Netsol Water Solutions

MAPUSA: As part of their social responsibility the Bank of India, Goa zone donated water filter to New English High School at Keri. Sudhir Jade, zonal manager of Bank of India, Goa zone, Bertha Fernandes head mistress of the school, students, parents and others were present in the function. Jade explained banks committed involvement in various social service programs all around Goa Zone. In his motivational talk he put emphasis on literacy, value of education and girl child education. "Development of the society depends upon the education of girl child. I am able to foresee the commitment of the faculty and the management and Bank of India would be happy to be associated with any development of school for the benefit of girl child" Jade said. He also committed to students of 10th Standard of this academic session 2013-14 that if they come up with the 100 % passing results the Bank of India shall give prize money of Rs 1500 each to top ranking boy and top ranking girl student...

AHMEDABAD: Heard of any municipal corporation operating a mineral water bottling plant before? The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) now plans to set up a mineral water plant / water filtration plant near its Kotarpur sewage treatment facility that will treat water to high levels of purity and then bottle them in 200 ml and 1 litre bottles. The capital costs to be incurred in the project is estimated to be around Rs 1.3 crore, according to a note in the standing committee agenda. The note further states that the annual operation and maintenance of the plant is estimated to be around Rs 27 lakh. Also the bottling costs per month would be Rs 20 lakh. "We have been buying mineral water from various companies which puts a huge burden on us, so the plant would reduce the financial load," claims an AMC official. "The fact that the water will be sourced from the water treatment facility itself is a gleaming example of management of resources," claims the official. Of ...

MADURAI: Even when many areas in the city struggle to get quality drinking water regularly, residents of Iravathanallur ward in Madurai Municipal Corporation (MMC) gets purified drinking water without fail. Even before its incorporation to the city corporation as ward 55, the people here had the foresight to invest in a reverse osmosis (RO) plant. Even when other wards in Madurai city struggle to get water, every family in Iravathanallur gets two pots of purified water for a meagre Re 1.50 round the month. Though, MMC refuses to provide any maintenance funds, the residents operate the plant with support from ward councillor, residents said. Two RO plants were established in Iravathanallur and Vadivelkarai panchayats in 2009 with joint funding from Madurai district administration and the local panchayats. Both the plants are maintained well mainly because of public support. When Iravathanallur became part of Madurai city, locals had feared that the plant may be discarded. "We insi...

AHMEDABAD: A consumer court recently asked Whirlpool India to pay an amount of Rs 2000 to a consumer from Ahmedabad, Kalpesh Parikh, who filed a complaint against a defective RO water purifier. As per the case details from the Consumer Education & Research Society (CERS), Parikh was facing major functionality problems with his recently purchased RO water purifier from Whirlpool India. However, his repeated attempts to get it repaired from Whirlpool went in vain as the company refused to pay heed to his complaints. As a result of the constant neglect of the company, Parikh approached CERS to intervene and resolve the matter. After verifying the case details, CERS lodged a complaint against Whirlpool India in the consumer forum. As per the settlement, Whirlpool India has agreed to pay a token amount of Rs 2,000 along with replacement of the damaged parts of the machine and extending the warranty cover for the damaged RO sold to Parikh. Additionally, it was also decided that Whirlpoo...

NAGPUR: Overflowing sewage from Nagpur Improvement Trust's trunk line in Himanshu Layout in Wathoda is posing a health hazard to the residents of the locality. After the heavy rains of June 25, the inter-septic trunk line constructed by NIT was damaged. The sewage flowed over to the road and took the shape of a pond. It is common to see stagnant sewage this area because of poor construction of sewage chambers and frequent blockage in the pipeline, allege residents. "A huge open plot where the water has accumulated has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Mosquito menace has reached alarming proportions forcing most of us to keep windows and doors closed," say residents. "Hundreds of residents of the area have to live with the nauseating smell of stagnant sewage water for the past few days. A mild shower is enough to drain the water right into our homes," said a miffed Himanshu Layout resident Chandrashekhar Pillay. "During monsoon, sewage and rai...

