Aug 13: Karnataka records 1,329 new COVID-19 cases, five deaths
Bengaluru, Aug 13: Karnataka on Saturday reported 1,329 fresh COVID-19 cases and five deaths, taking the total infections and fatalities in the state to 40,29,446 and 40,144 respectively, the health department said.
The department said in its daily COVID bulletin that 1,614 people were discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 39,79,155 till date. Active cases stood at 10,105.
Bengaluru urban district alone contributed 791 fresh.
There were 55 fresh cases in Hassan, 50 in Ballari, 46 in Raichur, 38 each in Dharwad and Mysuru, and 30 in Davangere.
Dharwad reported two deaths while Ballari, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga had one death each while 27 districts had zero fatalities. Bidar had zero infections and no fatality on Sunday.
The positivity rate for the day was 4.26 per cent, the department said.
As many as 31,154 tests were conducted, those included 22,967 RT-PCR tests. The total tests done is 6.82 crore till date.
There were 47,299 inoculations, taking the total vaccination tally to 11.73 crore so far, the department said.
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11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
