Page 260 - Environment
Two pythons rescued from temple in UP
Two Indian Rock Pythons were rescued from a temple in Jainpura village here on Monday, an official said. After sighting two pythons, weighing about 30 kg and 18 kg, in Shiv Mandir, locals immediately informed the Forest Department, who in turn contacted the Wildlife SOS. A two-member team carefully transferred the reptiles into two different snake bags. It took almost 40 minutes for the rescuers to catch hold of the reptiles. "We are very glad that people have become so aware that they consider calling experts instead of trying to deal with the matter themselves, or worse, resorting to killing the snakes. Our team has professionals who are trained to handle such situations efficiently," said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder & CEO, Wildlife SOS. "The 12-foot long python weighs approximately 30 kg and its sheer size made the rescue operation more challenging. The 9-foot long python weighs approximately 18 kg. The two pythons were found to be in good health and after careful ...
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Exxon in climate change document fight
(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for the attorney general of Massachusetts to obtain records from Exxon Mobil Corp to probe whether the oil company for decades concealed its knowledge of the role fossil fuels play in climate change.
Weekend rain lowers PM 10 levels in Delhi but air quality may remain 'very poor'
Although the first spell of winter rain over the weekend brought down the pollution levels in the national capital, the Air Quality Index (AQI) is likely to remain in the "very poor" category due to adverse weather conditions, a Met official said on Monday.
2,092 pollution norm violations in NCR in December
A total of 2,092 violations of pollution norms in Delhi NCR were recorded in the month of December by pollution watchdog CPCB in 300 inspections. According to the data provided by the Central Pollution Control Board, the highest number of violations were that of construction and demolition activity at 593 followed by open burning of garbage at 471. Out of the 2,092 violations in NCR, the highest number was found in Delhi at 1,731 where maximum number of inspections were conducted, the data showed. In Ghaziabad, a total of 147 violations were observed in 26 field visits. In Gurgaon, a total of 85 violations were observed in 12 field visits. In Noida, a total of 91 violations were observed in eight field visits. In Faridabad, a total of 38 violations were observed in nine field visits, the CPCB data showed. December witnessed one of the worst pollution levels in the last few years with the air quality oscillating between very poor and severe for nearly the whole month.
Air pollution can hamper work productivity
Besides affecting health, prolonged exposure to air pollution can also reduce employee's productivity, finds a study.
Workshop on rebuilding Kerala
The TKM College of Engineering hosted a two-day international workshop here, in partnership with the Leeds University, UK, on rebuilding a resilient Kerala after the floods. The workshop, which was co-hosted by the Kerala government, focused on bringing academia, industry and government agencies together with the common interest to rebuild Kerala for a resilient future. "Our High Commissioner Dominic Asquith and I met the chief minister of Kerala recently to express our concern for the loss of life and property during the floods and we are glad that UK-Kerala academic and research practitioners are coming together for this timely knowledge-sharing event," said UK's Deputy High Commissioner to India, Jeremy Pilmore Bedford. Through the workshop, key stakeholders from both the countries jointly identified short-term, medium-term and long-term goals to deal with the challenges in rebuilding the flood affected state.
2 killed in elephant attacks in C'garh's Surajpur
Two persons were trampled to death by an elephant in separate places in Devnagar village in Chhattisgarh's Surajpur district, an official said Monday. In an incident that took place Sunday in Badkapara locality of the village, a woman identified as Chandarmani Singh (25) was killed by the tusker at a relative's vegetable farm, Divisional Forest Officer (Surajpur division) BP Singh said. Later, a motorcycle-borne man identified as Tejram Rajwade (45) was trampled to death by this elephant in Kumharpara locality in the village, he added. "The elephant has ventured into Surjapur area from neighbouring Koriya district. There is no forest close to Devnagar village and, therefore, forest personnel are facing difficulty chasing it away. We are also looking at the option of tranquilising the elephant and leaving it in any nearby forest," Singh said. The bodies have been sent for post mortem and the kin of the deceased have been given Rs 25,000 as immediate relief, he added. He
Delhi's air quality worsens as impact of rain subsides: Authorities
Delhi's air quality was recorded in the "very poor" category Monday as the impact of rain began to subside and the pollution level started rising, authorities said. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city reached 337, which is in the 'very poor' category. Thirty areas in Delhi recorded "very poor" air quality, while two areas witnessed "poor" quality air, it said. In the NCR, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida recorded "very poor" air quality, the CPCB said. Delhi's pollution level went down on Sunday after rainfall washed away pollutants and cleansed the air on Saturday, authorities said. The air quality in the national capital has been oscillating between the upper range of the "very poor" and the 'severe' category for the past two weeks. On Monday, the overall PM2.5 level (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) was recorded at 177 while the PM10 level (fine ...
Get tough on wood-smugglers, says Telangana CM
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Monday asked officials to put wood-smuggling down with an iron hand. Rao, who held a meeting on 'Protecting environment and developing forest area,' instructed the forest officials to take the help of police to check smuggling of wood from forests, an official press release said. The Preventive Detention Act should be invoked against those who indulge in smuggling forest wood, the release said. Also, the Chief Minister instructed that however influenced might be the wood-smugglers, and whatever political party they belong (to), action should be initiated against them, it said. Rao suggested dividing the state into four parts and drawing up an actionplan for the purpose of protecting the environment, the release said. The actionplan should be evolved on planting of crores of saplings throughout the state, forest rejuvenation, greenery development in and around the city and control of wood-smuggling, it said. By taking the ...