MARGAO: Agitated over the decision of the Margao municipal council (MMC) to reject the proposal of Navelim MLA Avertano Furtado for accepting the garbage generated in Navelim at the Sonsoddo waste treatment plant, irate residents from Navelim on Thursday forcibly stopped the functioning of the sewage treatment plan(STP) at Sirvodem, Navelim, in protest. This led to some anxious moments leading to the intervention by South Goa collector N D Agrawal with a view to prevent the imminent crisis if the STP remained shut for long. Some bureaucratic maneuvering followed, and Agrawal rushed to the STP site later in the day and effected resumption of the plant. Furtado, speaking to mediapersons, said that he had extended his support to the Navelim residents who had approached him after the MMC refused to accept their garbage for treatment on Thursday. Furtado said that he has already spoken to chief minister Manohar Parrikar over the issue who has assured to hold a meeting with the MMC at...

KOLKATA: East Kolkata Wetlands is one of 17 wetlands worldwide that is recognized for its wise use by Ramsar Convention, an inter-governmental treaty on conservation of wetlands of international importance to which India is a signatory. Situated along the city's eastern fringes, the sprawling wetlands comprising shallow fish farms, agricultural fields and villages act as the city's natural sewage treatment system as well as the local fish, rice and vegetable source. Mapped in 1985 by then environmental engineer Dhrubajyoti Ghosh, the 12,500-hectare unique ecosystem was listed as a Ramsar site in 2002. A decade later, the site has shrunk and the very existence of the ecosystem is under threat. And so is the survival of Kolkata. "If the bheris disappear, so will a natural sewage treatment system that has served Kolkata for over a century. If that happens, thousands of crores will have to be spent to build and run sewage treatment plants. Can the city afford to spend o...

AHMEDABAD: Narmada waters will not flow through the Sabarmati forever. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is getting its act together to replace the borrowed waters with treated sewage water of the city. Officials say this is the first project of its kind in the country. AMC officials said that once the Sardar Sarovar dam's canal network is completed, the Narmada will not have enough water for the Sabarmati. They have put up a Rs 250-crore proposal in the standing committee to seek approval from the state government to ensure that 110 million litres of bathing quality treated water replaces the Narmada water. The objective of the project, which will take at least three years to completion, is to keep the Sabarmati flowing with water that supports aquatic life. It will also help farmers in 43 villages downstream to get much cleaner water to irrigate their fields. Many of them use toxic waters to grow vegetables that are then sold in the city. However, the cost of the water m...

NAGPUR: Like many of Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) public private partnership (PPP) project, its sewage treatment plant project (STP) too seems headed for a controversy. Thought the state government has approved three STPs and a sewage collection system and sought funds (Rs1,328.88 crore) for it from the centre under the JNNURM phase-II, the civic body has chosen to construct it on PPP model. The standing committee will take a decision on it in on Friday. Mayor Anil Sole has also convened a general body meeting on July 18. According to the proposal, NMC is treating 80 million litres per day (MLD) sewage at its existing STP at Bhandewadi. The second STP with 130 MLD capacity is under construction at Bhandewadi and approved by the Centre under JNNURM. Besides, the Centre is all set to approve funds of Rs1,328.88 crore for establishing three STPs with 350 MLD capacity along with sewage collection system of 1,747.38km. The work order to construct four small STPs with total ...

PANAJI: The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) on Monday directed the Goa Meat Complex to repair the existing effluent treatment plant (ETP), which treats the waste water generated by the meat complex while slaughtering animals. The board also said that failure to comply with the directions will force the GSPCB to withdraw the consent to operate under the Water Act. The GSPCB held a personal hearing with a representative of the meat complex. Board members highlighted the findings of the inspection report which stated that the ETP is not functioning. Speaking to TOI, GSPCB chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said that the inspection report states that the chemical oxygen limit has increased to 2,500 mg/litre against the permissible limit of 250 mg/litre. "It is ten times higher than the permissible limit," he added. He also said that bio-chemical oxygen limit has gone up to 850 mg/litre against the permissible limit of 30mg/liter. "This is more than 30% higher then permi...

AURANGABAD: The general body (GB) on Thursday rejected the civic body's ambitious proposal to set up a sewage treatment plant (STP) at Siddhartha Garden and Zoo. At the same time, the GB gave the green signal to the effluent treatment plant (ETP) planned at Padegaon slaughter house. Mayor Kala Oza said that the municipal body was trying to incorporate six STPs, including the one at Siddhartha Garden, under the state government's Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Size Towns (UIDSSMT) and hence the administration should not go for it separately. However, Oza felt that the ETP plant at Padegaon was the need of the hour and thus approved it. The administration had tabled the proposals before the GB after appointing a consultant for the projects. Animal husbandry officer in the AMC - B S Naikwade - said that a private consultant was preparing a detailed project for both the plants. He said that the agency would come up with the designs of the plants invol...

