Page 255 - Environment
H.G. Infra Engineering bags NHAI road project in State of Haryana
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
U'khand govt to rejuvenate Rispana and Bindal rivers
The Uttarakhand government will rejuvenate Rispana and Bindal rivers of the state on the lines of Gujarat's Sabarmati river, an official statement said Thursday. A MoU in this regard was signed between the Sabarmati River Front Development Corporation Ltd (SRFDCL) and the Mussoorie-Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) here on Wednesday. SRFDCL Executive Director R KMehta and MDDA Vice Chairman Ashish Srivastav signed the MoU at Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat's residence, the official release said. The SRFDCL will provide technical support to the Uttarakhand government in developing Rispana and Bindal river fronts, it said. The chief minister said that the beautification of the two rivers, checking encroachments around them and maintaining their flow is part of the multi-dimensional project. With technical support from the SRFDCL, both the rivers will be rejuvenated within two years, he said, adding this will not only beautify Dehradun but also help in conserving the ...
China launches subsidy-free solar, wind power after project costs fall
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will launch a series of subsidy-free wind and solar projects this year to take advantage of a rapid fall in construction costs since 2012 and tackle a gaping payment backlog, the country's top planning agency said on Thursday.
Petition in HC against proposal for Balasaheb Thackeray memorial in 'green zone'
A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court against the proposal for constructing Balasaheb Thackeray memorial at Mayor's bungalow in Mumbai's Dadar area, a green zone.The petition, filed by social worker Santosh Daundkar, seeks the cancellation of orders for the change of land use (CLU) of the said property, which is located in the green zone. The proposed memorial is also said to be in the violation of coastal regulatory rules.The petition "impugns the decision of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to refuse to take cognizance of conspicuous violations of law particularly that of Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011, in the matter of change of use of the land earmarked for Mayor's Bungalow and Recreation ground.""The said Mayor's Bungalow comprises heritage structures," the petition further states.
Annual census of estuarine crocodiles begin in Bhitarkanika
The annual census of estuarine or saltwater crocodiles got underway at Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district Thursday following which the area has been been kept out of bounds for tourists, officials said. Forest officials, crocodile experts and researchers, will carry out the census till January 14, the officials said. The objective is to keep the place free from human interference during the headcount and so the park has been closed for visitors, a forest official said. Apart from the Bhitarkanika river system, water inlets, creeks and nullas within the national park, the headcount of crocodiles is also being carried out in the areas along the deltaic region of Mahanadi river, the forest official said. The upstream of Brahmani, Baitarani and Kharasrota river systems have been identified as habitation corridor of estuarine crocodiles, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya, said. The ...
Sunscreen, cosmetics may harm coral reefs: Study
Sunscreen chemicals shed by swimmers may be toxic to marine creatures and contribute to coral reef decline, a study has found. Although sunscreen is critical for preventing sunburns and skin cancer, some of its ingredients are not so beneficial to ocean-dwelling creatures, according to a study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. Researchers from Sorbonne Universite in France said that one such chemical, octocrylene (OC), which is also in some cosmetics and hair products, accumulates in coral as fatty acid esters that could be toxic to the marine organism. According to several research studies, up to 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in the world's oceans every year. To protect coral reefs, the state of Hawaii recently banned sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, two chemicals known to harm coral, with the law set to take effect in January 2021. Another substance, OC, can be found in cosmetics such as hair sprays and conditioners, as well as sunscreens. Although OC .
Three stray cows die while being shifted to shelter home
Three stray cows died while they were being shifted to a shelter home in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district on Thursday, prompting authorities to order a probe, officials said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on January 3 given all district magistrates a week to ensure that all stray cattle across the state are shifted to cow shelters. In parts of the state, farmers have reportedly herded stray cattle into places like government schools to save their crops. Shamli veterinary doctor Raj Kumar told PTI that 49 stray cows were being shifted in trucks when three of them died due to some unidentified reason. He said an inquiry has been ordered.
