Page 336 - Environment

Hartek Power bags order from PowerGrid

Chandigarh-based Hartek Group's engineering arm Hartek Power said Wednesday it has bagged an order from Power Grid Corporation (PGCIL) for augmenting high-voltage 400-KV substations in the three states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. The project will cater to a population of about 7 crore, a company statement said. Under the project, Hartek Power will convert fixed line reactors to switchable line reactors so that these devices can be optimally used to curtail line outages at 400-KV substations located in Ballia and Sohawal in Uttar Pradesh, Kankroli in Rajasthan and Abdullapur in Haryana. Switchable line reactors have a distinct advantage over fixed line reactors as unlike fixed line reactors, they can better deal with the surges in voltage by deactivating the flow and cutting off the supply. The project will go a long way in strengthening the northern grid, which is scheduled for completion by February 2020. PGCIL is heavily investing in upgrading low and high-voltage ...

Kejriwal orders suspension of Delhi's food and supplies commissioner over alleged irregularities

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday ordered the suspension of Delhi's food and supplies commissioner over alleged irregularities in the ration system, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain said. The order of the food commissioner's suspension has been sent to Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Hussain said at a press conference here. "Last night, we conducted inspection at an FPS (fair price shop -- no 6669) in Nangloi, and found that the wheat and rice stock were missing despite the receipts of delivery," the minister said. About "152 quintals of wheat and 38 quintals of rice" were meant to be there, he said, adding that it was to be distributed in December to the benefit of 4,000 people. The minister said he suspected a "big scam ('bada ghotala hai')" in it and immediately sent a report to the chief minister. "The CM has ordered suspension of the food commissioner with immediate effect. The order has been sent to LG also," he told reporters. Hussain also claimed that he ...

Board of Starlit Power Systems approves change in directorate

At meeting held on 28 November 2018

Jharkhand to start paddy procurement on December 1

The Jharkhand government will start paddy procurement from farmers on December 1, said an official on Wednesday.

S Korea successfully tests space rocket engine

South Korea on Wednesday successfully conducted a rocket engine test launch, news reports said, paving the way for the development of its own space launch vehicle. A liquid-fuel engine successfully propelled a single-stage rocket weighing 52 tonnes and measuring 25.8 meters (84.6 feet) long, from the Naro Space Center on the southern coast, Yonhap news agency said. The engine, designed and developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI ) as part of a USD 1.8 billion project, will be used to propel the country's first indigenous three-stage launch vehicle -- the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 (KSLV-2). "This is a significant step forward in developing a launch vehicle with our own technology," a KARI spokesman said. It is the first such launch in South Korea since 2013 when the country successfully put a small satellite into orbit following failures in 2009 and in 2010. But the significance of the 2013 launch was widely discounted as the launch vehicle had to rely on a ...

Mass Australian stranding leaves 28 whales dead

Twenty-eight whales were found dead in the remote southeast of Australia Wednesday, following a mass stranding that has baffled experts. A pilot flying a private plane over Croajingolong National Park in Victoria state spotted 27 pilot whales and one humpback stranded on the beach Tuesday afternoon. An initial visit by park authorities later that day found eight of the whales were still alive but in a critical state. By the time rangers returned on Wednesday, all were dead, officials said. The humpback whale is thought to have died well before the rest in a separate incident. Gail Wright of Parks Victoria said samples were being taken from the remains to try to understand how the whales came to be stranded. "It's one of the great mysteries, we don't know why this happens," she told AFP, adding that this was probably the largest stranding in that part of Australia since the early 1980s. Up to 145 pilot whales were found washed ashore on the weekend in a remote part of southern New ...

G20 makes slow progress on communique amid 'difficult' talks

PARIS/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Officials from the Group of 20 leading industrialized nations gathered in Argentina are making slow progress in drafting a final communique for this weekend's leaders summit, amid disagreements over language on trade and climate change, delegates said.

Thick haze envelopes Delhi, air quality very poor

Delhiites woke up to a thick haze hanging over the city as the air quality was recorded in the 'very poor' category. The overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 316, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. The CPCB said 22 areas of Delhi recorded 'very poor' air quality while 13 areas recorded 'poor' air quality. The level of PM2.5 -- particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres -- was recorded at 159 and the PM10 level was recorded at 316, it said. In NCR, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality while Gurgaon recorded 'poor' air quality, the CPCB data showed. According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, a haze has engulfed Delhi and the wind speed and ventilation index are "extremely unfavourable" for dispersion of ...

