Page 203 - Environment

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.

Andamanese need to be documented, archived: Linguist Anvita Abbi

Eminent linguist Prof Anvita Abbi on Saturday called for steps to document and archive Andamanese languages on the verge of extinction.

Elephant calf falls into trench, rescued

: An elephant calf fell into a trench in the Mettupalayam Forest Range on the outskirts of the city and was rescued, forest officials said Saturday. Hearing the trumpeting, the officials went to the spot, pulled the one-year-old elephant out of the trench and re-united the animal with its herd after a three-hour-long rescue effort. The calf was moving with the herd when it fell into the pit and couldn't come out while the rest of the herd managed to, the officials said. The trench was created on the fringes of a farmland bordering the forest area, they said.

UN chief calls for more efforts to fight climate change

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres here on Saturday called for more coordinated efforts to fight climate change.

Russian Arctic archipelago sounds alarm over aggressive polar bears

A Russian Arctic archipelago on Saturday declared an emergency situation over an "invasion" of dozens of aggressive polar bears that have entered homes and public buildings. Russia's northeastern Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which has a population of around 3,000 people, has appealed for help to tackle "a mass invasion of polar bears into inhabited areas," regional authorities said in a statement. Russian authorities have so far refused permission to shoot the bears but are sending a commission to investigate the situation and have not ruled out a cull. Polar bears are affected by global warming with melting Arctic ice forcing them to spend more time on land where they compete for food. They are recognised as an endangered species in Russia and hunting them is banned. Russia has air force and air defence troops based on Novaya Zemlya. Since December, 52 polar bears have regularly visited the archipelago's main settlement, Belushya Guba, with some displaying "aggressive behaviour," local

West China blizzards kill thousands of herd animals

Blizzards in Tibetan areas of western China have left thousands of head of livestock dead and roads covered in up to 45 centimeters (18 inches) of snow. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday that local authorities had sent veterinarians, medicine and animal feed to the hard-hit areas in Qinghai Province's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Villages in the area are above 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) and workers were seeking to clear roads to ensure the delivery of supplies, a task made more difficult by high winds and drifting snow. Mainly ethnic Tibetan villagers in the area depend heavily on livestock, mainly Yaks, goats and sheep, for their livelihoods and to feed their families. Harsh winters are routine in the Himalayan region that long fell within Tibet's traditional borders.

Youth killed by leopard in UP village

A 17 year-old boy was killed by a leopard when he was working in fields in a village adjacent to the Katarniyaghat forest area here, officials said Saturday. On Friday evening, Bindra was attacked by the big cat in Nibiya Ghaudi village, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) G P Singh said. His family members, who were nearby, burnt firecrackers to force the leopard to flee but the victim had died by then, the officer said. The family of the deceased is being extended monetary help as per rules, the DFO said, adding teams were sent to the village to ensure that the animal returned to the forest area.

Heavy rains, hailstorm damage crops in northern India

Hundreds of acres of crops were damaged after hailstorm hit northern India recently.Light to heavy rainfall had lashed several northern states on Thursday with Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Hailstorms accompanied by rains and high-velocity winds have left behind uprooted trees and broken branches.Narrating his ordeal, a Sarpanch from Ludhiana told ANI that a hailstorm damaged potato crops in over half-a-dozen villages. "I had planted approximately 50 kilograms of potatoes. The recent hailstorm has damaged 80 per cent of my crops. We have taken loans also for the same. We are now facing a lot of difficulties," he said.Jaskreet Singh, a farmer also voiced his grievance, saying, "I had planted potato on 8 acres of land. I have suffered a loss of Rs 40,000. The government must compensate for the same."A farmer in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad also joined Singh's contention and stated, "Majority of our crops have been destroyed. I am now under immense pressure as I have to repay ...

Challenges due to climate change to be discussed at World Government Summit in Dubai

Climate change and its impact on the efforts made by the world governments to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be among the key topics to be discussed at the World Government Summit (WGS) 2019 here this month. The Climate Change Forum is part of the WGS and is taking place from February 10-12. Aiming to identify solutions to counter the challenges posed by climate change, the summit will bring together decision makers, international organisations, senior government officials, business and thought leaders and media personalities from across the world. The participants will work towards identifying creative solutions to combat the human and environmental impact of climate change and also discuss ways of ensuring compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. "Discussing critical issues that face humanity such as Climate Change at WGS reflects the UAE's stance on the importance of a collective dialogue on the topic as ..

Rare tiger kills prospective mate in London at first meeting

For ten days, the London Zoo kept its newly arrived male Sumatran tiger Asim in a separate enclosure from Melati, the female tiger who was supposed to become his mate. Zoologists gave them time to get used to each other's presence and smells, and waited for what they felt would be the right time to let them get together. On Friday, they put the two tigers into the same enclosure and Asim killed Melati as shocked handlers tried in vain to intervene. It was a tragic end to hopes that the two would eventually breed as part of a Europe-wide tiger conservation program for the endangered Sumatran subspecies. "Everyone here at ZSL London Zoo is devastated by the loss of Melati and we are heartbroken by this turn of events," the zoo said in a statement. It said the focus now is "caring for Asim as we get through this difficult event." The zoo said its experts had been carefully monitoring the tigers' reactions to each other since Asim arrived ten days ago and had seen "positive signs" that ..

