BANGALORE: Water is GS Ramanna's biggest headache. The 65-year-old resident of Sidedahalli, north-west Bangalore, buys water from private operators who supply through tankers. Ramanna's water bill has doubled in the past 12 months. He paid Rs 250-300 for a tankerful of water, about 4,000 litres, last year; he shells out Rs 600 now. And summer demand will push prices higher.
Ramanna says: "Cauvery water is still a distant dream. The groundwater level has fallen to 1,100 feet. Those who dig borewells get contaminated water. Supply through BWSSB tankers is just once a week."
Amrutha G Katte of Channasandra in the Mahadevapura zone says residents depend on private tankers despite exorbitant rates. "Those who can't afford tankers buy water in pots. A pot costs Rs 3-5. We are in no man's land. While erstwhile panchayat representatives are not bothered because we are not their voters, the corporators are yet to connect with our problems. We don't come under the erstwhile CMCs either."
Private suppliers have jacked up rates because the demand is high. Ramesh S of Siddalingeshwara Water Supply in the Byatarayanapura zone says: "If the destination is close by, we charge Rs 350-400. As the distance increases, the rate goes up."
The 110 villages (covering 225 sqkm) added to Greater Bangalore are spread across different zones: Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura, Byatarayanapura, Rajarajeshwarinagar and Dasarahalli. The IT City tag holds no meaning for them because they lack one of the most basic facilities.
Of the 490 borewells maintained by the BWSSB, 169 have been declared contaminated; the level of dissolved solids in them has crossed the permissible 500 mg/litre. Eighty other borewells are defunct. Water from the remaining 241 borewells is just not enough.
Read More Here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/On-Bangalore-outskirts-water-price-doubles/articleshow/34132760.cms
Friday, 25 April 2014
Saturday, 12 April 2014
New technique converts astronaut pee into fuel, drinking water
LONDON: Researchers are developing a technique that can convert human waste aboard space stations into fuel and much-needed drinking water that would otherwise have to be delivered from earth at a tremendous cost. Space organisations have been pondering over the challenge of what to do with astronaut pee, other than ejecting it into space.
Researchers Eduardo Nicolau and Carlos Cabrera from the University of Puerto Rico and NASA'S Ames Research Centre point out that human waste on long-term journeys into space makes up about half of a mission's total waste. Recycling it is critical to keeping a clean environment for astronauts, especially when onboard water supplies run low.
Previous research has shown a wastewater treatment process called forward osmosis in combination with a fuel cell can generate power. Nicolau's team decided to build on these initial findings to meet the challenges of dealing with urine in space. They collected urine and shower wastewater and processed it using forward osmosis, a way to filter contaminants from urea, a major component of urine and water.
Read More Here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/New-technique-converts-astronaut-pee-into-fuel-drinking-water/articleshow/33581681.cms
Researchers Eduardo Nicolau and Carlos Cabrera from the University of Puerto Rico and NASA'S Ames Research Centre point out that human waste on long-term journeys into space makes up about half of a mission's total waste. Recycling it is critical to keeping a clean environment for astronauts, especially when onboard water supplies run low.
Previous research has shown a wastewater treatment process called forward osmosis in combination with a fuel cell can generate power. Nicolau's team decided to build on these initial findings to meet the challenges of dealing with urine in space. They collected urine and shower wastewater and processed it using forward osmosis, a way to filter contaminants from urea, a major component of urine and water.
Read More Here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/New-technique-converts-astronaut-pee-into-fuel-drinking-water/articleshow/33581681.cms
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Moon may not have much water
LOS ANGELES: The amount of water present on the Moon may have been overestimated by scientists studying the lunar rock samples, a new study has claimed.
Researchers led by Jeremy Boyce from the University of California - Los Angeles created a computer model to accurately predict how mineral apatite would have crystallized from cooling bodies of lunar magma early in the Moon's history.
Their simulations showed that the unusually hydrogen-rich apatite crystals observed in many lunar rock samples may not have formed within a water-rich environment, as was originally expected.
This discovery has overturned the long-held assumption that the hydrogen in apatite is a good indicator of overall lunar water content.
"The mineral apatite is the most widely used method for estimating the amount of water in lunar rocks, but it cannot be trusted," said Boyce.
"Our new results show that there is not as much water in lunar magma as apatite would have us believe," said Boyce.
For decades, scientists believed the Moon was almost entirely devoid of water.
