Page 32 - Environment
Navy personnel don role of eco warriors to clean channel
Naval personnel here Saturday turned eco warriors by cleaning up the 2.5-km-long 'Backbay' channel to rid it of plastic and other nonbiodegradable waste. A team of 300-400 naval personnel of the INS Venduruthy Base under Southern Naval Command (SNC) led by Vice-Admiral A K Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-inC), launched the drive at the channel, also known as 'Venduruthy' channel. A considerable amount of plastic waste had accumulated in the channel over the years thereby depleting mangroves and affecting the local flora and fauna, a Defence release said. The channel connects the Kollam-Kottapuram channel, and runs along the western side of the naval residential enclave of Katari Bagh. Local councillor Shakritha Suresh Babu was also present at the clean-up programme during which four truckloads of non-biodegradable waste were removed from the channel, it said. The anti-plastic endeavour coincides with the platinum jubilee year of INS Venduruthy, which is also
Bengaluru: Car crushed under a tree at Cubbon Park
A parked car was found damaged after a tree fell on it in Cubbon park here on Saturday.After the incident, part of the tree trunk whose weighed down on the Karnataka registered royal blue SUV, was sawed off. The windshield, roof and the hood of the vehicle were found to be damaged.The over 100-year-old historical Cubbon Park acts as the lung of the urban city of Bangalore and a popular visiting spot by the city's residents for its fresh ambience and varied horticulture.The southwest monsoon advanced in parts of Karnataka on Thursday and is expected to bring rains across the state including in Bengaluru this weekend according to the weather department.
Woman killed by wild elephant in C'garh
A woman was killed by a wild elephant in Raigarh district of Chhattisrgah, a forest official said Saturday. This is the fifth such death reported from the area in a month, the official said. The incident occurred Friday night in Kauhajoba village when the woman, Mangli Bai Manjhwar (55), was sleeping outside her house, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Dharamjaigarh Division, Pranay Mishra, said. "The jumbo caught hold of the woman, lifted her with its trunk and slammed her on the ground, killing her on the spot," he said. After being alerted about the incident, the forest and police personnel rushed to the spot and sent the body for post-mortem, he said. The family of the deceased was given immediate relief of Rs 25,000, while the remaining compensation will be given on the completion of all formalities, he said. With this, total five persons have lost their lives in separate elephant attacks in Raigarh district in last one month, he added. The forest personnel have ...
Man on a mission to turn Udhana railway station into India's first Green Railway Station
To propagate Mahatma Gandhi's mantra 'Cleanliness is Godliness' and achieve the objective of a 'Clean India-Green India', a young entrepreneur from Surat has launched a mission to turn railway station in Udhana town of Gujarat's Surat district into India's first green railway station.Viral Sudhirbhai Desai is attempting to turn Udahana Railway Station into a green and pollution free one like Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.For this noble initiative, Desai has received support and assistance from various organisations such as - Chhadyo and Archroma organisations as well as from the Station Director CR Garuda.Desai has installed oxygen bomber and over 1700 air purifying plants at the rail stations to make Udhana Railway Station clean and green. Along with it, to promote the message of nurturing and protecting the environment, the walls of the station has been painted with a special type of "environment protection graffiti."Moreover, a memorial has been erected at the station to ...
Among world's worst polluters, ASEAN vows to tackle ocean waste
With Southeast Asia awash in rubbish, from plastic-choked whales to trash-clogged canals, leaders are planning to push through a deal to fight maritime debris at a regional meeting this weekend. Just five Asian countries -- China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand -- dump more than half of the eight million tonnes of plastic waste that end up in oceans every year, according to a 2017 Ocean Conservancy report. The region has come under fire for not doing enough to tackle its mounting trash troubles, with single-use plastic and sub-par waste management adding to the problem. Leaders at a weekend meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to sign a "Bangkok Declaration" on fighting maritime waste -- a first of its kind -- which promises to "prevent and significantly reduce marine debris", according to a draft seen by AFP. But activists are worried the agreement doesn't go far enough. "If we are not reducing single-use plastic at the ...
