VARANASI, Aug. 11 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has approved the construction of intake wells and the drawing of raw water from dams and rivers to ensure adequate supply of drinking water to the public in Sonbhadra district, officials said. Water will be drawn from rivers and dams, treated, and then supplied to further strengthen the drinking water supply in Sonbhadra's urban areas. Once completed, these projects will bolster the drinking water supply in urban areas-including Renukoot, Anpara, Obra, Pipri, and Sonbhadra town-and ensure a permanent solution to the water crisis. Intake wells are heavy concrete structures built in or near a surface water source like a river, lake or reservoir to safely collect and store raw water before pumping it to a treatment plant. Giving this information, Sonbhadra district magistrate Charchit Gaur said the government has approved drawing raw water from the Rihand, Dhanraul, and Obra dams and the Renu river as well as constructing intake wells for these drinking water projects. He further said under these projects, the construction of essential infrastructure-such as intake wells, pipelines, and pumping stations-will be executed by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Urban). The DM said water will be drawn solely from the 'live storage' of the dams and extraction beyond the prescribed limits will not be permitted. The intake wells will be constructed outside flood-prone and erosion-prone zones and the structures will be designed with due regard for river erosion patterns and safety standards. Gaur emphasised that providing clean, adequate and uninterrupted drinking water to the district's residents is a government priority. The completion of these projects under AMRUT 2.0 will bring substantial improvement in the urban drinking water supply system. Twelve Kanwariyas were injured, three of them seriously, after a pickup truck carrying them back from Baba Ghuisarnath Dham overturned near Dabhiyar in the Sangipur area on Monday morning. Police said that while overtaking another DJ-equipped vehicle near Dabhiyar, the rear portion of the pickup struck a roadside tree leaning over the road. The impact caused the driver to lose control, and the vehicle overturned, throwing passengers onto the road. Hearing the cries for help, local residents rushed to the scene and assisted in rescuing the injured. The victims were taken to the Lalganj Trauma Centre for treatment. Senior police and administrative officials, including ASP (West) Brijnandan Rai, SDM Vachaspati Singh, CO Rajiv Dwivedi, and Lalganj SHO Alok Kumar, visited the trauma centre to enquire about the injured pilgrims' condition. Doctors referred three injured including Sanu, Himanshu Kumar, and Shivam Nirmal to the Medical College after their condition was found to be critical. The remaining injured pilgrims were discharged after receiving treatment....