Page 213 - Environment
Drones, AI, satellite imagery can be used to monitor Yamuna floodplains: NGT-constituted panel
Drones, artificial intelligence and satellite imagery could be used to monitor pollution level of the Yamuna caused by dumping of debris at the flood plains of the river, according to a committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal. To check encroachment on its vacant land, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) tied up with the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO's) Regional Remote Sensing Centre (RRSC). The DDA is putting a computerised system in place to detect encroachment using satellite images provided by ISRO. If successful, the satellite imagery can also be used to monitor the Yamuna flood plains, according to a report by the monitoring committee established by the NGT to monitor Yamuna cleaning operation. "In addition, artificial intelligence, aerial mapping or drones can also keep a track of quantum and location of debris being dumped," the monitoring committee recommended. "For monitoring of encroachments on vacant land using satellite imageries the subject was
Himachal: Cold wave hampering electricity production in NJPC
Electricity production in Nathpa Jhakari power plant here has plummeted by 80 per cent due to water shortage caused by freezing of water bodies.The water level in the Sutlej River, which provides most of the water required for power production in the plant, has declined as the water bodies in the Himalayan region are frozen due to sub-zero temperatures."The north Indian states have been witnessing extreme weather conditions and continuous snowfall has caused a decline in water level in the river. At present, the river has only 70 cubic cm water, while in the peak of the summer the water in the river is 1300 cubic cm," said NJPC station chief Sanjeev Sood."Nathpa Jharkdi is currently producing six million units while this number last summer was 36 million units," he added.The drop in production of electricity at the NJPC, which is India's biggest power station with 1500 MW power, may lead to frequent power cuts and disrupted power supply in north India.
Industrial pollutants surging cancer cases in villages near Sonipat
Sonipat (Haryana) [India], Feb 3 (ANI): People staying in the industrial periphery of Sonipat district's Saboli, Nathupur, Kundli, Akbarpur Barota Safiabad and Sersa are not only breathing deadly air but also paying heavily for polluted water due to industrial waste.The industrial belt has several plastic, rubber and polyester factories of medium and large scale which is directly affecting normalcy along with the deteriorating environment. People of these villages are battling with air and water-borne diseases among which skin infection and cancer are most common.A study shows industrial pollution contains dioxin, nitrogen dioxin, furan and benzene which are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.While speaking to ANI, Mahendra Singh (78), a resident of Saboli village who is suffering from cancer said: "I was detected with throat cancer in August 2018. The source of our drinking water .
Translocated elephant spotted near railway station
: A 25-year old wild elephant, recently captured and translocated from the city outskirts to Varagaliyar, about 100 km from here,was spotted near a railway station at nearby Tirupur district Saturday, police said. The elephant, nicknamed Chinnathambi, was translocated on January 25, following complaints from residents on destroying crops and damaging houses for the last seven months. The pachyderm was also fitted with a radio-collar to monitor its movements. On January 31, the elephant returned to Angalakurichi hamlet from Varagaliyar, covering nearly 50 kms, without disturbing the villagers. Though forest department officials drove it away, the pachyderm was found moving around a railway station near Madathukulam in Tirupur district this morning, covering more than 100 km in two days, through the forests, police said. People ran helter skelter after seeing the elephant. But they soon realised it was not intent on harming them,following which they started clicking ...
Himalayas fading owing to climate change: Experts
Not many people are coming forward to save the environment from climate change, which is clearly evident in the Himalayas, Justice Rajiv Sharma of the Punjab and Haryana High Court said on Saturday.
Petronet in talks to use natural gas as feedstock for power
Petronet LNG Limited Saturday said talks were being held with officials of two power plants in Kerala on using natural gas as feedstock in place of diesel and naphtha. Chairman and managing director of Petronet Prabhat Singh said at a meet-the-press programme that the company has offered gas at affordable price to BSESpower plant powered by diesel and to NTPC's Rajiv Gandhi combined cycle power plant powered by naphtha to generate electricity. The company has set up south India's first LNG receiving, regasification and re-loading terminal with nameplate capacity of 5 MMTPA (million metric tonne per annum) here. The terminal area is situated in the special economic zone (SEZ) of Puthuvypeen near the entrance to the Cochin Port.
