Page 202 - Environment
Need law to protect, preserve fossils: Paleontologist Ashok
Well-known paleontologist Ashok Sahni has urged the government to enact a law to declare fossils of extinct animals as national assets and preserve them from damage. Speaking to PTI Sunday, the award-winning scientist who has been studying dinosaur fossils for several years now, said there was no such law in the country at present. "Fossils found so far show that nearly 35 species of dinosaurs were existing in the country 60 million years ago. But there is no law in the country to protect these fossils," Sahni said. "Nobody can lay claim on fossils because this is the country's heritage. A special law should be enacted to declare fossils found in the country as national assets," he added. The 2011 National GeoScience Award winner further asserted that a provision for punishment and fine should also be enacted for storing, theft, smuggling, procurement and damaging such fossils. Citing an example of fossils going to ruins, Sahni said in the early 1980s, the Geological ...
Modi dedicates Vizag petroleum reserve facility to nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated to the nation the 1.33 million metric tonnes capacity Visakhapatnam Strategic Petroleum Reserve facility of the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL).
J&K govt orders speeding up of land acquisition for Gharana wetland
Jammu and Kashmir's governor-led administration has directed the deputy commissioner of Jammu to expedite the land acquisition process for Gharana Wetland Conservation Reserve along the International Border (IB) on the outskirts of the city, an official spokesperson said on Sunday. The direction was passed by Vijay Kumar, advisor to governor, at a meeting convened here to discuss the land acquisition with revenue officers and those from the forest and wildlife protection department, he said. Kumar asked the officers of the wildlife protection department to take steps to conserve the wetland and promote the place among tourists, especially bird lovers, the spokesperson said. Gharana Wetland Conservation Reserve in R S Pura was notified in 1981 and is home to more than 170 species of birds like bar-headed geese, gadwalls, common teals, purple swamp hens, Indian moor hens, black-winged stilts, cormorants, egrets and green shanks. During winter, the wetland is visited by thousands of ...
Decks clear for Metro Rail in Agra
Decks are now clear for introduction of metro-rail in the Taj city with the state government allocating Rs 175 crore for the project last week, officials said. Following clearance from the Public Investment Board (PIB) last week, the Yogi Adityanath government has allocated Rs 175 crore for the Metro project in Agra, which has long been struggling with poor and inadequate means of public transport. District officials say the city has grown in size and population. The demand for an efficient transport system has now been met, though the project will take at least five years, secretary of Agra Development Foundation, KC Jain, said. The proposed Metro network will be around 30 km and will run on two routes.
'Earth may be experiencing warmest decade on record'
The decade from 2014 to 2023 could end up being the warmest in over 150 years of records, say scientists who predict that the global average surface temperature for the next five years will be one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The figures released by the UK Met Office include data from a number of sources including the latest publication of provisional figures for 2018. Records for annual global average temperature extend back to 1850. "2015 was the first year that global annual average surface temperatures reached 1.0 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels and the following three years have all remained close to this level," said Adam Scaife, Head of Long-Range Prediction at the Met Office in the UK. "The global average temperature between now and 2023 is predicted to remain high, potentially making the decade from 2014 the warmest in more than 150 years of records," said Scaife. Averaged over the five-year period 2019-2023, forecast patterns suggest enhanced ...
'World's largest seed' centre of attraction at Kumbh
An exhibition by the Ministry of Environment, which among other things displays a double coconut palm seed weighing a whopping 30 kg, is attracting eyeballs at the Kumbh Mela, the largest congregation in the world. A Botanical Survey of India (BSI) scientist has claimed that the seed is the world's largest. Dr Shiv Kumar of the BSI told PTI-Bhasha that the seed belonged to a tree planted at the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden near Kolkata in 1894. The tree had flowered after 112 years, Kumar said. The tree, which is now grown only in two African islands, is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's global Red Data list for species under threat. The double coconut palm tree has a lifespan of 1,000 years and takes a decade to flower. An orchid seed, measuring 799 microns, is also on display at the exhibition in the MoE pandal here. The seed is so tiny that one cannot see it without using a microscope. The picture of a giant banyan tree, touted as the ...
