Page 188 - Environment
World Bank team touring Himachal for developing waste management strategies
Himachal Pradesh will collaborate with the World Bank and the Korea Green Growth Trust Fund for developing agro climatic zone-based municipal solid waste management strategies, a state government official said on Wednesday.
Forest officers directed to undertake field visits in J-K
The Jammu and Kashmir administration directed on Wednesday the forest department to conduct frequent field visits especially in the remote places to review the functioning of its subordinate units and resolve people's issues. "All conservator of forests should be required to conduct regular visits to the field to inspect the activities taken up and to review the performance of their subordinate staff, besides meeting the people to resolve their issues relating to the department," K Vijay Kumar, the advisor to Governor Satya Pal Malik, said. Kumar asked officers to visit field areas to get the real ground report. "If the senior officers spend their time touring the forest areas under their jurisdiction, it gives a strong message to their subordinates to perform well and achieve the given targets," he said. He also directed the officers to work out the plan of plantation drive, anti-encroachment drive and forest fire preparations especially in Jammu division and submit the same to their
Australian rat becomes first mammal to go extinct due to climate change
According to the Australian government, a small brown rat which lived on a tiny island off northern Australia is the world's first mammal known to have become extinct due to "human-induced climate change."The mammal, Bramble Cay melomys, which had not been seen for almost 10 years was initially pronounced extinct after "exhaustive" conservation efforts failed, a report by the University of Queensland in 2016 stated.That finding was confirmed by the Australian government on Monday.According to the 2016 report, the cause of its extinction was from rising sea levels over the past decade which led to major habitat loss.Notably, the Bramble Cay melomys inhabited a small coral island on the Great Barrier Reef, measuring about five hectares (12 acres) and located in the Torres Strait, between Queensland state and Papua New Guinea.Speaking to the members of the Senate, Geoff Richardson, assistant secretary for environment and energy, said that it's not a decision to take lightly adding, "When
ONGC's Rajahmundry unit bags environmental excellence award
: ONGC Rajahmundry has bagged the Energy and Environment Foundation Global Clean Awards-2019 for sustained efforts in pursuit of Swachh Bharat Mission as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the company said Wednesday. ONGC Rajahmundry, in recognition of its environmental management excellence, was presented the award at a function in New Delhi, a release said. It has also received Platinum Award under Apex India Environment Excellence Award 2018 from Apex India Foundation for excellence in environmental management in Petroleum Sector. The foundation is an NGO working for promoting economic development. ONGC Director N C Pandey lauded the efforts of the Rajahmundry unit and complimented the team led by D M R Sekhar for bagging the awards.
SC notice to Centre, UP on plea against NGT order refusing to declare Surajpur as wetland
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea challenging the National Green Tribunal's order which refused to declare the low lying areas in and around Surajpur reserve forest in Gautam Budh Nagar as protected wetlands. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Uttar Pradesh government, National Wetlands Committee, Greater Noida Authority and Forest and Wildlife Department of the state. "Issue notice, returnable in four weeks," the bench said. A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally and has a distinct ecosystem. The top court was hearing a plea filed by environment activist Vikrant Kumar Tongad against September 14, 2018 order of NGT which had disposed of his plea seeking declaration of area in and around Surajpur reserve forest in Gautam Buddh Nagar as protected wetlands on the ground that there is no revenue record ...
One killed, another missing after taking dip in Hooghly river
One person was killed and another went missing after a group of nine people were swept away by high tide while taking a dip in the Hooghly river, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place at around 11 PM on Tuesday when they went to take a dip in the river after performing the last rites of a kin, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said. While the rest were rescued by locals and taken to the Medical College Hospital, Prosenjit Majumder (32) died and Mitali Chowdhury (58) is still missing, he said. Disaster management officials are conducting search operations along with River Traffic Police (RTF) personnel, the officer added.
President asks experts to come up with cleaner processes for eco-friendly use of natural resources
President Ram Nath Kovind Wednesday urged environment experts and other stakeholders to come up with "actionable ideas" on issues related to use of fossil fuels and cleaner processes to ensure eco-friendly use of natural resources. Highlighting that energy and environment were major concerns not only for developing countries but also for developed nations, Kovind said it was important for producers and consumers of conventional energy to evolve more efficient and cleaner processes to ensure environment-friendly use of natural resources. He was speaking at the inauguration of the International Conference and Exhibition on Energy and Environment: Challenges and Opportunities (ENCO 2019), organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Stressing that while coal will remain the predominant energy source for most countries, including India going by global trends, renewable sources will also grow, Kovind also emphasised on development of eco-friendly technologies for
Leopard captured by forest personnel in Bhubaneswar
An elusive leopard, which had sparked panic in Palaspalli area of the city for the past two days, was captured by forest personnel near Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here early Wednesday. The leopared was trapped in a cage near the airport area here and was released in the Chandaka sanctuary in the outskirts of the city after a health check up by veterinary doctors, Bhubaneswar City Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Ashok Mishra told PTI. Panic had gripped the residents of Palaspalli after some locals claimed to have spotted a leopard in the area on Sunday night. A CCTV footage collected from the upscale area, which is also close to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's residence, had corroborated their claims. Mishra said three teams comprising personnel from city forest division, Chandaka wildlife division and Nandankanan had been engaged in the massive operation launched on Monday to search, locate and capture the leopard. All precautionary measures had also been
Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for AlUla explores areas for cooperation with India in heritage conservation, eco-tourism and agriculture
Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for AlUla engaged in discussions surrounding opportunities for bilateral cooperation with India in areas such as heritage conservation, eco-tourism and agriculture. The RCU comes to India as part of a high-level delegation led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to New Delhi, India. Saudi Arabia and India have been long time trade partners and the visit highlights the Kingdom's commitment to bolstering ties with India and the East more broadly.Saudi Arabia and India have had common strategic interests and the Kingdom has been India's principal source of crude imports from the Gulf region. The delegation led by the Crown Prince explored areas for potential cooperation, in line with the Royal Commission's commitments to involving the world in the development and preservation plans for AlUla.As part of the visit, the Royal Commission discussed its development efforts in the AlUla region. Given the strategic relationship between Saudi Arabia and India, the .
