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District, taluk-level hospitals lack basic facilitiesDistrict, taluk-level hospitals lack basic facilities
The wards of KR Puram General Hospital lie empty as none prefers to come here for treatment owing to lack of facilities
Express Features
First Published : 01 Jul 2009 08:26:30 AM IST
Last Updated : 01 Jul 2009 11:58:39 AM IST
BANGALORE: Merely introducing new schemes or delivering sugarcoated speeches that make big promises will not help improve services at city-based district or taluk-level hospitals. These hospitals are paralysed by severe infrastructure deficiency, staff crunch and dearth of basic healthcare facilities.
Unless the health and family welfare department decides to take a closer look at the district and taluk-level general hospitals, which are the only hope for the poor and middle class citizen, there is no hope for them.
Expresso visited some such hospitals to take a closer look. The health and family welfare department comprises more than 30 primary health centres, three taluka-level general hospital in Yalenka, Anekal, KR Puram and three major hospitals in Bangalore urban.
Taluk-level hospitals
All the taluka-level general hospitals in Yelahanka, Anekal, KR Puram comprises 100 beds which receive around 300 to 500 patients every day. Interestingly, the prevalence of the ten plus one system shows that in these hospitals, if one case is attended by a number of doctors, the other is deprived of any access.
Each specialty has one doctor in these hospitals. According to the doctors here, 25-30 gynecology cases are received every day and more than 120 deliveries are done a month. But there is only a single gynecologist post in these hospitals.
“If the gynaecologist works round the clock, he/she is not able to attend her duty the next day or if he/she is case of leave, most of the cases are sent back.
There is a dire need of gynecologists in the taluk-level hospitals as it is not possible for a single doctor’s find it difficult to handle the work pressure. The health and family welfare department should contemplate increasing the number of posts at least to two or three,” said Dr Murlidhar, senior specialist at General Hospital.
The Perumal health secretary said, “Filling of the sanctioned post is in the pipeline. The department has also requested the chief minister to expedite the procedure.” On being asked about the other basic infrastructural facilities, he added, “The allocation of fund is very less the department.” Most of the offices of the health department are affected by the irregular power supply, so much so that even doctors in the operation theatre have to stop the operating midway. “The irregular power supply has become common phenomenon these days. We have only one generator but frequent power cuts have made the lives miserable especially the patients in the operation theatre. We literally have to stop the operation when the diesel gets over,” he aded. These hospitals are also facing acute water shortage.
Even if the staff needs some repair work to be done in the hospital, the PWD department takes at least six to eight months to complete it. Such work environment tell negatively on the doctors.
Currently, there are no blood banks in these hospitals and there is only one ambulance.
If these hospitals refer emergency labour cases to Vani Vilas Hospital, it usually takes at least two hours to for the ambulance to reach there. If other cases come up in between, the ambulance is unavailable.
District level hospitals
Recently the Gousha Hosptial, one of the major district hospitals under the health and welfare department, made news. The surprise visit of health department officials opened a can of worms. It was found that drugs and syringes in is stock had crossed expiry dates, an ECG machine was missing, and there were several complaints about doctors and paramedical staff who demanded money from patients for medical services.
The health department has issued suspension orders to medical staff and the senior specialist of the hospital. The other district general hospitals located in Malleswaram and Jayanagar lack proper sanitation, drugs and water supply.
WHAT HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY
Lack of monitoring mechanism
Though the health and family welfare department has launched in-sourcing of the specialists scheme under National Rural Health Mission, wherein the hospital can seek help of private hospitals for life-saving anestheasists and emergency maternal obstretician care at the time of surgery, owing to the lack of basic infrastructure, the doctors are not usually keen on service in general hospitals.
A senior health official in the department stated that there is a lack of proper marketing of these schemes in the hospitals.
Absence of HR management
There is no accountability of the doctors on duty. Sometimes the patients are left unattended.
A senior official on condition of anonymity told Expresso that there are doctors who have gone abroad for advanced studies but the attendance register does not have any record of their absenteeism.
Hence, they are getting salaries from the department without rendering services.
No objections to new constructionsNo objections to new constructions
Sandeep Moudgal, Bangalore, DH News Service:
Even as thousands of families in Bangalore await the completion of the Cauvery-IV stage water supply scheme, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is nonetheless handing out No Objection Certificates for new constructions in the City at a fee of Rs 10 per square feet.
Baffling as it may seem, the new constructions are given clearance by the BWSSB in the city and Gram Panchayats outside the purview of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
“A minimum of Rs 1.5 lakh is charged for any apartment as a fee for the NOC in the City,” said a BWSSB official. Since 2006, over 1,000 projects have been given permission to begin construction in Bangalore based on the assurance that the water under the Cauvery IV stage scheme will reach them by 2011-12. The BWSSB in these cases have been awarding the NOCs with a clause that water supply to these new apartments ‘subject to availability of water’.
KSPCB nod
Relying on these NOCs, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) have also been giving the green signal for such constructions.
“With permission not available to draw ground water in the City, we have to rely upon the no-objection certificate given by the BWSSB for giving permission to new constructions in the City,” said a KSPCB official.
According to the amendment to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act of 1994, new constructions above 10,000 sq meters have to get a clearance from the KSPCB.
Citing the troubles of finding potable water, the water tanker cartels have utilised the loopholes in the Government orders of drawing potable water.
