Page 33 - Environment
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 ..
Power Minister Singh meets Rajasthan Energy Minister; assures support to the state
Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh Friday met Rajasthan Energy Minister BD Kalla and assured him of all possible support for the development of power and renewable energy sector in the state. Kalla called on Singh on Friday and both the leaders held discussions on various aspects of power sector in the state, a power ministry statement said. During the meeting, Singh asked Kalla to further improve power sector in Rajasthan. He also reviewed the progress of work sanctioned under DDUGJY (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana) and asked the state to expedite the work.
Overall improvement in Delhi's air quality as PM 2.5, PM 10 levels have dropped: Env Ministry
There has been an overall improvement in air quality of Delhi with 14.8 per cent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels and 16.5 per cent reduction in PM 10 levels in 2018 compared to 2016, the Environment Ministry told the Lok Sabha on Friday. The number of 'good' to 'moderate' air quality days are up to 159 in 2018 compared to 152 in 2017, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told the Lower House of Parliament in response to a question. "Several measures have been taken/being taken by the government to check/ control air pollution in Delhi. Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) data indicated general improvement in air quality of Delhi in 2018. "Overall improvement in air quality of Delhi was noted in 2018 (Jan-Dec, 2018) as compared to 2017 (Jan-Dec, 2017)," the minister said. "Number of 'good' to 'moderate' days has increased to 159 in 2018, as compared to 152 in 2017, and number of 'poor' to 'severe' days has reduced to 206, compared to 213 .
Env minister announces four-solution programme to fight air pollution
With the national capital reeling under poor air quality putting human health at risk, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced a 'four-solution' programme beginning 2020 to "reduce air pollution by 90 per cent". Speaking at a news channel recently, Javadekar said, "First of all, pollution generated by vehicles is prominent and as one of the recent efforts to reduce the damage, the government has invested Rs 7,000 crore to avail Bharat Standard 6 (BS6) petrol." "Also, cars manufactured from 2020 will be BS6 compliant," he said. The minister said the expressway in the city, which has been talked about for the last 20 years without any accomplishment, is almost complete and will be open to public in just one more year. He said restriction has been imposed on the entry of thousands of trucks, which used to enter Delhi without purpose, and this has led to reduction in pollution level in the city. The other two strategies of the 'four-solution' programme include ...
Power Minister Singh assures all support to Rajasthan
Union Power Minister RK Singh on Friday met Rajasthan's Energy Minister BD Kalla and assured him of all possible support for the development of power and renewable energy sector in the state.During the meeting, both leaders held discussions on various aspects of the power sector in the state, an official statement said.Singh asked Kalla to further improve power sector in Rajasthan, the statement added.The Union Minister also reviewed the progress of work sanctioned under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and asked the state government to expedite the works, which are underway.
Govt doesn't agree that 11 of 15 hottest places in world are in India: Env Ministry
The government does not agree with a private weather agency's report on climate change that 11 out of 15 hottest places in the world are from India, the Lok Sabha was told on Friday. In response to BJP MP Jagdambika Pal's questions, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the government does not agree with the findings of the agency -- El Dorado Weather and the data on its website varies every day. "The report of hottest places -- 11 out of 15 hottest places in the world are from India -- is based on a newspaper article quoting a private weather forecasting agency El Dorado Weather. "The agency in its webpage reports the 15 places with maximum temperature of last 24 hours on daily basis and the hottest places vary each day. Government of India does not authenticate nor agree to the findings of the report," the minister responded. The environment ministry also said to tackle the problem of climate change, the government is implementing the National Action Plan on Climate ...