Won't allow oil refinery in coastal Konkan, says Sena minister
Two days after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the proposed Nanar oil refinery will be relocated, a Shiv Sena minister has said the project won't be allowed anywhere else in the coastal Konkan region. Opposition from farmers had prompted Maharashtra to move the location for what would be the country's biggest oil refinery, Fadnavis had announced Monday after the BJP forged an alliance with Shiv Sena for the upcoming elections. State-run oil companies and Saudi Arabian Oil Company known as Saudi Aramco have teamed up to build the $44 billion (Rs 3 lakh crore) refinery, which is aimed at giving India steady fuel supplies while meeting Saudi Arabia's need to secure regular buyers for its oil. "We (Sena) won't allow the oil refinery to be set up anywhere in the Konkan region," Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam told reporters here Wednesday. The announcement by Kadam came after Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in India ...
Glencore pledges to limit coal production
Mining giant Glencore pledged on Wednesday to limit its coal production and instead prioritise investment in other commodities needed as part of a transition towards cleaner energy and transportation. "To meet the growing needs of a lower carbon economy, Glencore aims to prioritise its capital investment to grow production of commodities essential to the energy and mobility transition and to limit its coal production capacity broadly to current levels," the firm said in a statement. Switzerland-based Glencore, which also trades commodities, noted that it was well-positioned to support the transition to a lower-carbon economy with a portfolio that includes copper, cobalt, nickel, vanadium and zinc. The metals are important in the production of batteries, the cost and performance of which will likely be key in determining whether electric vehicles displace petrol- and diesel-fuelled vehicles. Glencore said it believes that energy and mobility transformation "is a key part of the global .
President asks experts to come up with cleaner processes for eco friendly use of natural resources
President Ram Nath Kovind Wednesday urged environment experts and other stakeholders to come up with "actionable ideas" on issues related to use of fossil fuels and cleaner processes to ensure eco-friendly use of natural resources. Highlighting that energy and environment were major concerns not only for developing countries but also for developed nations, Kovind said it was important for producers and consumers of conventional energy to evolve more efficient and cleaner processes to ensure environment-friendly use of natural resources He was speaking at the inauguration of the International Conference and Exhibition on Energy and Environment: Challenges and Opportunities (ENCO 2019), organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Stating that coal will remain the predominant energy source for most countries, including India going by global trends, while renewable sources will also grow, Kovind also stressed on development of eco-friendly technologies for green ...
India will provide power to citizens at affordable cost: President
India is committed to provide power to all citizens at affordable cost as well as boost the national economy through an industrial revolution, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Wednesday.
Sugar production rises 7.7% till 15 February in sugar season 2018-19
Maharashtra and Karnataka sugar mills contributes mainly to higher production
India's Oct 1-Feb 15 sugar output rises about 8 percent - trade body
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian sugar mills produced 21.9 million tonnes of the sweetener between Oct. 1 and Feb. 15, nearly 8 percent more than a year earlier, as a few mills started crushing earlier than usual, a producers' body said on Wednesday.
Cabinet approves Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Corridor of RRTS
Approves central financial assistance of Rs 5634 crore in the form of grant and sub-ordinate debt
Rare frog species found in Arunachal Pradesh
Scientists at Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have found a rare frog species in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, according to a recently published journal. The convex-vented horned species (Megophrys pachyproctus), collected from Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary of the district in 2017, is crimson in colour, it said. Led by senior ZSI scientist Bikramjit Sinha, the researchers also found out that the frog is endemic to Xizang in China, the journal, 'Records of the Zoological Survey of India', said. According to Bhaskar Saikia, the co-author of the journal, there has been a significant rise in the number of frog species discovered in the tropical forests of Tale Valley over the years. It reaffirms that both Arunachal Pradesh and Xizang share similar habitats and topology, Saikia added.
Hyderabad: Deer, rabbit meat seized, 1 arrested
Hyderabad Task Force police on Tuesday nabbed one person and seized a large quantity of wild animal meat of deer, rabbits and quails from him.The accused Syed Zameer, arrested with the banned meat has been running a meat shop at Murgi Chowk for the past 10 years.According to Radhakishan, DCP, Task Force, "The police have seized meat of two deers, three rabbits and 22 quails from the accused."Sharing details of how the accused obtained the meat of wild animals, the DCP said, "About two years ago Zameer had come in contact with one Mohd Ali of Osmanbagh, Bahadurpura, Hyderabad who encouraged the accused to assist him in selling meat of wild animals in Hyderabad city and lured him with huge profits. Since then he has been selling the meat of wild animals from his house."The person accused of supplying wild animal meat to Zameer is absconding and efforts are being continued to apprehend him.The accused person along with the meat of wild animals has been handed over to the Forest ...
Cabinet sanctions Rs 2,055 cr for Swadesh Darshan Scheme
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the continuation of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme during the extent of 14th Finance Commission - ending in 2020 -and beyond, sanctioning Rs 2,055 crore for 60 projects under the scheme to be completed by December 2019.
Vikram Solar commissions 200 MW solar project in Andhra Pradesh
Solar solutions provider Vikram Solar on Tuesday announced it has commissioned a 200 megawatt (MW) solar power project for the Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation.
