Sterile mosquitoes near take-off

  <p>Malaysia is looking to battle dengue fever by releasing mosquitoes that have been genetically engineered to be sterile. Although these efforts have stirred public concern, the country&#39;s Academy of Sciences is likely to recommend the strategy to the government within a month.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080521/full/453435a.html" target="_blank">Original Source</a></strong></p>

  • 22/05/2008

  • Nature
  • • Dengue
    • Vector Control
    • Vector Borne Diseases
    • GMOs
    • Genetic Engineering
    • Malaysia

• Marine Research Centre: Tests show mass fish deaths caused by bacteria

  Tests have shown that the phenomenon of mass fish deaths that were experienced in many areas of the Maldives during the end of last year was caused by a type of bacteria, the Marine Research Centre (MRC) has said. According to a statement issued by the MRC, the Centre had sent samples to the Australian, American and Italian laboratories and the results of their tests had revealed that a type of bacteria called Streptococcus was the cause.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Haveeru Daily (Maldives)
  • • Marine Research
    • Fisheries

• CM envisions polio-free Sindh

  Polio is injurious and dangerous for human life and it is endeavour of present Government to eradicate the same from our province at all costs. This was stated by Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah while talking to media on the occasion of POLIO FREE WALK organised by People's Doctor's Forum, Karachi Division from Chief Minister House to Karachi Press Club this morning.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Nation (Pakistan)
  • • Polio
    • Sindh

• Three Pak NGOs win WB grants for AIDS projects

  Three civil society organisations from Pakistan won grants worth US $ 40,000 each from the World Bank's South Asia Development Marketplace (DM) to implement projects aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS. "Overall, twenty-six proposals from across South Asia won grants from a US $ 1 million award pool," according to the bank statement issued here on Tuesday.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Nation (Pakistan)
  • • AIDS
    • World Bank
    • NGO

• Moonshine plants busted in Madu river islands

  Southern Special Unit Excise sleuths busted six large scale moonshine producing plants, hidden in several islands in the Madu river in the Balapitiya area, which has been declared as a sanctuary due to its unique bio-diversity features. The Madu river which consists of 64 islands is also considered as a Ramsar wetland and has the reputation of being the breeding ground for many endangered species of plants and animals.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Daily News (Sri Lanka)
  • • Sanctuaries
    • Biodiversity

• More breathing space for reptiles

  If all goes according to plan, the country's only crocodile farm in Phuentsholing will move to a more spacious location, further from the urban centre and allowing elbowroom for its inmates. An acute lack of space has been a longstanding problem for the farm, which was set up in 1976 behind Norgay cinema on a 0.58-acre area with 12 crocodiles (Crododylus palustris) and seven gharials. According to the gharial conservation program in-charge, B P Dhal, the new site planned near Dhoti khola, around a kilometre beyond the present location, will spread over a five-acre area.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Kuensel (Bhutan)
  • • Reptiles
    • Crocodiles
    • Gharials

• Community forests: A success story for some

  In 1997, villagers of Dozam, Mongar were given a portion of a forest to be managed by them. The villagers were stumped. Like others across the country, they depended on the forest for many things, but managing one seemed beyond their doing. "Many were reluctant and did not have the confidence to carry out the programme,' said chairperson of Dozam community forest, Rinzin.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Kuensel (Bhutan)
  • • Forests

• Marine Research Centre: Tests show mass fish deaths caused by bacteria

  Tests have shown that the phenomenon of mass fish deaths that were experienced in many areas of the Maldives during the end of last year was caused by a type of bacteria, the Marine Research Centre (MRC) has said. According to a statement issued by the MRC, the Centre had sent samples to the Australian, American and Italian laboratories and the results of their tests had revealed that a type of bacteria called Streptococcus was the cause.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Haveeru Daily (Maldives)
  • • Marine Research
    • Fish

• Toxic textile wastes pollute Louhajang River in Tangail

  Untreated toxic waste released from dying and printing units of a textile mill and a yarn dying mill in Tangail Sadar upazila is polluting Louhajang River. The pollution that goes on unabated for several years, now threatens fish, crops and greenery in the area, locals said. The local administration cannot take action against the authorities of the mills for pollution as the mills managed permission from the Directorate of Environment (DoE).

  • 21/05/2008

  • Daily Star (Bangladesh)
  • • River Pollution
    • Industrial Pollution
    • Bangladesh
    • Toxic Wastes

• Hunger kills 28 Ugandans, forces some to eat rats

  Global price rises and floods last year have caused severe food shortages in northeast Uganda, where nearly 30 people have died and some have been reduced to eating rats, officials said on Tuesday. The deaths occurred in the remote Karamoja region, an impoverished semi-arid area bordering Kenya and Sudan that is notorious for fighting over livestock and scant resources.

  • 21/05/2008

  • New Age (Bangladesh)
  • • Food Supply
    • Malnutrition
    • Starvation
    • Uganda

• Call to attach top priority to agri, food security in budget

  The government should attach top priority to the country's agriculture and food security and public service sectors in the forthcoming national budget of fiscal 2008-09, speakers said in a discussion in Rajshahi on Tuesday. They also said, the budget should be pro-people and welfare-oriented so that it could bring economic emancipation of the poverty-stricken people. And enhanced subsidy to the agriculture sector could be the means of increasing its yield, they pointed out.

  • 21/05/2008

  • New Age (Bangladesh)
  • • Agriculture
    • Bangladesh
    • Food Security

• 42 die in one month as diarrhoea spreads

  Forty-two people died of diarrhoea in the last one month as the deadly water-borne disease spread alarmingly throughout the country due to hot and humid weather coupled with scarcity of pure drinking water. According to the control room of the directorate general of health services, 87,173 diarrhoea-affected people had been treated in hospitals last month and 42 of them died. At least 110 died of diarr- hoeal diseases and 3,43,922 were affected since January 1 this year.

  • 21/05/2008

  • New Age (Bangladesh)
  • • Drinking Water
    • Waterborne diseases
    • Diarrhoea
    • Bangladesh

• This cool May sure is a sign of climate change

  Monday and Tuesday have been the coolest days during the month of May this year in the region. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts the weather is going to more or less remain equally pleasant for the next three days-Wednesday, Thursday and Friday-as well.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Tribune (New Delhi)
  • • Climate Change
    • Climate Impacts
    • Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)
    • M S Swaminathan
    • Rainfall Pattern

• Aftershock fears continue, 50 lakh homeless

  Thousands of panic-stricken people stayed out in the open overnight in the quake-ravaged Sichuan province after a government warning about a strong aftershock, as China struggled to find shelters for some 50 lakh rendered homeless in the worst natural calamity in three decades. The stories of miraculous survivals meanwhile continued to pour in with rescue workers pulling out a 31-year-old man, who spent 179 hours under the rubble of a power plant.

  • 21/05/2008

  • Tribune (New Delhi)
  • • Natural Disasters
    • Earthquakes
    • China