Waterways will be developed in Saryu river: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari said Friday that waterways would be developed in the Saryu river that would facilitate smooth travel to Bangladesh via Varanasi. The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation laid the foundations of several projects worth Rs 7,195 crore, including the construction of 632 kilometres of national highway in eastern Uttar Pradesh, here. "I am bringing an airboat from Australia that can land in water. Next time when I will come I will come in airboat. This airboat will operate from Varanasi to Allahabad. We also have plans to operate double-decker buses that can fly," he said. Addressing Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was present on the dais, Gadkari said, "Maurya-ji you also start such air buses in Uttar Pradesh. It will solve your problem of traffic jam and this double-decker air busses are much cheaper than Metro." The minister also said river ports ...

3 fall sick after inhaling leaked gas in Durgapur Steel Plant

Three persons were taken ill Friday after inhaling gas that leaked from Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP), officials said. The gas leak was detected in one of the blast furnace of the plant, A DSP spokesperson said. "Three persons felt sick after inhaling the gas in one of blast furnace area. One person had been released after first aid while two others have been been kept under observation in the plant's hospital," the official said. Plant operations remained normal but a high level committee has been formed to look into the matter, the official said. DSP is one of the five integrated steel plants of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

Modi inaugurates national highway, High Court circuit bench in Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated a circuit bench and laid the foundation for widening a national highway in northern West Bengal and flayed the Congress, Communists and Trinamool Congress for being insensitive and unresponsive to the region's development while helming the state.

Info about Lodi Gardens trees on QR codes: A great step, but is it enough?

With QR codes on some trees, nature enthusiasts and visitors can access information about them on their smartphones

EU adopts French-German compromise on Russia gas pipeline

European Union member states adopted a Franco-German compromise on Friday allowing Berlin to remain the lead negotiator with Russia on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe. France, a pivotal player in the EU gas talks, had said earlier it would support European Union oversight of new offshore energy pipelines. This had raised concerns in Berlin that resistance from other EU members could undermine plans for the undersea pipeline between Russia and Germany. But Paris and Berlin now agree that chief responsibility lies with Germany, the "territory and territorial sea of the member state where the first interconnection point is located," according to a text seen by AFP. The pipeline is due to emerge at the German Baltic port of Greifswald, from where gas will be distributed to other EU countries. "There was indeed an agreement which was only possible thanks to close cooperation between France and Germany," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin when asked about Nord

S Africa mine rescue halted with 20 trapped, six dead

South African rescuers said Friday that they had been forced to halt an operation to rescue about 20 people trapped in a disused mine, blaming disruption from workers who had not been paid. Six people died after trespassing into the Gloria coal mine near the town of Middelburg in the eastern province of Mpumalanga, police told AFP, updating the earlier death toll of five. The group went underground between Sunday and Wednesday to allegedly steal copper cables in the mine, which had been closed for several months. "We have been prevented from continuing with the recovery operations by a disgruntled group of people who have not been paid their salaries," Mike Elliot, who represents the administrators of the mine, told local media. "They refuse to allow us to continue with the recovery operations and that includes repairing the power to the mine, restoring the power to the fans so that we can put fresh air underground." He said some locals had attempted their own rescue ...

Centre announces mascot for COP-13 on conservation of migratory species

The Centre on Friday announced that the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) will be its mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the conservation of migratory species (CMS) to be held in Gujarat next year.

Centre allocates Rs 59 cr for Asiatic Lion conservation in Gujarat

With the aim to protect and conserve the worlds last ranging free population of Asiatic Lions, the Ministry of Environment on Friday launched a three-year Asiatic Lion Conservation Project in collaboration with the state of Gujarat.

It's official! Noida-Gr Noida join Global SDG 2025 plan

Noida and Greater Noida on Friday officially accepted an invitation to participate in the prestigious Global Sustainable Cities 2025 Initiative, according to a statement. An acceptance letter was formally handed over to UNGSII chief Roland Schatz in the presence of UN Director General Michael Moller and leaders of other cities participating in the flagship programme at SDG Lab in Davos, Switzerland, the official statement said. On November 25, 2018, Noida and Greater Noida were invited to participate in this showcase 'race to sustainability' held in Noida. The twin cities are among the 25 global cities to become fully compliant with the sustainable development goals by 2025 under the UN Global Sustainable Goals (SDG) Cities initiative. The twin-cities, the only from India, will be competing in the University City's category. "The decision of the government of Uttar Pradesh was conveyed by B N Singh, the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, after getting approval on the proposal .

UK university signs urban growth pact with Kolkata

The UK's prestigious University of Strathclyde has signed new agreements with the West Bengal government to tackle challenges of urban growth and development in Kolkata. The Scottish university's Institute of Future Cities, based in Glasgow, said its work focuses on cities as home to an ever-growing proportion of the world's population, which puts pressure on transport infrastructure, the environment and quality of life. The institute announced that it has signed agreements at the Bengal Global Business Summit with the University of Calcutta; the Department of Environment, West Bengal government; and Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) to look at the opportunities and challenges created by urban living. "We are delighted to be working in partnership with key government departments, influential businesses and leading academics to develop innovative solutions for the key issues for cities in India," said Richard Bellingham, Director of the Institute for Future ...