Page 250 - Environment
Pradhan accuses BJD govt of not developing Odisha
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday accused the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government of Odisha for its lackadaisical attitude in developing the state.Addressing the 'Jana Paramarsh Padyatra' here, Pradhan said that in the last 19 years, more people in the state in the state migrated to other places in search of jobs and alleged that corruption increased in the state."In 19 years of this (BJD) government, people have only migrated in search of jobs leaving behind their families. There is a rise in unemployment and corruption in the state," he said.Slamming Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for failing to improve the agriculture and health sectors in the state, Pradhan asserted, "There is distress sale of paddy and farmers are forced to sell their produce at less than the MSP of Rs 1750 per quintal. 'Mandis' (wholesale markets) are yet to be opened for paddy procurement in Balasore district. Farmers are seeking answers from the BJD Government .
Puducherry to ban plastic from March 1
Puducherry government has imposed a ban on the sale and use of plastic products in the Union Territory from March 1.Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy made the announcement on Sunday."Puducherry government will impose a ban on plastic usage from March 1, 2019," Narayanasamy told media here.The decision has been taken to keep the environment clean, he added.On March 23 last year, the Maharashtra government had issued a notification, imposing a ban on the manufacture, use, sale and distribution of all plastic materials like plastic bags, spoons, plates, bottles and thermocol items. On April 13, the Bombay High Court had called the ban 'reasonable'.
DNA of wolf declared extinct in wild lives on in Texas pack
Researchers say a pack of wild canines found frolicking near the beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast carries a substantial amount of red wolf genes, a surprising discovery because the animal was declared extinct in the wild nearly 40 years ago. The finding has led wildlife biologists and others to develop a new understanding that the red wolf DNA is remarkably resilient after decades of human hunting, loss of habitat and other factors had led the animal to near decimation. "Overall, it's incredibly rare to rediscover animals in a region where they were thought to be extinct and it's even more exciting to show that a piece of an endangered genome has been preserved in the wild," said Elizabeth Heppenheimer, a Princeton University biologist involved in the research on the pack found on Galveston Island in Texas. The work of the Princeton team was published in the scientific journal Genes. The genetic analysis found that the Galveston canines appear to be a hybrid of red wolf and coyote, but
New policy design needed to deal with environmental threat: Study
A recent study suggested that new coherent and collaborative strategies are needed to tackle the greatest global environmental threats.Rapid climate change and its adverse effect on the environment has been a raging topic worldwide in the recent past. While the report acknowledges that there are no 'simple solutions' to the issue, it does outline these guiding principles to help tackle the growing environmental threat brought by human-made climate change.These include selecting existing, robust policies to help formulate policy decisions, the need for decisions to be made consistently across regional, national and global boundaries, and a more conclusive look at the true extent that the environment is being impacted.As part of the study, a team of researchers examined how politicians and legislators can develop a new way to tackle the growing threat of climate change.Published in the journal of Nature Sustainability, the research comes in response to advice from leading scientists, ...
3 Central Railways stations go green to save energy
Energy conservation has become the Indian Railways' 'Mission Area' in recent times, and as part of its efforts, three stations belonging to the Mumbai division of the Central Railways have adopted energy conservation techniques.Asangaon station of the Central Railway has the distinction of being the second station on Indian Railways to become a 'Green Station', where all the energy needs are met by solar and wind ill generated power. It was followed by Jumapatti, Waterpipe, Aman Lodge and Matheran become energy independent.Now Roha, Pen and Apta stations of Central Railway have also become green stations, thereby saving precious energy. The power requirements at these stations are now met by solar and windmill generated green energy.Roha station has 15 kWp solar power panels generating around 65-80 kWh power daily. Earlier, the electrical load of Roha station was 21 kW while the present load is only 11.81 kW, thus achieving 80 per cent energy saving with solar power. The yearly ...
Felling of trees for PM's helipad sparks row in Odisha
Two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Balangir district, a row surfaced on Sunday over alleged cutting of trees to prepare a temporary helipad. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Balangir, Sameer Satpathy said several trees were felled near the railway station ground in the district to prepare a temporary helipad without obtaining prior permission. Satpathy added that an inquiry in this regard has been ordered. Union Petroleum Minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan, however, claimed that people who are "afraid" of the prime minister's visit are trying to spread a false campaign by "misusing" forest officials. "Following the direction of the DFO, a team will visit the site in order to ascertain the number of trees felled in the area," said Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Babaji Charan Raul. Since the area happens to be under the jurisdiction of the railways, an official of the East Coast Railways (ECoR) said they are also ...
