Page 141 - Environment
Will employ rural youth to improve environment: Rahul
Amid growing concerns over pollution in cities and falling level of groundwater, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said India needs restoration of its water bodies and afforestation, and his party will employ lakhs of rural youth for the purpose, if voted to power.
Earth Hour: Power discoms save 258 MW in Delhi
The power distribution companies in the national capital saved 258 megawatt (MW) of electricity during sixty minutes of the Earth Hour observed on Saturday night. Government and private institutions as well as people kept their electric appliances switched off during the Earth Hour observed from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. The two BSES discoms managed to save 161 MW power during the hour, said a BSES spokesperson. The BSES Rajdhani Power Limited saved 92 MW while the BSES Yamuna Power Limited saved 69 MW electricity during the Earth Hour, he said. The two discoms supply power to major portion of the city. The Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited(TPDDL) supplying to North and north-west Delhi areas saved 98 MW electricity during Earth Hour, a company spokesperson said. "Lakhs of consumers and Several RWAs in our area joined us in the campaign and switched off lights during the Hour which resulted in a saving of 98 MW. I thank them for their participation in this global combat climate change ..
ISRO to launch PSLV-C45 on April 1
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the PSLV-C45 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on April 1."An evening in Sriharikota! All set for the launch of #PSLVC45 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on April 1 at 09:30 am. On board EMISAT and 28 foreign satellites. Our updates will continue," read a post on the official Twitter handle of ISRO.India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C44) was launched on January 24.PSLV-C44 successfully injected Microsat-R andKalamsat-V2 satellites into their designated orbits.
'Prepare plan to provide irrigation to max possible area'
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Saturday asked officials to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide irrigation facilities to the maximum possible area in under construction projects. Rao, who held a meeting with officials on the progress of the Kaleswaram irrigation project work, told them to hold a workshop for preparing the plan. He directed that tanks be filled with Godavari river water in the coming rainy season as construction of barrages and pump houses (which are part of Kaleswaram project) would be completed this summer, a release from Raos office said.
Cell phone 'Tower of Babel' highlights China e-waste problem
A Chinese artist on Saturday unveiled a sculpture made of discarded mobile phones and shaped like a cell tower in a bid to highlight the problem of electronic waste. The phones were rigged to a metal frame and synchronised so their screens would flash in various colours. "The inspiration of my tower comes from the Tower of Babel in the Bible," artist Shen Bolun told AFP, referring to the origin story explaining why people speak different languages. Displayed in a busy shopping mall in Beijing, the sculpture attracted scores of curious bystanders who stopped to take photos of the exhibit. "I originally thought environmental protection is waste sorting, but I didn't realise cellphones could be recycled and used again," said primary school student Li Jiaxing, who was viewing the artwork with his mother. "After seeing this tower, I decided to donate my old cellphone here to make use of its remaining value." China's waste from computers, mobile phones, and other electronics will reach 15.4
TN govt has taken steps for water resource management:CM
The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has taken extensive steps for water resource conservation and management across the State, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said Saturday. Addressing an election meeting, he said the government has accorded top priority for the welfare of farmers and desiltation works had been taken up at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore in delta districts. Palaniswami said a special team headed by four experts has been set up to identify places where check dams have to be constructed with a view to preventing rain water from flowing into the sea during the monsoonseason. "Our government has taken extensive steps for conservation and management of water resources. We are determined to implement a new combined water scheme for this area," he said while campaigning for the party's candidate from Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha constituency S Asaimani. Travelling between Sirkazhi and Mayiladuthurai, the chief minister stopped his campaign vehicle near paddy fields at a ..
Chinese cities switch off lights to mark Earth Hour
At 8:30 p.m. sharp (Beijing time), lights on major landmarks as well as in houses were turned off in several cities across China in commemoration of "Earth Hour" on Saturday.