PANAJI: The Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB), Goa industrial development corporation (GIDC) and industrial units at Bethora industrial estate on Thursday decided to set up a common effluent treatment plant (ETP) at Bethora industrial estate to treat waste-processed water generated by industries to stop polluting the 'nullah' flowing from Bethora to Curti. There are around 46 industrial units operating at Bethora in Ponda. The meeting was held at the GSPCB office and representatives of GIDC, six industrial units and the Bethora-Nirankal village panchayat. Speaking to TOI, GSPCB chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said "We have taken a decision to setup the common ETP to stop polluting the nullah." During the meeting, a GIDC representative said that integrated leasing and financial service company had done a study and concluded that it was not feasible to set up a common water treatment plant to which the board had asked it to submit the report. Earlier, acting upon ...

KANPUR: Strict pollution norms and active interference of high court had forced the tanners of the city to execute their business under specified norms. With an aim to establish a centralized treatment plant, UP Leathers Industries Association, Janmau Tannery Association and Small Tanners constituted a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for environmental protection on Thursday evening. Imran Siddiqui, director of tannery, said SPV was created to meet specific needs. The main agenda of SPV would be how centralized treatment plant could be constituted and how it could be conducted. Without centralized treatment plant, it would be difficult for them to expand and run business. He said that as many as 12 directors had been deputed in SPV and it would be non-profitable organization. The directors are Iftikharul Amin, Imran Siddiqui, Rizwan Solanki, Hafeezur Rehman, Zafar Alam, Asharaf Rizwan, Nayyar Jamal, Mohd Usman, Javed Iqbal, Mahmood Alam, Iftekhar Ahmad. For smooth operation, a monitoring...

BANGALORE: Janadhwani Cultural Association has organized a seminar in association with like-minded organizations will be holding a workshop on Arkavathy river rejuvenation on Tuesday. The event is to be held at Gandhi Bhavan near Shivananda Circle at 2.30pm and would witness participation of many individuals and organizations active in Arkavathy river rejuvenation movement. Water resources minister MB Patil is expected to kick-start the seminar in the presence of water expert Dr Rajendra Singh. Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, former ministers S Suresh Kumar, PGR Sindhia, Ramachandra Gowda, legislators HC Balakrishna, S Muniraju, T Venkataramanaiah, Srinivasmurthy, ST Somashekar, K Gopalaiah, Pilla Munishamappa are expected to participate. Janadhwani Cultural Association chairman Karkolu Lakkappa said many NGOs and resident organizations would be participating in the event which has been of major concern to people of Bangalore and neighbouring districts in the recent past. Source...

Why do we live where we choose to live? As much as we'd like to give you lofty, philosophical explanations, the answer usually relates to the essentials — water, power, sanitation, transportation, safety, and open spaces. It's these six basic parameters that determine quality of life, and a survey conducted by The Times of India shows that residents feel their city is not such a bad place to live in though safety, sanitation and water supply remain concerns. The Chennai Patrol study of the city's 200 wards showed that people rank delivery of these basic services as average to above average, though most wards score water supply and garbage collection poorly. Safety seems to be the main concern with 75% of the wards saying they were unhappy with the crime control, patrolling and security. Sanitation is next on the list with half the city — 98 of the 200 corporation wards — saying the city is dirty. Just eight of the 200 wards reported garbage being collected every day. The c...

BADRINATH: The Union health ministry is sending 100 tonnes of bleaching powder to Uttarakhand for disinfecting the flood-ravaged areas of the Himalayan state, particularly Kedarnath, where dead bodies pose a serious infection threat. According to Dr Jagdish Prasad, the director general of health services, the demand for disinfectants was made by the state recently. "Many dead bodies are believed to be buried in the debris. Also, the remains of hundreds of animals such as mules used to ferry pilgrims to the Kedarnath shrine are lying around. The spraying of bleaching powder will help check infection risk and sanitize the area," he said. Prasad, who held a meeting with top health officials from the state on Friday, said water contamination is another major problem being faced by survivors in Uttarakhand. The DGHS said chlorine tablets worth Rs 2 crore have been approved for supply to the affected areas. "A total of 968 drinking water networks were damaged in the floods. W...

