Water crisis in Bengaluru might not affect three first-leg IPL matches: KSCA
Bengaluru (PTI): The acute water shortage in the city might not pose any immediate threat to the three IPL first-leg matches to be played here, as KSCA, the host association, is confident of meeting the demand for water from the in-house sewage treatment plant.
Bengaluru is reeling under a severe water crisis, the worst in the last four decades, and there have been calls from several quarters to shift the IPL games, beginning here on March 25, out of the city.
"We are facing no crisis – at the moment that is. We have received the state government pertaining to water usage and we are in constant meetings about following the guidelines," Shubendu Ghosh, the CEO of Karnataka State Cricket Association, told PTI.
The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board had issued a notice, barring the usage of potable water for any other purpose such as gardening or washing vehicles.
Ghosh exuded confidence that water from the sewage treatment plant inside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium will suffice for purposes like watering the outfield and pitch.
"We are already using water from the STP plant for watering outfield and pitch and other in-stadium purposes. We may require 10000-15000 litres of water for match purposes, and we are certain that it can be generated from the STP plant.
"We don't need to use groundwater . Yes, we are having a closer look at the government's new policy on water usage, but we are confident of meeting all the points in the order," said Ghosh.
In the first IPL match of this season, local franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Punjab Kings on March 25, and four days later they will face Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the third match at home, RCB will be up against Lucknow SuperGiants on April 2.
The officials of Royal Challengers, a pioneer in green initiatives like reviving the city's lakes, also sounded confident of conducting the matches despite the water scarcity in the city.
"We are aware of the situation and are in touch with the KSCA office-bearers. But we have another two weeks in hand before the first match here. So, we are confident of a smooth conduct of matches.
"The venue also complies with the norms of National Green Tribunal, so a system is already in place to tackle such scenarios," said an official on conditions of anonymity.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