Guj forest dept begins search for tiger seen in viral photo
The Gujarat Forest department has begun efforts to locate a tiger after a photo of it crossing a road in Lunawada taluka of Mahisagar district went viral on social media, a senior official said. A local government school teacher Mahesh Mahera Sunday claimed he saw a tiger crossing a road near Boriya village in Mahisagar, over 120 kilometres from here, on February 6 and clicked its picture on his mobile phone and shared it with friends on social media platforms. The photo soon went viral and alerted the state's forest department on the unlikely presence of a tiger in the area. Acting on Mahera's claims, the forest department set up two camera traps and deployed staff to confirm the big cat's presence, a senior official said. "The photo of the tiger has gone viral and we can't yet say if it is fake. Since a citizen has claimed this, we have begun scanning the area. We have placed two camera traps and the number will be increased," Principal Chief Conservator of Forest ...
WB to develop 900MW Bandhunala pump storage proj in PPP mode
The West Bengal government has decided to develop the third pump storage power plant at Purulia under the public-private partnership (PPP) model and it has already received early interest proposals from investors, a state government official said. JSW Group Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal recently announced plans to set up a 1,000 MW pumped storage energy project in West Bengal which appears to be the third Purulia pump storage Bandhunala power project, the official said. Jindal had made the announcement at the recently concluded Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) - the state's showpiece industry event. JSW officials however, remained tight-lipped on the details of the announcement. "We will be developing Turga pump storage power plant with help of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan but Bandhunala project will be executed through a private player," state Power Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay told PTI. The project will, however, take the ..
Tender floated for major bridge on Tel river
East Coast Railway (ECoR) Sunday said it has invited tender for a major bridge on Tel river as part of the 289-km Khurda Road-Balangir new line project. The long-awaited rail line project, which was sanctioned in 1994-95, seeks to connect western Odisha with coastal parts of the state via Khurda, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur and Balangir districts. The proposed bridge over the Tel river, a major tributary of the Mahanadi near Sonepur town, will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 23 crore. It is the longest bridge of the new line project, an ECoR statement said. The confluence of Mahanadi River and Tel is about 2.50 km downstream from the proposed location of the bridge. During peak flood, the rail bridge will have a lot of influence of Mahanadi due to merging of both the rivers in a very short distance without any appreciable bends, it said. Keeping this in mind, it is proposed to provide 17 spans of 45.70 m each during the construction of the bridge, the statement said. Rs
How do bees in congested hives stay cool on hot summer days?
Honey bees live in large, congested cavities, often in tree hollows with narrow openings. But thanks to their ventilation strategy they know how to stay cool on hot summer days, says a study by Harvard researchers.
BJP stares at farmers' backlash in UP as cattle destroy crops
What could be more ironic than the fact that while distressed farmers in the state are clamouring for protection from stray cattle, a problem that has assumed menacing proportions with crops worth crores of rupees being lost due to it, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has set aside an unprecedented over Rs 600 crore for the protection and welfare of cows in the State Budget for 2019-20.
Himachal unveils mega plans for forest conservation, girl child
Himachal Pradesh is aiming to sensitise the people of the state about the importance of daughters and forest conservation.
Rampant use of end-of-life tyres for pyrolysis in India: ATRA
Old tyres are a menace around the world and more so in India, where there is rampant use of end-of-life tyres for pyrolysis, an environmental hazard that is banned in developed countries, as this process emits life threatening gases, according to the Australian Tyre Recyclers Association (ATRA). Pyrolysis is a process where the material is put through a thermochemical treatment under high temperature to produce industrial oil and other matters. "India has a huge demand for used tyres for the purpose of pyrolysis. These tyres are imported in the form of bales rather than shred. A large chunk of such import comes from Australia," ATRA Executive Officer Robert Kelman said. Citing industry sources, Kelman said Rajasthan alone is reported to have around 150 separate pyrolysis plants and there may be around 2,000 plants around the country using used tyres. He further noted that used tyre pyrolysis has not proved itself commercially viable anywhere in the developed world (OECD member ...