Mishri, Makhmaly among cherry varieties harvested this season in Kashmir, growers enthused
Orchid owners and growers in Jammu and Kashmir are enthused with the blooming cherry crop this season in the state, famed for its horticulture."Despite rainfall and hailstorm, the production of cherry is good this year. I am expecting a good price from the market. This time we have grown 10-12 varieties of cherries such as mishri, double, gold cherry and makhmaly. After cherries, the season of apricots and apples will come. We have work for next 4 to 5 months," said Abdul Qayoom, labour.The Valley of Kashmir located at the higher latitudes and altitudes mainly grows temperate fruits. It grows not only several varieties of cherries but also apples, apricots, almonds, peaches, walnuts and grapes. These fruits are harvested in Harwan, Dara, Nishat and Tangamarg region.Ghulam Mohamad Sofi, a farmer told ANI that the tourists who visit the Valley in this season pay them well for the fruit produce. "This year we have grown peaches, cherries, apples and apricots."He also said that many ...
As MP reels under power cuts, officials blame bats for woes
As Madhya Pradesh continues to reel under frequent and unscheduled power cuts, officials of the state electricity company are holding bats responsible for the woes, claiming that these flying mammals are causing faults in the supply lines, especially in the state capital. They say bats hanging on the power supply lines sometimes cause short circuits, which ultimately lead to outages. This claim has triggered a fresh round of blame game between the Kamal Nath-led Congress government and the opposition BJP. The saffron party said instead of giving these kind of excuses, the power utility and the state government should work in a responsible manner, while the ruling Congress said there was no crisis as MP is a power surplus state. State Energy Minister Priyavrat Singh, however, contended that overloaded power transformers and not bats could be the main reason behind the problem. Talking to PTI, the minister said, "In a review meeting of Bhopal district (held on June 14), an
Telangana: KCR inaugurates world's largest irrigation project
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday inaugurated the world's largest lift irrigation scheme, Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project, here in Bhupalpally district.Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, Devendra Fadnavis and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, respectively, were also present at the occasion.On Thursday, Director of Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), B Srinivas Reddy, told ANI that MEIL has successfully engineered the world's biggest pumping scheme in India. "To achieve that, we used world-class technology involving the best agencies that have delivered quality," he said."The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation (KLIP) Project would cater irrigation water to 37.08 lakh acres of land; another 18.82 lakh acres of command area will be stabilized with it. The project requires 7152 MW of electricity to pump 3 TMCs of water daily," he added.With an estimated cost of Rs 80,500 crore, the KLIP is the costliest irrigation project taken up by a state. It will
Pres Kovind extends best wishes to ISRO chief for space mission 'Chandrayaan-2'
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday extended his best wishes for space mission 'Chandrayaan-2' which is scheduled to be launched next month.The Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Space Commission, Dr K Sivan, had called on the President on Friday and briefed him about the new space mission."Dr K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO and Space Commission, called on President Kovind and briefed him about space mission 'Chandrayaan-2', scheduled to be launched next month. The President wished him all success for the mission," read a tweet posted on the official Twitter account of the President.On June 23, Sivan had said that India is planning to set up its own space station.The ambitious project will be an extension of the Gaganyaan mission.Chandrayaan-2 will explore a region of moon where no mission has ever set foot.Chandrayaan-2 consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, together referred to as "composite body".The total mass of Chandrayaan-2 system is 3.8 ton; out of 3.8 ...
SW Monsoon sets in over Telangana
The South West Monsoon set in over Telangana on Friday, covering most of the state and the remaining areas are very likely to be covered in one or two days, the Met Centre here said. It said rainfall in June was likely to be below normal, while overall seasonal rainfall was expected to be close to normal. "The onset is declared based on realization of rainfall at more than 60 per cent places and wind speed 30-40 kmph upto 4 kmheight," it said. The rainfall deficieny during June was likely to be made up in July and August, the Met Centre said. "Farmers are advised to proceed with sowing or other agricultural activities," it added.