Denmark plans nine new islands to expand Copenhagen industrial district
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark backed a proposal on Monday to build nine new artificial islands to expand the industrial district of Copenhagen and attract investment.
Two pythons rescued
Two big pythons, one 12 feet and another nine feet long, were rescued on Monday from village Jainpura in Fatehpur Sikri area in Uttar Pradesh.
Alignment for 384-km Amaravati-Anantapuramu expressway finalised
Alignment for a new 384-km expressway connecting Andhra Pradesh's new capital city of Amaravati to Anantapuramu has been finalised, Parliament was informed Monday. "The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has held two meetings with officers of state government of Andhra Pradesh regarding the development of an access controlled green field expressway connecting the new capital city of Amaravati to Anantapuramu," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told Rajya Sabha in a written reply. The alignment of the said road stretch has been finalised with a length of approximately 384-km, he said. It is envisaged to develop the expressway initially as four-laned with a provision of upgradation/expansion to eight-lane in future, depending upon the traffic requirement, he added. "The government of Andhra Pradesh has agreed to transfer the government land free of cost and bear 50 per cent of the cost of the land to be acquired," the minister said. Further, the Andhra Pradesh ...
India offering 23 areas in new oil, gas exploration auction: oil secretary
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will auction 23 blocks in a third round of offerings under the open acreage licensing programme for oil and gas exploration concessions, the country's oil secretary, M.M. Kutty, said on Monday.
Delhi govt partners with Washington University for joint study on air quality evaluation
The Delhi government has signed an agreement with the Washington University to conduct a joint study on air quality evaluation in the national capital. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims at the joint study to be undertaken by the Washington University and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) for the real-time source apportionment with special reference to PM2.5, and analysis of elemental, organic carbon and 72 inorganic elements. PM2.5 level is a measure of fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. "The project duration will be 18 months. The work will be undertaken by the personnel of the Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory (AAQRL) which has expertise in identifying air quality problems and suggesting the solutions to curtail the emission for reducing the air pollutant release," an official statement said. "Two speciation monitors will be used in the project for obtaining composition of PM2.5. Identification of the ...
NGT directs traffic police to keep tab on Google maps to control traffic jams in Delhi
The National Green Tribunal has directed the city traffic police to evolve a mechanism to refer to Google maps for taking prompt remedial and preventive steps at places witnessing traffic jams. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the roads should be made free of congestion to decrease air pollution in the national capital. "We are of the view that since traffic jams can be observed from the Google maps, the traffic police must evolve a mechanism to view the Google maps so as to take prompt remedial and preventive steps at places where traffic jams are taking place," the bench said. The tribunal directed that a copy of this order along with complaint be sent to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, by email for taking appropriate steps in accordance with law. It also reiterated that every order of the NGT was binding as a decree of court and non-compliance was actionable by way of punitive action in terms of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. The direction
CAI lowers cotton crop estimate for 2018-19 to 335 lakh bales
The Cotton Association of India Monday lowered its December estimate of the cotton crop by 5.25 lakh bales than its previous estimate to 335 lakh bales for the 2018-19 season. The decline is mainly due to farmers uprooting cotton plants due to moisture deficiency following deficient rainfall, CAI said in a release here. Earlier, in the November estimate, CAI had projected 340.25 lakh bales. The CAI has reduced the crop estimate for Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana by 1.50 lakh bales at 80.30 lakh bales, 2 lakh bales at 71.25 lakh bales and 2 lakh bales at 46.90 lakh bales, respectively. Total cotton supply projected by the CAI during the period from October 2018 to December 2018 at 142.50 lakh bales consists of the arrival of 115.97 lakh bales, imports of 3.53 lakh bales and the opening stock at the beginning of the season estimated at 23 lakh bales. Further, the CAI has estimated cotton consumption during October-December 2018 at 80 lakh bales while the export ...
Denmark plans business hub on 9 new islands near Copenhagen
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's government on Monday proposed constructing nine islands in the sea just south of Copenhagen to create more space for businesses.
UP govt orders closure of industrial units during Kumbh Mela
The Uttar Pradesh adminstration has ordered the closure of 48 industrial units in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts during Kumbh Mela to keep the Ganga clean, officials said Monday. The decision was taken to ensure that untreated effluence and waste is not released into the Ganga river, spokesperson of the state's pollution control board, D C Pandey said. The units situated in the 10 districts of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Noida, Greater Noida, Saharanpur and Bijnor will remain shut from January 6 to 8, Pandey said. They will again be asked to shut down on January 15 during the great bath at Allahabad, the official said.
Census finds dip in winter migratory birds in Bhitarkanika
There has been a drop in the number of winter birds flocking the Bhitarkanika National Park here, prompting wildlife officials to find out the reasons behind it. The annual census report of winter migratory birds released by the forest department on Monday said that the number of avian winter species has come down to 1,09,059 against 1,12,937 last year. While 83 species of feathered guests had thronged the national park last year, the latest headcount could spot 74 species of birds, they said. Many of the spots where the birds were spotted last time, no sighting was made this time, they said. Despite the drop in the number of migratory birds, hordes of rare and endangered avian species were sighted along wetland spots. "The enumerators have spotted rare groups of winged species at the wetland spots of the national park. This is a clear indicator that Bhitarkanika is still a congenial spot to attract birds," said Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) ...
NHPC temporarily shuts down Chamera-111 Power Station in Himachal Pradesh
Powered by Capital Market - Live News