Page 214 - Environment
Kumbh Mela: Special arrangements made for cleaning all drains in Allahabad
Special arrangements were made to expedite the process of cleaning all drains here during the two-month-long Kumbh. Under the Namami Gange project of the Centre, a host of measures for sanitation as well as checking the flow of sewer drains into the Ganga river were put in place at an expenditure of around Rs 250 crore, said officials of the National Clean Ganga Mission (NCGM). "There are 46 big drains that flow directly in the river. Their flow has been checked and treated through bioremediation and polymer-based techniques to provide clean water for the Kumbh," said Rajat Gupta, special consultant with the NCGM. Under the project, the UP Jal Nigam hired an NGO, Geo Contractors, for treating sewer water of Arail, Salori, Mawaiya, Lote Haran and Rajapur drains of total 60.51 MLD discharge through advanced techniques. A special technique -- geosynthetic dewatering tube -- was being used to clean water of Lote Haran drain on the Jhusi side of the Ganga river. "This is a technique ...
Indian communication satellite to be launched by Ariane rocket
Indian communication satellite GSAT-31 will be put into orbit by Arianespace's Ariane 5 heavy lift rocket on February 5 from its spaceport in French Guiana, the company said in a statement.
States asked to quickly identify small farmers for income support scheme: Niti
The Centre has written to all states, directing them to quickly identify small and marginal farmers who will receive Rs 2,000 as the first installment by March-end under the Rs 75,000-crore income support package announced in the Budget, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said Saturday. The government has already earmarked Rs 20,000 crore for disbursement in the current fiscal to an estimated 12 crore farmers. In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced a scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi' under which Rs 6,000 per year would be provided to farmers holding cultivable land of up to 2 hectares. In an interview to PTI, Kumar expressed confidence that there would not be any major difficulty in implementing this farm package, except in north-eastern states where it might take a little more time. "The Ministry of Agriculture has been working on this (proposal) and therefore they will pursue it on a mission mode. This is one scheme where implementation has to be ...
Farmers tie their hands in symbolic protest at DND
Hundreds of farmers from Uttar Pradesh stayed put near the DND flyway, at the junction of Noida and Delhi, on Saturday demanding enhanced compensation in lieu of their land acquired before 2013. The Delhi-Noida-Direct flyway, a crucial route connecting UP and Delhi, was shut briefly on Friday evening as farmers from western UP districts protested on the route, throwing traffic movement out of gear. The rally, organised by Kisan Uday Abhiyan, led by Manveer Teotia, included farmers from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Aligarh and Meerut. Many of them were women from villages with their heads covered. The women had their hands raised and tied with a piece of cloth in a symbolic gesture expressing helplessness. "We are here to demand that we be given compensation in accordance with the law on land acquisition that was passed in Parliament in 2013. Our lands were acquired prior to that and we have been left out from the benefits as doled out under the new law," Kaale Singh from Bhatta ...
Tiny plastic particles found in dolphins, whales: UK study
Microplastics have been found in the guts of every marine mammal examined in a study of animals washed up on Britain's shores, scientists say. Researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in the UK examined 50 animals from 10 species of dolphins, seals and whales - and found microplastics in them all. Most of the particles (84 per cent) were synthetic fibres -- which can come from sources including clothes, fishing nets and toothbrushes -- while the rest were fragments, whose possible sources include food packaging and plastic bottles. "It's shocking - but not surprising - that every animal had ingested microplastics," said Sarah Nelms, of the University of Exeter and PML. "The number of particles in each animal was relatively low (average of 5.5 particles per animal), suggesting they eventually pass through the digestive system, or are regurgitated," Nelms. "We don't yet know what effects the microplastics, or the chemicals on and in them, might have
Day 2 Farmers' protests continue at DND flyway
Scores of farmers blocked the Delhi-Noida (DND) flyway on Saturday, as they continued their agitation demanding fourfold compensation in lieu of their land acquisition.The farmers assembled at the toll plaza in the morning at the flyway connecting national capital to Uttar Pradesh's Noida.On Friday thousands of farmers from different villages of Gautam Budh Nagar district marched towards Delhi, raising slogans and causing severe disruption of traffic on the Delhi-Noida flyway which had to be then shut causing inconvenience to commuters.The agitated farmers have alleged that builders, who took land from farmers, have laid the foundation stone for a degree college, but construction is yet to begin.The protesters want that those farmers who did not sell their land to builders should be provided a channel for passage of water for irrigation purposes. They also want immediate relief from the Income Tax department.The farmers have demanded that the affected families should be either ...
Six vultures feeding by rail track run over by train
As many as six vultures feeding on a cow carcass by a railway track were run over by a train in West Bengal's Siliguri district.According to the West Bengal Forest Department, the incident took place on Friday when the vultures assembled on the track to feed upon a cow carcass.The species of the vulture is yet to be ascertained.It is important to note that many species of the vultures, including Oriental White-Back, and Slender-Billed, have been declared as 'Critically Endangered' in 2001 by BirdLife International.These vultures were upgraded to Critically Endangered category because they have suffered an extremely rapid population decline, particularly across the Indian subcontinent.