“With no requirement of a clearance from us (KSPCB) on a single-storeyed dwelling or a house in 30x40 sites, there are evidences of people drawing water from these locations and supplying them to nearby high rise buildings,” said the official.
According to the rules, there is no requirement of a licence to draw ground water in locations which are below 50 apartments and hence do, not fall under the pollution control board purview.
Untapping the resources- Hindustan Times
B.G. Verghese
June 30, 2009
First Published: 21:44 IST(30/6/2009)
Last Updated: 01:52 IST(1/7/2009)
It was once said that Indian agriculture was a gamble in the monsoon. That was when traditional agriculture was practised and, with limited irrigation, was monsoon-dependent. With the growth of irrigation and new crop varieties and technologies, Indian agriculture appeared to be reasonably drought-proof. The gamble has returned with climate change — a long-term secular change in rainfall patterns going beyond the shorter term hydrological cycles with which we have long been familiar.
The south-west and north-east precipitation bring rain and floods from excess run-off, part of which is trapped in underground aquifers and more of which can be stored through induced recharge and rainwater and rooftop harvesting, watershed management and storages ranging from ponds and bandhs to larger storages behind multi-purpose dams. The winter westerlies bring snow to the northern latitudes and serve as a savings deposit with a delayed discharge of snow and glacial melt with rising temperatures through the spring and summer. This is the new hydrological cycle affected by global warming and climate change that we must learn to live with and manage.
Most storages, the Bhakra-Pong, for example, are depleted in relation to annual averages and there has been less snowmelt. Glacier recession in the Himalayas and the Karakoram implies higher glacial melt that will provide short-term well-being after which summer discharges will drop significantly. Lower run-off and diminished storages also entail loss of hydropower that could otherwise be used to lift groundwater, where available, and for industrial and cooling purposes.
India is a wasteful user of water and energy, with foolish politicians encouraging waste and misuse through free or concessional water to the ‘poor’ (which seldom reaches them). This has invariably resulted in poor or no maintenance resulting in asset deterioration. The government has followed a strategy of supply augmentation (necessary in a rapidly expanding economy) while ignoring the related and supremely important strategy of conservation through demand management. The country boasts some fine irrigation and power engineers, but they are trained and devote most of their attention to supply augmentation, whereas ‘supply’ could perhaps be augmented by as much as a third or more at a mere fraction of the cost by suitable demand management, more appropriate cropping patterns and pricing policies, better use of better technology (drip, sprinkler, recycling, improved maintenance, more efficient lighting systems), and superior regulatory mechanisms that are not handicapped by political interference.
The problems in Punjab and Haryana and the Cauveri basin largely stem from these factors, especially insistence on the paddy-wheat-sugarcane cycle rather than crop diversification, and antique systems of flood irrigation in the Tanjore delta. The argument about big and small dams, raindrop harvesting and surface and groundwater storage, especially large dams, is misplaced and often ideological. Each has its place in an ascending hierarchy. Large storages with huge catchments and commands provide a degree of insurance and carry-over benefits that micro- and mini-schemes simply do not provide. They have all to be worked in tandem through public-private partnerships. If farmers or consumers have ownership of a water supply scheme, or any segment of it, they will ensure efficient management, policing, maintenance and collection of service charges. Hence the importance of participatory irrigation management, which is evident in groundwater schemes.
Aberrant weather must be expected with climate change, with episodic cloudbursts such as those that drowned Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai some years ago and caused drought in Assam and the Northeast in some of the historically wettest regions in the world. In this situation, the rainfall must be captured when and where it falls, with destructive flood ‘surpluses’ caught behind dams. Further, given spatial and seasonal variations in rainfall patterns, water can and must be moved from ‘surplus’ to ‘deficit’ regions over time and space. This is what storage irrigation does, augmented by inter-basin and trans-basin transfers, a hoary practice in India and around the world. This is how the unimaginatively named Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) proposal was conceptualised, but never envisaged as a single mammoth ‘project’ except by uninformed politicians, judges and critics who combined to conjure up a myth that did no service to the basic idea. ILR survives and, apart from the Ken-Betwa link, two other west coast northward trans-basin diversions in Gujarat are under study.
Since rivers flow across national and internal political boundaries, they must be seen and planned in terms of natural resource regions. The Constitution provides for river basin authorities. But these have never been pursued on account of parochial political feuding, often resulting in wasteful schemes being taken up to pre-empt any raid on alleged surpluses. One brave effort, the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), was killed by West Bengal within less than a decade of its launch. Maybe the institution of water markets (with independent regulators to oversee suitable safeguards for weaker players) and water parliaments (that bring together upper and lower riparians across river basins with statutory safeguards) could provide answers.
International rivers (the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra-Meghna systems) can also only be developed optimally through regional cooperation. Here, new strategies must be devised, including joint management and operation of sensitive projects. The Tipaimukh multi-purpose project in Manipur, which could immensely benefit Bangladesh too, suggests itself as a good candidate. The scare about Chinese plans to divert the Brahmaputra northwards is a piece of uninformed nonsense. More to the point, the Indian government should urge Pakistan to move forward on Indus II, providing for joint exploration, construction, operation and management of the Upper Indus basin on both sides of the Line of Control to ward off the common peril of climate change.
