Drinking Water

India must continue with path-breaking Atal Bhujal Yojana to protect water

Participatory groundwater management is the lifeline of India's economy and society

Uttarakhand formation day: PM Modi inaugurates projects worth ₹8,260 crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 8,260 crore in Uttarakhand. These projects cater to several key sectors, including drinking water, irrigation, technical education, energy, urban development, sports, and skill development. The projects inaugurated by the prime minister include Dehradun water supply coverage for 23 zones under AMRUT scheme, electrical substation in Pithoragarh district, solar power plants in government buildings, AstroTurf Hockey Ground at Haldwani Stadium in Nainital, among others. Prime Minister Modi is here to attend the celebrations to mark 25 years of the formation of Uttarakhand.

Jal Shakti Ministry to launch digital system for rural water transparency

The Ministry of Jal Shakti is set to roll out an upgraded Rural Piped Water Supply Schemes (RPWSS) module to strengthen monitoring, transparency, and accountability in rural drinking water services under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The move marks a major step in the government's ongoing digital transformation of rural water governance. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), which concluded weeks of deliberations on the initiative on Friday, demonstrated the new RPWSS module at a national meeting chaired by Ashok K K Meena, secretary of the DDWS. According to the ministry, the upgraded module will serve as a digital registry for rural piped water schemes by introducing unique RPWSS IDs that provide each scheme with a traceable digital identity, according to an official statement. The system is designed to enable real-time tracking, geo-tagging, and data-driven monitoring of water assets, enhancing transparency and efficiency in operation and maintenance. "The new RPWSS

Are 8 glasses of water a day really necessary? Experts bust the myths

Are your hydration habits helping or hurting? Here are some common myths around water hacks busted by experts

Not drinking enough water? Your body may overreact to stress, study shows

Drinking too little water doesn't just cause thirst-it could heighten how your body reacts to stress, with links to higher cortisol, heart risk, and mood disorders

Nagpur's Sawangi canal project ensures water for 200 families, aids farming

A project to save the Sawangi canal in Nagpur has improved fertility of around 400 hectares of land and benefited 200 families by providing them with drinking water and an uninterrupted supply of the critical resource for irrigation and livestock. The project which began in February 2024 has now been completed with the widening and deepening of 4.11-km canal stretch spanning from ridge to valley, improving groundwater levels and the standard of living for farmers, livestock and wildlife in the area. The project aimed at addressing the scarcity of water in the area was part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme initiated by logistics conglomerate Allcargo Group's arm Avashya Foundation in collaboration with Sadbhavana Gramin Vikas Sanstha and Purti Sinchan Samruddhi Kalyankari Sanstha. Following the Tamaswada pattern of water conservation, the project focussed on desilting and restoration of the canal to ensure optimal water storage and prevention of soil erosion, ...

Rajasthan approves Rs 5,120 cr to improve drinking water supply in state

To provide over 800,000 new drinking water connections in 176 cities and towns across Rajasthan

Groundwater in Punjab, Haryana contaminated with uranium, arsenic: Report

The Central Ground Water Board report attributes the rising uranium levels to leaching from agricultural land. Intensive use of fertilisers has exacerbated the problem

Pune civic body seals 30 water supply plants in wake of GBS outbreak

The Pune Municipal Corporation has sealed 19 private RO plants in Nanded village area, the epicentre of the Guillain-Barr Syndrome (GBS) outbreak, after tests confirmed water from these facilities was unfit for drinking, officials said. Four fresh cases of suspected GBS, a nerve disorder, were reported in Pune district on Wednesday, taking the overall tally in Maharashtra to 170, they said. The now-sealed privately owned reverse-osmosis (RO) plants, located in Dhayari-Nanded area, supplied bottled water to a large number of people in the vicinity. Following the crackdown, the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) water supply department announced plans to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the distribution of contaminated water in the area. During the investigation of water samples collected from some privately run RO plants, it was found that water from 19 such RO plants operating in the Nanded and adjoining area was unfit for drinking. Accordingly, all these 1

Budget allocates Rs 74,226 crore for drinking water and sanitation

The Centre has allocated Rs 74,226 crore for the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation in the Union Budget 2025-26, with most of it allotted to the Jal Jeevan Mission which aims to provide tap water connections to rural households. The allocation marked a substantial rise from the revised estimates of Rs 29,916 crore for 2024-25 for the department. However, the allocation is lower than the Rs 77,390.68 crore originally earmarked for the department in the Budget for 2024-25. The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has been allocated Rs 25,276.83 crore, an increase from Rs 21,640.88 crore from the revised estimates. Under the Namami Gange Mission-II, Rs 3,400 crore has been earmarked for cleaning and rejuvenating the river, up from Rs 3,000 crore last year. Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the flagship programme of the Centre aimed at providing tap water connections to every rural household, has been allocated Rs 67,000 crore, marking a significant