Over 28,000 incidents of forest fire since January this year: Environment Minister
The Ministry of Environment told the Lok Sabha Friday that over 28,000 incidents of forest fire were detected in the country since January this year. Responding to a query, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand suffered losses to the tune of Rs 80 lakh and Rs 55 lakh, respectively, due to incidents of forest fire. "As per the report received from states, Himachal Pradesh has reported a loss Rs 81.91 lakh while Uttarakhand has reported a loss of Rs 55.08 lakh. No loss of human live has been reported by Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. No other state has reported any such loss so far," the minister said. The minister added that a total of 28,252 incidents of forest fire were detected by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) using MODIS censors from January 1 to June 16, of which the maximum 2,793 were detected in Mizoram followed by Madhya Pradesh (2,622) and Maharashtra (2,302). Over 1,000 incidents of forest fire were detected during these six
No significant dip in avg rainfall in over 100 years: Harsh Vardhan in Lok Sabha
Union minister Harsh Vardhan Friday said in the Lok Sabha that the analysis of the past data of more than 100 years showed that the average rainfall of the country had not shown any significant decrease. "However, from the analysis of the past data of more than 100 years it has been reported that the all-India rainfall has multi decadal/epochal variability and currently it is in the dry epoch," the Minister for Earth Sciences said in response to a question. The minister said the rainfall data for the period from 1901 to 2017 showed that the all-India south-west monsoon seasonal rainfall had not shown any significant increasing or decreasing trend. The IMD recorded below normal rainfall in 2018. Responding to another question, he said the past five years had been the warmest in all parts of the world.
MPs urge govt to expedite Ken-Betwa river-linking project
Lok Sabha members Friday asked the government to take steps to expedite Ken-Betwa river-linking project to overcome water scarcity in the Bundelkhand region. "If it happen it would be the first inter-linking river project in the country which will transform the face of the Bundelkhand region which has witnessed migration of farmers to cities," BJP's Pushpendra Singh Chandel said. Raising the issue through a private member resolution, Chandel said the government should also initiate steps for replenishing dams to overcome the problems of water scarcity and practice of 'Anna Pratha' in the region. 'Anna Pratha' refers to the practice of farmers freeing their cows to graze in open fields in times of scarcity of water and fodder, he said. Although former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiated the proposal for inter-linking of rivers, he said, it was put into cold storage by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Congress between 2004 and 2014. Chandel said much of the ...
Urban Mobility Lab workshop to discuss innovative passenger and freight transport in Delhi
Mobility solution providers from all over the country will participate in the Urban Mobility Lab to be held in Delhi on June 26-27 for developing innovative passenger and freight transport solutions with focus on reducing vehicular pollution. Forty mobility solution providers from across India have been selected as participants in the workshop to develop innovative passenger and freight mobility solutions for Delhi. Clean transport is one of the Delhi government's top priorities and making the city electric vehicle capital of India is one of its goals, said Jasmine Shah, vice chairperson of Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi. "We are working to make Delhi's transportation system more affordable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. We expect the Urban Mobility Lab to help us implement innovative mobility solutions for the city, he said. The workshop will be jointly held by DDC and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a non profit group working in the field of ...
Jairam Ramesh raises neglect of community forest rights of dwellers in Rajya Sabha
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh Friday raised in the Rajya Sabha the issue of neglect of community forest rights of dwellers and the rejection of their claims under the Forest Rights Act without following due process. Raising a special mention in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress member raised concerns over the proposed amendments to the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and demanded wider consultations on the proposed changes with all concerned. "It is also a matter of grave concern that there have been reports of amendments being proposed in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 that will completely destroy the pitch and substance of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. "I would urge that there be widespread and meaningful consultations on these changes not just with state governments but also with various civil society organisations and activist networks," Ramesh said. The Congress leader said these amendments not only undercut the Forest Rights Act but are also possibly in conflict with PESA -- the ...