Meanwhile, if the delayed rains spread this week as expected and the country gets 85-95 per cent of July-September rainfall, drought can be averted with alternative cropping patterns and staggered load-shedding. Advancing the clock by 60-90 minutes for daylight saving could yield some dividends too while an expanded National Rural Employment Guarantee Act could stave off hunger and help build farm capital assets. Finally, long-term water management dictates a restructuring of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Central Water Commission and related agencies that are old fashioned supply-side organisations that lack the inter-disciplinary competence required to manage India’s water future.
B.G. Verghese is a Visiting Professor, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi.
Residents frown on random power cuts - Bangalore - Cities - The Times of IndiaFrequent and long power cuts have made life miserable for residents, but they seem to realize that less rainfall is to be
blamed. Their only complaints: why didn't the government anticipate the situation, and why are the power cuts unscheduled?
Most localities in the city are shrouded by dark streets for hours on end. What's worse is that water supply has also been affected.
The situation in Basaveshwaranagar is grim. "There is power cut almost every other hour. Most localities don't have power for 8 to 16 hours a day. We understand they could be doing this in anticipation of monsoon failure, but the energy minister says there are technical problems. The Met department says monsoon has been delayed this year. We can manage with scheduled power cuts, but what's happening is unreasonable," said M Venugopal, member of Basaveshwaranagar Residents' Association.
Roads in nearby Rajajinagar and Malleswaram are eerily dark after sunset and residents are stuck indoors. "There are intermittent power cuts even after 8 pm. People are scared to go out because street lights are off. We haven't complained to Bescom yet because this is not just happening in our area. If this continues, carrying on with the daily routine is going to become very difficult," said T N Lakshman Rao, member of the Rajajinagar RWA.
In some areas, the cuts are on alternate days and seeing the trend, residents are preparing accordingly. "In our area, there are 5-hour power cuts almost every day. It's not that bad. We are not against the government but it will be good if we are alerted. Some children have exams. Also, water supply is affected," said S Ramasubramanium, a resident of BTM Layout.
Jayanagar seems unaffected so far. H Keshawakumar, a resident of 4th Block, said there haven't been frequent power cuts in the past few days. But they are worried as KPTC reports suggest severe shortage. Parts of Koramanagala have been severely hit. "We have power cuts at least three times a day. Commercial establishments can get generators but we can't afford them. Drawing water is a problem and we are worried the situation will get worse," said B S Anantharam, resident of Koramanagala ST Bed Layout.
PIB Press Release100 Days Agenda for Action of Ministry of Urban Development Unveiled
18:52 IST
Shri S. Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister for Urban Development said that the response to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has been spontaneous and overwhelming, as a consequence projects costing Rs.95,385 crores have already been sanctioned which are under various stages of implementation. This was stated by the Minister while addressing a press conference on the Agenda for Action for 100 days of the Ministry of Urban Development, here today. Minister of State, UD Shri Saugata Ray, Secretary, Urban development Dr. M. Ramachandran and other senior officers of the Ministry were also present.
Following is the text of Agenda for Action for 100 days:
The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has the responsibility of broad policy formulation and monitoring of programmes/schemes in the areas of urban development, urban water supply, sanitation and urban transport. Although these are primarily State subjects, the Government of India plays a coordinating and monitoring role and also supports these programmes through centrally sponsored schemes.
However the UPA government—taking into account fast urban growth in India—took the historic step of launching the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) on 3rd December 2005 with a view to give fillip to urban infrastructure development in 65 major cities by mobilizing Rs. 50, 000 crores from the central budget and by getting a matching Rs. 50, 000 crores from the State governments and the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The response to JNNURM has been spontaneous and overwhelming. As a consequence, projects costing Rs 95, 385 crores have already been sanctioned and which are under various stages of implementation.
1. Provision of additional funding under JNNURM
The Government of India, State governments and ULBs have committed to raise Rs. 1,00,000 crores of investments in the urban sector through JNNURM. However, it is recognized that further amount of Rs. 50, 000 crores would need to be raised urgently. Efforts will be made to raise the amount from Rs. 1, 00, 000 crores to Rs. 1, 50, 000 crores. To reach this goal, Government of India has t contribute Rs. 25, 000 crores.
2. Inclusion of more cities under JNNURM
When JNNURM was launched on 6h December 2005, the stress was laid on cities with population of only 10 lakhs and above (2001 Census). Now a concerted effort will be made to include such cities having population of 5 lakhs and above. This will mean adding 28 more cities to the current list of 65 Mission cities.
3. Emphasis on small and medium towns
Along with the scheme of Mission cities, another scheme for small and medium towns was launched in 2005 known as Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme in Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT). Rs. 11, 400 crores was allocated under this scheme. The demand from such cities is growing at a very high rate. Therefore, we will try to secure to secure further additional allocation under the UIDSSMT so as to meet the needs of small and medium towns.
4. National Mission Mode Project (NMMP) on e-Governance in Municipalities under JNNURM
The National Mission Mode Project (NMMP) on e-Governance in Municipalities is an important initiative of the Government of India for improving operational efficiencies and promoting transparency and accountability in delivery of eight services namely:
§ Registration and issue of birth certificate
§ Payment of property tax & utility bills
§ Citizen grievances
§ Building plan approvals
§ Procurements and monitoring of projects
§ Health programmes including licenses and solid waste management
§ Accounting system and
§ Personal Information System
NMMP on e-Governance is presently being implemented in 35 cities with a population of above 10 lakhs as per 2001 census under JNNURM. Now it is proposed to increase the coverage from 65 Mission cities by including 28 more cities having population of 5 lakhs and above. Ultimately the aim is to cover all 423 towns with population of over 1 lakh as per 2001 census.
