Page 267 - Environment
32 missions, including Chandrayaan-2, planned for 2019: ISRO
India has planned 32 missions, including the "most complex" Chandrayaan-2 during 2019, the Indian Space Research Organisation has said. India's maiden human spaceflight programme 'Gaganyaan' activities would go full steam to accomplish the various development and qualification milestones during the year, the space agency said. "The year 2019 promises to be much more challenging to the ISRO community with 32 planned missions (14 launch vehicles, 17 satellites and 1 Tech demo missions)," ISRO Chairman K Sivan said in a New Year message. "This includes the most complex Chandrayaan-2, which will be the 25th mission from SLP (second launch pad), and the development flights of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)," he said. ISRO had earlier said Chandrayaan-2 will be launched in a window from January-February 16, 2019. Sources said it is expected by the middle of next month but no date has been finalised. "We are all trying hard. Definitely, it should be possible to launch the mission in ..
PM to inaugurate 8 projects, lay foundation stone for 4 in Manipur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate eight projects and lay the foundation stone for four other schemes during his visit to Manipur on Friday, officials said here Thursday. After arriving at the Imphal International Airport Friday, the prime minister will proceed to Hapta Kangjeibung near here, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of the projects at a public rally, Information and Public Relations department officials said. The projects which the prime minister will inaugurate include the integrated the check post in Moreh of Tengnoupal district, Dolaithabi Barrage project of Imphal East district, FCI food storage godown in Imphal East district and the Buffer water reservoirs in Ukhrul district, the officials said. The other projects are the improvement and upgradation of water supply for Churachandpur zone, eco-tourism complex at Thangapat in Kangpokpi district, integrated tourist destination in Noney district and the water supply scheme at JNV, Lambui and its ...
J-K to develop state-wide strategy on noise pollution
The Jammu and Kashmir administration will develop a state-wide strategy to control noise pollution, as exposure to high-levels of sound results in significant adverse health impacts, an official said. The initiative is a part of the Jammu and Kashmir Environment policy 2018 draft, which has now been put into public domain inviting suggestions from the public. The policy stated that the government will develop the state-wide strategy to strengthen the capacity and infrastructure to monitor, enforce and regulate noise pollution. It will also encourage to control community noise through various steps such as awareness programmes through electronic and print media. The policy will regulate measures on celebration at community-level and undertake training of personnel from regulatory agencies, notification will also be issued to source specific standards for generator sets, automobiles and to firecracker industries to indicate noise levels through colour-coding on each of their packet for .
Himachal wants 53 state roads declared national highways
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday called on Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari here and sought to declare 53 state roads approved in principle as national highways.
Rare treefrog discovered in the Andes of Ecuador
A new species of treefrog was discovered during a two-week expedition to a remote tabletop mountain at Cordillera del Condor in the eastern Andes.Alex Achig, one of the field biologists who discovered the new species said that the team had to walk for two days on a steep terrain before they arrived at the dwarf forest and made the discovery.Notably, the frog has an extraordinary, enlarged claw-like structure located at the base of the thumb. While its function is unknown, scientists speculate it could be used either as a defence against predators or as a weapon in fights between competing males.After an analysis of genetic and morphologic data, scientists Santiago R. Ron, Marcel Caminer, Andrea Varela, and Diego Almeida from the Catholic University of Ecuador concluded that the frog represented a previously unknown species. It was recently described in the open-access journal ZooKeys.
Major tsunami struck southern China in 1076: scientists
A major tsunami struck China's southern coast in 1076 causing "drastic cultural decline", Chinese researchers say, in a study with implications for a densely populated region boasting multiple coastal nuclear power plants. There is a growing body of scientific evidence suggesting an earthquake in the Manila Trench sent a wall of water coursing into what is now China's Guangdong province around a thousand years ago. Now scientists believe they have narrowed down the date to an exact year -- 1076 -- and say the new data should set alarm bells ringing over whether enough is being done to defend against future tsunamis. "This study confirms the risk of tsunamis in the South China Sea," the teams from the University of Science and Technology and East China Normal University wrote in January's issue of Chinese Science Bulletin. "Such risk should be considered in future planning and construction of nuclear power plant, harbor and petroleum reserve structures on the coastlines of China," they
China's lunar probe lands on Moon's far side
China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe on Thursday became the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the far side of the Moon in a significant milestone for the nation as it attempts to position itself as a leading space power.
India rice rates ease on falling rupee, demand; Thai harvest to augment supply
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India eased from a four-month high this week due to a depreciation of the rupee and sluggish demand, while Thai traders expect prices to drop over the coming weeks as supplies start to arrive from the new season crop amid flat demand.
ISRO working towards Chandrayaan-2 mission launch next month
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is likely to launch Chandrayaan-2, the country's second mission to the Moon, next month, sources in the space agency said Thursday. "We are all trying hard. Definitely, it should be possible to launch the mission in February," a senior ISRO official told PTI. It is expected by the middle of next month but no date has been finalised, the sources said. "There is no impediment. It's on track," the official said. Chandrayaan-2, a totally indigenous venture, comprises an orbiter, a lander and a rover. After a controlled descent, the lander would soft-land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy a rover, according to the ISRO. The six-wheeled rover will move around the landing site on the lunar surface in a semi-autonomous mode as decided by the ground commands. The instruments on the rover will observe the lunar surface and send back data, which will be useful for analysis of the lunar soil. The 3,290-kg Chandrayaan-2 will orbit the
Delhi air 'severe' for third day; likely to worsen
The air quality in the national capital and adjoining areas continued to be in the 'severe' category on the third day of 2019 and experts say it is expected to worsen.