Biggest coral reseeding project launches on Great Barrier Reef

Scientists have launched the largest-ever attempt to regenerate coral on the endangered Great Barrier Reef by harvesting millions of the creatures' eggs and sperm during their annual spawning. The researchers said Wednesday they plan to grow coral larvae from the harvested eggs and return these to areas of the reef which have been badly damaged by climate-related coral bleaching. "This is the first time that the entire process of large scale larval rearing and settlement will be undertaken directly on reefs on the Great Barrier Reef," said Peter Harrison of Southern Cross University, one of the project leaders. "Our team will be restoring hundreds of square meters with the goal of getting to square kilometres in the future, a scale not attempted previously," he said in a statement. The "Larval Restoration Project" launch was timed to coincide with the annual coral spawn on the reef, which began earlier this week and will last only about 48 to 72 hours. Coral along large swathes of the

Delhi's air quality slumps to 'very poor'

A thick blanket of smog and haze more toxic that can be measured by the monitoring devices has engulfed Delhi and its nearby regions on Wednesday.A thick layer of haze was visible in several parts of the capital during early morning and Centre run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) have recorded concentrations of 360 at 8:30 am.An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 is marked as severe/hazardous.At Dhirpur, the AQI was at 8:30 am, while in Mathura Road area it dipped to 'hazardous' category at 462. Furthermore, AQI near Pitampura, Airport, Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 395, 338 and 343, respectively.The haze will continue to persist during the early morning and late evenings for the next couple of days."The air quality is very poor and as expected, gradual increasing trend is noticed. it is likely to remain very poor with a gradually increasing trend for ...

Trump warns U.S. may cut off GM subsidies after job cuts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said the White House was looking at cutting subsidies for General Motors Co after the largest U.S. automaker said it would halt production at five plants in North America and layoff thousands of workers.

France plans to triple wind power capacity by 2030

PARIS (Reuters) - France plans to triple its onshore wind power capacity by 2030 and multiply by five its solar power generation, enabling it to boost the share of renewables in its energy mix to 40 percent, according to the energy plan presented on Tuesday.

Singapore returns 50 smuggled Indian tortoises to Karnataka

About 50 Indian star tortoises were flown to Bengaluru on Monday, two years after they were allegedly smuggled from India to Singapore, an animal welfare organisation said on Tuesday.

Global emissions spiked in 2017, after three years of stabilisation: UN Environment

Global carbon dioxide emissions increased last year, after a three-year period of stabilisation. The nations must triple efforts to reach two degrees Celsius target, an annual review by the UN Environment warned on Tuesday.

Exclusive: Argentina says it is close to inking a beef deal with U.S.

BUENOS AIRES/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Argentina is on the verge of signing a deal with the United States that would allow two-way trade of fresh beef for the first time in nearly two decades, the South American country's international trade secretary, Marisa Bircher, said.

EDF restructuring expected as France reduces reliance on nuclear

PARIS (Reuters) - France is considering restructuring state-owned utility EDF and plans a steady reduction to the country's reliance on nuclear power, the government said on Tuesday.

U.S. high court revives timber company's fight over frog habitat

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a victory to timber company Weyerhaeuser Co in its bid to limit the federal government's power to designate private land as protected habitat for endangered species in a case involving a warty amphibian called the dusky gopher frog.

Punjab govt releases Rs 667.63 cr for various schemes

The Punjab government's finance department has released Rs 667.63 crore towards power subsidy, GST compensation to local bodies, as well as various development projects of Punjab Infrastructure Development Board and the Ashirwad scheme. While Rs 275 crore has been released to state owned power utility against power subsidy, Rs 125 crore has been given to the local government department on account of the GST compensation, according to an official spokesperson. A sum of Rs 95.48 crore has been released to PIDB for undertaking several infrastructure projects and Rs 34.47 crore has been allocated to the social security department on account of payment to beneficiaries under Aashirwad Scheme till September 30, 2018. Further, amount of Rs 25 crore and Rs 25.71 crore have been released under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) and Bhagat Puran Singh Bima Yojana, respectively. Money was also released for public works department, Punjab Urban Development Authority, jails department, the ...

NCAP should have legal binding, interim milestones: Experts

With the Environment Ministry likely to come out with a national action plan to combat pollution next month, experts Tuesday said it was a highly ambitious initiative and all the state and local governments should get involved in the massive task in equal measures. They also said when the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is launched, it should have legal binding and interim milestones. A senior Environment Ministry official had told PTI earlier this month that the NCAP, proposing multiple strategies to combat air pollution, would be launched in December. The key components of the NCAP include specific air pollution abatement action plans for over 100 polluting cities of the country, increasing the number of monitoring stations, data dissemination, public participation in planning and implementation among a host of other measures. Sunil Dahiya, Clean Air Campaigner, Greenpeace India, said it was good to hear that the final version of the NCAP might be released this week but the ...

Agriculture Ministry makes U-turn on demonetisation impact on farm sector

The Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday made a U-turn on its earlier assessment on the adverse impact of demonetisation on the farm sector by giving a revised note to a parliamentary panel.