5. Scheme for Infrastructure Development in Satellite Towns and Counter magnets
In order to lessen pressure on large cities, the Ministry will launch the scheme for satellite towns/counter magnets around mega cities to address basic infrastructure deficit such as drinking water, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management. An amount of Rs. 500 crores will be invested in this scheme.
6. Metro Projects
· The Metro projects in Bangalore (42.3 kms costing Rs. 8,158 crores) and Kolkata (14.6 kms at Rs. 4,874 crores) will be provided all assistance.
· The work on Chennai metro (45 kms at a cost of Rs. 14, 600 crores) and Mumbai Metro Line 2 from Charkop to Mankhurd via Bandra (32 kms at a cost of Rs. 7,660 crores) will be formally launched.
· Kochi metro project will be taken up for sanction.
· The National Capital (NCR) Region of Delhi will get connected to Delhi Metro with NOIDA link getting commissioned in August 2009.
· The Metro in Gurgaon will become functional in January 2010 and it shall get connected to Delhi by June 2010.
7. Buses for City transport
Buses are the major means of public transport for all the cities. For the first time in the history of independent India, substantial assistance has been made available for purchase of 15,220 modern buses for city transport for 61 mission cities. These buses will be delivered by December 2009. As we consider public transport in cities a critical issue, we will try to organize assistance in procurement of such buses in 118 cities having a population of two lakhs and above.
8. Metro experience on the city buses
To provide Metro experience on bus services to commuters, modern buses with low floor or semi low floor and wide doors, vehicle tracking system, on-line passenger information system, LED sign boards, electronic ticketing, smart cards etc. are envisaged. About 20% buses will provide air-conditioned comfort as well. A unique public transport help line number will be established for all cities across India.
9. Initiatives to dispense with tax burden on public buses
Our Ministry pleaded with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for completely doing away with the excise duty on public buses. Consequently, in the budget of 2008-2009, the excise duty was reduced from 16 to 12 percent, and it was further reduced from 12 to 8 per cent in January 2009. We are making further efforts with the MoF for reducing the excise duty from eight to nil per cent. Efforts will be made to prevail upon the State/ ULBs to waive off State/ULB taxes on public buses in cities.
10. Reciprocal Common Transport Agreement (RCTA)
RCTA between Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan will become operational for both Stage carriage and Contract carriage. It will facilitate free movement of Buses, Taxis and Auto rickshaws across state borders without stopping.
11. Centres of Excellence
The work for opening of 13 Centres of Excellence located in the India Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, and other institutions of national importance to focus on urban transport and urban affairs will commence and financial assistance for same will be provided by the Ministry. These Centres would take up research and training in various aspects of urban development and urban transport and also provide technical support to the Ministry. In the area of Urban Transport, the Centres of Excellence will also conduct M. Tech. and PHD programmes for students and in-service professionals. MOUs will be signed with these Institutions.
12. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
The National Mission for Sustainable Habitat will address issues related to sustainable development with co-benefits for climate change. We will promote sustainability of habitats through appropriate changes in legal and regulatory frameworks, improvements in energy efficiency in buildings, integrated urban planning, improved management of solid and liquid waste including recycling, power generation from waste, modal shift towards public transport and conservation of resources. We will also seek to build capacities for adaptation to climate change, community-based disaster management systems, comprehensive mobility, spatial and environment planning, and advance warning systems for extreme weather events. As a first step, our Ministry’s endeavour will be to develop sustainable habitat parameters within next three months.
13. Implementation of the National Urban Sanitation Policy
The Ministry proposes to launch a nation-wide media campaign for awareness-generation towards sanitation. It is proposed to support 50 cities for drawing up the City Sanitation Plans. It is also proposed to take up rating of cleanest cities on sanitation-related parameters.
14. North Eastern Region Urban Development Programme (NERUDP)
The address the urban infrastructure deficit in the, the Asian Development Bank-assisted North Eastern Region Urban Development Programme will be launched for implementation at project cost of about Rs 1,371 crores. Five cities of Agartala, Aizawl, Gangtok, Kohima and Shillong will be taken up in the first phase. States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur will be taken up in 2010.
15. Matter relating to the Delhi Master Plan 2021
The Delhi Master Plan 2021 envisages involvement of private sector in the development of land and provision of infrastructure services as an improvement over the current scheme of large-scale development and acquisition of land entrusted to the Delhi Development Agency (DDA). Focused efforts will be made to finalize the policy. Every effort will be made to finalize the Zonal Development Plans of Delhi.
16. Real Estate Regulator for Delhi
Real Estate Management (Regulation & Control) Bill for NCT of Delhi will be taken up for decision.
17. Building up 65, 000 houses by the DDA in next four years
In order to meet acute shortage of houses for urban poor, economically weaker sections and lower income groups of city of Delhi, construction of about 40, 000 houses will be taken up. Tender documents for construction of such houses have already been made ready with fast mode of construction adopting pre-fabricated technology. Here, about 10, 000 houses are phased to be completed every year from the year 2010 onwards.
In addition to above, about 10,000 houses for middle-income group will be taken up on the same technology of pre-fabricated construction in four years’ time in phases.
