Cyclone Nilofar makes its way towards Gujarat

Nilofar, a severe cyclonic storm, is anticipated to hit Gujarat near Naliya in Kutch district, on the morning of October 31. The cyclonic storm is prevailing over the west central Arabian sea and is expected to hit land at a maximum speed of 125 km/hr. The storm will bring heavy to very heavy rainfall in the state on October 30 & 31. The state is on alert and all the fishermen have been asked to return to the coast.

ISRO and Water Ministry join hands to study river behaviour

The Water Resources Ministry is set to launch a comprehensive study along with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to understand the behaviour of rivers and the changes they undergo every year or at regular intervals. The study will involve understanding the major changes in the 12 big and critical rivers in the country, including the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. The decision to conduct the study has come following the flood tragedies in the country this year as well as the flooding of the Kosi in the last few years.

Alarming shrinkage in NCR's eco zones: National Remote Sensing Centre

The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has observed an alarming shrinkage in the natural conservation zones of the National Capital Region (NCR). However, the NCR Planning Board claims to have written to the concerned states i.e. Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, about the issue but has received no response. It has also requested the National Green Tribunal to punish the states responsible for diminshing the eco-zones.

Pollution levels on Diwali day as bad as last year

According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), pollution level on the day of Diwali was much above the standards and it was as bad as it was last year. Particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 were both eight times more than acceptable standards on the night of Diwali. This has shown the country that there is a need to develop proper strategies to control the bursting of crackers. As per CSE, the issue calls for strong community awareness along with proper regulation.

Replacement of water meters proves beneficial to Goa

In an effort to reduce the non-revenue water in Goa, authorities have replaced 25,000 water meters in South Goa with new, high-tech meters which has lead to an increase of 26% revenue to the region. Authorities are planning to replace the remaining 75,000 defective water meters in South Goa within a year. Reducing the non-revenue water by 20%  will save nearly 100 MLD of water to the state.

This is a weekly roundup of important news from October 21-27, 2014. Also read last week's policy matters updates.