-The Hindu   Miners violate rules; panchayat witnesses 24-hour mining Thrissur (Kerala): Rampant clay mining has led to the destruction of paddy fields and acute shortage of water at Nenmanikkara panchayat, near here. The local farmers point out that the panchayat used to have more than 600 hectares of paddy field. According to the development report of the panchayat, 97.6 per cent of paddy fields have been destroyed. The clay mining has turned...

-Outlook The oasis UPA is supposed to have brought Pakur is a mirage UPA Divertissement Ad claims refurbished pond in Hiranpur block has promoted communal amity through ‘social and religious events'. Locals say no such events have held. Locals dissatisfied with the siphon irrigation system praised in the ad have damaged it repeatedly In fact, local administration is worried about a law and order situation if it files...

-The Hindu Kochi: An emergency meeting of the representatives of Keezhmadu grama panchayat on Tuesday asked the RubberMark authorities to immediately stop work on digging a pond at its Rubber Park in Keezhmadu near Perumbavur. Several residents nearby the unit were injured on Monday after the police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse agitators who had alleged that the construction activity had rendered most of the wells in the area dry. Laiza Sebastian,...

-NDTV Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time, a drought has been declared in every single one of Kerala's 14 districts. The worst-hit areas are in districts of central Kerala, bordering Tamil Nadu. A weak monsoon dealt the first blow. Then, the main source of water in this region - the Aliyar dam - is running low. Tamil Nadu says severe drought in its own districts is the reason behind the release of less...

-The Hindu   Locals allege Coca-Cola is to blame for the rising water crisis in the area Varanasi: Holding it responsible for the aggravation of water crisis in the area, village councils here have opposed Coca-Cola's plans of expanding its existing bottling plant at Mehdiganj, 20 km from here, and called on the government to stop the company's current groundwater extraction. Fifteen panchayats or village councils here have asked the Central Ground Water Authority...