Apart from the above, about 15, 000 houses will be completed (ongoing projects) in various phases. These houses will be constructed on conventional technology and these will be available from the year 2009 to 2011 (details enclosed at Annexure 1).
18. In-situ development of houses for Jhuggi-jhompri (JJ) clusters and slum-dwellers
The DDA will take up in-situ development towards rehabilitation of slum-dwellers and JJ clusters in next five years for 23 clusters (details enclosed at Annexure 2). The total numbers of dwelling units of about 25 square meters will be about 47, 500. These will be taken up on public-private partnership model in which the land to in question that is presently occupied by the JJ/slum-dwellers will be made available to developers, which will construct EWS houses in accordance with the numbers identified by the DDA. These houses will be constructed on part of the area while in the remaining area, the developer will be allowed to carry out commercial exploitation of the land. The bidding parameter is envisaged to be the amount to be paid to the DDA in addition to the number of houses identified by the DDA in each cluster/land.
19. Bio-diversity parks by the DDA
DDA has launched a unique conservation initiative by establishing a network of bio-diversity parks in Delhi that are developed and maintained by the DDA with scientific inputs from the ‘Centre for Environmental Management for Degraded Eco-systems’ (CEMDE), Delhi University. This is a task taken up for the conservation and preservation of the environment.
These bio-diversity parks are uniquely landscaped and designed in-house by the landscape department of the DDA. A first of its kind in India and perhaps in the world are natural resources that harbor hundreds of varieties of species living together in the form of diverse communities providing ecological balance and educational benefits to the urban society.
Two bio-diversity parks are under active development to protect and conserve the two natural elements in Delhi, i.e., (i) Yamuna Bio-diversity Park at Wazirabad to revive the lost ecological systems of Yamuan River, and (ii) Aravalli Bio-diversity Park at Vasant Vihar in the extension of the ridge area to revive its lost eco-systems.
DDA will fully develop a chain of such bio-diversity parks in Delhi as mentioned hereunder:
· Northern Ridge
· Tilpath valley
· Neela Hauz
· River Front Development (Yamuna River front)
20. Sports Complexes in Delhi
In addition to the development activities and construction of housing complexes, DDA is also engaged in development of Sports Complexes, multi-gyms for the citizens of Delhi. DDA has already developed 14 such Sports Complexes and 39 multi-gyms.
In the near future, DDA will develop four new Sports Complexes, namely:
· A Racquet Sports Complex at Sector 17, Dwarka
· Sports Complexes at Sector 8, 19 and 23, Dwarka
· Sports complex to be developed at Sector 24, Rohini
· Sports Complex at Narela
21. 50% Reservation for women in Urban Local Bodies
Steps are being initiated towards moving a draft bill and for Consultation with States as a follow up of the Hon’ble President’s address to Parliament towards 50 per cent reservation for women in ULBs.
22. Facilitating of City Volunteer Technical Corps
Facilitating the formation of setting up of professionals as City Volunteer Technical Corps in all the 65 Mission cities through the State governments will be undertaken.
23. Service Level Benchmarks
Benchmarks for e-Governance in Urban Local Bodies and Urban Transportation will be set up.
The Hindu Business Line : Karnataka plans solar power projectsKarnataka plans solar power projects
BANGALORE: The Karnataka Government plans to launch an ambitious self-sustaining solar technology programme in 3,900 villages in 39 most backward blocks to cater to the energy needs of 50 lakh people.
State-owned Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd (KREDL) this week invited bids from solar technology providers to design, finance, build, operate and maintain solar/hybrid power plants and collect user fee to provide solar energy on a sustainable basis for the requirement of village clusters.
These plants provide power either through a local mini-grid or stand-alone or make it available at a charging station, enabling residents to charge their electrical appliances. Solar power is to be provided for street-lights, household consumption, ente rtainment/educational purposes, water-lifting for irrigation, drinking water supply, purification/desalination plants, deflourination, milk pasteurisation and local cottage industrial applications.
Solar power would be metered and made available at a fee determined in advance. “Most of the targeted villages either have no electric supply or get poor voltage at present,” KREDL, Managing Director, Mr H.G. Shivanandamurthy, told PTI.
“We will play the role of facilitator in the project. Our interest is to see that the people get power at the lowest cost,” he added. - PTI
100 persons ill due to water contamination - Bangalore - Cities - The Times of India100 persons ill due to water contamination
25 Jun 2009, 0351 hrs IST, TNN
BANGALORE: Contaminated drinking water took a heavy toll yet again. On Wednesday, close to 100 persons from Reddypalya near the old international
airport bore the brunt of gastroenteritis. More than 60 were treated as out-patients and 30 admitted to the HAL Hospital.
The main cause was water contamination caused by leakage of sewage water into drinking water pipes. According to area ex-councillor Anand Kumar Babu, during road construction work, sewage and drinking water pipes were damaged and this led to contamination.
The main water supply at Reddypalya is through CMC borewells. With no options available, people here have been drinking contaminated water for the past three days.
When many people started vomiting and showed symptoms of diarrhoea, they realized that drinking water was the cause.
Doctors at HAL Hospital said all patients are in stable condition and children and senior citizen were the most affected. Five patients suffering from dehydration due to GE have been admitted to the Isolation Hospital. However, some residents feel the cause for the sudden illness could be consumption of rotten mangoes.
