Centre submits draft scheme on Cauvery river water sharing to the Supreme Court

The Central government has submitted a draft scheme for managing Cauvery water in the Supreme Court. Stating that the authority would be a body corporate headquartered in Bengaluru, the Centre said it had no restrictions regarding nomenclature. The authority will be responsible for monitoring storage, regulation and control of the Cauvery water in addition to supervising the operation of reservoirs. Deciding upon the “distress formula” in water-sharing has been left to the authority as well.

Odisha working on master plan for utilising excess water from the Mahanadi more effectively

The Odisha government is working on a roadmap to come up with ways to utilise excess waters from the Mahanadi in a more efficient manner. This includes the construction of seven barrages in the downstream of the Mahanadi in addition to the 22 barrages on the river’s tributaries and distributaries. The anicuts and barrages are expected to meet the drinking water, irrigation and other requirements across several districts in the state. Data suggests that close to 52 percent of the Mahanadi’s waters flow into the Bay of Bengal unused.

Maharashtra marks 80 hectares in Mumbai’s Dahisar for developing Mangrove Park

With the Brihanmumbai municipal corporation proposing reservation for a mangrove park, the state government has set aside 80 acres in Dahisar in Mumbai for the development of eco-tourism in the area. While the area has been marked as ‘natural area’ by the Development Control and Promotions regulations, the proposal seeks to provide boardwalks in mangroves along with trekking and sanitation facilities for visitors. 

Swachhata Action Plan faces budget drop of ?1,500 crore

A year into being in force, the Swachhata Action Plan now faces a budget drop of ?1,500 crore. The scheme which looks to integrate ‘swachhata’ or cleanliness activities into all central ministries and departments was launched in April 2017. Close to ?16,500 crore had been earmarked by 71 ministries and departments for the second year’s activities compared to over ?18,000 crore in its inaugural year.

Drilling of new borewells prohibited in 230 villages across Warangal district

With groundwater levels plummeting in Warangal, the district administration has prohibited the drilling of new borewells in 230 villages. Increased temperatures had pushed farmers to extract groundwater rapidly by digging multiple borewells to save standing crops. The administration has been urging farmers to harvest rainwater and also adopt sprinkler or drip irrigation systems to conserve water. 

This is a roundup of important policy matters published between May 8 and 14, 2018. Also, read news this week.