The all-time record in the city for March is 37.3 degrees Celsius.
However, weathermen clarified the temperature was 34 degrees Celsius and it was quite normal at this time of the year.
But in isolated areas, the variation from the normal weather could be 3-4 degrees.” Asked why even though there is no big variation in the normal temperature, Bengalureans have started to feel the heat, Reddy said, “As night temperatures are still low, evenings and nights are pleasant.
Weather will be pleasant till 8 am and after that people start feeling the heat as the weather is transiting from winter to summer.” The all-time record in the city for March is 37.3 degrees Celsius.
Looking at the prevailing weather system, temperatures in the city may not cross 36 degrees, Reddy said.
He said if high temperature continues it will lead to the formation of conducive currents and bring rain and thereby bring down mercury.
Reddy said, “As the city and some parts of the state witnessed heavy rains between August and October last year, there will be water available for the birds, livestock and plants.” No water crisis this summer: Mayor There will be no water scarcity this summer, said Mayor Sampath Raj, who visited the Ground Level Reservoir at High Grounds along with BWSSB officials.
After the inspection and discussion with BWSSB officials, he said, "BWSSB is ready with its contingency plan to handle the drinking water needs in the city and as a part of its plan it has already kept 68 water tankers ready to supply water to the areas which could experience scarcity.
And this will be monitored by a senior official of the water board by carrying out inspections across the city.” He said BWSSB staff will be deputed at the BBMP control rooms and will be tasked with the job of handling and resolving water related complaints recorded by BBMP control room.
If you have any water related issue you can call BWSSB’s 24X7 helpline 1916 or 080-2223888.

BENGALURU: The National Human Rights Commission has taken up a suo motu case over the death of five people due acute gastroenteritis at Maidolalu village in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district.
It has issued a notice to the Karnataka Chief Secretary ordering the state to submit a detailed report on the matter within four weeks.
Thirty five others were also hospitalised in the case.
The commission also said this is a serious issue of violation of the right to life and health of the victims as drinking water is a basic amenity and the state is bound to ensure its uncontaminated supply.
Already, District Health Officer Dr Hanumanthappa has confirmed with Express that seven out of 10 samples taken from one area in the village turned out to be positive for gastroenteritis infection.
There is significant presence of faecal matter in the contaminated water that was supplied to the villagers.
DC M Lokesh said the families of the victims will be given `2 lakh as compensation.

Drought-hit Karnataka forcing farmers to switch from paddy to ragi.
Bengaluru: Following a lukewarm response to its promotional efforts, Karnataka has resorted to more forceful measures to get farmers in the Cauvery command area to switch from cultivating water-intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane to drought-tolerant millets as part of a plan to stabilize farmers’ incomes and manage the water scarcity.
Staring at its fourth consecutive drought year, the state government has stopped the sale of paddy seeds in some districts, including Mandya, and restricted their availability in Mysuru and Chamrajnagar, hoping to get farmers to switch to ragi and jowar among other coarse grains to mitigate the imminent loss of agricultural activity, keep fodder reserves going and shield farmers’ incomes.
We want them to take up a crop, but not paddy and sugarcane,” Krishna Byre Gowda, Karnataka’s agriculture minister said in an interview last week.
The limited availability of paddy seeds through the government and advisories against sowing paddy do not necessarily prevent the farmer who can get the seeds from private companies or his peers.
And farmers in the Cauvery command area, the heartland of farmer agitations in Karnataka, are not happy with the government regulating the release of water to canals.
The state says it will give Rs2,300 per quintal, but it costs more to cultivate it,” Shantakumar said.
The state government, for a few years now, have assured ragi buyback at prices higher than that of rice, but have still not made it part of the public distribution system (PDS).
The state government has invested over Rs150 crore in seed subsidies, buybacks and promotions to package ragi as not just a drought resistant crop helping farmers but also a nutritional crop.
But the total cultivated area of ragi has come down over the years—from about 787,000 hectares in 2010-11 to 677,000 ha in 2015-16.

