-TheThirdPole.net Going against its own orders, the government in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has ordered the fast-tracking of environmental clearances despite manifest evidence of illegal sand mining A few months after the Jammu and Kashmir government auctioned hundreds of stretches of riverbeds for mineral Extraction, companies that won the bids are mining the riverbeds despite the lack of environmental clearance. This makes the mining illegal. But instead of...

-India Water Portal The time for quick fixes is over; a comprehensive policy overhaul is urgently needed to impede the juggernaut of Punjab's groundwater depletion. Punjab, a small state in northwest India, derives its name from the Persian words panj (five) and āb (water), meaning the "land of five rivers". Ironically, this state is now regularly in the news for its rapidly depleting groundwater levels. The most recent government report on Punjab's...

-The New Indian Express Madras High Court in August gave permission for the project based on a  submission by Public Works Department that the area has plenty of groundwater. CHENNAI: Many localities have permanently lost their groundwater source due to excessive Extraction of water to meet the city’s growing needs. Residents of Madambakkam, a residential area in south Chennai, are worried whether their case too will end up the same. Madambakkam panchayat...

-The Hindu Gujarat tops rankings for second time New Delhi: Thirteen of the 27 States and Union Territories have improved their water management practices from last year, an analysis by the NITI Aayog has revealed. Gujarat, though it dropped a point, topped the rankings for the second year in a row with a score of 75 out of a maximum possible 100. Six States did worse than last year — with Delhi, which was...

-The Hindu They can be an effective tool for rainwater harvesting With an increased variability of monsoons and rapidly depleting groundwater tables, large parts of India are reeling under water stress. A number of peninsular regions like Bundelkhand, Vidarbha and Marathwada have been facing recurring drought-like situations. Given the enormity of the crisis, at a recent NITI Aayog meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi explicated the need to implement innovative water management measures,...