Human chain formed to protest tree-cutting for Mumbai Metro
Environmental activists formed a human chain at Marine Drive in south Mumbai Saturday to protest tree-cutting in the city for the ongoing Metro rail construction. They also demanded that political parties include environmental issues in their manifestos for the Lok Sabha elections. "This chain is the city's way of declaring that its citizens will not vote for any party that does not address environmental concerns in its manifesto for Lok Sabha elections," said Amrita Bhattacharjee, a senior member of the Arey Conservation Group (ACG). Wildlife conservation activists, students and representatives of those displaced because of various development projects were among those who took part in the chain which extended for almost a kilometre. "We want to save the only green lungs of the city," Bhattacharjee said, referring to Arey Colony in north Mumbai. "And why only Mumbai city, environment-related issues in the entire country should be addressed with a top priority," ...
President Kovind inaugurates plaque of Gandhi Hall at Gabriel Rene Moreno University
President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday unveiled the plaque of the Mahatma Gandhi Auditorium at Gabriel Rene Moreno University here to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the leader, who in India is regarded as the "Father of the Nation."Addressing the gathering, President Kovind said: "Mahatma Gandhi is not merely a great figure from our past. He is a guide for our today and a beacon for our tomorrow.""Father of India honoured in #Bolivia! To commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, an auditorium in the Autonomous University of Gabriel Rene Moreno in Santa Cruz was named after him during President of India's address to student community there!" Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted."Gandhiji remains extremely relevant to 21st-century global concerns. In his advocacy of sustainability, ecological sensitivity and living in harmony with nature, he anticipated some of the pressing challenges of our times. The Sustainable Development
Lights out in Sydney for Earth Hour conservation campaign
The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge were plunged into darkness for an hour Saturday to raise awareness about climate change and its impact on the planet's vanishing biodiversity. The 13th edition of Earth Hour, organised by the green group WWF, will see millions of people across 180 countries turn off their lights at 8:30 pm local time to highlight energy use and the need for conservation. "We are the first generation to know we are destroying the world. And we could be the last that can do anything about it," the charity said. "We have the solutions, we just need our voices to be heard." WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O'Gorman told AFP that "Earth hour still is the world's largest grassroots movement for people to take action on climate change". "It's about individuals taking personal action but joining with hundreds of millions of people around the world to show that not only do we need urgent action on climate change but we need to be protecting our planet," he added. Dozens ..
GAIL, BHEL tie up for development of solar power projects
Maharatna public sector units GAIL India Ltd and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the development of solar power projects.This will help them leverage their competitive strengths to build a substantial portfolio of solar power projects in line with India's intended nationally determined contributions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.India has set a target to achieve 100 GW of solar power by 2022 so that all citizens can have round-the-clock access to uninterrupted electricity.The MoU is aimed at building a closer strategic partnership between the two state-owned companies for jointly pursuing commercial solar power projects through participation in tariff and viability gap funding based competitive bidding process.GAIL will be the project developer and BHEL will act as an engineering, procurement, construction and project management contractor. BHEL will also provide operation and ...
Tharoor's "squeamish" tweet kicks of controversy
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor found himself on a sticky wicket Saturday as his tweet following a visit to the fish market here kicked up a row, with the ruling CPI(M) and BJP alleging he had insulted the fishermen community and demanded an apology. The former Union minister, who is trying to score a hat-trick from the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, had visited a fish market in the state capital recently and spoken to the women selling fish there and had also posted some pictures of his visit. "Found a lot of enthusiasm at the fish market, even for a squeamish, vegetarian MP," Tharoor had later tweeted. As controversy erupted over the use of the word "squeamish", Tharoor in another tweet quoted the meaning of the word from an online English-Malayalam dictionary "For those Malayali leftist politicians who are currently having difficulty understanding my English"! In another tweet, Tharoor wrote "order delivered" and put its word by word Malayalam translation as ...
