2 workers die after inhaling poisonous gas in sewage pit

CHENNAI: Two workers died after inhaling toxic gas in a sewage pit at a Metrowater facility in Kodungaiyur on Saturday morning during maintenance. 

The victims were part of four workers engaged by a contractor for maintenance work in the 10-feet-deep pit maintained by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board or Metrowater. The gas is suspected to have spewed out after a valve in the pit was opened. 

Nandakumar, who went in first, fainted. Seeing him slump to the ground at the bottom of the pit, Jayakumar, who was not aware his colleague had inhaled toxic gases, jumped down to rescue him and met with the same fate. One of the two others standing above was also affected and was taken to a hospital. Security guards of nearby apartment complexes alerted the fire and rescue services, and teams from Manali and Madhavaram arrived. Police too rushed to the spot.
Read more here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/2-workers-die-after-inhaling-poisonous-gas-in-sewage-pit/articleshow/41298451.cms

Ban on effluent discharge on open land

BHARUCH: District administration has banned discharge of effluent water on land other than sites notified by Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB). A notification was brought out by Collector Vinod Rao after recent incidents of tankers caught while discharging effluent waste into open lands in the district. The notification says that strict action will be initiated against culprit industries and tanker owners violating the notification.
Read more here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/ban-on-effluent-discharge-on-open-land/articleshow/42246335.cms

Sewage treatment plan sinks as malls, flats rise

CHENNAI: Shopping malls, hotels and apartment continue to mushroom across the city attracting more people and spewing more sewage, but the city corporation's proposal to make sewage treatment plants compulsory in large commercial establishments remains on paper for more than three years. 

In November 2011, the city corporation passed a resolution making sewage treatment plants compulsory in shopping malls, theatres, hotels and hospitals to reduce sewage overflow and curb wastage of water. Nobody, not even corporation officials, seem to know the fate of this proposal. 

"We are waiting for the state government approval for the plan," is what a corporation official would say, that too on condition of anonymity. Several residents near large commercial establishments complained that sewage often overflows in their locality. This is because complexes generate more sewage than the drains can take. On General Patters Road and Bharati Salai in Royapettah, this is a perennial problem.
Read more here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Sewage-treatment-plan-sinks-as-malls-flats-rise/articleshow/41046527.cms

Drains clogged, sewage floods roads

GHAZIABAD: Monsoons may not have hit Ghaziabad with all their ferocity, but the showers have been enough to overwhelm the city's drainage system. Waterlogging in Vasundhara, Vaishali and Indirapuram has pushed the spotlight on outdated and poorly-maintained drains, about which complaints by residents have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Sangeeta Sharma, a resident of Paradiso Apartment in Ahimsa Khand 2, said, "

Sewage water flows back into our area because there's no proper drainage system. I have lodged complaints with the GDA but no action has been taken yet."

A few residents believe the inadequate drainage system is not the only problem that needs to be addressed. "Yes, water-logging is a major problem, but not the only one. Littering of non-biodegradable garbage such as polythene is the real culprit. GDA needs to clean the drains regularly, which is not happening," said Ekta Chauhan, a teacher at DPS Indirapuram.

Read more here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Drains-clogged-sewage-floods-roads/articleshow/40082099.cms

Water-borne diseases spreading in Manda, Koraon blocks

Supply of contaminated water is the key reason behind spreading of water-borne diseases in villages falling under Manda and Koraon blocks. Health teams visited several villages after death of eight children and revealed that villagers have no source to get pure and fresh potable water.

Majority of villagers are drawing potable water from wells which were not cleaned for decades. At Barwari Kala village, villagers are forced to drink contaminated water from wells frogs are present.

Resentment is brewing among people against the failure of district authorities to arrange pure potable water as they have been forced to drink contaminated water from wells or handpumps. This has also led to a rise in water-borne diseases.

Health department officials claimed to have distributed chlorine tablets on Friday. Villagers complained about lack of water resources. They claimed that they are solely relying on wells and old handpumps. The villagers were not more cautious to detect impurities. As far as cleaning is concerned, they used to filter water with the help of clothes which too remain mostly dirty.

Read more here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/Water-borne-diseases-spreading-in-Manda-Koraon-blocks/articleshow/41288501.cms