Volkswagen could face recall of more cars over emissions: report
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) is considering recalling more Volkswagen cars due to its emissions scandal, the Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday.
Bangladesh, ADB sign deal for rural road network
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladeshi government Sunday signed an agreement for $200 million in loans to improve the rural road network in Bangladesh.
Scheme to eradicate poverty among nomadic tribes in J&K demanded
The Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (TRCF), an organisation representing the Gujjar community, urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday to formulate a compact programme to eradicate poverty among nomadic tribes. The organisation also sought inclusion of the nomadic population in the blow-poverty line (BPL) list and demanded food security for them. "Gujjar and Bakerwal communities being nomads are not properly aware of the schemes being launched by state and central governments to uplift them socially, economically, educationally and culturally under Scheduled Tribe category. "Poverty is growing rapidly among nomadic tribes as they are relinquishing their nomadic life and opting for unskilled labour and poverty eradication programmes are required for them immediately," TRCF founder Javaid Rahi said at a function here. The TRCF leader said lakhs of members of nomadic tribes, mainly Gujjar, Bakerwal, Gadii, Sippi and Changpa, migrate along with their cattle to upper ..
Uttar Pradesh officials miss Jan 10 deadline to relocate stray cattle
Officials in Uttar Pradesh are yet to complete the relocation of stray cattle to shelter homes, even as the deadline set by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for shifting the bovines to proper facilities ended January 10. On January 3, the chief minister had given district magistrates about a week to ensure stray cattle across Uttar Pradesh are shifted to cow shelters with fences and veterinary care. He had issued the direction during a video-conference with the DMs, amid reports that stray cattle were destroying crops. Farmers in some parts of Uttar Pradesh had reportedly herded stray cattle into places like government schools to save their crops. "Work is going on at all the places on war footing. All the district magistrates (DMs) are adopting innovative ways and means as per their local needs to implement the policy," a senior official of the state animal husbandry department told PTI. He added that some of the innovative models that the department has come across are from Lalitpur, .
C'garh: Forest dept team in Korba to tranquilise wild jumbo
A Forest department team has been deployed in Chhattisgarh's Korba district to tranquilise a wild elephant which has killed four people in the past two weeks in Surajpur area and has now entered the Lemru forest range here, an official said Sunday. The team, also having experts from the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, was keeping an eye on the elephant's movement in Lemru forest range under Korba forest division to tranquilise it, said S Venkatachalam, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Korba. He informed that the tusker, after being tranquilised, will be brought to the Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Tamor Pingla sanctuary of Surguja district. He said the team was rushed after permission for tranquilising the tusker was received from higher authorities, adding that the hilly terrain was causing difficulties in the operation. Elephant attacks have killed six people in Surajpur and Surguja in the past few days, officials said.
Himachal HC refuses to stay land transfer to hydro facility
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has refused to stay the transfer of forest land to an Asian Development Bank-funded hydropower project in the state's Kinnaur district being executed by the state-run Himachal Pradesh Power Corp Ltd.
PM to inaugurate slew of projects in Odisha on Jan 15
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch a slew of centrally funded projects worth over Rs 1,545 crore in Odisha during his third visit in last three weeks to the state on Tuesday, official sources said. Modi, who toured Bhubaneswar and Khurda on December 24 and Baripada in January first week, will visit Balangir, where he is scheduled to address a rally, besides inaugurating and laying foundation of the development projects, mostly in railway sector, they said. On December 24, the prime minister had launched Rs 14,523 crore worth of projects for Odisha, while on January 5, he unveiled programmes worth Rs 4,733 crore, taking the total value to Rs 20,801 crore in the past month, officials said. Modi's visits to the state in quick succession assume significance as Assembly election in the state is slated to be held together with the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Two days after Modi's rally in Balangir, BJP president Amit Shah is slated to visit Odisha on January 18 when he
NTCA seeks report from Rajasthan on missing of tigers from Ranthambore
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has sought a report from Rajasthan government on a complaint by a wildlife activist regarding missing tigers from its Ranthambore reserve, according to official documents. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey had written to the NTCA seeking a high level enquiry on reports of tigers poaching in Ranthambore. "There have been reports of missing tigers from Ranthambore. It is feared that tigers are being poached regularly, Dubey had said in the letter. Acting on his complaint, the NTCA sent a letter to Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan government seeking a report on factual status and updates. A copy of the letter sent to the state government by the NTCA was received in response to an RTI query filed by Dubey. There are about 2,226 tigers in India, according to a latest report on the big cats census. Of these, 45 were in Rajasthan. Dubey, referring to another letter written by the Rajasthan government in 2017 to the NTCA, said that the the state ..
