MUMBAI: In view of the growing number of mobile towers in villages, Maharashtra government will formulate guidelines for rural areas after studying effects of radiation. The urban development department has prepared a set of guidelines for which views and opinions of rural development, public health, medical education department were sought.

There have been complaints that people living in the vicinity of radio magnetic waves generated from the mobile towers are facing health hazards.

KOCHI: Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of fish deaths in the Periyar River, environmentalists brushed aside the claims made by Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) that the fish had died due to oxygen starvation. “It is common for the levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water to go down gradually when the high-level of biodegradable waste in a water body. Under such circumstances, the aquatic organisms living in the region migrate to places where the DO is adequate, rather than dying out.

‘It is necessary to ban the use of plastic bags in the city, which pose serious threat to people’s health and result in choked drains, artificial floods, etc.’

GUWAHATI: The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has decided to ban the use of polythene bags in the city from next month. The GMC officials said that it is necessary to ban the use of plastic bags in the city, which pose serious threat to people’s health and result in choked drains, artificial floods, etc.

The Central team touring the State to assess the drought situation has concluded that the drought in Chitradurga district is severe.

A member of the team, D Rajashekar, Deputy Advisor, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, New Delhi, told mediapersons in Chitradurga on Tuesday that the water table had depleted and borewells have dried up. The team will recommend to the Centre in its report to roll out development schemes to alleviate the sufferings of the drought-affected, he said. He commended the officials for the drought-relief works taken up in the district.

Melbourne Australia has been ranked as the seventh top polluter mainly due to carbon emissions, a report said.

Conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in its report said the spiralling global population and over-consumption are threatening the future health of the planet, ABC news reported. WWF released this year's Living Planet report, which has estimated humans are using 50 per cent more resources than the planet can provide.

Gurdaspur: Hazardous smoke resulting from burning of wheat stubble can be seen billowing out of every other field in the region despite the act being illegal. Fire in fields sometimes goes out of control and leads to fatal incidents. In a recent incident, Sardara Singh, a middle-aged farmer, along with his wife and two children, was going towards Sri Hargobindpur on a motorcycle when fire from a nearby field aided by strong winds trapped the family. The panic-stricken farmer managed to take his family to safety, but not before fire ravaged his motorcycle.