Earth's largest extinction event wiped out plants first: Study
The world's largest extinction wiped out plants before many animal counterparts, says new research.
Exclusive: China buys U.S. soybeans a day after trade talks - traders
(Reuters) - Chinese state-owned firms bought at least 1 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans on Friday, a day after high-level bilateral talks yielded progress toward a trade deal and a Chinese commitment to buy more U.S. soybeans.
Killing of millions of indigenous Americans changed global climate: Study
When European settlers arrived in the Americas, they killed over 56 million indigenous Americans which led to a change in the global climate, a new study finds.
Jammu-Srinagar highway still off-limits
The Jammu-Srinagar highway remained closed for the third consecutive day on Saturday due to fresh landslides in the Bannihal-Ramban sector, an official said.
Exclusive: China buys U.S. soybeans a day after trade talks -traders
(Reuters) - Chinese state-owned firms bought at least 1 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans on Friday, a day after high-level bilateral talks yielded progress toward a trade deal and a Chinese commitment to buy more U.S. soybeans.
Trump says there is a 'good chance' of declaring emergency to build his proposed border wall
US President Donald Trump on Friday said there is a "good chance" that he will declare a national emergency to build his proposed wall along the US Mexico border to prevent flow of illegal immigrants into the country. The president said he would use his State of the Union address next week to once again make a case for the barrier "I think there is a good chance we will have to do that," Trump told White House reporters when asked if he will declare emergency to build the contentious border wall. "We are building the wall...We are doing things right now," he added. Asserting that he has "a very strong legal standing" on the issue of declaring emergency, Trump said, "We haven't declared the national emergency yet, but we are building the wall...You will hear the State of the Union and let's see what happens.
NASA's asteroid sampling probe snaps picture of asteroid Bennu
NASA's first asteroid-sampling mission OSIRIS-REx, which went into orbit around asteroid Bennu on New Year's Eve, has captured incredible photographs of the smallest ever celestial body to be orbited by a spacecraft.
Space gets more funds but funds for INSAT/GSAT satellites cut
The Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has proposed an allocation of Rs 11,538.26 crore for the Department of Space, in his interim Budget for 2019-20 presented in Parliament on Friday.
Over Rs 10,000 crore allocated for space programme
With a vision to expand the countrys space programme and sending an Indian astronaut into space by 2022, the government on Friday allocated more than Rs 10,000 crore for space programme.
Budget proposes 21% increase in allocation for North-East
The Union budget on Friday has proposed an increase of 21 per cent in the allocation for the northeastern areas of the country.
Amarinder gives nod to declare endangered Indus River dolphin as state aquatic animal
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Friday gave approval to declare the endangered Indus River dolphin, found only in the Beas River in the country, as the state aquatic animal, an official statement said here. Chairing a meeting of the State Board for Wildlife here, Singh said the Indus dolphin, a rare aquatic mammal, would be the flagship species for the conservation of the Beas River ecosystem. The chief minister also gave approval to declare the Kanjli Wetland and the holy Kali Bein River as a wildlife conservation reserve to mark the historic 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev. The sacred Kali Bein river was associated with the life of the Sikh Guru, who got enlightenment while taking a dip in the holy river, the release stated. The chief minister said that the declaration of the area as a conservation reserve would contribute to maintaining the region's ecological balance and also to the cleanliness of the river, which had become polluted with ...
Female elephant killed after being hit by goods train
A female elephant was killed after being hit by a goods train in Odishas Dhenkanal district Friday, a Forest official said. The incident took place when a herd of elephants was crossing the tracks near between Dhenkanal and Dandimal, the official said. Additional Chief Conservator of Forest, Jitendranath Das reached the spot and has initiated an investigation, he said. In a similar incident, a female elephant was killed after being hit by a train near Ramachandrapur in Keonjhar district in November last year.
Vision for 2030 in Budget: Clean rivers with safe drinking water
Asserting that the government has vigorously worked for cleaning the Ganga river, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday laid out Vision 2030, envisaging clean rivers with safe drinking water to all Indians. Presenting the Budget 2019-20, Goyal said, "Our rivers and water bodies are our life supporting assets. Our government has worked vigorously for cleaning the river Ganga". "Fifth Dimension of our Vision for India of 2030 is clean rivers, with safe drinking water to all Indians, sustaining and nourishing life and efficient use of water in irrigation using micro-irrigation techniques," he said. Unveiling the development vision for the next decade, the government Friday said it would focus on 10 key areas including job creation, physical and social infrastructure building, pollution-free nation and clean rivers. The Budget also saw allocation of Rs 8,041 crore for 2019-2020 compared to Rs 7,612 crore in 2018-19.