Page 30 - Environment
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 ...
Rajasthan: Authorities on alert after locust attack warning
In the wake of a locust attack threat from across the Pakistan border, authorities here have gone on an alert to deal with a swarm of the tropical grasshoppers entering India since the insects can devastate standing crops.After locust sightings in border villages around Jaisalmer, the Jodhpur-headquartered Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) has stepped up efforts to tackle any major attack by the grasshoppers by conducting a mock drill and is ready with an adequate stock of pesticides.However, the locust threat is only confined to nearby villages as the insect cannot fly long distances. However, it spreads with the help of the wind or desert storm which occurs during the summer season in the Rajasthan desert.A helpline number has also been launched. According to the LWO, the last major locust outbreak was reported in Rajasthan in 1993 and the insects have been sighted after a gap of 26 years.LWO teams are operational in the border areas of Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer and Phaloldi and have
Inox Wind commissions common power evacuation facilities in Gujarat
Wind turbine maker Inox Wind Monday said it has commissioned the common power evacuation facilities at Dayapar site in Bhuj in Gujarat. "The common power evacuation systems for the wind park comprise of a 220 KV sub-station, a 220 KV double circuit transmission line and associated infrastructure. The common infrastructure is capable of supporting power evacuation of over 600 MW," Inox Wind said in a BSE filing. Inox Wind said this will enable commissioning of projects won under various Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) auctions. SECI is a nodal agency of the central government for auctioning renewable energy projects in the country. The company said, at present, it has more than 1,400 mega watt of developed and under development projects in Gujarat and more than 2.6 giga watt installations all over India. Shares of Inox Wind were trading 2.27 per cent higher at Rs 71.95 apiece on BSE.
Chinese agricultural official picked to lead UN food agency
Qu Dongyu, China's deputy agricultural minister, was elected Sunday as the new director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the first person from a Communist country to hold the influential FAO post. The agency's 194 member countries convened at the FAO headquarters in Rome to choose a successor to Jos Graziano da Silva of Brazil for the 4-year term. Qu, 55, a biologist by training, won 108 votes, followed by France's Catherine Geslain-Laneelle with 71 votes and Georgia's Davit Kirvalidze with 12, according to official results. The United States had backed Kirvalidze. The FAO, which has over 11,500 employees, works closely with other UN agencies to achieve the goal of a hunger-free world by 2030. Today, more than 800 million people are facing hunger and many experts doubt that the 2030 goal will be reached. Prior to the vote, Qu said he aims to focus on hunger and poverty eradication, tropical agriculture, drought land farming, digital rural development and better ...
Gujarat: Crocodile strayed inside temple, devotees gather claiming it to be 'auspicious'
In what is seen as a miracle by the people of Palla Village, a crocodile strayed in the premises of Khodiyar Temple during late hours on Sunday.Khodiyar temple worships 'Khodiya Mata' or Goddess Khodiyar and crocodile is believed to be her vehicle.This attracted a large number of devotees to the temple who came to worship the auspicious crocodile.The crocodile strayed in the sanctum sanctorum and sat there until the Forest Department came in to rescue the crocodile.Devotees allegedly caused a delay in the operation as they didn't allow forest officials to rescue the crocodile, claiming its presence in the sanctum sanctorum to be 'auspicious'.The crocodile was rescued on Monday morning by the Mahisagar Forest Department and was released in a pond situated near the temple."Crocodile is a giant one as it weighs 17 kg and is 6 feet long. We had a hard time rescuing it as a large number of devotees started worshipping the crocodile. Another problem that we faced while rescuing the ...
Activists demand ban on sale of airguns in Mount Abu to protect birds, animals
Mushrooming of shops selling airguns in Mount Abu, the sole hill station of the desert state of Rajasthan, has not gone down well with animal activists who have demanded a ban on their sale to protect wildlife. Located at a height of 1,220 meters on Aravali mountain range in Sirohi district, the tiny hill station, which is home to rich wildlife, draws numerous travellers and nature lovers from various parts of the country. The tourists have easy access to air pistols and air rifles, prominently sold in the municipality area. Apart from pellets, sound corks are also sold with the airguns. Viewing the use of airguns and sound corks as a potential disturbance to the local fauna, activists have demanded a ban on the sale of airguns, which are exempted from the arms licence. However, the forest department and district administration officials said they have not received any complaint regarding the misuse of airguns so there is no ground for any preventive action. Wildlife is very precious .
Inox Wind commissions Common Power Evacuation Systems with ISTS network at Dayapar,Gujarat
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Locusts from Iran endanger cotton crops in Pakistan
Things don't seem to be looking up for Pakistan's economy, as a locust attack from Iran has put around 2,00,000 acres of cotton crop in the line of devastation in Sindh.Farmers from Pakistan's second-largest cotton producing province are facing sleepless nights over the latest pest attack, despite efforts by the government to minimise damage, according to Arab News.Cotton runs Pakistan's textile industry, generating scores of jobs. The country cannot afford to lose its cotton, especially at a time when it has secured a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund. Pesticide-mounted vehicles and aircraft have been deployed by the government to control the situation."On 25th May, we spotted the locusts for the first time when they were about 18 km away from irrigated land in Sindh," Arab News quoted a local farmer and president of a local agriculture chamber as saying.Favourable weather conditions have multiplied the locust population. "It forced us to raise alarm bells and ...
Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel inaugurates Shankar Nagar rail overbridge
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday inaugurated the Shankar Nagar Railway Overbridge (ROB).The bridge, 703.03 metres long and 13 metres wide, has been constructed over Raipur-Vishakhapatnam railway line. It will link Shankar Nagar locality of Raipur to Baloda Bazar main road.It has been built at a cost of Rs 68 crore. As per the government, the bridge would benefit around 2 lakh people and reduce the pressure of traffic on Lodhipara Square.The bridge was sanctioned in October 2013 at a cost of Rs 61 crore but the work order for construction was issued on January 2015 in two parts -- one for PWD and the other for Railways. The work was completed in May this year.
U'khand: Rs 200 crore-Gupta weddings leave Auli with mounds of garbage
The Municipal Corporation here is combating the challenging task of cleaning up the garbage and waste left behind after the Rs 200 crore weddings of South Africa based controversial Gupta family.The wedding celebrations of Suryakant, son of Ajay Gupta, took place in Auli from June 18 to 20, while the marriage of Atul Gupta's son Shashank was held from June 20 to 22.Earlier, a PIL was also filed stating the extensive wedding preparations were damaging the environment.Many celebrities, including chief ministers, B-Town stars like Katrina Kaif, yoga guru Baba Ramdev had attended the wedding. Ramdev also conducted a two-hour yoga session at the wedding. Choppers were hired to ferry the guests.Almost all the hotels and resorts were booked and flowers were imported from Switzerland for the two high-profile marriages.Supervisor of the Nagar Palika Parishad of Joshimath, Anil, along with a team of 20 men, has been given the task to deal with the waste."The wedding has created a waste problem .
Elephants keep cool with watermelon, cucumber at Mathura centre
Elephants at a centre in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district are being fed watermelons, muskmelon and cucumbers to beat the scorching heat. Water sprinklers are kept on most of the time to reduce the heat at the elephant conservation and care centre in Farah town, around 25 km from Mathura city. "While every effort is made to reduce the temperature, the elephants' food these days consists of items that can counter heat," Baiju Raj, conservation project director, Wildlife SOS, said. The official of the non-governmental organisation said a pond was also attached to every habitat so that the elephants can have a bath. Raj said watermelons, muskmelons, cucumbers and other items were added in their regular diet. They are also taken to Yamuna river and allowed to remain in water for two-three hours. According to conservation officer Shivam, the challenge before the centre is to protect a toothless and blind 70-year-old female elephant named Suji. Though the normal life of an elephant is 60-65 .
Climate activists end blockade of German coal mine
Hundreds of climate activists ended a protest inside one of Germany's biggest open-pit mines Sunday after police repeatedly ordered them to leave, citing life-threatening danger, and authorities pulled some protesters out. The Garzweiler lignite coal mine was a focal point of environmental protests in Germany's Rhineland since Friday, when 40,000 students rallied for more action against climate change in the nearby city of Aachen. "We wrote climate history this weekend," the activist group Ende Gelaende said in a statement announcing the end of the protest. "Our movement has never been so diverse and never been so determined." The protests started after European Union leaders failed to agree on how to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050. On Saturday, some demonstrators blocked railroad tracks used to transport coal before others broke through a police cordon to enter the mine. Protesters and police accused each other of combative behavior in the mine and causing injuries. Police said ..
Crocodile rescued from Gadhia village near Vadodara
A team of the Forest Department on Sunday rescued a crocodile in Gardhia village, some 80- km away from here.The crocodile, 13-feet long and weighing 400 kilograms, was found in a pond inside the village which caused panic among the villagers.Soon after, the Forest Department team reached the spot and captured the reptile.Nitin Patel, a member of the Forest Department, said: "It was initially challenging to control the crocodile due to muddy conditions and crowd surrounding it.""But we were able to capture it. It will be released in a safe natural habitat," he said.
Croc enters Guj temple, villagers oppose Forest dept's rescue
A crocodile that strayed into a Khodiyar Mata temple in Gujarat's Mahisagar district was Sunday rescued even as villagers delayed the forest department operation by claiming the reptile's presence was an auspicious one, a senior official said. Khodiyar Mata, the family deity of the Patel community in the state, is often depicted in religious literature as riding on a crocodile. A large number of people who had assembled at the Khodiyar Temple in Palla village in Lunwada tehsil offered prayers, conducted aarti and showered vermillion on the 6-foot reptile as it lay near the goddess' idol, said Lunwada forest department in charge RV Patel. Mahisagar Deputy Conservator of Forests RM Parmar said the people assembled at the temple delayed rescue operations by around two hours. "When our personnel reached there to rescue the crocodile, people opposed it. We waited for two hours as we did not want to hurt religious sentiments. However, later, we managed to get the reptile to a