ED 'crackdown' will not stop our fight against climate change: Greenpeace India
Environment NGO Greenpeace India is closing its offices in some cities and shrinking in size because of Enforcement Directorate's "crackdown", the organisation said, adding it will continue its fight against climate change with a renewed zeal. The NGO's regional offices in Delhi and Patna are being shut but the staff in these cities has joined in to declare their commitment to the cause as volunteers, it said in a statement. "Due to the freezing of our accounts by the ED, we are not able to afford the staff. Some will be retained as employees while some will be retained as volunteers," a source in the NGO said on the condition of anonymity. The NGO's campaign director Diya Deb said that Greenpeace will not stop working on the urgent issues of climate change as it is a collective endeavour of activists and volunteers across the country. "The crackdown is not going to stop Greenpeacers across India from doing their real work - to work on urgent issues of climate change. Indians donate ..
Odisha govt sanctions farmers' projects worth Rs 350cr
The Odisha government Saturday sanctioned 20 new projects worth Rs 350 crore for augmenting farmers' income, official sources said. The projects were sanctioned at the State Level Sanctioning Committee meeting of Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) chaired by Chief Secretary A P Padhi. Padhi directed the officials to ensure that the projects were completed on time. Padhi also said that all the projects should result in providing more income to the farmers in the state. The projects would be financed by the central and state government in the 60:40 ratio. Of the total project cost, around Rs 120 crore would be invested during the current fiscal itself, officials said. The major projects include agricultural machinery (Rs 24.85 crore), strengthening of phytosanitary laboratory for issue of phytosanitary certificate (Rs 20.1 crore), and pest surveillance through light trap for crop protection (Rs 94.3 crore).
Leopard cub smuggled from Bangkok seized, sent to zoo in
In an unusual case of smuggling, an about one-month old leopard cub was found in the baggage of a passenger who arrived from Bangkok Saturday at the airport here, Customs officials said. The cub was handed over to the Forest department personnel who lodged it in the Vandalur zoo here, they said adding a case was being registered against the passenger, who claimed he was only a courier. The animal was found in a plastic basket in the bag of Kaja Mohideen when the Air Intelligence officials, acting on a tip-off, examined his checked-in luggage. Mohideen (45), who arrived by a Thai Airways flight, was also handed over to the Forest department, they said. Though Customs officials had foiled smuggling of star tortoises in the past, this was perhaps the first time they have stumbled upon a leopard cub in recent years. "The animal was in a state of shock and was making trill sounds and appeared to be weak. The Customs officers fed the cub milk in a feeding bottle..," ...
Russia starts testing accident-tolerant nuclear fuel
Russian national atomic power corporation Rosatom, technical consultants and the main equipment suppliers for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, has started testing accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) for nuclear reactors.
Tiger mauls woman to death at Ranthambore park
In yet another man-animal conflict, a tiger killed a woman, Munni Devi (40), in Kundera Range of Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur on Saturday morning.
Govt should not insist on technology, should be left to industry: Ex-Maruti chief
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Feb 2 (ANI): After Finance Minister Piyush Goyal in his interim Budget speech said that India will drive on electric vehicles (EV) with renewables becoming a major source of energy supply, industry veteran and former managing director of Maruti Suzuki Jagdish Khattar has a different view on this.Goyal on Friday said that India will lead the transportation drive at the forefront with EVs ensuring energy security for the country by reducing import dependence on crude from Gulf countries.Responding to this, Khattar said that the government should not insist on technology and should be left for the industry."I have a little different view on electric vehicles. First, all the technology is not yet confirmed. Toyota Chairman was here for a mobility conference and he said that they will focus more on hydrogen-powered vehicles and they are working on it," said Khattar."Should the government identify technology today or leave it to the industry? That's important.
