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Over 48 lakh people remained affected in flood-hit Bihar on Sunday, even as waters started to recede in most rivers which had been flowing above the danger mark, officials said. Bihar has received 111.7 mm of rainfall so far in September, around 13 per cent above normal, officials said. Around 48.70 lakh people in 575 gram panchayats across 88 blocks of 15 districts were affected by the deluge, they said. Among the worst-affected districts are Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, and Araria, according to the Disaster Management Department (DMD). The Kosi was flowing above the danger mark at Baltar and Kursela, the Burhi Gandak at Khagaria, the Ganga at Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon and Munger, the Punpun at Sripalpur, the Bagmati at Benibad and the Ghaghra at Darauli and Gangpur Siswan, the DMD said. The administration is operating 1,257 community kitchens, and 13 relief camps are in flood-affected areas. Arrangements for accommodation, food
Bodies of all 12 people who drowned during idol immersion in the Utangan river here on October 2 were recovered on Tuesday, bringing to a close a days-long rescue operation, according to officials. In the incident that occurred on the occasion of Dussehra in the Khairagarh area, 13 people were swept away in the river during the idol immersion. One youth, identified as Vishnu, was rescued immediately, while the remaining 12 were missing. Agra Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar confirmed the completion of the operation. "All 12 bodies have been recovered from the Utangan river. The operation went on for nearly 124 hours, with teams from National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Army, Provincial Armed Constabulary flood company, local divers and police working round the clock." The officials said the operation was particularly challenging as the bodies were trapped in deep pits in the middle of the river. The water flow was temporarily diverted to aid the divers a
Climate change could be driving a co-occurrence of droughts across multiple river basins in India, causing severe water shortage and affecting food and water security, a study from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar has found. Researchers Vimal Mishra and Dipesh Singh Chuphal said droughts and a widespread drying of rivers are becoming more common, together driving an increase in sync between droughts across several rivers. The findings, published in the journal American Geophysical Union (AGU) Advances, have "profound implications associated with water scarcity" for the country, the team said. The authors modelled water flow at 45 gauge stations on major rivers across India, including Ganga and Brahmaputra, from 1200 to 2012. Historical data and observations on water flow were used for the analysis. "Drought synchronicity has increased across the Indian rivers in the present period (1850-2012) than in the (pre-industrial era) (1200-1849)," the authors wrote. They adde
India has alerted Pakistan about a potential flood in the Tawi River, a media report said on Monday, even as the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack. Citing official sources, The News reported that India has contacted Pakistan to share information about possible flooding. There has been no official confirmation regarding the development by either India or Pakistan. Usually, such inputs are shared through the Indus Water Commissioner. Citing sources, the paper claimed that India has alerted Pakistan about a possible major flood in the Tawi River in Jammu. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the alert on Sunday, it added. It is the first major contact of its kind since the Pakistan-India conflict in May, the paper said, citing sources. Pakistani authorities have issued warnings based on the information provided by India, it added. A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India took a series of punitive measures
Amid a stand-off between Punjab and Haryana over water-sharing, the Bhagwant Mann government on Monday moved a resolution in the state assembly here vowing not to spare even a single drop of water from its share for the neighbouring state. Punjab's Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved the resolution during the special session of the state assembly, and it was taken up for discussion in the House. Goyal, while reading out the resolution, said the BJP has been trying to take away the rights of Punjab through its governments in Haryana and at the Centre, and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). "By calling a meeting of the BBMB in an unconstitutional and illegal manner, an attempt is being made to forcefully provide Punjab's rightful water to Haryana. Haryana has used all its share of water till March 31. Now BJP wants to give the water of Punjab to Haryana," according to the resolution. The resolution said that during the last three years, the Mann government has .
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said the state does not have a single drop of water to share with any other state. Mann stated this before the Ravi Beas Water Tribunal set up for adjudicating river water disputes between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. At a meeting with the tribunal led by its chairman Justice Vineet Saran, members Justice P Naveen Rao and Justice Suman Shyam, and registrar Rita Chopra, the chief minister reiterated that the state has no spare water to share with any other state and there is no question of sharing even a single drop of water with anyone. Punjab has no surplus water to share with any other state and reassessment of availability of water is required as per international norms, Mann said, according to an official statement. He also urged the tribunal members, who are in Punjab for a site visit of the Ravi water system, to deliver justice to the people of the state. Mann pointed out that Punjab's 76.5 per cent blocks (117 out of 153) a
Electric scooter manufacturer River has announced plans to expand its retail footprint by opening 25 stores across the country by March this year. The Bengaluru-headquartered company inaugurated its first store in Coimbatore, the second such facility in Tamil Nadu after the first outlet in Chennai, which was established in 2024. River is backed by marquee investors including Japan-headquartered Yamaha Motor, Mitsui and Company Ltd., Dubai-headquartered Al Futtaim Group among others. As part of its expansion, the company plans to open stores in Vellore, Erode, Tiruppur across the State. It would also set up facilities in Mysuru, Belgaum, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Delhi in the coming months. "After the success of our flagship store in Chennai, we are excited to open (stores) across Tamil Nadu. Many of our employees who have been with us from the start are from this region. And it is a special market for us," company Co-Founder and CEO Aravind Mani said. River currently
A meagre 28 per cent of the urban wastewater and sewage generated in India undergoes treatment while the rest flows directly into rivers, lakes and land, according to a report by the think tank Centre for Science and Environment. India's urban water crisis could ease if all the wastewater is treated and reused, the report released here on Monday said. Rajiv Kumar Mital, Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), said, "Using and disposing of treated water without harnessing its potential means we are losing out on utilising an important resource. The challenge is to scale up and ensure that the work we do in this sector is impactful." Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Director General Sunita Narain said India faces significant water scarcity challenges due to rapid urbanisation, industrial growth, population expansion and, most importantly, climate change. "Wastewater reuse can be a key part of the strategy to address these concerns and promote water ..
The East Singhbhum district administration in Jharkhand on Sunday issued an alert for people residing in the low-lying areas in view of swelling rivers following heavy rainfall, officials said. The water level in Kharkhai and Swarnarekha rivers has been rising for the last couple of days due to incessant rain in the state, they said. The water level in Swarnarekha was recorded at 116.58 metres at 9 am on Sunday against the danger mark of 121.50 metres, whereas it was 126.83 metres against the red mark of 129 metres in Kharkhai, an official release said. Around 3,500 cusec water was released into Swarnarekha from the Chandil Dam in adjoining Seraikela-Kharswan district, it said. People residing in the catchment areas have been asked to not venture out near the rivers, and duly follow the directives issued by the administration. Several road diversions were washed away, trees uprooted, houses damaged and a bridge collapsed due to incessant rain for the past two days in Jharkhand, an
The seasonal snow cover in Chenab, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej river basins in Himachal Pradesh decreased by 12.72 per cent in 2023-24 compared to 14.25 per cent in 2022-23, a statement issued here on Friday said. During the early winter months of 2023-24 (October to November), the Chenab, Beas and Sutlej basins showed negative trends in snow cover, whereas the Ravi basin showed a marginal increase, reflecting a positive trend, the statement quoting a study said. However, results for the peak winter months indicated significant declines in all the basins -- 67 per cent in Sutlej, 44 per cent in Ravi, 43 per cent in Beas and 42 per cent in Chenab in January 2024, according to the study conducted by the State Centre on Climate Change, under the aegis of the HP Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (HIMCOSTE). In February, a positive trend was observed in all basins, with an increase in snow cover, continuing into March 2024. Based on the analysis, it was observed that the declin