Floods in Assam affect one lakh people: Dhemaji worst hit

 Flood fury hits Assam

Floods in the state affect one lakh people with Dhemaji district being the worst hit. Incessant rainfall raises the level of the Brahamputra river above the danger mark. Houses washed off and wildlife in Kaziranga national park affected as 70% of the sanctuary goes under water.

Bio-toilets on Konkan railways

The Konkan Railways Corporation Limited installs toilets with bio-register facility at Chiplun and Kankawali stations. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, bio-register toilets have a bacteria culture that degrades human night soil faster and does not require the use of sewage lines.

Ban removed on iron-ore mining in Karnataka

The Ministry of Environment and Forests relaxes the two-year ban on iron-ore mining in the three Karnataka districts of Bellary, Tumkur and Chitradurga. The respite for the mining industry comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in April this year to resume mining in 90 leased areas to provide raw material to the domestic steel industry.

Revenge of the Alaknanda River

Floods in Uttarakhand demolish Vishnuprayag, the first public private partnership hydropower project on the Alaknanda River. The project authorities failed to open the gates of the dam, forming a 2-km long reservoir of water behind the dam. The pressure breached the barrage, making way for the river and completely erasing a village market.

Uttarakhand tragedy motivates Jharkhand to clean its rivers

Jharkhand state government sets up a water management committee to revive sewage-choked Subarnarekha and Harmu rivers that could result in floods in the case of a cloudburst. It also makes a roadmap for water harvesting structures.

This is a roundup of important news from July 1-7, 2013.