Roosting sites of waterbirds not always near wetlands: Study (Feb 2 is World Wetlands Day)
Roosting sites are not always near or in wetlands, as is often speculated for waterbirds. This is true both in rural and urban settings and there is a huge human tolerance, a yet-to-be published study with focus mainly on Rajasthan says.
Green activists raise concern over human intrusion
Green activists in the Taj city on Saturday expressed concern over increasing encroachment in the eco-sensitive wetlands, home to thousands of migratory birds, in the Agra region.
Punjab announces freight subsidy for potato growers
The Punjab government on Saturday decided to release Rs 5 crore for providing freight subsidy to distressed potato growers to enable them sell crop out of the state. The announcement in this regard was made by Chief Minister Amarinder Singhhere, an official release said. Announcing a series of measures to support potato farmers, the chief minister directed the agriculture department to take all possible steps to help potato growers in realising better prices of their crop. He also ordered the concerned department to initiate steps for export of potato crop, with the help of the freight subsidy which his government would be releasing to the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation. The chief minister has already asked the departments of school education and jails to purchase potatoes directly from farmers for use in preparing mid-day meals and Anganvadi meals respectively. He also blamed the Centre for not helping out the farming community. Potatoes are grown on about one lakhs hectares in ..
Rain worsens pollution, Delhi's air quality in 'very poor' category
Delhi's air quality was recorded in the 'very poor' category after light rains slowed dispersion of pollutants and worsened the pollution situation in the national capital, authorities said Saturday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the overall air quality index (AQI) of the city was at 332, which falls in the 'very poor' category. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and between 401 and 500 'severe'. The CPCB said 26 areas recorded 'very poor' air quality while six areas recorded poor air quality. The level of PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 174 and the PM10 level 256, it said. In the National Capital Region, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Greater Noida and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality while Gurgaon, recorded 'poor' air quality, the CPCB data showed. According to the Centre-run System of Air ...
Centre's 'Kisan Samman' scheme to benefit 1.5 cr Maha farmers
Nearly 1.5 crore Maharashtra farmers owning up to two hectares of land are expected to benefit from the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi announced in the Union budget Friday, a senior state agriculture department official said. Presenting the Interim Budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha, Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday said farmers will be provided Rs 6,000 per year in three installments under a scheme to be fully funded by the central government. "Some 1.5 crore farmers have less than two hectares of land in the state. These farmers will get the benefit of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi which was announced in the (Union) Budget," the official said Saturday. However, farmers' groups were not impressed. Ajit Navale, a farmer leader and state general secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, questioned why a budgetary provision had not been made for increasing the income of farmers as well as number of purchase centres. The AIKS had last year organised a ...
UK would regret no-deal Brexit 'for ever' - business minister
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain would permanently regret leaving the European Union without a deal, and parliament needs to reach a decision to stop this in the next two weeks, business minister Greg Clark said in a newspaper interview on Saturday.
Kerala police stations to go green
: Police stations in Kerala are getting ready to go green with trees and flowering plants on their premises, thanks to an innovative initiative of the authorities. State police chief Lokanath Behera has issued an order directing that trees and plants be grown on the premises of all the stations and offices coming under the police department. The 'eco-friendly' initiative is part of efforts to change the conventional perception about police stations and create a good rapport with the common people who approach the law-enforcers with complaints. In the order issued to the district police chiefs and unit heads, Behera wanted to make use of all available land on the stations' premises to grow trees and plants, an official statement said here. However, it also asked that exotic trees like acacia, which pose a threat to the ecology, be avoided and instead native fruit-bearing trees and flowering plants be chosen. The trees should be planted and grown without affecting the ...
121,000 Flamingos 'at home' in Mumbai this year
Mumbai attracts around 121,000 flamingos, or the 'pink beauties' as they are fondly known here, according to the first-ever specific survey on these birds conducted by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), that was released on Saturday.