Page 29 - Environment

TN CM seeks Modi's intervention on Mekedatu issue

The Tamil Nadu government Monday sought the Centre's 'urgent' interevention on the Mekedatu reservoir issue, saying Karnataka seeking environmental clearance for the project was in violation of an award of the Cauvery Water disputes tribunal and a Supreme Court judgment. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister K Palaniswami requested him to direct the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to "reject outright" Karnataka's proposal. Palaniswami sought Modi's "urgent personal intervention" to deny permission to the proposal of Karnataka's Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Niyamita seeking environmental clearance for the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Drinking water project. The neighbouring state seeking such clearance was in "utter violation" of the final order of the Cauvery water disputes tribunal and a judgment of the apex court in February 2018, he said. Palaniswami said the Tamil Nadu government has been conveying its strong objections and ..

Import of plastic waste banned from August this year:

The government has banned import of plastic waste from August 2019, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in Rajya Sabha Monday while listing out steps taken to curb pollution. Replying to a query during Question Hour, the minister informed that about 20,000 tonnes of plastic wastes get generated every day in the country and out of that only 13,000-14000 tonnes are collected. "We have taken a decision to ban imports of plastic waste from August 2019," Javadekar said. The minister highlighted various steps taked by the government to protect environment and control air pollution. Through school nursery, he said, children are taught to grow trees. After the successful pilot projects, the government is taking up this on a large scale. That apart, he said the government has taken a decision on fencing urban forest area and then converting them into forest with peoples participation. Javadekar said the Centre has already notified six waste management rules in 2016, ...

Govt has sanctioned 298 projects under clean ganga drive: govt

The Clean Ganga drive is a continuous process and the government has sanctioned 298 projects of over Rs 28,000 crore under the plan, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday. Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said during the question hour that the Government has taken up various interventions to ensure cleaning of the river at the earliest in a sustainable manner. He said 98 projects have been made operational while remaining are at different stages of implementation. The Minister said the initiatives include 100 per cent funding under central sector scheme and dedicated allocation to ensure adequate finances to take up comprehensive interventions. He said 150 Sewerage infrastructure projects have been taken up with a sanctioned cost of Rs 23,130.95 crore for creation of new sewage treatment capacity of 3729.92 MLD, rehabilitation of 1114.39 MLD sewage treatment capacity and laying of around 4972.35 KM sewerage network. As on May 2019, he said, 43 of these ..

Kejriwal urges Centre to increase Delhi's water share; promises 24x7 water supply by 2024

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday urged the Centre to increase Delhi's water share, which has remained "unchanged" since 1994, and said his government would provide round-the-clock supply of clean drinking water to every resident of the city by 2024. The chief minister said the city's population has increased from 1.25 crore in 1994 to 2.25 crore in 2019, but its water share has not been augmented proportionally. "Delhi Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal called on Union Jal Shakti Minister Mr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat @gssjodhpur and demanded fresh allocation of Delhi's water share... ," a government spokesperson tweeted. Earlier, at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for Chandrawal Phase-2 water treatment plant, Kejriwal said, "Delhi does not have a water source of its own. It's allocation (quota) of Yamuna and Ganga water was decided in 1994." "In the last 25 years, the city's population has increased from 1.25 crore to 2.25 crore, but its water quota remains unchanged, barring ...

Karnataka: Locals rescue girl, her grandmother stranded on bank of canal

Using a rope and ladder, locals in Karnataka's Koppal district rescued a girl and her grandmother, who were stranded on the bank of a canal following heavy rainfall.The duo was rescued near Sanganala village on Sunday.The locals came to know about the two stranded persons when they heard shouts for help and brought a ladder and a rope to rescue them.

NASA Curiosity rover detects high levels of methane on Mars

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has found the largest amount of methane ever measured during its mission on the Red Planet -- about 21 parts per billion units by volume (ppbv), the US space agency said. One ppbv means that if you take a volume of air on Mars, one billionth of the volume of air is methane, according to the US space agency. The finding came from the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) tunable laser spectrometer. It is exciting because microbial life is an important source of methane on Earth, but methane can also be created through interactions between rocks and water, NASA said in a statement. Curiosity does not have instruments that can definitively say what the source of the methane is, or even if it is coming from a local source within Gale Crater or elsewhere on the planet. "With our current measurements, we have no way of telling if the methane source is biology or geology, or even ancient or modern," said SAM Principal Investigator Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard ...

Assam to set up special group to protect rhinos of Pabitora

The authorities will set up special rhino protections groups following reports that poachers from other states are targeting Assam's Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary that has the highest density of rhinos in the world. According to the intelligence reports, poachers from neighbouring Nagaland and Manipur in collusion with local miscreants have targeted the sanctuary where no poaching was reported during the past three years, Morigaon Superintendent of Police Swapnil Deka said. The special rhino protection groups will consist of villagers in vulnerable and sensitive areas near the famed rhino habitat and they will report any suspicious movement of people to the authorities to prevent poaching, he said. "The success of no poaching during the last three years in the sanctuary was possible only due to the efforts of the villagers and they must continue to cooperate with the forest and police departments in preventing such incidents," Deka said. The SP called upon villagers to ...