Meanwhile, BBMP as well as the district health officer assured that the problem would be investigated on Thursday.
Worry for B�lore, Mysore as monsoon plays truantWorry for Mysore as monsoon plays truant
K Shivakumar | ENS
First Published : 25 Jun 2009 02:45:28 PM IST
Last Updated : 25 Jun 2009 03:11:54 PM IST
MYSORE: If the monsoon continues to play truant in the next couple of weeks, Mysoreans and Bangaloreans might be left with parched throats. The water levels in the Kabini and Krishna Raja Sagar reservoirs, the only source
of drinking water to Mysore, Bangalore, Mandya and other towns have touched the bottom.This year, Waynad in Kerala and Madikeri regions have not received substantial rains which has affected the inflow into Kabini reservoir
and Cauvery catchment area. Unlike this year, the state had received heavy
rains during this time in the previous year and has registered considerable increase in the inflow into reservoirs. According to sources, the water level at Kabini reservoir is 2264.68 feet against the maximum 2284 ft. The water level was 2266.09 ft with the inflow of 3,640 cusecs during the previous year.The water supply in Bangalore will be hit if the water level slips down by 2,259 ft as the reservoir is hardly left with just 9 TMC ft of water as against a maximum
of 17.5 TMC ft now.
FARMERS IN DISTRESS
As the Kabini catchment area received less rains this year, the farming community is in distress. No preparation has been made to cultivate paddy as
there is no water released into irrigation canals. Mysore city will also face
shortage as the water level in the KRS level has dipped. While, the water level was 103.04 ft during the corresponding year following a heavy downpour in Madikeri. Further depletion in water level by 68 ft would force the Water Board officials to pump water from the tank bed. Karnataka Sugar Cane Growers Association president Kurbur Shantha Kumar said the government should
release three tmc water into the KRS to save the sugarcane crop in isveshwariah canal area.
"The failure of the government to get water released from Hemavathi to
water sugarcane crops will affect the farmers. This apart, erratic power supply
has further worsened the situation," he added. The failure of monsoon
may also hit power generation at KRS, Kabini and Shivanasamudra in Mandya
district apart from chances of water dispute between the neighbouring states. There will be pressure from the Tamil Nadu government to release water from Karnataka reservoirs as per the Cauvery tribunal interim judgment.
Madikeri district has recorded 422.81 m rains from January to June 24 as against 662.69 m in the previous year. The delay in monsoon will affect coffee and paddy cultivation in the district. The farmers fear that the state might witness an acute drinking water crisis if the water level at reservoirs comes down further.
The Hindu News Update ServiceBangalore (PTI): Karnataka Government on Wednesday asked the Bruhut Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to recruit 350 additional staff for fogging and spraying insecticides on a war foot to check chikungunya and dengue fevers which were reported in some parts of the city.
In the wake of city reporting 199 positive cases of chikungunya and dengue claiming a life, the govenment directed the civic agency to purchase 115 fogging machines and 248 sprayers.
Minister for Transport R Ashok, who is also the Minister in-charge of Bangalore City, chaired a meeting of BBMP officials headed by its Commissioner Bharatlal Meena and few legislators to discuss the measures to be intitiated to prevent further spread of these diseases.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Ashok said a meeting of Health and Water Supply Board officials would be called in the next two days to ensure supply of purified water and check water contamination he said.
In the event of detection of any water contamination, such areas would be supplied water by tankers, he said.
BBMP engineers must be accountable - Bangalore - Cities - The Times of IndiaBangalore Central MP P C Mohan wants BBMP officials to prepare a bar chart where every pending project is shown -- from the time when
work will begin to the estimated date of completion.
He held a review meeting of developmental work in his constituency with BBMP officials on Monday. Mohan regretted that only 10% of work has been completed. "The main complaints are about bad roads, silt not being removed and faulty water supply,'' he pointed out.
Executive engineers gave the MP an update of all pending works in their areas. They were told to first identify critical areas for de-silting, hire people to work and remove enroachments. "In case of flooding, engineers should be held responsible. All should have a list of when they will start and complete their work,'' Mohan said.
KSPCB chief threatens to slap cases on hospitalsKSPCB chief threatens to slap cases on hospitals
Express News Service
First Published : 21 Jun 2009 04:55:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 21 Jun 2009 08:46:20 AM IST
BANGALORE: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) Chairman Dr H C Sharatchandra on Saturday said that criminal cases can be booked against the directors of the nine hospitals to which closure notices were recently issued by KSPCB for violating the Water Act 1974.
He was speaking after an introductory seminar on “Decentralized Approaches to Wastewater Treatment” organised here by KSPCB.
The nine hospitals are Victoria, Bowring, Lady Curzon, Vani Vilas, K C General, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, Kidwai Memorial, Ghousia and Jayanagar General Hospitals.
He further said that these hospitals have received sufficient funds from the central government and they are using it for replacing the tiles, etc. instead of installing an effluent treatment plant (ETP).
As per rules, the complexes that house more than 100 apartments and huge commercial complexes must install sewage treatment plants (STP) in the premises.
Presently, there are around 12,810 industries that release effluents in the state, 4,581 of which have installed their own ETPs.
KSPCB will give reasonable time to the remaining industries to install ETPs. If they do not comply, KSPCB will withhold consent for their operation.
Centralised sewer treatment systems are aging and inefficient. Nearly 740 million litre per day (MLD) of sewer is being released from the city every day and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has set up merely 13 STPs.
Only 60 per cent of the water is being treated, which is also not being utilised properly.
Decentralised waste water treatment solutions are increasingly being recognised as cost-effective and environment- friendly options for the cities not served by the conventional centralized system.
Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) is one such unique approach developed on the basis of natural wastewater treatment principles and techniques.
Citizen Matters, Bangalore: Monsoon here, time for RWHMonsoon here, time for RWH
The long-overdue uptick for RWH is finally here. Around 10,000 buildings in the city may be catching rainwater, by one informal estimate, and the numbers are steadily rising.
By Vaishnavi Vittal
21 Jun 2009, Citizen Matters
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Gautam B Pandit and his family were very excited last Wednesday after the heavy downpour in the city. The rain filled up the 5000 litre barrel they have set up in their house for rainwater harvesting (RWH). “We could have filled another two barrels that night. The barrel just overflowed”, Gautam says. The Pandits have just installed RWH at their home on Hayes Road in Richmond Town.
The 40 houses in Sherwood Apartments, located on Kaggadasapura Main Road in CV Raman Nagar, have not faced any water problem for the past four months. All thanks to RWH says the residents. K S Thirumaran, one of the residents of CV Raman Nagar says that he suggested RWH to his neighbours. “They all welcomed the idea and contributed”, he says adding “ The entire apartment depended on one borewell”.
At the Embassy Tranquil Apartments in Koramangala 6th block, Rajiv Kuchchal mooted the idea to his neighbours around two months back. “Everyone was positive”, he says.
Since the groundwater level in their building is high, they adopted the storage method. Now instead of overflowing drains, our sumps get filled, Kuchchal says, adding that they don’t switch on the borewell when there is heavy rain. They collect anywhere between 15,000-20,000 litres of water per day during heavy rains.
RWH
Rekha Arun with her RWH system, the blue barrel is the first rain separator(pic: VV)
Pandit, Thirumaran and the residents of the Embassy Tranquil Apartments are among those in the city who have installed RWH recently to combat erratic Cauvery water supply and avoid shelling out money to buy water from tankers.
Bangalore has primarily depended on Cauvery water. Traditional sources of water supply like tanks and lakes are now declining. Groundwater levels have already fallen due to heavy extraction.
In his book, ‘Amruthavarshini’, a guide to RWH, A R Shivakumar, Executive Secretary and Principal Investigator – RWH, Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST), states that in the last 30 years, Bangalore has experienced five years of severe drought and three years of moderate drought. The quest for water has resulted in over exploitation of groundwater, he says in the book. “The quantity of run-off water in the storm drains has increased tremendously. RWH is all about conserving this water, thereby, supplementing the present supply”.
In Chennai, during J Jayalalithaa’s tenure as Chief Minister, she made it mandatory to harvest rainwater in both old and new buildings, and also provide a duct for recharging the groundwater. According to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, nearly four lakh buildings have RWH.
As the monsoons set in, for many in the city, RWH seems to be the way to address this problem. In 2007, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) made it mandatory to implement RWH for all new applicants of water connections.
T Venkataraju, Chief Engineer, BWSSB, says this is being strictly enforced now. He explains that sanctions for new water connections are approved only after inspections by the Assistant Executive Engineer and Water Inspector of the concerned sub division. “They’ll go to the spot and inspect directly. They’ll see the pipelines and check the filter media. Then they will certify”, he explains. Between April 2008 and May 2009, 3000 new buildings implemented RWH, says Venkataraju.
Implementation of RWH has been made mandatory in Bangalore by two other bodies apart from the BWSSB. The June 2007 Zoning Regulations of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) states that the “Provision of RWH is mandatory for all plots which are more than 240 sq metres in extent. A five per cent rebate on the property tax is offered for residential properties and two per cent for non residential buildings within Bangalore Metropolitan Area for the first five years when RWH is made an integral part of the building constructed”.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) building bye-laws of 2003 also mention RWH. Part IV, bye-law 32 says “Every building with a plinth area of exceeding 100 sq mtrs and built on a site measuring not less than 200 sq mtrs shall have one or more RWH structures having a minimum total capacity as detailed in Schedule XII”. The bye-laws also mention that a levy of about Rs. 1000 for every 100 sq. mtr will be collected if the owner fails to provide RWH.
B M Tirakanagoudar, Joint Director of Town Planning, BBMP, says that all high rise buildings that have approached the BBMP for plan sanction have RWH. “These owners come to us for Occupancy Certificate (OC). We do not give OC without looking into whether they have installed RWH. But most houses violate this. They do not come to us for OC”, he says, adding that it is not strictly implemented.
<snip> click above link to read rest of the article
Day after: Chaos, blame game on, but no closureDay after: Chaos, blame game on, but no closure
Express News Service
First Published : 20 Jun 2009 07:13:56 AM IST
Last Updated : 20 Jun 2009 11:23:35 AM IST
BANGALORE: A day after the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) slapped a closure notice on nine government hospitals, seven hospitals are yet to receive formal closure orders for not complying with the Effluent Treatment Plan (ETP) norms.
Meanwhile, heads of Health and Family Welfare and the Medical Education departments are likely to meet on Saturday to find a way out of the situation.