Mugger croc count goes up in Ghodahada reservoir in Ganjam
The number of mugger crocodiles in a reservoir and waterbodies around it in Odisha's Ganjam district has increased by 13 in a year, forest officials said. During a three-day-long census that ended on Friday, 58 crocodiles of the endangered species were found in and around the in Ghodahada irrigation reservoir, and nearby waterbodies, the officials said. While 43 mugger crocodiles were found in the five sq km reservoir, 15 crocodiles were located in the waterbodies nearby, the Forest Range Officer of Digapahandi, Paramananda Panigrahi, said. Last year, the population of mugger crocodiles in the area was around 45. While 28 were found inside the reservoir, 17 were found in the adjoining waterbodies, Panigrahi said. The population of the crocodiles remained stagnant at 55 in 2016 and 2017. The number was 49 in 2015, official sources said. Improvement of the habitat is stated to be the cause behind the increase in population of the mugger crocodiles, the range officer ...
Oceans warming faster than previously thought
Heat trapped by greenhouse gases is raising ocean temperatures faster than previously thought, according to a new research which shows that earlier claims of a slowdown or "hiatus" in global warming over the past 15 years were unfounded. Ocean heating is critical marker of climate change because an estimated 93 per cent of the excess solar energy trapped by greenhouse gases accumulates in the world's oceans. Unlike surface temperatures, ocean temperatures are not affected by year-to-year variations caused by climate events like El Nino or volcanic eruptions. "If you want to see where global warming is happening, look in our oceans," said Zeke Hausfather, a graduate student at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, in the US. "Ocean heating is a very important indicator of climate change, and we have robust evidence that it is warming more rapidly than we thought," said Hausfather. The new analysis, published in the journal Science, shows that trends in ocean heat content match ...
Sembcorp to set up 2 SO2 pollution control units at 2 power plants
Complying with environment norms, Sembcorp Energy India (SEIL) has floated a tender to set up two flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) units worth over Rs 1,000 crore in its two power plants with a total capacity of 2,640 MW in Andhra Pradesh. FGD helps power plants reduce emission and attain higher efficiency with adoption of cleaner technologies. It also ensures controlling sulphur dioxide emissions and compliance of the new environment norms set out by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The company is in the process of setting up the FGD units and has invited bids for the same as per tender document. SEIL, which is India arm of Singapore-based Sembcorp group, has a portfolio of 4.37 GW, including some under-construction plants. This includes thermal power generation capacity of 2.64 GW and over 1.7 GW renewable energy capacity. The company, like other thermal power firms, has been mandated to set up the FGD plants following a directive from the CPCB in December 2017, through ...
Delhi gasps for breath again as air quality dips to "Very Poor"
After a few days of respite, the overall air quality index (AQI) again deteriorated to 'very poor' category on Sunday in the national capital after the level of harmful pollutants shot up.According to Centre-run SAFAR, Delhi's AQI was docking at 382 in the morning. At Dhirpur, the AQI was 423 at 9:30 am, while in Mathura Road area it dipped to 'hazardous' category at 416.Furthermore, the AQI near Pitampura, Airport Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 429, 452 and 454 respectively.The India Meteorological Department has predicted that the weather in Delhi will mostly be foggy, with highs and lows reaching 23 Degree Celsius and 9 Degrees Celsius with haze and mist in the air.Due to the foggy weather, at least 9 trains were rescheduled after getting delayed by at least 2 hours.The trains -- Guwahati Express, Bhagalpur Express, Bhagalpur- Anand Vihar Garib Rath were delayed by 3 hours each.Owing to low visibility, the railways delayed Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, JayNagar-New .
HC forms committee to weed out invasive plant species from Western Ghats
The Madras High Court has set up an expert committee to find a solution to root out invasive species of plants from the Western Ghats while observing that such species were the second largest cause of biodiversity loss in the world. It has also directed the panel to file a report on the ways to weed out such species within two months. A division bench of justices M M Sundaresh and N Sathish recently decided to constitute the committee on a batch of petitions seeking to restrain the state government from cultivating eucalyptus species in Tamil Nadu for commercial purpose. It said such varieties of plants were a greater threat to native biodiversity than pollution, harvest, and disease combined. "The effect of the invasive species is immeasurable in terms of destruction of forest apart from wildlife and also everything on earth. These species grow at a rapid pace. "Initially aided externally through the humans, it has successfully replaced the suppressed native species, both trees, and
Two elephants electrocuted in Bengal
Two elephants died from electrocution after coming in contact with a high-voltage cable in West Bengal's West Midnapore district on Saturday, police said.