However, the discovery of hydrogen-rich apatite within lunar rocks in 2010 seemed to hint at a more watery past.
Scientists originally assumed that information obtained from a small sample of apatite could predict the original water content of a large body of magma, or even the entire Moon, but Boyce's study indicates that apatite may, in fact, be deceptive.
Boyce believes the high water content within lunar apatite results from a quirk in the crystallisation process rather than a water-rich lunar environment.
When water is present as molten rock cools, apatite can form by incorporating hydrogen atoms into its crystal structure.
However, hydrogen will be included in the newly crystallising mineral only if apatite's preferred building blocks, fluorine and chlorine, have been mostly exhausted.
Read More Here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Moon-may-not-have-much-water/articleshow/33140979.cms
Researchers led by Jeremy Boyce from the University of California - Los Angeles created a computer model to accurately predict how mineral apatite would have crystallized from cooling bodies of lunar magma early in the Moon's history.
Their simulations showed that the unusually hydrogen-rich apatite crystals observed in many lunar rock samples may not have formed within a water-rich environment, as was originally expected.
This discovery has overturned the long-held assumption that the hydrogen in apatite is a good indicator of overall lunar water content.
"The mineral apatite is the most widely used method for estimating the amount of water in lunar rocks, but it cannot be trusted," said Boyce.
"Our new results show that there is not as much water in lunar magma as apatite would have us believe," said Boyce.
For decades, scientists believed the Moon was almost entirely devoid of water.
However, the discovery of hydrogen-rich apatite within lunar rocks in 2010 seemed to hint at a more watery past.
Scientists originally assumed that information obtained from a small sample of apatite could predict the original water content of a large body of magma, or even the entire Moon, but Boyce's study indicates that apatite may, in fact, be deceptive.
Boyce believes the high water content within lunar apatite results from a quirk in the crystallisation process rather than a water-rich lunar environment.
When water is present as molten rock cools, apatite can form by incorporating hydrogen atoms into its crystal structure.
However, hydrogen will be included in the newly crystallising mineral only if apatite's preferred building blocks, fluorine and chlorine, have been mostly exhausted.
Read More Here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Moon-may-not-have-much-water/articleshow/33140979.cms
Civic body to promote rain water harvesting
AURANGABAD: The civic body on Tuesday said it would conduct regular seminars in the city to motivate people to adopt rain water harvesting. City engineer Sakhram Panzade said such seminars would encourage people to go for it and eventually increase the ground water level in the water-starved region.
The civic body has not yet finalized schedule for the seminars, but said that it would be done very soon. "We will organise it for the builders, architects, plumbers and general masses. Experts in the field will guide the participants. Besides, the AMC engineers will also elaborate on the topic and promote the concept," Panzade said.
He said the civic body is also encouraging people for rain water harvesting by way of offering special concessions in tax payment. People going for it can claim rebate of 5% on general tax, a sub-head in the civic body's property tax format.
Nearly 8,000 properties in the city have opted for rain water harvesting so far. However, sources said that very few of them have claimed the rebate. "The AMC offers only one time rebate in property tax. Moreover, it is very a small amount and hence, most of the people do not claim it," sources said.
However, Panzade said focusing on new properties alone would not yield positive results. "There are more than 1.87 lakh property owners in the city and there is need to create awareness among them," he said.
Read More Here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/Civic-body-to-promote-rain-water-harvesting/articleshow/33095514.cms
The civic body has not yet finalized schedule for the seminars, but said that it would be done very soon. "We will organise it for the builders, architects, plumbers and general masses. Experts in the field will guide the participants. Besides, the AMC engineers will also elaborate on the topic and promote the concept," Panzade said.
He said the civic body is also encouraging people for rain water harvesting by way of offering special concessions in tax payment. People going for it can claim rebate of 5% on general tax, a sub-head in the civic body's property tax format.
Nearly 8,000 properties in the city have opted for rain water harvesting so far. However, sources said that very few of them have claimed the rebate. "The AMC offers only one time rebate in property tax. Moreover, it is very a small amount and hence, most of the people do not claim it," sources said.
However, Panzade said focusing on new properties alone would not yield positive results. "There are more than 1.87 lakh property owners in the city and there is need to create awareness among them," he said.
Read More Here - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/Civic-body-to-promote-rain-water-harvesting/articleshow/33095514.cms
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