Page 132 - Environment
MP govt invites bids for 25 MW rooftop solar projects
Madhya Pradesh government Tuesday said it has invited bids for 25 MegaWatt (MW) rooftop solar projects for industrial units in the state. The tenders have been invited by state-owned Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) and the last day to submit financial bids is May 10, 2019. "Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) has... invited bids for 25 MW solar rooftop projects under RESCO mode for industries in Madhya Pradesh," MPUVNL said in a statement. Around 34 companies from across the country attended a meeting organised here to discuss parameters related to the projects with officials of Madhya Pradesh government, World Bank and International Solar Alliance (ISA). Around 700 industries in Mandideep industrial area near Bhopal have been identified for the project. The project is being implemented jointly with Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC), which has also provided land on lease to the industries, MPUVNL said. It further said that "MPIDC .
Maharashtra has highest number of polluted rivers in country: NGT
Maharashtra, a state with the largest economy, has the highest number of polluted river stretches in the country, the NGT has said while directing the chief secretary to submit a quarterly report on compliance with solid waste management rules. Maharashtra also has the most number of cities and towns along polluted stretches, according to a 2015 report and water samples collected from over 30 districts of the state were found to have contaminants, it said. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the state government to notify at least three major cities, towns and panchayats as "model cities/towns/villages" in every district be notified within two weeks which will be made fully compliant within next six months. "The remaining cities, towns and village panchayats in the state may be made fully compliant in respect of environmental norms within one year," the bench said on Monday. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was hearing a petition seeking compliance of
Engineers devise new method of powering hybrid heavy-duty trucks
In new research, engineers have devised a new way of powering heavy-duty truck that could drastically curb pollution, increase efficiency, and reduce or even eliminate their net greenhouse gas emissions.The study was presented at the annual SAE International conference meeting.Heavy-duty trucks used for transportation across the world are virtually all powered by diesel engines accounting for a major portion of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, but little has been done so far to curb their climate-change-inducing exhaust.According to the research, the concept involves using a plug-in hybrid engine system, in which the truck would be primarily powered by batteries, but with a spark ignition engine (instead of a diesel engine).That engine, which would allow the trucks to conveniently travel the same distances as today's conventional diesel trucks, would be a flex-fuel model that could run on pure gasoline, pure alcohol, or blends of these fuels.While the ultimate goal would be to ...
HC allows dumping of solid waste at Deonar ground till Dec 31
The Bombay High Court Tuesday permitted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to continue dumping of solid waste at Deonar ground in the eastern suburbs till December 31 this year but said it was the "last extension" being granted to the BMC. In April 2013, the high court had directed the civic body to close the dumping grounds at Deonar and Mulund within three months as the BMC did not have a plant to treat the waste at these places and did not comply with the Solid Waste Management Act. Since then, the BMC has been granted extensions from time to time to close down the two dumping sites as the corporation said it could not find alternative site in the city for a dumping ground with a solid waste plant. Hearing yet another application by the BMC seeking extension Tuesday, a division bench of Justices A S Oka and M S Sanklecha said it was granting time for the last time. "We make it clear that under no circumstances further time will be granted. Sufficient time has been already
HC seeks BMC reply on coastal road project
The Bombay High Court Tuesday directed the BMC to respond to an experts' body report stating that it had not conducted adequate surveys to study the impact of the proposed coastal road project on the fisherfolk in the city and on the marine life along the coast. A bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice NM Jamdar directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file its reply by April 23 this year. The bench was hearing a petition filed by two city-based fisherfolk associations - the Worli Koliwada Nakhwa and the Worli Machimmar Sarvodaya Sahakari Society -- raising grievances against the coastal road project that proposes to connect the Marine Drive area in the southern tip of the city to the northern suburb of Kandivali. The petitioners claimed the BMC and state authorities had not conducted any public hearing or consultations with the fisherfolk from the city before starting work on the proposed project. In their plea, they said the road once constructed, will .
Clean Ganga scheme fantastic community project: Hawaii SC judge Wilson
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a cultural faith-based perspective towards the Ganga and there will be an "Indian solution" to a clean river, says Justice Michael D Wilson of the Hawaii Supreme Court who has played a leading role in establishing a court that specialises in environmental laws in the US state. He says "Modi cares about the river" and dubbed the government's National Mission for Clean Ganga scheme as a fantastic community project. "When somebody goes into the Ganga, they are not just getting wet. They are getting inspired. It's a fantastic community project. Ganga has not been abandoned despite all the poisoning, people still revere it. So I think it will be cleaned up. There will be an Indian solution which will have an epic approach," Justice Wilson told PTI in an interaction. "This is a culture which believes in longevity - a commitment that is reflected in over 2000 years of culture and faith. People of India are committed to changing the present trend of global ...