After the terrific heat of summer, come the cooling monsoons. But these drops can really be frustrating when these drops can damage our hair and skin. It is very crucial to take care of both hair and skin in the monsoon to avoid dryness, which could damage them badly. Dr. Manjiri Patankar Puranik, M.B.B.S., M.D., Founder, InstaSculpt, shares easy tips to care our skin and hair this monsoon. Monsoon care: Dry skin Keeping the skin hydrated all the time is very important. Cleansing is important during the monsoons. The high humidity causes sweat, build-up dirt, and dust along with other toxins on the surface of skin. Keeps skin nourished. Loss of moisture from skin makes it appear dry and lifeless. Use a good moisturiser at least 2 to 3 times a day. Monsoon care: Oily skin Use a very mild cleanser to get the dead skin and dirt off from skin. Use pure oatmeal scrub to cleanse oily skin or use ripe papaya pulp as a mild exfoliate. Monsoon care: Toning for oily skin Apart from cleansing, t...

LUCKNOW: More than 570 villages of Uttar Pradesh have been hit by floods following incessant downpour in most parts of the state since Sunday, officials said on Monday. Most districts in the flood-hit areas have received 25 to 30 mm rainfall in the last one day and the rivers are in spate in these areas, leading to flooding of villages. Regional met director JP Gupta said that there was a low pressure over eastern Uttar Pradesh and in such conditions more rains would come in this week. Teams of the provincial armed constabulary (PAC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other wings of the state police have been pressed into service to evacuate people to safer places. In eastern UP, rivers like Boodhi Rapti, Ghaghra and Sharda are flowing above the danger level at many places and a bridge near Chowki Didai on the Siddharthanagar-Basti national highway has been washed away by the Jamuar Nala. The regional met office has predicted continued rains in most parts of the state over t...

NEW DELHI: If you recently paid your water bills online, your money may have landed in the pockets of cyber crooks. The Delhi Jal Board has lodged a complaint against a fake department website, very similar to the real one, that may have been used to dupe consumers. A source said that the fake website was blocked after DJB's chief engineer approached the crime branch. The team of cyber cell experts is investigating the case and an FIR under the information technology (66A) Act has been registered, a senior police officer said. The fake website, www.delhijalboard .in, looks remarkably like the original website. The crooks have also managed to forge the home ministry and Delhi government logos, police sources said. The fake website contained data from the original website and had options for direct bill payments. Sources said the Internet Service Provider was contacted for more details and to block the fake website. Cops are now trying to trace the IP address of the website through ...

VARANASI: Incessant rain for the past 48 hours has revealed the tall claims by the administration of preparations to fight monsoon woes this season. Many roads are dug up in the city for laying sewer lines and storm water drainage system under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) but little has been done uptil now inspite of extending the deadlines several times. Areas like Mehmoorganj, Sigra, Bhojubir, Ardali Bazar and Shivpur, are worst hit. All these areas and most parts of trans-Varuna are into a mess as the roads have now been converted into virtual marshland. At the same time some roads have eroded at many places, creating rough patches and holes making them accident prone. Mayor Ramgopal Mohale, who took the stock of the situation in areas like Ardali Bazar,Bhojubeer,Shivpur is very disappointed by the manner in which the officials have handled the reconstruction work of the roads. "I have called upon a meeting on Monday with the municipal commissio...

VARANASI: While the rise in water level of the Ganga maintained at the rate of above half meter per day and the steps at most of the ghats have submerged in the river, the speed boats of river police are standing as showpieces due to unavailability of drivers. Moreover, the deployment of flood-company of PAC could also not be ensured by the police so far. On detection of these loopholes in the security arrangements at riverfront, the IG zone, GL Meena asked his subordinates to engage local available divers to meet any emergency situation. Meanwhile a letter would be forwarded to ensure the availability of speed boat drivers for the Ganga. In view of the increasing level of water in the Ganga, due to which backflow of water is also being noticed in tributaries like river Varuna, the IG took a boat ride in the river with ASP security AK Pandey and CO Dashaswamedh Satyarth Aniruddh on Sunday. Afterwards he sought the details of security arrangements made by the district police at the riv...

KANPUR: From a group of 18 only four returned from Uttarakhand on Saturday after braving adversities for 13 days. The rest was claimed by the Nature's fury. Among the four is a father-son duo. The seven-year-old boy and his father had spent sleepless night waiting and searching for their family members who were swept away by the flash-flood following the cloud-burst. Fear and pain was palpable in their eyes as they narrated the tale of their agony, bravery and commitment of armymen and apathy of the administrative machinery in the hill state. Eighteen men and women from Saket Nagar and Barra had left for Kedarnath. The group, including Jitendra Dwivedi (38) was hoping to seek Baba's blessing. However, life had something different in store for him. He lost his wife Sharda Dwivedi (35) and 12-year-old daughter Yashi in the Nature's fury. Still hopeful of finding the two alive, he knows time is running out. Emotions ran high as he narrated the harrowing experience of spending...