Study: Lethal plastic trash now common in Greece's whales
A study of whales and dolphins that have washed up dead in Greece over a 20-year period has found alarmingly high levels of plastic trash mostly bags in the animals' stomachs, which can condemn them to a slow and painful death. In the worst case, a researcher said Friday, a 5.3-metre (17-foot) young sperm whale beached on the Aegean island of Mykonos had swallowed 135 plastic items weighing a total of 3.2 kilograms (7 pounds). This blocked its stomach, grossly distending it, while the animal itself was emaciated and had starved to death. Sperm whales are an endangered species already at high risk in the Mediterranean from deadly collisions with ships, entanglement in drift fishing nets and noise pollution from oil and gas exploration. The study published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, which organizers say was the first on such a scale in the Mediterranean, found that sperm whales were also the species worst affected by plastic ingestion. Six out of ten specimens were found to ...
Ban on single-use plastic in Puducherry from August 1
The Puducherry government Friday announced its proposed ban on sale and consumption of single-use plastic products, postponed earlier, will come into effect from August 1. After a joint meeting with officials and representatives of producers and traders of plastic materials here, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy said there would be no more extension on implementing the ban, proposed "in the larger interest protecting environment". In January this year, the Union Territory government had decided to implement the ban from March 1, but later deferred it following appeals from manufacturers and traders seeking time to dispose of their stocks. Talking to reporters here, Kandasamy said he has explained to the merchants and producers that there would be no more extension of the date of ban and it would come into effect from August 1. He said there had been sustained representations from various quarters that plastic products, including non biodegradable carry bags, be banned to ...
Iran TV shows 'debris' of downed US drone
Iran's state television broadcast images Friday of what it said was debris from a downed US drone recovered inside its territorial waters. The television broadcast a short clip of a Revolutionary Guards general answering questions in front of some of the debris he said had been recovered after Thursday's missile strike. "The debris was floating. We recovered it from the sea inside our territorial waters," said the general, whom the television did not identify. He said other parts of the wreckage had sunk. The television said the footage was shot at a Revolutionary Guards base, without specifying where. The downing of the drone -- which Washington insists was over international waters but Tehran says was within its airspace -- has seen tensions between the two countries spike further after a series of attacks on tankers the US has blamed on Iran.
Over 2 lakh posts lying vacant at anganwadis: WCD
Over 2 lakh posts are lying vacant at various anganwadis across the country, the Women and Child Development Ministry informed Parliament on Friday. In response to a Lok Sabha query, WCD Minister Smriti Irani said there are a total of 27.4 lakh sanctioned vacanies lying at Anganwadis. As many as 14,188 posts of supervisors are lying vacant while 97,080 posts of Anganwadi workers and 97,893 posts of Anganwadi helpers are lying vacant, Irani said. The data provided in the written response said 2,11,292 posts are lying vacant at the 14 lakh sanctioned anganwadis across the country, she said.
Palaniswami welcomes Kerala's water offer, says daily supply
: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Friday urged his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan to extend cooperation to store water to the full level in the Mullaperiyar dam as the state was reeling under a severe water shortage. Welcoming Kerala's gesture to supply water to Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said the neighbouring state had only offered two MLD (Million Litres per Day) for a day, whereas every day supply would help. "I thank the Kerala Chief Minister, but 2 MLD water will not be sufficient. We are everyday supplying 525 MLD water (in Chennai) and if 2 MLD water could be given everyday, it will be useful for the people," he said, addressing a press conference at the Secretariat here. A letter will be written to Kerala in this regard, he said. Earlier, he chaired a meet of top officials and Ministers to review the steps taken for proper drinking water distribution to the people in view of the scarcity situation in the state. On the Mullaperiyar dam issue, .
Rs 80,000 cr Kaleshwaram irrigation project inaugurated in
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) worth Rs 80,000 crore, touted as the world's largest multi-stage multi-purpose scheme, was inaugurated by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Friday. The project, considered a boon to the southern state, will provide irrigation facility for two crops in a year to 45 lakh acres, the state government said, adding it will supply 40 TMC of water to the ambitious Mission Bhagiratha drinking water supply project. It will also help in supplying drinking water to one crore population in Greater Hyderabad on a daily basis, as also 16 TMC of water to thousands of industries in the state, it said. The KLIP also throws open opportunity for hydel power generation in the state. Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh E S L Narasimhan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy were present when the barrage was opened at Medigadda in Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district. The ...