Cauvery and Kabini river water fit to drink;says study.
Prime News, Karnataka, Mysuru, July 5: – The water from the Cauvery and Kabini rivers is fit to drink, declares various government agencies which studied the water for different parameters.
The two major rivers in Mysuru district which supply water to Mysuru and Bengaluru got thumbs up from the agencies which conducted a study to access the quality of water for drinking purpose.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) in association with Central Pollution Control Boards studied the two river water on April and May 2017.
According to KSPCB the water samples Of19 Rivers tested across the state.
The water samples were analysed for 28 parameters, which include 9 core parameters, 19 Physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters along with field observations.
Eight trace metals and 15 pesticides analysed once in a year to check the water quality.
The report brings many cheers to the people who depend on Cauvery and Kabana river water for drinking and other purposes.
-(NAV, Inputs; Agencies)

Women take southern India’s drought into their own hands – one shovel at a time.
Sowbhagyamma is one of dozens of women working under the scorching sun every day to clear weeds, mud, and pebbles from a 6.5-acre plot in the Mandya District of southern Karnataka state, India.
Three thousand women are enrolled in the effort to revive lakes, ponds, and irrigation tanks in 31 villages across the district – crucial work in a region facing drought for the third year in a row, the worst in decades.
‘We have to do something and do it fast’ The women in Mandya decided to revive age-old methods of water storage, like desilting lakes and ponds, to replenish groundwater and ensure water for irrigation.
On any given day, about 30 women take to the waterbeds, now dry, using spades and shovels to dig up silt and mud.
But soon, people saw the value of what the 67-year-old woman was doing.
“But, we insisted that they should pay for work related to water bodies.
Their next fight was to get the authorities to pay them on time – which some women say continues to be a battle.
Women’s work?
“Instead of working on water bodies which help in the irrigation of lands, they should first work on those tanks that provide drinking water,” so women do not have to walk as many miles to fetch water, he says.

Karnataka bandh: Farm loan waiver, Mahadayi river dispute, drinking water crisis, lead to state wide shutdown.
Moreover, the outfits have been demanding for the exile of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti activists from the state for their alleged ‘anti Kannada’ activities in Belagavi.
Visuals from Bengaluru: Pro-Kannada organisations call for statewide shutdown over Mahadayi river dispute & drinking water crisis #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/SH25hfHi5x — ANI (@ANI_news) June 12, 2017 According to Vatal Nagaraj, who heads Kannada Okoota, the bandh has been called in order to protest against Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the Mekedatu project across the river Cauvery apart from the proposal to privatise BEML.
However, state intelligence bureau believes the bandh to be a low-key affair.
ALSO READ: Southern states shut hotels, chemist shops to protest GST rates Schools will remain open Government schools and colleges are set to remain open on Monday, whereas some private ones have decided to declare a holiday keeping in mind students’ safety.
Some private schools have also appealed to the government to enhance security or aid schools in districts where violence is expected.
The fourth-semester postgraduate exams of Bengaluru University have been postponed.
The officials of BMRCL have said that the Namma metro will be operational.
The radio cab services will also be operational, say officials of Bangalore Tourist Taxi Operators’ Association.
Police inspectors have been asked to be on patrol duty on Monday.

A statewide bandh has been called in Kannada on Monday by two groups with a long list of demands, but many public services are expected to run as usual.
Buses run by the state, including KSRTC and BMTC, will continue to ply, as will taxis and the Bengaluru metro.
Most shops, businesses, schools and colleges will stay open, though some have declared holidays for precautionary reasons.
Petrol pumps will operate at their full capacity, even as the Bengaluru Petroleum Dealers’ Association has declared “moral support” to the protestors”.
Security has been stepped up around the state’s major cities.
They are expected to hold a protest march in Bengaluru’s Freedom Park.
Among their demands are farm loan waivers and water scarcity in the state’s driest areas.
They want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the dispute on the sharing of water from the Mahadayi river between Goa and Karnataka.
They have also raised concern about Tamil Nadu opposing the Mekedatu project on the Cauvery river and want Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti members sent out of Karnataka for “anti-Kannada activities”, The Indian Express reported.
Additionally, some traffic restrictions are expected to apply in Bengaluru as Vice President Hamid Ansari and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi arrive in the city for the official relaunch of the National Herald newspaper.