NAGPUR: The messed up irrigation department of the state has claimed another victim. Miffed with the irregularities, KV Bhatt, a retired officer of the Central Water Commission (CWC), who was employed as the Maharashtra government's representative in the agency, has put in his papers. The CWC is the body on the basis of whose recommendations the union ministry of water resources releases funds to centrally-aided projects like Gosikhurd in Vidarbha. This is the second time a consultant has resigned. Earlier, Srikant Hoddar, who had retired as secretary in the state's water resources department (WRD), had resigned in 2009. Bhatt was a chief engineer in the CWC, which is a rank next to the members. He retired from CWC in 2005 and a couple of years later he joined the state government after a proposal by some of the top officers in the WRD. The consultant's job is to push the state government's case in the centre and get funds released. The centrally-funded projects are th...

AHMEDABAD: Seventeen containers on board a merchant vessel slipped off Okha West and began floating in sea prompting the Gujarat maritime board (GMB) to sound an alert for ships approaching Gulf of Kutch, a major corridor for crude oil imports. "About 17 containers slipped from MV Rajeev Gandhi, a vessel container of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), off Okha West coast on June 27 when it was on way to Mundra port," Chief Nautical Officer (CNO), GMB, SC Mathur said on Sunday. "The containers are floating in the sea posing danger to vessel traffic movement," he said. Mathur said all the authorities concerned like Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Director General of Shipping and SCI have been informed about the incident, and GMB's Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) in Gulf of Kutch is issuing alerts. The ICG is keeping a constant vigil on the container movement in the sea, he added According to GMB, 16 containers onboard MV Rajeev Gandhi that slipped were empty,...

AURANGABAD: A farmer's innovative idea and planning to keep his village out of the grip of severe drought has won him a national award. Uddhav Khedekar from Shivni village in Jalna district has been selected for the national Jagjivan Ram Innovative Farmer Award 2012, sponsored by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR). The award ceremony will be held on July 16, 2013 in New Delhi. Khedekar will receive the award in the form of a citation and award money of Rs 1 lakh. Khedekar, also a recipient of Sahayadri Bhushan award for water management, has set up his village as a role model by introducing efficient water management in its periphery. People's participation in Shivni village not only helped them sail through the drought condition but also ensure production of kharif and rabi crops. Marathwada region received less than 50% rainfall last year, with Jalna, Osmanabad and Aurangabad districts declared as the drought affected. Jalna is located around 105 km from Aurangaba...

AURANGABAD: As the city has received about 200 mm rainfall since the beginning of monsoon this year, the two cement nullah bunds (CNB) built about a month ago on the lines of Shirpur pattern at Jatwada area have filled to about 40% capacity. Many NGOs, including educationists and industrialists, contributed to construct the CNBs (also known as check dams), which would cater to drinking water needs of about 10,000 people. "The valley around Jatwada, a popular pilgrimage spot, is in the neighbourhood of Aurangabad and is the origin of historic 'Nahar-e-Ambari', an ancient water supply source. The valley also falls under the 'assured rainfall zone' of the district," said geologists Samadhan Kapsikar, Arun Ghate and engineer Amol Ghate. "The catchment area around Aurangabad is about 714 sq km and is surrounded by hills. Even annual rainfall of 600 mm is good enough to provide water more than eight times the normal requirement of Aurangabad. Tapping this pote...

AURANGABAD: Rising prices of vegetables, and now fruits, are burning a hole in the buyer's pocket. Fruit prices have shot up by 40-80% in the last two weeks in the market. Traders blamed poor supply for the sudden hike in prices. Retail prices of apple, pomegranate, papaya, sweet lime and sapodilla (chikoo) have gone up by approximately Rs 10 to Rs 50 per kg. Similar inflation has been reported in vegetable prices since the beginning of monsoon season in the region. Bagban Mohammed Zafar, a wholesaler based in Jadhavwadi market, said reduced arrival of fruits in the market was widening the gap between demand and supply and pushing up the prices. "At present, we are receiving imported apple because Indian variety of apple is not available. Suppliers based in Mumbai and Pune are procuring it from USA and supplying it in markets like Aurangabad. The variety is slightly costly and hence the retail prices are high," he said, adding that the apple prices surged from Rs 160 per...