SC stays road construction in Rajaji National Park
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the construction of a road in the reserve forest area of the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.A vacation bench comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant also issued notice to the state government on a plea by an NGO.The NGO, who is working for the betterment of the environment, submitted that the authorities did not take proper legal sanction for the construction of the Laldhang-Chillarkhal road. On May 3, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests, National Board for Wildlife and National Tiger Conservation Authority to provide a report by August 31 on the alleged illegal road construction in a part of the tiger reserve.Spread over an area of 820 sq. km, the park, in addition to tigers, is home to elephants, leopards, jackals, hyenas, jungle cats, bears, deers and a variety of other animals and birds.
MSRTC to recruit from 12 drought-affected Maha districts
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will recruit 4,416 drivers and conductors directly from 12 drought-affected districts of the state as well as from the kin of farmers who have committed suicide, state Transport Minister Diwakar Raote told the state legislature Friday. The 12 districts are Aurangabad, Jalna, Parbhani, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Yavatmal, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nashik, Pune and Solapur, the minister said. He said out of the 4,416 posts, 504 will be reserved for socially and educationally backward category (SEBC). If this reservation cannot be implemented, then the candidates would be hired on contract basis with fixed income of Rs 15,000, he said. Speaking on the MSRTC's tree plantation driver, Raote said it has planted 27,000 saplings last year and the target for this year is 50,000 saplings.
Tamil Nadu seeks special package of Rs 1,000 cr to address water crisis
Amid a severe drinking water crisis in Tamil Nadu, state deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam Friday sought from the Centre a special package of Rs 1,000 crore to augment irrigation structures in drought-hit areas. Participating in the pre-budget consultation meeting with state finance ministers chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi, Panneerselvam requested the Centre to release funds under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. The special package assistance would be used to augment irrigation structures in drought-prone areas to address the agrarian distress and drinking water crisis, similar to the allocation made to Maharashtra, Panneerselvam said in the speech, a copy of which was shared with the media here. Referring to the comments made by Chief Minister K Palaniswami at the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, Panneerselvam said he endorsed his (Palaniswami's) views and expressed hope that the budget would spell .
Climate activists march to occupy huge German coal mine
Thousands of climate activists Friday started marching toward a huge German coal mine they plan to blockade in a protest against global warming, an issue that has shot to the top of the European political agenda. The "Ende Gelaende" (EG) movement's activists were seeking to slip through police lines and launch non-violent acts of civil disobedience to halt operations at the massive Garzweiler lignite mining operation of energy giant RWE near Cologne. "We are unstoppable, another world is possible," they chanted as they walked toward the 48 square kilometre open-pit mine where building-sized excavators churn through what resembles a moonscape. The German phrase "Ende Gelaende" means something is irrevocably finished, similar to "end of story", which is how the protesters feel about the fossil fuel age. "Today we set out with thousands of people towards a future without fossil fuels, without exploitation and without this destructive quest for infinite economic growth," said EG ...
Monsoon hits Odisha, heavy rain lashes coastal region
The much awaited southwest monsoon finally hit Odisha on Friday and covered all the coastal districts, MeT office said. Heavy rain lashed the coastal districts of the state on Friday, it said. "The southwest monsoon has hit Odisha coast today. The entire state will experience rainfall within the next 72- hours," said IMD Director General designate Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, who is on a visit to Odisha. He said the monsoon will first cover the southern parts of the state and spread to the rest of Odisha subsequently. The districts which were lashed by monsoon rain on the first day were: Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jatatsinghpur, Cuttack, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh, a MeT official said. The monsoon also advanced into the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj and parts of Nawarangpur, Kandahandi, Kandhamal, Boudh, Angul and Keonjhar. "Conditions are becoming favourable for further advancement of southwest monsoon into rest