Delhi farmers unhappy over power charges (IANS Special)
While the Delhi government is trying woo them with a draft agricultural policy, farmers of the national capital do not seem to be very happy with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party on the issue of high electricity charges every month.
Odisha: Body of leopard found in Kanloi Reserve
A body of a leopard was found in Kanloi Reserve under the Chhendipada forest range on Saturday.Forest officials came to know about the incident after locals spotted the carcass of the leopard.After receiving the information, Divisional Forest Officer along with the forest department's officials reached the spot. The carcass was recovered and sent for autopsy. The exact reason of death is not known as yet.Divisional Forest Officer Kartik Bedamurthy said, "We are clueless about this, the exact reason will be ascertained only after the post morterm is done.
More than 500 dead in Ebola outbreak in DR Congo
The death toll in Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo rose to a whopping 500, the country's health ministry said on Saturday.Al Jazeera cited a reportage released by the health ministry late on Friday, as saying, "In total, there have been 502 deaths and 271 people cured."However, the regular vaccination programmes have prevented thousands of more deaths from taking place in the region.Health minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga noted that for the first time, a vaccination programme had protected approximately 76,425 people and prevented "thousands" of deaths."I believe we have prevented the spread of the epidemic in the big cities" in the region, he said."The teams also managed to contain its the spread of the epidemic to neighbouring countries.""The biggest problem is the high mobility of the population," the minister added.This is the world's second deadliest Ebola outbreak since the virus killed 11,000 people in West Africa in 2014.The outbreak initiated from the .
DR Congo Ebola death toll passes 500: health ministry
More than 500 people have died from the latest outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo, but a vaccination programme has prevented thousands more deaths, the country's health minister told AFP. "In total, there have been 502 deaths and 271 people cured," said a health ministry bulletin published late on Friday, reporting on the outbreak in the east of the country. But Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said that, for the first time, a vaccination programme had protected 76,425 people and prevented "thousands" of deaths. "I believe we have prevented the spread of the epidemic in the big cities" in the region, he said. "The teams also managed to contain its the spread of the epidemic to neighbouring countries," he added. "The biggest problem is the high mobility of the population," the minister added. The outbreak started last August in the North Kivu region, which borders Uganda and Rwanda. The Spanish wing of the aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Twitter Saturday that there ...
'Comprehensive master plan soon to convert Hyd to global city'
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced Saturday that a comprehensive Master Plan would be formulated to convert Hyderabad into a truly global city. It would be drafted by the city-based Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) in consultation with a team of national and international experts, keeping in view the future needs of the city, Rao said, during a meeting with officials. Any changes to the Master Plan should be done only with the consent of the cabinet, a release from his office, quoting him, said. Rao said that instead of depending on a small body like Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority to implement the Plan for the city's comprehensive development, there should be a larger body, with experts from various fields like sewerage, drinking water, power lines, traffic and environment. Observing that Hyderabad has been growing population wise and also economically, he said the city, however, faced problems like rising pollution, increase
Country's first Institute of Advanced Virology inaugurated
: The country's first Institute of Advanced Virology, affiliated to the Global Virus Network, which has 45 centres of excellence in over 29 countries, was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here Saturday. The institute, which was announced after the outbreak of the Nipah virus in the state in May last year, is located at the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park at nearby Thonnackal. The Nipah outbreak claimed the lives of 17 people-- 14 in Kozhikode district and three in neighbouring Malappuram since its outbreak. The foundation stone for the institute was laid on May 30, 2018 and the 25,000 square feet building was completed within a period of eight months, the Chief Minister said in his Facebook post. "The institute can confirm the viruses causing infectious diseases and detect new ones without delay in order to plan preventive measures. A Center of Global Virus Network will operate in the institute, a first in India," Vijayan said. Kerala has been so far ...
Master plan to develop Hyderabad as global city on cards
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao announced here on Saturday that a comprehensive master plan would be prepared for converting Hyderabad into a truly global city.
