Himachal prone to Uttarakhand-like flash floods

Scientists say Himachal prone to Uttarakhand-like flash floods

JNU scientists have found that 11 out of the 249 glacial lakes in Himachal Pradesh have a high potential for breach due to the increased vulnerability of the state to climate change. A threat of flash floods, similar to the Uttarakhand floods of June 2013, looms over the state. Scientists are conducting workshops with an objective to inform the government on vital issues such as avalanches and floods, which have wreaked havoc in the state in the past. 

Boundaries altered to give way to Polavaram project

Team Modi has decided to merge seven administrative blocks of Khammam district comprising of 136 villages in Telangana, with Seemandhra, depsite the former's strong opposition. Boundaries of the two states are altered to allow the execution of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, which will submerge several tribal villages in Telangana, says the K Chandrasekhar Rao, the first Chief Minister of the newly formed state. 

Bihar all set to count the dolphins

The Bihar government has decided to take up the first ever official dolphin census in all the rivers across the state, as part of the 'clean Ganga mission'. The census will be conducted using the International Union for Conservation Guidelines, Global Positioning System and trained manpower. The work on the census will be initiated in November and similar censuses will be promoted in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.  

Hirakud dam in danger due to water seepage

During an annual inspection, water seepage was observed in Odisha's Hirakud dam, posing danger to the dam safety. In the past few months, regular seepage was detected in the dam and continous rainfall across the state has aggravated it further. The state government is all set to seek advice from the National Level Dam Safety Panel on the possible steps it can undertake to repair the weakened dam. 

Kerala makes an effort to understand sea erosion

The state government has assigned the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, the task of carrying out a comprehensive study on sea erosion along the state's coast. In addition to that, the study, that will cost Rs. 42.83 lakh, will study the efficacy of erosion-controlling structures. Details of the study will be decided by CWRPS, which will suggest solutions based on local conditions.

This is a weekly roundup of important news from May 25-June1, 2014. Also read last week's policy matters updates.

 Lead image source: Ankit Solanki in Wikipedia