Forest fire serious problem in hilly areas: SC

The Supreme Court Monday said forest fire is a serious problem in the hilly states, especially in summers and the reason behind it is the large presence of pine trees in most of the areas. A vacation bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai allowed the petitioner to file a copy of the directions of the Uttarakhand High Court on the issue of forest fire. "Petitioner-in-person prays for sometime to place additional documents or papers on record. He is permitted to do so. List thereafter," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea by advocate Rituparn Uniyal seeking urgent steps to protect forests, wildlife and birds from wildfire in Uttarakhand, saying forest blazes have increased over the years and cause huge loss to the environment. At the outset, the apex court said the petitioner should approach the high court as it will have a better view of the matter. However, Uniyal said the Uttarakhand High Court has already passed a slew of directions on the issue and sought time ..

Minister admits irregularities in 'Jalyukta Shivar' scheme

Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant on Monday admitted that there have been irregularities in as many as 1,300 works under the government's flagship 'Jalyukta Shivar' water conservation programme. The water conservation minister was responding to a question raised by NCP member Vidya Chavan in the state Legislative Council. "Complaints have been filed with the water conservation department about irregularities in some 1,300 works under the Jalyukta Shivar scheme. Prima facie, there is truth in those complaints," Sawant said in the House. "The water conservation department has sought an open inquiry in this matter, and it is being conducted by joint director for water and soil conservation," he added. Leader of Opposition in the House Dhananjay Munde then demanded an inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in these 1,300 works allotted under the scheme. However, Sawant rejected the demand for an ACB probe, citing that the issue was "technically critical". Munde then ...

Medical groups warn climate change is a 'health emergency'

As Democratic presidential hopefuls prepare for their first 2020 primary debate this week, 74 medical and public health groups aligned on Monday to push for a series of consensus commitments to combat climate change, bluntly defined by the organisations as "a health emergency." The new climate change agenda released by the groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association, comes amid early jostling among Democratic candidates over whose environmental platform is more progressive. The health organisations' policy recommendations, while a stark departure from President Donald Trump's approach, represent a back-to-basics approach for an internal Democratic climate debate that has so far revolved around the liberal precepts of the Green New Deal. "The health, safety and well-being of millions of people in the US have already been harmed by human-caused climate change, and health risks in the future are dire without urgent action to fight climate ...

Man killed by wild elephant in C'garh's Korba

A 45-year-old man was Monday trampled to death by a wildelephantin Chhattisgarh's Korba district, a forest official said. The incident took place in the morning near Baigamar village under Kudmura forest range when Malikram Rathiya had gone to collect mahua fruits, he said. "The tusker slammed him to the ground, killing him instantly. His kin has been provided immediate compensation of Rs 25,000," he said. The official said the same tusker had killed two persons, including a forest guard, in Chhal forest range of neighbouring Raigarh district on Jun 19. Officials said five people each have been killed in jumbo attacks in Raigarh and Jashpur districts in the past one-and-half months. An official said forest staff has been directed to keep a tab on the movement of different groups of around 50 elephantsin Korba forest division.

Water stress: Can we bring down water usage in agri sector by 20 pc, asks eminent scientist

As many parts of India faced rising water stress, eminent scientist K Kasturirangan Monday called for promotion of agricultural crops and practices that bring down water usage by the sector by 20 per cent. A former Rajya Sabha member, he noted that agriculture accounts for 80 per cent of all water usage. "Can we bring it down to 60 per cent? What kind of agricultural practices can do this?" Kasturirangan said when asked to share his thoughts on the water crisis in parts of the country. Speaking to PTI, he suggested increasing dryland and short-term crops. "Why can't usage of bajra (pearl millet) and ragi (finger millet), instead of rice, be thought of in mid-day meal programmes, as these dry farming crops are nutritious for children?" asked Kasturirangan, a former member of the now defunct Planning Commission of India. He also said there should be some level of parity and policy framework for upstream, mid-stream and down-stream users of water. Kasturirangan, a former chairman of the .

BJP-led govt at Centre discreetly aiding Karna on Mekedatu: DMK

The opposition DMK Monday charged the BJP-led government at the Centre with 'discreetly' aiding Karnataka in going ahead with the construction of a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu. Karnataka's insistence on going ahead with the dam was contrary to the Cauvery Tribunal's final award, as well as the Supreme Court judgement, which barred it from opting for such dams that would affect the quantum of water to Tamil Nadu, DMK President M K Stalin said. "It is condemnable that Karnataka is adamant on constructing the dam, which is inhuman.. so is the discreet support to it by the BJP-led Central government," he said in a statement. The BJP is aiding Karnatala for "political reasons," he alleged. He further said Karnataka had written to the Centre, seeking environmental clearance for the project, even while recalling the opposition in Tamil Nadu earlier against the clearance for the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The DMK saw Karnataka approaching the Centre as "not helping" in inter-state .