11 Nepalese, 6 Chinese workers get trapped in hydropower project tunnel in Nepal, rescued: Officials
All 17 workers, including six Chinese, got trapped inside a tunnel of an under-construction hydropower project in Nepal following a landslide on Thursday have been rescued, officials said on Friday. The workers, 11 Nepalese and six Chinese, were rescued on Friday morning after 11 hours of joint operation by the Nepal Army, the Armed Police Force and the Nepal Police, they said. According to police, the incident happened late Thursday evening at the site of Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district on the Nepal-China border. The workers got stuck inside the tunnel after the landslide that occurred along the path leading to the surge tank of the project at around 8:30 pm (local time) on Thursday. The entrance of the 4.18-km-long tunnel got blocked, trapping the workers inside, the police said. A rescue operation was launched which lasted around 11-hours, and all the workers were rescued, they added. "All trapped workers have come out of the tunnel unharmed," Project Chief Chabi .
Goa govt mulls seed bombing during monsoon afforestation drive
The Goa government is eyeing to use seed bombing technique during its mass afforestation drive in the monsoon season this year. State Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai Friday said the department is even mulling deploying Navy's choppers for seed bombing in remote forest areas. Seed bombing is a technique of introducing vegetation to land by throwing or dropping seed balls. Sardesai, who met senior forest officials to review various projects, said after the meeting that the government would focus on afforestation drive during the monsoon season. The minister said he would hold another round of meeting with forest officials to discuss proposals like seed bombing. "We can use drones or take help of trekkers to sprinkle seeds in the forest areas. These seeds are thrown in forest areas where normally humans don't reach, so that they grow and add to the greenery," he said. Sardesai said the forest department will strictly propagate local germplasm during the afforestation ...
Punjab govt to call all-party meet to discuss ways to address depletion of groundwater
An all-party meeting would be convened soon to evolve a broad consensus to comprehensively address the problem of depletion of groundwater in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said here on Friday. Singh chaired a high-level meeting to discuss ways and means to resolve the alarming situation emerging out of fast depleting groundwater table across the state, an official statement said. The meeting was attended by ministers, senior officers, water experts, scientists and representatives of farmer organisations and industry. The chief minister announced constitution of a committee under Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Viswajeet Khanna and Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University B S Dhillon to explore the possibility for change in the existing cropping pattern, besides developing a viable scheme to motivate farmers to give up the sowing of paddy, it being a water guzzling crop, and switch to alternative crops such as maize, pulses, vegetables and horticulture crops.
Huge hoardings an eyesore, need uniform policy: Goa minister
Goa Minister Vijai Sardesai Friday said several huge hoardings coming up across the state are "eyesores" and a uniform signage policy is needed. Sardesai, the coastal state's Town and Country Planning minister, said his department's heritage committee met on Friday and has decided to come up with a policy on uniformity of signages in two weeks. "We will be meeting on July 5 to discuss the policy after which it would be referred to the Indian Institute of Architects and other stakeholders," he said. Sardesai said chief architect of state's Public Works Department had submitted certain guidelines for conservation areas. "But I have asked them to give guidelines for all over Goa," the minister said.
Scientists seek beaches where dead whales can rot in peace
So many gray whales are dying off the US West Coast that scientists and volunteers dealing with the putrid carcasses have an urgent request for coastal residents: Lend us your private beaches so these ocean giants can rot in peace. The number of dead whales washing ashore in Washington state alone 29 as of this week means almost every isolated public beach has been used. Authorities are now scrambling to find remote stretches of sand that are privately owned, with proprietors who don't mind hosting a rotting creature that's bigger than a school bus and has a stench to match its size. "The preferred option is, at all times, that they just be allowed to decompose naturally," said John Calambokidis, a research biologist with the Olympia, Washington-based Cascadia Research. "But it gets harder and harder to find locations where they can rot without creating a problem. This is a new wrinkle." At least 81 gray whale corpses have washed ashore in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska ..