Page 160 - Environment
Encouraging to see India's innovation to tackle pollution: UN Environment acting chief (IANS Interview)
It's encouraging to see innovation -- a key to tackling pollution -- coming from all corners, especially developing countries like India, UN Environment acting Executive Director Joyce Msuya has said.
Ashoka Buildcon update on NHAI road project in Jharkhand
The accepted Bid Project Cost is Rs.860.10 crore. The construction period of the Project is 730 days from an Appointed Date and operation period is 15 years from COD.
MEIL in 'Limca' Records for the Fastest Execution of Power Sub Station
/ -- Infrastructure giant Megha Engineering Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) has received extraordinary excellence of winning a place in 'Limca Book of National Records' and Asia book of Records for its outstanding achievement of completing Power Sub Station in a record time of 7 months. It could complete the project 5 months ahead of the scheduled deadline fulfilling all the quality parameters. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), for which this project was built, has appreciated MEIL performance and awarded 'Best Debutant Award' with a Memento and Citation also. Earlier, MEIL also placed in Limca Book of Records for completing prestigious Pattiseema Lift Irrigation project in record time. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/833409/MEIL_PowerGrid_Sub_Station.jpg ) Construction work for 400/220 KV Power Sub Station at NP Kunta was started on 25th September 2015 and completed on 25th April 2016. "Normally it will take 15-18 months for executing such projects, but MEIL ...
World leaders to step up Paris climate goals
A total of 4,700 heads of state, business leaders, senior UN officials and civil society representatives, who are gathering in this Kenyan city for a five-day meeting of the world's top body on the environment, will take bold decisions that move global societies to a more sustainable path.
Hindi heartland states to see staggered polls
The Hindi heartland, where the BJP had done well in the 2014 elections and where the strikes on a terror training camp in Pakistan are seen to have a lot of resonance, will largely have a staggered Lok Sabha election across several phases or will go the polls in the last phases.
Delhi govt floats global tenders for 375 e-buses
The Delhi government has issued global tenders for engagement of 375 of the 1,000 electric buses it has decided to procure to combat high levels of air pollution and boost public transport in the national capital. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said the 375 e-buses will form the first phase of the procurement of the 1,000 buses. "Congrats! Keeping its commitment to fighting pollution and moving towards clean fuel technology, AAP govt releases global Tenders for engagement of 375 Electric Buses in Delhi. This is the 1st phase of procurement of a total of 1000 E-Buses (sic)," he tweeted. Earlier this month, the Delhi cabinet sanctioned procurement of 1,000 low-floor electric buses, saying the first batch of it was likely to be rolled on by the end of this year.
Naveen demands immediate hike of royalty on coal to 20 pc
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately take steps to hike coal royalty from 14 per cent to 20 per cent, and complete sand stowing in closed mines of the state to check soil subsidence. In a letter to Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal, the chief minister said it is disheartening to learn that the final recommendation of the study group on coal royalty revision submitted on February 5, 2018 is still under consideration of the central government. "It is once again requested that the central government may expedite decision on this critical issue duly taking into account the long pending claim of the state government to revise the rate of royalty on coal from present 14 per cent to 20 per cent," Patnaik said. Odisha produces about one-fifth of the total coal production in the country, he said. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act permits revision of royalty on coal every three years, but it has remained unchanged ..
Seven-phase polling in Bihar, UP, Bengal
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will see staggered Lok Sabha elections spread over all seven phases starting from April 11 to May 19, it was announced here on Sunday.
IIT-KGP says its coastal maritime tech centre will reduce cost
The Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology (CICMT), being set up at IIT Kharagpur under the flagship Sagarmala programme of the Ministry of Shipping (MoS), will drastically reduce the cost of research, the institute said in a statement. The CICMT will result in cost and time savings for work in the port and maritime sector, the statement said Saturday. Union Road Transport and Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari had laid the foundation stone for the CICMT at IIT Kharagpur from Delhi on Friday. "IIT Kharagpur is delighted to be able to set up the Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology. This builds on the unique strength of IIT Kharagpurs Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture department supported by all the other engineering and science departments," Director, IIT KGP Prof P P Chakrabarti said in the statement. Chakrabarti said, "We hope to be able to work on deep areas of technology development and indigenous technologies development as well as in ...
China's Long March-3B rocket series complete 300 launches
China's Long March-3B rocket, regarded as the main stay of the country's space programme since 1970, successfully completed its 300th launch by putting a new communication satellite into orbit on Sunday. The indigenously-built rocket had send more than 500 spacecraft into space. "This is a milestone for China's space industry development," Wu Yansheng, board chairman of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said. The Long March carrier rocket series, developed by CASC, is responsible for about 96.4 per cent of all the launch missions in China. It took 37 years for the Long March rockets to complete the first 100 launches, 7.5 years to complete the second 100 launches, and only about four years to accomplish the final 100, with the average number of launches per year increasing from 2.7 to 13.3 and then to 23.5, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The Long March carrier rockets helped provide launch services for countries participating in the Belt and ...
Katarniaghat wildlife officials using drones to catch killer leopard
The forest department is using drone cameras to catch a leopard which has killed three children and cattle in the past one month in villages close to Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, officials said. Speaking to newsmen on Sunday, Field Director of Dudhwa Katarniaghat Tiger Reserve Ramesh Pandey said, "In the past few days, there have been cases of children being killed in leopard attacks. Apart from this, death of cattle was also reported." He said two drone cameras have been launched to spot the animal, further two elephants are being used for patrolling. Villagers have been told to not venture into the forest area alone, especially after dark, he said. "All the attacks committed by the leopard are accidental killings. The man-eating nature can be confirmed only if it is proved that the leopard is attacking humans and eating their flesh," said Pandey, when asked whether the animal had turned into a man-eater. He said thermo-sensor images are being examined to ascertain whether there .
Leopard kills 8-yr-old in UP
A leopard strayed into a village and killed an 8-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district, an official said on Sunday. Rukmini, a resident of Baalu village located adjacent to Sohelwa forest had gone to relieve herself when she was attacked on Saturday evening, divisional forest officer R K Mittal said. The animal dragged the girl inside the forest and her mauled body was found late night, he said, adding that the body was sent for post-mortem examination. Two teams have been formed and drone cameras are being used to trace the leopard, Mittal said. The victim's family was given Rs 5 lakh as compensation, he added. The officer urged the villagers not to leave their children alone and asked them to keep the courtyards of their houses adequately illuminated.
Dinosaurs were thriving before asteroid strike wiped them: Study
Dinosaurs were unaffected by long-term climate changes and flourished before their sudden demise by asteroid strike 66 million years ago, according to a study. Scientists largely agree that an asteroid impact, possibly coupled with intense volcanic activity, wiped out the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. However, there is debate about whether dinosaurs were flourishing before this, or whether they had been in decline due to long-term changes in climate over millions of years, according to the study published in the journal Nature Communications. Previously, researchers used the fossil record and some mathematical predictions to suggest dinosaurs may have already been in decline, with the number and diversity of species falling before the asteroid impact. Now, in a new analysis that models the changing environment and dinosaur species distribution in North America, the UK researchers from Imperial College London, University College London and University of Bristol have ...
China sets aside crops for wild elephants to spare farmers
China said it plans to grow crops specifically for wild elephants to graze on in an effort to spare the livelihoods of local farmers. The southwestern province of Yunnan will set up the special farm in a habitat protection area in Menghai county where 18 of the animals frequently raid the crops of farmers from villages in the area. The 51-hectare (126-acre) farm will grow corn, sugarcane, bamboo and bananas. The official Xinhua News Agency quoted an unidentified official with the local forestry bureau as saying protecting local residents was key to Asian elephant conservation Wild Asian elephants are a protected species in China, and conservation efforts have allowed their numbers in the country to rise to about 300. As is the case with their African cousins, Asian elephants are critically endangered due to habitat destruction and poaching. An estimated 30,000 are left in the wild.
China's Long March rockets complete 300 launches
China's Long March carrier rocket series completed 300 launches on Sunday after a new communication satellite was put into orbit.
FAME-II to offer incentives for electric vehicles from next month
From April, up to 10 lakh electric two-wheelers will get subsidy of Rs 20,000 each while 35,000 fully electric cars can avail benefit of Rs 1.5 lakh under the newly notified FAME-II scheme, reducing their prices for buyers. The second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-II) will be implemented for three years starting next month with a Rs 10,000 crore outlay. It has also envisaged providing support to 7,090 e-buses (having an ex-factory price of up to Rs 2 crore) with an incentive of up to Rs 50 lakh each, according to a notification issued by the Heavy Industries Ministry. Moreover, 5 lakh e-rickshaws having ex-factory price of up to Rs 5 lakh are set to get incentive of Rs 50,000 each. As per the notification, incentives of Rs 1.5 lakh each to 35,000 electric four-wheelers with an ex-factory price of up to Rs 15 lakh, and support of Rs 13,000 each to 20,000 strong hybrid four-wheelers with ex-factory price of up to Rs 15 lakh will be ...
China launches new communication satellite, completes 300 launches of Long March rocket series
In a bid to strengthen its broadband communication system, China lifted into space a Long March-3B carrier rocket into a geostationary orbit in Sichuan province in the wee hours of Sunday.The 'ChinaSat 6C' satellite was launched at around 12.28 am (local time) from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province. The 19-story-tall rocket is expected to provide high-quality radio and television transmission services, Xinhua News Agency reported.It marked the 300th launch of the Long March carrier rocket series, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.The communication satellite can cover China, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific island countries.The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and will be operated by the China Satellite Communications Co. Ltd.In April 1970, China launched its first carrier rocket, a Long March-1, to send its first satellite, Dongfanghong 1 into space. Since then, the country has built 17 ...
Chemical pollutants in home degrade fertility in men and dogs: Study
Here's another reason to take environmental degradation seriously. Suggests that environmental contaminants found in the home and diet have the same adverse effects on male fertility in both humans and in domestic dogs.There has been increasing concern over declining human male fertility in recent decades with studies showing a 50% global reduction in sperm quality in the past 80 years. A previous study by the Nottingham experts showed that sperm quality in domestic dogs has also sharply declined, raising the question of whether modern day chemicals in the home environment could be at least partly to blame.As part of a new research paper published in Scientific Reports, a team of researchers set out to test the effects of two specific man-made chemicals namely the common plasticizer DEHP, widely abundant in the home (e.g. carpets, flooring, upholstery, clothes, wires, toys) and the persistent industrial chemical polychlorinated biphenyl 153, which although banned globally, remains ...
UN, tech giants lead push for green tech solutions
The United Nations, tech giants and the finance, policy and and science fraternities on Saturday teamed up to push the use of cutting-edge technology to create cleaner, greener and more efficient solutions to sustainable development.
Delhi Jal Board's new Data Acquisition Centre inaugurated
The Data Acquisition Centre of the Delhi Jal Board was inaugurated on Saturday by Vice Chairman Dinesh Mohaniya, in the presence of other senior officials. The Data Acquisition centre will help in analysing the data of water as well as other critical hydraulic parameters for strengthening water networks across Delhi."With 10 water treatment plants, 120 primary reservoirs, 192 tappings, and more than 600 secondary reservoirs, Delhi Jal Board has a huge water network within Delhi and for the management and complete water audit of such huge network such a centre is necessary," a press statement read. The Centre would also provide real-time data of 3000+ strategic distribution nodes and would facilitate measurement of water quantity and pressure at strategic points such as outlets of water treatment plants, Rising mains, inlet/outlets of primary and secondary reservoirs and pumping stationsThe project of installation of flow meters is divided into two stages, including the primary water .