Bisleri FY24 profit rises 82.8% to Rs 317 crore, revenue at Rs 2,689.69 cr

Leading packaged drinking water company Bisleri International's profit rose 82.8 per cent to Rs 316.95 crore in FY24 and its revenue from operations was up 14.8 per cent to Rs 2,689.69 crore, according to an RoC filing by the company. Total consolidated revenue of Bisleri International was up 18.32 per cent to Rs 2,814.04 crore for the financial year ended on March 31, 2024, helped by other income, according to financial data accessed through business intelligence platform Tofler. This is the highest revenue in the last five years for Bisleri International, a company owned by Ramesh J Chauhan, popularly known as RJC, and his family. Bisleri International Pvt Ltd had reported a profit of Rs 173.38 crore in FY23 while its revenue from operations was Rs 2,341.98 crore on a consolidated basis. The total tax expense of Bisleri International is Rs 95.79 crore in FY24. Bisleri's advertising promotional expenses in FY24 were up nearly 60 per cent to Rs 100.96 crore. This was at Rs 63.22 c

Only 16 of 207 water supply projects completed in Odisha: Minister Naik

Only sixteen of 207 approved mega piped water supply projects have been completed in Odisha and the rest are in progress, a minister informed the assembly on Tuesday. Replying to a question by BJD legislator Souvic Biswal, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik said the projects were targeted to be completed in two years after issuance of work orders. However, some projects got delayed due to various reasons, including delays in the conduct of detailed engineering surveys and investigations, identification of the source of water and approval of different departments, Naik said. Considering the prevailing issues and progress, steps are being taken to complete the ongoing 191 projects in three phases, he said. Fifty-six projects were targeted to be completed by March 2025, and an additional 54 would be to be completed by December 2025, the minister said. A target has been set to complete the remaining 81 piped water supply projects, which were started at the en

Bihar CM lays foundation stone for Rs 1,347 cr drinking water project

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday laid the foundation stone for a project valued at Rs 1,347 crore for supplying water from the Sone river for drinking purposes in Aurangabad, Dehri and Sasaram cities. The project will be completed in two years. Besides, the CM inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of a state industrial training institute, tech labs, installation of street lights projects and construction of Anganwadi centres at Dehri in Rohtas district. Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and others, Kuamr also gave a cheque of Rs 74.17 crore for the distribution among 1,864 self-help groups associated with the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), popularly known as JEEVIKA, in Bihar. The CM inaugurated the scheme for the supply of drinking water to the cities of Aurangabad, Dehri and Sasaram. In this scheme, the water of the Son river will be supplied to people. This will the dependence of these .

How quickly can the human body get dehydrated during severe heatwave?

Heatwave Dehydration: Scorching summer heat has shattered several records this year causing several illnesses, some of which can become life-threatening if not treated on time

Lack of drinking water facility main issue in Odisha's Koraput LS seat

Lack of drinking water facility, better price of agricultural produce of tribal farmers and good healthcare facilities are the main demands of the voters of Koraput Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha which will go to the polls on May 13. Koraput which is also called the Kashmir of Odisha for its hills, waterfalls and forests has more women voters than male. Out of total 14.80 lakh voters, 7,73, 885 are women and 7,06,777 are male. Farmers in Rayagada district, a part of which is under the Koraput Lok Sabha seat, are demanding regulation of cotton farming in the district as the farmers do not get fair price for their produce. They claim that they have to go for distress sale of cotton produce to the traders from Andhra Pradesh as there are no buyers of their cotton. They are demanding that the state government should come to the rescue of cotton growers who are hit by calamities. "While the paddy farmers get compensation over loss of their crop due to calamities, there is no such ...

Udupi second city in coastal Karnataka to announce water rationing

Udupi became the second city on the Karnataka coast after Mangaluru to launch water rationing, a senior official said on Tuesday. Commissioner of the Udupi City Municipal Corporation Rayappa told PTI that the rationing system will come into force from Wednesday and will continue till the water in the reservoir reaches comfortable levels. The dam built across the Swarna river at a place called Baje, which is the only source of water for Udupi city, recorded 3.25 meters of water as against the top level of 6.30 meters. The decision of water rationing will be reviewed periodically until the reservoir regains its fullest levels, the official said. The Mangaluru City Corporation resorted to water rationing on Saturday following declining water levels in the reservoir built across the Nethravati river at Thumbe.

'If B'luru stops saying yuck to treated wastewater, it'll never go thirsty'

Back in 2016, Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, figured a way for the IT hub to stay water surplus. On an average, 20.05 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water is required every year for domestic purposes, CES's technical report established. Of which about 16.04 TMC, about 80 percent, could be met just by treating sewage water, suggested the report. Add to this, the rain yield, which is about 14.80TMC a year and Bengaluru could easily meet its water needs, the report stated. Cut to 2023. Some apartment owners of Emmanuel Heights in Hosa Road, Sarjapur, proposed setting up a sewage treatment plant in October. Little did they know that it would take them almost six months to convince the others. They all agreed only after the firm setting up the sewage treatment equipment put it in the agreement that they will buy all the treated water. Many people were adamant that not a drop of the treated water should be used inside the complex. ...

Lok Sabha polls: Drinking water to ORS, EC's advisory to tackle heatwave

Provide polling officials and voters with oral rehydration salts (ORS)

Karnataka govt's first priority is irrigation, water projects: Shivakumar

"The priority is the development of irrigation projects and filling up tanks. Other works, such as roads, will be taken up subsequently. We have already discussed this with the Chief Minister"

Kashmir Valley endures unusual, severe dry spell amid harsh winter

Reduced snowfall and precipitation levels have prompted worries about potential water scarcity and its far-reaching impacts on the environment and daily life