Villagers mourn crocodile's death, take out funeral procession
An entire village in Chhattisgarh assembled to bid an emotional adieu to a crocodile, whom they used to worship as their protector, after the animal died. For residents of Bawa Mohtara village in Bemetara district, the around 130-year-old crocodile, whom they had fondly named as 'Gangaram', was next to God. After the reptile died in a village pond, the grief- stricken residents took out its funeral procession and did not cook food that day. They also decided to set up a memorial on the pond's bank where it was buried, sarpanch (village head) Mohan Sahu told PTI, adding that they were also thinking of constructing a temple in its memory. The 3.4 metre-long crocodile was found dead on Tuesday in the village pond, located around 80 km from here, following which locals informed the forest department and the carcass was taken out of water, he said. Around 500 villagers took out its funeral procession and performed the last rites. They touched the carcass to seek its ...
Two more pythons rescued in Agra
After last week's capture of two pythons, two more pythons were caught from a farmland in Kukthala village in Agra district and have been released back in the wild, officials said on Thursday.
TN govt cracks whip against fishermen using banned nets
The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department with the help of the Indian Coast Guard Thursday seized around 80 banned fishing nets from fishermen here, officials said. The Sri Lankan Navy has been complaining about Indian fishermen allegedly using banned fishing nets, destroying their fish species. It had charged the Indian fishermen with poaching even protected fish species. The state Deputy Director of Fisheries E Kathavarayan said banned fishing nets not only caused severe damage to the fish population in the seas, but also resulted in pollution and contamination in fish food. Despite repeated warnings, the fishermen were allegedly using the "irattai madi" (double fold) nets, killing fish species in the Gulf of Mannar. The fisheries department official told PTI that it seized banned fishing nets from 86 fishing boats with the help of the Indian Coast Guard. Kathavarayan also said the Fisheries Department had been acting time and again and had slapped a fine of Rs 26 lakh in the last few ...
NASA's asteroid sampling probe snaps picture of Earth
NASA's first asteroid-sampling mission OSIRIS-REx has captured an incredible image of the Earth, the media reported.
Swimming camels, mangrove islands of Kutch face mounting challenges (Feature)
In the land of contrasts that Kutch is, winter is the lean feeding season for its unique breed of Kharai camels. These camels, unlike the kind most of us are familiar with, are typically dependent on the mangroves for their food, and during monsoons, they swim to the mangrove islands in hordes and stay there for days altogether.
Coastal road promenade to overshadow Marine Drive walkway
The 29.2 km-long coastal road project here will also give rise to the city's longest promenade, overtaking the iconic walkway at Marine Drive in south Mumbai, a senior civic official has said. The proposed promenade - a part of the road set to be built along the city's coast - will be 6.4 km-long, stretching from Worli to Priyadarshini Park via Haji Ali in south Mumbai, he said. "So far, Marine Drive, which is around 3.4 km-long, is the longest promenade in Mumbai. However, the promenade along the coastal road will be almost double its length, making it the longest public walkway in the city," the official said on Wednesday. The new promenade will be 20-metre wide and will have gardens, playgrounds, cycle tracks, open auditoriums, toilets and seating arrangements for senior citizens, he said in a statement. It will also have three underground parking spaces to accommodate around 1,625 vehicles, he said. The walkway will come up on around 96.87 lakh sqft area of ...
U.S. oil export boom sparks a battle to build Texas ports
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS (Reuters) - Booming U.S. oil exports have set off a scramble to build Gulf Coast ports to handle more than 3 million barrels per day in new supplies expected over the next five years.