Centre to provide CNG, PNG infrastructure in 406 districts: Pradhan

"Till 2014, only 66 districts of the country were covered under CNG and PNG infrastructure. In last five years we worked to strengthen this infrastructure in a planned way," Pradhan told Lok Sabha during Question Hour in response to a query.He said that the government was expanding the CNG and PNG infrastructure in other cities."The CNG and PNG infrastructure will be provided in 406 districts. After expanding these facilities, 70 per cent of the population will get clean energy," Pradhan said.The Minister informed the House that Rs 1.20 crore will be invested in the next eight years in the energy sector.

Uttarakhand forest fires: SC asks petitioner to file additional documents to support their plea

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the petitioner to file additional documents in support of their Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which had sought urgent steps to protect the forest, wildlife and birds in the wake of the forest fires in Uttarakhand.A division bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice BR Gavai was hearing a petition filed by advocate Rituparn Uniyal, a native of Tehri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand, seeking directions to Central and state government to frame a policy to prevent wildfires in the state.Initially, the top court asked Uniyal to approach the High Court but later directed him to file additional documents in support of his petition.The petitioner had moved the apex court seeking an urgent hearing in the matter on the basis of media reports which highlighted as many as 1451 incidents of forest fires last year and 1493 incidents in the months of April and May, this year.The petition sought a direction to declare the animal kingdom as "legal entities having .

Bundelkhand: Farmers perform rituals to please rain god

As drought takes roots in Gopalpur village situated in Kanpur, farmers performed rituals in order to please the rain god and get sufficient rainfall this year.Farmers in Bundelkhand are eagerly waiting for monsoon, to sow paddy for 'Kharif' crops in their fields.Performing an age-old ritual, women farmers recited folk songs, offered special prayers to their dry fields and ploughed the land in order to please Indradev (rain god) and receive monsoon showers."I believe that after performing this ritual, rain god will shower sufficient rain this year and we will be able to cultivate our fields without any difficulty," a women farmer Bittan told ANI."We have been suffering due to acute drought conditions because monsoon hasn't arrived yet, I hope after performing this ritual rain god will bless us with sufficient rainfall this year, just like every year," another farmer Nanaki told ANI.These women farmers have been performing this ritual since ages and they sincerely believe that rain god .

US military consumes more hydrocarbons than most countries, pollutes climate: Study

The US military is one of the largest climate polluters in history as it consumes a considerable about of non-renewable liquid fuels and emits more CO2e (carbon-dioxide equivalent) than most countries, recent findings claim.As part of the latest study, researchers suggest that the US military's carbon footprint is enormous and must be confronted in order to have a substantial effect on battling global warming.The majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting routinely focuses on civilian energy use and fuel consumption, not on the US military. This new study, published in Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, calculates part of the US military's impact on climate change through critical analysis of its global logistical supply chains.The research provides an independent public assessment of the US military's greenhouse gas emissions. It reports that if the US military were a nation state, it would be the 47th largest emitter of GHG in the world if only taking into ...

Ganga gets a new breath of life in Kanpur

Located on the west bank of river Ganga, Kanpur is a densely populated city famous for its leather industries. The city produces an estimated 450 million litres of municipal sewage and industrial effluent daily, a majority of which was flowing directly into the holy river until recently.However, with the launch of the Namami Gange Programme that aims to clean and rejuvenate Ganga, 13 out of 16 major drains in Kanpur have been completely tapped and the sewage and industrial effluent has been diverted to Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs).In November 2018, a century-old Sisamau drain, which produces over 140 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, was completely stopped from discharging sewage into the Ganga. This was the biggest drain-tapping initiative undertaken at a cost of over Rs. 60 crore.The sewage has been diverted via pipelines to two sewage treatments plants (STPs) on the outskirts of the city - 80 million litres a day to Bhingawan STP and 60 MLD to Jajmau STP.The ...

Kharif Sowing Down More Than 12%

As per latest data of the Agriculture Ministry on 22nd June, kharif sowing declined by more than 12%. The total area covered till the end of the current week was around 91 lakh hectares (lh) against 104 lh in the corresponding week of the previous kharif season. Due to delayed monsoon, several State Governments have advised the farmers not to rush to sowing and wait for the monsoon. At 6.3 lh, the area under rice was 32% lower than at the same time last year. Coarse cereals planting too fell short by almost a similar quantum compared to last year. Against 9.58 lh planted in the same period last year, only 7.4 lh has been covered so far.

RS members raise issue of drinking water crisis

Rajya Sabha MPs Monday raised the issue of growing drinking water crisis in different parts of the country and demanded immediate interventions such as inter-linking of rivers and rain water harvesting to recharge ground water table. Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, Satyanarayan Jatiya (BJP) said parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka have traditionally faced water crisis but now the the problem has extended to fresh areas "There has to be a permanent solution to drinking water crisis," he said, suggesting five big river inter-linking projects need to be taken up on a priority so as to make available excess water of one area to deficit regions. Ashok Bajpai (BJP) said a NITI Aayog report has stated that there will be a water crisis in parts of the country next year. While Rewati Raman Singh (SP) said a solution to the water crisis was to be found urgently, Saroj Pandey (BJP) stated that public awareness needs to be created on rain ...