Loan waiver, water issues: Pro-Kannada units call for Bandh in Karnataka on June 12.
Bengaluru: To push for a variety of demands including farm loan waiver, Prime Minister’s intervention in the Mahadayi river water dispute and a permanent solution to the problem of water scarcity in arid areas, pro-Kannada bodies have called for a Karnataka bandh on June 12.
‘Kannada Okoota’, an umbrella organisation of Kannada bodies, has called for a dawn to dusk bandh.
Their charter of demands include exile of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) activists from the state for their alleged ‘anti Kannada’ activities in Belagavi and farm loan waiver.
Read: Agrarian distress: 5 farmers commit suicide in 3 days across states Vatal Nagaraj, who heads Kannada Okoota, said in a statement that the bandh is also against Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the Mekedatu project across the river Cauvery and proposal to privatise BEML.
Kannada Okoota, which claimed support from several like- minded organisations, said Nagraj would meet office bearers of Karnataka Employers’ Association on Sunday to seek their support for the bandh.
The Karnataka government has locked horns with the neighbouring Goa on the larger issue of sharing the Mahadayi River water between both the states.
Read: Announce a ‘complete farm loan waiver’: Shiv Sena to BJP The Kalasa-Banduri project is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag.
The Mahadayi tribunal has asked the states to resolve the issue out of court settlement through negotiations, with or without third party intervention.
(With inputs from PTI)

Pro-Kannada groups declare Karnataka Bandh on June 12 over farm loan waiver, water issues.
A grouping of pro-Kannada outfits have called for a 12-hour bandh, or shutdown, across Karnataka on Monday, June 12.
They have said they are looking for loan waiver for farmers — an already-burning issue in Madhya Pradesh — and solution to the water problems in the state, including the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one water project.
The bandh has been called by the Kannada Okoota — an umbrella grouping of pro-Kannada bodies led by Vatal Nagaraj.
These include disputes with neighbouring states over the waters of the Cauvery and Mahadayi rivers, as well as the Mekedatu project over the Cauvery.
The Cauvery issue has the state fighting for the waters of the river with Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court has weighed in heavily on it from time to time, with most decisions going against Karnataka.
According to a PTI report, Nagaraj is now planning to "meet the office-bearers of Karnataka Employers Association" on Sunday to "seek their support" for the bandh.
If they join hands, there is every chance that the dawn-to-dusk bandh will be a total success, even as it inconveniences many people.
Water scarcity has also affected the interiors of Karnataka, with several districts considered water-stressed.

Bengaluru’s shame: Bommanahalli most polluted.
Bengaluru: The Bommanahalli Industrial area in city is one of most polluted places in the country, according to a study commissioned by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Bommasandra and Jigani industrial areas in East Bengaluru are also among the most polluted areas in the city.
There are a number of stone cutting and polishing units, which spew stone dust and stone waste is dumped in vacant lands.
According to the study Karnataka with 24 contaminated sites stood fourth in the country, behind Odisha (31), West Bengal (36) and Uttar Pradesh (41).
There are 320 contaminated sites in the country.
The report, funded by the World Bank, is prepared by a consortium consisting of consulting group COWI as lead partner in association with voluntary organization KADAM, with engineering firms Witteveen+Bos and Tauw as sub-consultants.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has confirmed the nine of the 24 sites were contaminated, and is examining the remaining 15.
As for Bommasandra Industrial Area, KSPCB officials admitted that there was contamination of electroplating waste, with stone polishing slurry, but was only one per cent.
KSPCB said the waste would be dried and sent to TSDF (Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility) in Bengaluru.