Tiger caught on camera for the first time in Sikkim
A Royal Bengal Tiger has been caught in a camera trap laid by forest officials in Sikkim. According to officials of the forest department, this is the first time that a tiger has been captured on camera in the state. "History has indeed been created with the first-ever camera footage of a Royal Bengal Tiger roaming in the forests of Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary in East Sikkim," the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of East Wildlife Division, Dechen Lachungpa, said. The camera captured two images of the tiger on the night of December 6, 2018 - at 6.23 pm and at 7 pm, near Goru Jurey, at an altitude of 9,583 feet, the DFO said. "We got to know about the camera trap images only a couple of days ago," the forest official added. Lachungpa also said that there had been oral narratives of tigers freely roaming in the forests of Sikkim until the late 1980s. However, the first-ever picture of the animal could be a concrete base on which a detailed study on migration of tigers to ..
3 dead after commercial crabbing vessel capsizes off Oregon
A commercial crabbing boat capsized in rough waters off the Oregon coast, killing the three men aboard and sending a shock wave through a seafaring community already struggling from a monthlong delay to the annual crabbing season. The US Coast Guard said the vessel, the Mary B II, overturned about 10 pm Tuesday as it crossed Yaquina Bay bar in Newport, Oregon. The bar is one of the most notorious off the Oregon coast, and authorities said crews faced 12- to 14-foot (3.6- to 4.2-meter) waves as they tried to rescue the fishermen. The men had called for an escort across the bar and a responding Coast Guard boat was nearby when the crabbing boat capsized "without warning," the Coast Guard said Wednesday evening in a news release. The Coast Guard is investigating the incident. James Lacey, 48, of South Toms River, New Jersey, was pulled from the ocean by helicopter and flown to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The body of Joshua Porter, 50, of Toledo, Oregon, washed up on a
Second fast radio burst detected in space
Scientists have discovered the second repeating fast radio burst released into space far outside the Milky Way galaxy, according to a study.
Indian-American Congressman slams Trump for California wildfire remark
An Indian-American Congressman on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trump for accusing California authorities of not doing proper forest management, saying that his statement is factually incorrect. Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that he has directed his administration not to give any additional federal money to California for fighting wildfire. Wildfire-prone California in recent weeks have seen dozens of people killed and hundreds of houses destroyed in a series of deadly fires, including the Camp Fire in November, which killed more than 80 people -- the worst fire in state history. "Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money!" Trump tweeted. Slamming the president for alleging the California authorities of wasting federal money by not properly ...
Jaitley inaugurates electric vehicle charging stations in North Block
As a step towards reducing carbon footprint and creating a more environmentally sustainable future, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated electric vehicle charging stations in North Block and handed over the electric vehicle to the Finance Ministry officials here on Wednesday.The Finance Ministry also signed an agreement with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), an entity under the Ministry of Power, for the deployment of 15 Electric Vehicles for their officers.EESL is planning to replace the government's 5,00,000 conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars with electric variants primarily. EESL has also established charging infrastructure across all states where EVs are being deployed.To charge these vehicles, a total of 28 charging points- 24 slow charging points and 4 fast charging points- have been installed at the North Block. With these 15 EVs, the Department of Economic Affairs is expected to save over 36,000 litres of fuel every year and will also lead ..
2 forest officials arrested
: Two forest officials were arrested Wednesday in connection with poaching of a Nilgai (Asian antelope) in Kawal Tiger reserve, forest department officials said. A Deputy Forest Range Officer in Nirmal district, who was suspended for allegedly not initiating action against a tiger poacher, who had also killed a Nilgai, had been on the run, they said. Forest Section officer M A Rasheed and Forest Beat officer Vasanth were arrested in Pembi Forest range in Nirmal district in connection with alleged "involvement in Nilgai poaching case and connivance" with local poachers in Pembi, they said. Mohd Hafezzuddin, in-charge of Pembi Forest Range, was Tuesday suspended for allegedly suppressing the fact and not booking case against the poachers G Prakash and others, who were involved in the killing of a Nilgai, they said. "Hafezzudin is still absconding and evading arrest. The search is on" (to nab him), they said. The arrest of the forest officialswas based on a detailed ...