Hong Kong admits world's largest air purifier choked on debut
Red-faced Hong Kong officials admitted on Tuesday that a record-breaking air filter for a new bypass under the city broke down shortly after it began operating. Hong Kong opened a long-awaited $4.6 billion tunnel under a 3.7 kilometre (2.3 mile) long section of the main island in late February with much fanfare. The bypass was greeted by traffic-weary residents with relief and heralded as a technological marvel because of its state-of-the-art air filter system. The government said it would remove at least 80 percent of harmful particulates and nitrogen dioxide using large fans which suck exhaust into air purification plants in three ventilation buildings along the tunnel. It was touted as the largest of its kind in the world in terms of volume of air handled -- 5.4 million cubic metres of vehicle exhaust every hour. But on Tuesday the Highways Department released a statement saying the system's eye-catching eastern filter -- a lemon-squeezer shaped tower which stands on the city's ...
Guj officials in Punjab to ensure safe return of fishermen
The Gujarat fisheries commissioner has sent five officials to Punjab to make arrangements for the safe return of 100 fishermen released by Pakistan, an official said on Tuesday. On Monday, the fishermen crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah border after the Pakistan government released them from jail as a goodwill gesture. All of them entered India on the basis of 'emergency travel certificate' issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, officials earlier said. The fishermen were arrested when their boats strayed into the Pakistani waters in the Arabian sea off Jakhau coast in Gujarat's Kutch district. Guajrat fisheries deputy director K R Patni that PTI that five officials from the state left for Punjab on Monday to taken custody of the fishermen. He said the fishermen are expected to board a Mumbai-bound from Amritsar in Punjab on Wednesday and reach Vadodara in Gujarat on Thursday night. The fishermen would then be taken to Veraval in the state's Gir ..
Germany begins 'largest' return of Aborigine remains
A German museum handed over the remains of an Aboriginal ancestral king to Australia Tuesday in the first of three such ceremonies across Germany this month in what Canberra called a record return. The Australian ambassador to Germany, Lynette Wood, and elder Gudju Gudju Fourmile of the Yidinji people received the skeletal remains at Munich's Five Continents museum. They had been in German possession since 1889. Skulls and bones from Australia's native peoples were removed by scientists in the late 19th and early 20th century and taken to museums, universities and collections in Australia and around the world. There they were subjected to "research" purporting to explain human biological variety. In a statement, Australia's Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield welcomed the planned repatriation of a total of 53 Australian indigenous remains from Germany in April, saying it would be "the largest number of ancestors returned from Germany to date". A further ceremony is .
Air temperatures behind Arctic climate change
Increasing air temperatures and precipitation are the drivers of major climate changes seen in the Arctic region, says a new study.
Hulladek and JUSCO collaborate to e-clean Jamshedpur
Hulladek Recycling Pvt Ltd, a major in e-waste management and recycling company in the Eastern Region of India has announced a successful collaboration with JUSCO (Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company) a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, Jamshedpur to kindle a change in the existing waste management sector of India.This collaboration is expected to bring about new dimensions to the awareness generation among people in Jamshedpur and nearby areas. Hulladek has been doing quite good in the e-waste management sectors by collaborating with many public and private organisations like Frontech, Oscar, Spencers, INOX, DLF, Shapoorji Pallonji, South City and many more. JUSCO is responsible for the management, construction, operation and maintenance of township and utilities of Jamshedpur.Hulladek has successfully collected and recycled over 3.5 lakhs tonnes of e-waste in 2018-19 alone. This is a huge share of the e-waste produced in India which stands 5th in the global e-waste ...
Four TN fishermen arrested by SL Navy for fishing off
Four Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing near Neduntheevu in their territorial waters early Tuesday and taken to the island nation, a fishermen association leader said. Around 3,000 fishermen from this island town had put out to sea Monday and were catching fish off Neduntheevu early this morning when Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot and damaged the fishing nets of 50 boats, took away GPS equipment before chasing away all the fishermen, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President, P Sesuraja alleged. The Lankan authorities arrested four fishermen and took them to Kangesanthurai port along with their boat, he said adding all the others were forced to return to the shore without a catch. On April 5, 18 fishermen from Kilinjal Medu village near Karaikal were arrested when they were fishing near Paruthithurai in the island nation.
New 'biosignature' to track remains of ancient life on Earth
Scientists have discovered a new 'biosignature' to track the remains of ancient life preserved in rocks, which are significantly altered over billions of years and could help identify life elsewhere in the solar system. The finding can help scientists to track records of life on Earth in highly metamorphosed rocks over 3,700 million years old, with organic material often turning into the carbon-based mineral graphite, said researchers from University College London (UCL) in the UK. In the first study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the team analysed ten rock samples of banded iron formations (BIF) from Canada, India, China, Finland, US and Greenland spanning over 2,000 million years of history. They noted that carbon preserved in graphite-like crystals --'graphitic carbon' -- located alongside minerals such as apatite, which our teeth and bones are made of, and carbonate, are the biosignatures of the oldest life forms on Earth. "Life on Earth is all ...
