Minister NS Boseraju instructs stringent measures against unscientific silt removal in lakes
Bengaluru, Jan 11: Karnataka Minister N S Boseraju on Thursday raised concerns over "unscientific removal" of silt in lakes under the jurisdiction of the state's minor irrigation department and directed officials to immediately take stringent action to put an end to it.
The Minister for Minor Irrigation, and Science and Technology said this "indiscriminate" silt-lifting is contributing to lake suffocation, water scarcity, and financial losses to the government.
Highlighting the detrimental effects of "unscientific" silt removal, he said: "The improper extraction of silt, exceeding specified limits in some cases, not only results in financial losses to the government but also contributes to water depletion in lakes, leading to severe water shortages,".
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Boseraju also emphasised its adverse impact on groundwater levels.
The Minister instructed the Secretary of the department to issue strict directives to Superintending Engineers of all Circles and Executive Engineers of all Divisions.
"These directives aim to prompt strict legal action against any activities involving the unscientific lifting of silt, with the goal of safeguarding the state's water resources and preventing further environmental damage," he added.
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No 'bacterial infection' found in bodies of 4 Mumbai family members who died after eating watermelon
Mumbai (PTI): The initial report submitted by the microbiology department of a Mumbai-based state-run hospital has said no "bacterial infection" was detected in the bodies of four family members, who died after consuming watermelon recently, officials said on Wednesday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am (on April 26), hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
After the incident, Mumbai police, forensic experts and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials visited the house and had collected samples of every food item that constituted the family's last meal, including 'chicken pulav', watermelon, water, and other foodstuffs, and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.
After the post-mortem of the deceased, their viscera was preserved for chemical analysis.
As the probe is underway, the microbiology department of the state-run J J Hospital has submitted its initial report to the police.
"As per the report, no bacterial infection has been detected so far in the bodies of the victims. No bacteria was found in their blood," the official said.
The exact cause of the death will be known once the forensic science lab submits its report, he said.
"The report will also clarify whether any food items consumed by the family members during the day contained anything poisonous," the official said.