On thursday the KSPCB had said that the nine government hospitals that had defaulted on the deadline for setting up of the ETPs have been ordered to close down within 15 days. The KSPCB had said and they shall stop admitting patients with immediate effect.
The nine hospitals are KC General hospital, General hospital,Jayanagar, Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital, Minto Eye hospital, Vanivilas Hospital, Victoria Hospital and Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Hajee Sir Ismail Sait Gousia hospital, SDS TB Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases.
So far only authorities in Jayanagar General hospital and Victoria hospital confirmed receiving a copy of the KSPCB’s order, while all the others claimed that they had received no formal communication in the matter.
“How can we stop the admission of the patients without the written formal letter by the pollution board,” said Dr Satish Chandra, Medical superintendent of Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital.
Just like any other day
Meanwhile, it was business as usual at all the defaulting hospitals. “Neither can we stop the entry of the patients into the hospital nor could we deny them the treatment," said Dr BG Tilak, Medical superintendent, Victoria hospital. Dr Ashok Shenoy, Medical Superintendent of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology told Express, “I myself operated on a few patients today. Our services continue.” So far none of the hospitals have started making alternative arrangements for inpatients in the event of a closure.
Elections and the blame game
Authorities in all the hospitals blame the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls as the reason behind the delay in setting up of ETPs. They contend that while the tender process was started, it had to be stopped when the model code of conduct was in force. Also, the involvement of multiple agencies like the BWSSB, PWD, Pollution Control Board made the decision making process a long drawn one.
High cost
Cost of setting up an ETP and the ageing structures that house some of the defaulting hospitals are factors that cannot be overlooked.
Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute Dean and Director G T Subhash said that the bids received in the case of Victoria and Bowring and Lady Curzon hospitals were in the order of Rs 10 crore to Rs 12 crore. Setting up ETPs in these hospitals will also entail the replacement of old and worn out water supply and UGD lines, thereby increasing the cost.
Legal Expert speak
``The closure order for the common establishment which does not cater to large section of the society could be adhered but for the such big government hospitals which treat hundreds of patients would be difficult,’’ said, BV Acharaya, former advocate general.
Nine government hospitals ordered to shutNine government hospitals ordered to shut
Express News Service
First Published : 19 Jun 2009 05:46:00 AM IST
Last Updated :
BANGALORE: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has ordered the closure of nine government hospitals in Bangalore for failing to install effluent treatment plants. KSPCB has directed the hospitals to shut down from July 1, 2009.
The hospitals facing closure order are Victoria, Vani Vilas, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Minto Ophthalmic Hospital, Bowring and Lady Curzon, SDS TB Sanatorium (Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases), Hajee Sir Ismail Sait Gosha Hospital in Tasker Town, General Hospital in Jayanagar and K C General Hospital in Malleswaram.
They have been asked to stop admitting patients with immediate effect.
KSPCB had kept the closure order issued to six private hospitals in abeyance till July 30, 2009 giving them time to install plants. They are HAL Hospital, Chinmaya Mission in Indiranagar, St Martha’s Hospital on Nrupatunga Road, Ambedkar Hospital in KG Halli, KIMS Hospital in VV Puram and ESI Hospital in Indiranagar.
KSPCB counsel filed the closure order report to the Lok Adalat on Thursday. The Adalat accepted the report.
Meanwhile, the Adalat had rejected the plea of the state government to extend time for installation of the plants but granted it a week’s time.
Under section 33(A) of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 KSPCB had issued closure orders against these hospitals.
It had directed that the hospitals stop all activities after 15 days from the date of the order and directed them to make alternative arrangements for in-patients.
KSPCB had further directed the managing directors of BESCOM and BWSSB to disconnect power and water supply to the nine hospitals.
Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner has to ensure the hospitals close after July 1, 2009, KSPCB directed.
Lok Adalat chairman K L Manjunath and member Dr Yellappa Reddy pulled up the government. “The officers in the government have taken the Adalat and KSPCB for granted. Your (officers’) conduct shows that you have no intention to install the effluent treatment plants.”
Floating in muckFloating in muck
Drain water overflows at Jumma Masjid road, Shivajinagar in Bangalore on Sunday.
Express News Service
First Published : 18 Jun 2009 07:24:29 AM IST
Last Updated : 18 Jun 2009 08:17:58 AM IST
BANGALORE: The Jain Temple Street and Jumma Masjid Street are floating in a lot of muck. The manholes here are flooded and despite repeated pleas to the authorities, nothing much has been done about the situation.
President of Sadbhavana Youth Social Welfare Association, K Sadiq Pasha, said that whenever it rains the sewerage water overflows from the manholes and floods these two roads. The sewage water has flooded the area form the past 20 days. “We have complained about it the civic authorities and to our area MLA, but they have not taken any action in this regard,” he said.
“There are nearly 150 shops in the area and the customers hesitate to come to the road as it is inundated by the overflowing sewerage water and hence our business has come down. Some businessmen of the area have fallen sick due this,” he added.
In the past the authorities have cleared the sewer lines and have stopped the sewerage from over flowing, but that was temporary. The sewage water started overflowing from the manholes once again.
“We need a permanent solution for the problem. We held a symbolic protest today.
If the civic authorities fail to do anything to stop the sewage water from overflowing we are planning to hold a protest and stop paying taxes,” he added.
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials said, “If the problem had come to our notice we would have solved it by now. We will clear it at the earliest.”
