Railways’ data shows the number of animals coming under trains are increasing. Hyderabad: Thirty one animals die every day on railway tracks, as per records with the railway ministry. Railway minister
Hyderabad: The city could be heading for a major health crisis if current conditions in the city continue the way they are, say experts. Such an event could very well happen if the municipal authorities do not pull up their socks to improve sanitation and urgently clean up the city. Already, the incidence of dengue and malaria have doubled this year. While malaria cases crossed the 430 mark in 2012, compared to less than 200 cases in 2011, dengue cases saw an alarming rise from about 150 in 2011 to over 300 this year. Even cholera and jaundice cases have shown an upward trend. Urban development and health experts warn of the danger of uncleared garbage lying on the streets.
Hyderabad: Contaminated water has claimed 108 lives in the state this year, according to figures stated in the Parliament by Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The city is not immune to the trend, and cases of diarrhoea and gastroenteritis seem to be high. City hospitals have registered about 1,200 cases of acute diarrhoeal diseases this year. Dr Kiran Peddi, gastroenterologist at Global Hospitals, said that he has been attending to seven to 10 cases every week. “It is mostly diarrhoea or vomiting, or sometimes a combination of both, resulting in gastroenteritis. There are jaundice and typhoid cases as well,” Dr Peddi said.
Visakhapatnam: The department of atomic energy, under the aegis of the Prime Minister, has accepted the proposal of the Nuclear Power Corpo-ration of India Limited to increase capacity of the Kovvada Nuclear Park from 6,000 MW to 9,500 MW. According to DAE’s earlier clearances, the nuclear park’s capacity was barely 6,000 MW, since the DAE had, in principle, allowed the capacity of each reactor to produce above 1,000 MW. With the aim of utilising the maximum capacity of the generation-II technology of GE reactors made in the US, which are to be installed in the Kovvada Nuclear Park, NPCIL authorities have recently held talks with the ministry of environment and forests to hike KNP’s capacity.
Visakhapatnam:Encroachments in the guise of Forest Rights Act, cultivation and smuggling is shrinking forests. As much as 36.44 sq km of forest area has vanished in the state due to cultivation and illegal felling of trees within a span of one year. Andhra Pradesh forest department has completed collecting data of loss of forest cover during 2010-11 and is set to come out with a detailed report for the year 2012 soon. Khammam district recor-ded an encroachment of 19.28 sq km forest area, the highest. Warangal, part of Karimnagar district followed with 6.66 sq km and Nizamabad forest circle comprising of Nizamabad and Medak was encroached to the tune of 2.46 sq km.
Hyderabad: As the government is planning to go liberal regarding the environmental violations by bulk drug units, the international community has taken up cudgels against the pollution caused by them. Professor Hans Lofgren, of the Deakin University of Australia said that he will make a representation to his government to take up the issue and also sensitise the US and Sweden against “exporting pollution”. During his visit to some Medak villages located close to pharma units, Prof Lofgren was “shocked” by the extent of pollution and the sufferings of residents.
Patancheru and its surrou-nding areas in Hyderabad are well known for soil and water pollution, but what is shocking is that the contamination level of poisonous arsenic have touched 50,000 parts per billion
The Secunderabad Canton-ment Board is likely to spare residents within its limits from an immediate drinking water tariff hike. The elected ward members, led by vice-president B. Narmada, deferred their decision to increase water charges till the dispute with the Water Board is resolved. The elected members also said a decision on the quantum of hike will be taken only after the meeting with the Chief Minister and after the resolution of the dispute.
The city is looking at a shortage of at least 40 million gallons of drinking water supply during the coming summer. The Water Board will be forced to reduce the duration of supply even in the core city during the summer as the reservoirs have not received sufficient inflows due to a poor monsoon. This was revealed by Water Board managing director J. Syamala Rao at a media conference on Thursday.
For a city already troubled by noise pollution, the Deepavali night further took the malaise to new levels, especially in residential areas, anti-pollution control boards have found. The Central Pollution Control Board had instructed the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board to measure noise levels on November 6, when the twin cities were just getting into a festive mood, and November 13, the Deepavali Day.
Water samples collected by the department of Water and Waste Water Analysis, Institute of Preventive Medicine from various parts of Hyderabad shows that there are still a few junctions where no residue of chlorine is found in the water. In a regular drive conducted by the department, close to 2,000 samples were collected in September of which 15 to 20 areas were identified where water was supplied without addition of chlorine. How-ever, officials say Water Board’s negligence is lesser this year compared to last year.