Half-eaten carcass of tiger cub found in Pench reserve
The half-eaten carcass of a tiger cub was found in Pench Tiger Reserve on Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border Thursday, a senior forest official said. The carcass was found by forest department staff in Deolapar range during a routine patrolling, said Field Director of Tadoba Tiger Reserve Ravikiran Govekar. As autopsy was yet to be conducted, further details were awaited, he said.
India's second Moon mission gets delayed again
India's second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 that was to be launched on Thursday with a lander and rover got delayed again, officials said on Thursday.
J-K National Highway reopened for vehicular traffic after day-long closure
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, has been reopened for vehicular traffic Thursday after a day-long closure due to snowfall, police officials said. The highway has been reopened and stranded vehicles at Udhampur and Jammu have been allowed to move towards Kashmir, they said. Over 500 vehicles were stranded at various places in Jammu and Udhampur due to closure of the highway Wednesday. The Mughal road, connecting the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region with south Kashmir's Shopian district, continued to remain blocked for vehicular traffic for the second day due to snowfall at various places, including Pir Ki Gali. "Due to snowfall, the Mughal road continues to remain closed. No traffic is being is allowed on the two sides", an official said.
Will not let PM ignore farmers: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi what action will be taken on the Agriculture Ministry's reported statement that in the absence of effective steps, wheat production could go down by up to 23 per cent by 2050. Gandhi asserted that he will not allow Modi to "ignore" farmers and their issues. The Congress chief cited a media report which claimed that the Agriculture Ministry has told the Estimates Committee that if effective steps are not taken in a timely manner then by 2050 production of wheat could decrease by up to 23 per cent. "The very intelligent prime minister who said, 'Climate change hasn't happened. We have changed', should understand that whether he agrees with it or not, the truth does not change," Gandhi said. The Ministry of Agriculture has stated that if effective steps are not taken in a timely manner, then by 2050, production of wheat could decrease by up to 23 per cent, he said. "The prime minister should tell the country what
3 nabbed with arms, ammunition from Kaziranga park
Three persons have been arrested with arms and ammunition in Assam's Kaziranga National Park for trying to poach one-horned rhinos, a forest officer said on Thursday.
NASA's New Horizons probe snaps first images of Ultima Thule
Scientists from NASA's New Horizons mission have released the first detailed images of the most distant object ever explored -- the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule.
J&K asks officers to check farmland conversion for commercial purposes
Concerned over rampant conversion of farmland for other purposes, the agriculture department of Jammu and Kashmir has directed its officers to take enforcement agencies on board to tighten the noose around law violators. "Unplanned constructions like raising of colonies, factories, brick kilns, shopping complexes and other commercial establishments are severely affecting agriculture sector of the state," Director Agriculture (Kashmir) Altaf Andrabi said at a meeting here Wednesday. Conversion of farmland for commercial purposes is increasing at an alarming rate in the Kashmir valley and will have a devastating impact if necessary steps are not taken to contain the menace, Andrabi said. He directed officers of his department to tighten the noose around the violators by taking on board the enforcement agencies. "A threat is looming large as Kashmir Valley will be without staple food if the practice (of land conversion) continues," he said. Andrabi asked officers to check conversion of ..
Ensure stray animals, including cattle, sent to 'Gau Sanrakshan Kendras' by Jan 10: Yogi to DMs
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all the district magistrates to ensure that stray animals, including cattle, are transported to 'Gau Sanrakshan Kendras' by January 10, an official said Thursday. Addressing the district magistrates (DMs) through video conferencing on Wednesday night, Adityanath said they should ensure that farmers and residents do not face any problems due to stray cattle. Kanji Houses in every district would be renamed 'Gau Sanrakshan Kendras'. "Those leaving their cattle on roads should be dealt with strictly and fine should be imposed on them when they come to take their cattle from such centres," the chief minister said. Adityanath said help from traders, businessmen and people's representatives should be sought in running these 'Gau Sanrakshan Kendras'. The state government has been under some pressure from farmers protesting over stray cattle destroying their crops. Over the past week, people in at least two villages in western UP's ...
Sahara swung between lush and desert conditions every 20,000 years: Study
The Sahara desert -- one of the harshest, most inhospitable places on the planet -- has swung between wet and dry climates every 20,000 years, a study has found. The Sahara desert covers much of North Africa in some 3.6 million square miles of rock and windswept dunes. However, it was not always so desolate and parched, scientists say. Primitive rock paintings and fossils excavated from the region suggest that the Sahara was once a relatively verdant oasis, where human settlements and a diversity of plants and animals thrived. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US analysed dust deposited off the coast of west Africa over the last 240,000 years, and found that the Sahara, and North Africa in general, has swung between wet and dry climates every 20,000 years. According to the study published in the journal Science Advances, this climatic pendulum is mainly driven by changes to the Earth's axis as the planet orbits the sun, which in turn affect the ...
In a first, China's lunar rover lands on far side of moon
China's Chang'e-4 spacecraft created history on Thursday as the rover successfully touched down in a crater on the far side of the moon, the country's state media said.The Chang'e 4 lunar probe landed at about 10:26 am (local time) in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, which is an impact crater. The rover made its historic final descent from a landing orbit 15 km above the surface of the moon, CNN reported quoting China Central Television (CCTV).The far side of the moon is the part that never faces the earth because of the moon's rotation.Prior to the landing, the state outlets China Daily and China Global Television Network (CGTN) had earlier tweeted that Chang'e-4 spacecraft touched down and then pulling down the posts after some time. There was no clarification as to why the tweets were pulled down.The Chang's-4 lunar probe took off on the early morning hours of December 8 last year to explore the far side of the moon from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province in southern ..