Woolly mammoths, Neanderthals shared genetic traits: Study
The ancient woolly mammoths and Neanderthals shared similar genetic traits, according to study which may help explain how the two extinct mammals adapted to the cold environments. Woolly were elephant-like animals that evolved in the arctic peninsula of Eurasia around 600,000 years ago, while Neanderthals were highly skilled early humans who evolved in Europe around 400,000 years ago. The research attributes the human-elephant relationship during the Pleistocene epoch to their mutual ecology and shared living environments, in addition to other possible interactions between the two species. "Neanderthals and mammoths lived together in Europe during the Ice Age. The evidence suggests that Neanderthals hunted and ate mammoths for tens of thousands of years and were actually physically dependent on calories extracted from mammoths for their successful adaptation," said Ran Barkai, from Tel Aviv University in the US. "Neanderthals depended on mammoths for their very existence," Barkai said
Adani wins govt's approval for groundwater management plans for Aus coal mine
Indian energy giant Adani has taken a step closer to the construction of its controversial coal mine in Australia after the federal government gave a green light to the billion dollar project's groundwater management plans. Adani group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north. The massive coal mine in Queensland state has been a controversial topic, with the project expected to produce 2.3 billion tonnes of low-quality coal. In addition to its impact on climate change, environmentalists have argued the mine could do serious damage to Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Another major concern about the environmental impacts of the proposed mine has been that it would wipe out the most important habitat of the threatened black-throated finch Environmental minister Melissa Price on Tuesday announced that she had approved the groundwater management ...
Landmark Papua New Guinea natural gas deal signed
Papua New Guinea has agreed terms for a new multi-billion dollar natural gas project with Total, ExxonMobil and Oil Search that would double energy production and boost exports from the poor Pacific nation. Announcing the deal Tuesday, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill vowed the much-needed investment of nearly $13 billion would benefit local communities which have complained bitterly of missing out on earlier projects. "We will be developing this project for the country," O'Neill said at a ceremony in Port Moresby that capped nearly 12 months of negotiations marked by wrangling over land ownership. "This is a significant boost to our economy," he said. One of Asia's most impoverished nations, Papua New Guinea is rich in natural resources including large gas fields. Total said the proposed project -- which includes gas fields, a pipeline and new liquefaction units at a facility west of Port Moresby -- put Papua New Guinea in a prime location to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the ...
London becomes first city to implement 24x7 pollution charge zone
London on Monday (local time) became the first city in the world to implement a special Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) that would charge an entry fee for older vehicles if they do not meet the emission standards.In an attempt to reduce air pollution and protect public health, the ULEZ will be operational for 24 hours and seven days a week, according to a statement by London mayor Sadiq Khan's office.Motorists who drive into the zone in a vehicle that does not meet the new emission standard (petrol-run vehicles that do not meet Euro 4 standards and diesel-run vehicles that do not meet Euro 6) will have to pay a daily charge.Petrol-run vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emission standards will have a charge of PS12.50 a day for cars, vans and motorbikes and PS100 a day for lorries, buses and coaches, the statement said.Drivers can also check whether their vehicle meets the emission standards of the zone by using an online tool provided by Transport for London, it added."Polluting ...
London becomes first city to use pollution charge zone
London is the first city in the world to implement a 24-hour, seven day a week Ultra Low Emission Zone, inside which vehicles will have to meet tough emissions standards or face a charge, media reported.
Three labourers trapped inside pit, rescued
Three labourers were trapped inside a 12-feet deep pit while trying to install a cable wire in Gurgaon Sector-8, following which they were safely rescued, a police official said Monday. The incident took place near a private hospital when the labourers - Rahul (19), Rinku (20) and Rupesh (30) - were installing the electric cable wire inside the pit behind a hospital wall, the officer said. The victims were trapped inside the pit due to landslide while using an earth mover. They were timely given oxygen by doctors of the hospital until they were pulled out by police personnel by removing debris, Aman Yadav ACP Sadar said. The condition of the victims is stable and they are undergoing treatment at a hospital, he said.
This tech can turn old clothes into fresh fabric
In a step towards environment conservation, a Finnish company has come up with technology that can create fabric from old clothing, agricultural waste, and even trees.Spinnova, based in Jyvaskyla, Finland, built a technology that creates fibre from cellulose, without the environmental challenges of older materials, Fast Company reported.The company set up its pilot factory in later 2018 where patented machines grind up wood pulp and agricultural waste into tiny fibres that can be spun into wool and then made into fabric for clothing. This has advantages over virgin cotton that requires large amounts of water to grow, and the use of pesticides as well.Spinnova says that the process consumes less water than cotton because it uses trees that don't need irrigation as they grow. It doesn't even use harmful chemicals to break down the tough fibers.The company is beginning first with wood pulp but it has experimented with multiple other sources of fiber such as carrot peels and cotton ...