Two Japanese students drown at Australia tourist hot spot
Two 16-year-old Japanese students have drowned while on a school tour at a popular tourist island in eastern Australia, police said Saturday. Emergency services launched a search and rescue operation near Lake Mackenzie on World Heritage-listed Fraser Island off the Queensland state coast late Friday after the boys were reported missing. Police located the bodies in the water early Saturday morning. "This is a tragic event, there is no doubt about that," police inspector Tony Clowes told reporters Saturday. Clowes said there was nothing to immediately indicate suspicious circumstances surrounding the drowning, but said more would be known as they prepare a coroners report. The public need to be aware of their swimming abilities before entering Australian waters, Clowes added. "Be aware that if you are entering water there is some inherent risk with entering waterways in this country," he said Clowes said families of the boys have been notified and authorities were working with the ...
Two Japanese students drown at Australia tourist hot spot
Two 16-year-old Japanese students have drowned while on a school tour at a popular tourist island in eastern Australia, police said Saturday. Emergency services launched a search and rescue operation near Lake Mackenzie on World Heritage-listed Fraser Island off the Queensland state coast late Friday after the boys were reported missing. Police located the bodies in the water early Saturday morning. "This is a tragic event, there is no doubt about that," police inspector Tony Clowes told reporters Saturday. Clowes said there was nothing to immediately indicate suspicious circumstances surrounding the drowning, but said more would be known as they prepare a coroners report. The public need to be aware of their swimming abilities before entering Australian waters, Clowes added. "Be aware that if you are entering water there is some inherent risk with entering waterways in this country," he said Clowes said families of the boys have been notified and authorities were working with the ...
SLDC cannot curtail renewable power at convenience, says TNERC
In a significant move for the energy sector, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has stated that State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) cannot curtail renewable power at their convenience, adding that backing down of the "Must Run Status" power shall be resorted to only after exhausting all other possible means of achieving and ensuring grid stability and reliable power supply.TNERC outlined these findings after noting the submissions of the petitioner and respondents in a petition filed regarding stopping of issuance of backing down or curtailment instructions to solar projects as the backing down is causing huge losses to the solar developers almost on daily basis."The backing down data furnished by the petitioners has not been disputed by the respondents. However, they were not able to explain the reason prevailing at each time of backing down beyond the general statements. It gives rise to a suspicion that the backing down instructions were not solely for the ...
Trump signs permit for oil pipeline from Canada
US President Donald Trump has signed a permit for the construction of TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL oil pipeline, allowing the long-delayed project to move forward despite environmental concerns.
Amethi farmers new 'chowkidars' courtesy stray cattle menace (Photo Feature)
It's 8 p.m. and Kushi Ram, a resident of Baraulia village, is preparing to go to go to save his farm from the menace of the stray cattle that damage his crops.
Stranded baby elephants rescued by Thai rangers
Six baby elephants separated from their parents and trapped in a muddy pit for days have been rescued by park rangers in rural Thailand, officials said Saturday. Patrolling rangers chanced upon the struggling herd in a national park east of Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon, park superintendent Prawatsart Chantheap told AFP. Once the rangers realised the calves, aged between one and four years old, could not climb out of the dirty watering hole, some left the forest to bring back digging tools while others stayed overnight to keep watch over the frightened creatures. "Our team arrived with hoes (on Thursday morning)... and we began to dig around the rim (of the mud pit) to make it less steep," he said. After three hours of digging to build a makeshift ramp, the mud-covered babies managed to stumble out of the pit one-by-one as the rangers cheered them on. "Go, go, follow each other!" the rangers yelled in a video recorded by the national parks department. "Go, children, go!" Prawatsart ..
Artist builds wall of cheese on US-Mexico border
A Canadian artist is building a wall of cheese near the border that separates the US and Mexico in Tecate, California, as a way of denouncing the "waste" represented by the barrier that American President Donald Trump wants to construct.
UP village threatens to boycott LS polls over demand for bridge
The residents of a village in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district have threatened to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections over the authorities not paying heed to their demand to construct a bridge over Solani river. The decision was taken at a panchayat meeting in Yogender Nagar village. A villager, Pratap Singh, said since the village is located near the river, residents face problems in getting across. These problems are aggravated during the monsoon season, he added.
