New climate-resilient water initiative
Context
Climate-resilient water initiative launched in Chikkabalapura.
- The project aims to strengthen the climate and disaster resilience of water and wastewater systems in one of the state’s most drought-prone regions.
Features
- Implementing Partners: The project is implemented by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)in collaboration with the Chikkaballapur District Administration.
- Funding: Funded by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) through its Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF).
- Duration: Two years
- Target Towns: Bagepalli, Chintamani, Chikkaballapur, Gudibande, Gowribidanur, Sidlaghatta
- Initiative will conduct water audits, assess the quality of fresh and used water, and perform water balance studies to identify infrastructure and service delivery gaps.
- Local governments will be equipped with technical assistance to integrate climate and disaster risk information into urban planning and investment processes.
- This project is part of CDRI’s Urban Infrastructure Resilience Programme (UIRP), which includes similar efforts in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Honduras.
- Special campaign has been launched to clean and restore ancient Kalyanis (traditional water tanks) to safeguard local water sources and recharge groundwater.
Koppal and wildlife conservation
Context
A recent study titled “Mislabeled and Misunderstood” (2026) highlights the Koppal district in Karnataka as a critical refuge for wildlife
- About 20% of Koppal is classified as “wasteland” by the Department of Land Resources
Key Findings of the Study:
- The study demonstrates that areas outside protected forest zones—specifically, “open natural ecosystems” (ONEs) in the Deccan Peninsula—act as vital wildlife habitats.
- Significant populations of Schedule I species, including wolves and sloth bears, exist in these regions alongside pastoral communities.
- The landscape is shaped by human activities like pastoralism and traditional, rainfed agriculture, which allow space for biodiversity, highlighting a human-wildlife co-existence model.
- Researchers are pushing for a policy change to reclassify “wastelands,” often considered unproductive, as crucial ecological zones that provide valuable wildlife habitats.
- The study challenges the “fortress conservation” model (protecting land by excluding humans), favoring landscape-level, inclusive conservation in semi-arid regions
- Presence of key like Indian Grey Wolf, Blackbuck, Striped Hyena and Sloth Bear helps in conservation.
AI challenge for Cognitive decline
Context
IISc launches AI challenge forearly detection of cognitive decline.
- Partners: Collaborative effort with the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative (ADDI) and Microsoft Research India.
- Objective: To create scalable, affordable intervention strategies for senior citizens by unravelling “hidden connections” in cognitive decline data.
- Focus:Leveraging longitudinal cohort data from India to create innovative screening tools.
Mekedatu reservoir project
Context
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the long-pending Mekedatu reservoir project will be submitted to the Central Government.
- The government is preparing a revised DPR to update costs according to 2025-26 price levels and rectify previous technical lacunae.
- The reservoir aims to store 60 tmcft of water to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru and the surrounding region while helping regulate water release to Tamil Nadu during deficit years.
- Tamil Nadu opposes the project, stating it will violate the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and limit their access to water.
About Mekedatu reservoir project
- It is a proposed ₹9,000-crore multi-purpose balancing reservoir across the Cauvery River in Karnataka, designed to supply 4.75 TMC of drinking water to Bengaluru and generate 400 MW of power.
- It aims to store 67.16 TMC of water, but faces intense opposition from Tamil Nadu due to downstream water rights concerns.
- Location:The project is located in Ramanagara and Chamarajanagar Districts, about 3.0 km downstream of the confluence of the Arkavathy and Cauvery rivers (Sangama).
- Objectives:The project seeks to manage water flow, ensuring drinking water for the Bengaluru Metropolitan region and generating power.
- Capacity:The proposed balancing reservoir is designed to have a capacity of 67.16 TMC and a hydroelectric capacity of 400 MW.
- Impact:The project would cause the submergence of 4,996 hectares of land, of which approximately 4,800 hectares are within the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB)
Context
KSPCB has issued a formal notice to the Mahadevapura division of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for constructing an illegal sewage treatment plant (STP) on the bed of Doddakannelli Lake.
About KSPCB
- Established Year: 1974
- Act: Karnataka State Pollution Control Board for Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in 1974 as per section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
- It was renamed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board in 1985 after the enactment of Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act in 1981
- It enforces environmental laws related to air, water, and waste management to ensure sustainable development across the state.
Responsibilities
- Issues mandatory “Consent for Establishment” (CFE) and “Consent for Operation” (CFO) for industries based on their pollution potential (categorised as Red, Orange, Green, and White).
- Regularly analyzes air quality, water quality (including lakes and rivers), and industrial emissions.
- It has the authority to conduct inspections, impose fines, or issue closure orders for non-compliant units.
- Establishes permissible limits for effluent discharge and air emissions tailored to local environmental conditions.