Indore once again tops the Swachh Survekshan 2020 in the cleanest city category

Fourth time in a row, Indore has once again won accolades for being the cleanest city in the country in Swachh Survekshan 2020, followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai. Commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development, Swachh Survekshan 2020 is the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness survey of the country. This year, 1.87 crore citizens participated in the survey of 4,242 cities, 62 cantonment boards and 92 towns along the Ganga river. While Chhattisgarh has bagged first place for being the cleanest state with more than 100 ULBs, Jharkhand has topped as the cleanest state in less than 100 ULBs. (Livemint)

With 11 states severely hit by floods the death toll rises to 868: Govt report

According to a report prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs Disaster Management Division, floods, triggered by heavy rainfall, have severely hit 11 states across the country and caused 868 deaths. Several parts of the country have experienced a very active monsoon between August 11 and 14, which has made up for the rainfall deficit of July. While heavy rains triggered a landslide in Kerala, Bihar endured embankment breach and flood water entering the houses. Even Jaipur, located in the desert state of Rajasthan, witnessed flood-like situations. As per the experts, there is no respite from rains in the coming days as another low-pressure area is likely to develop over the Bay of Bengal. (NewsBytes)

Covid-19 poses risk to school kids as basic WASH services absent at schools

As per the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), only one in three schools in India have basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, that may put children at an increased risk of covid-19 and other transmittable diseases. The report further adds that globally in the 60 countries which are at high-risk of Covid-19, 3 in 4 children lack basic hand washing service at their schools at the start of the outbreak and half of all children lack basic water service. The report has warned that although India has rapidly increased coverage of water for washing hands, many institutes still do not have soap, which is a key condition for schools to operate safely amidst the pandemic. (Livemint)

In an effort to conserve water, Vadodara district sets up rainwater harvesting structures in 1000 schools

Under the project 'Varsha Jal Nidhi', over 1,000 primary and secondary government schools in Gujarat’s Vadodara district have set up rainwater harvesting structures. The project that aims to conserve rainwater has the potential to harvest upto one lakh litres of water per school. Vadodara witnessed one of the worst floods last year, following which the District Magistrate took the initiative to set up rainwater harvesting structures at all government schools before this year's monsoon. Within nine months, the structures have been installed at all government schools at a cost of less than six crore. The district is now expected to install rainwater harvesting structures in industrial complexes and government colleges too. (The Print)

Study shows not many waterways fit for transporting cargo

As per the study conducted by the Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI), out of the 106 national waterways notified in 2016, only 18 are feasible for cargo movement while 25 others are fit for ferry and cruise for tourism purposes. Earlier to 2016, only five national waterways were notified which included Ganga-Bhagirathi and Brahmaputra rivers. However, in 2016, the Inland Waterway Act was enacted to give national waterway (NW) status to another 106 rivers and canals in one go, taking the total number to 111. On the basis of  feasibility studies and detailed project reports of the additional 106 NWS, the IWAI has found that rivers like Barak and Kopli in Assam, Mandovi, Zuari and Kumerjua in Goa, Narmada and Tapi in Gujarat can be used for cargo movement. (The Times of India)

This is a roundup of important news published between August 10 - 23, 2020. Also read policy matters this week.