Page 39 - Environment
Bengaluru: 440km of drains under annual maintenance before rains
Manjunath Prasad, Commissioner, Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on Tuesday informed that 440km of drains are under annual maintenance before the rains."For the first time, we have put about 440km of drains under annual maintenance before the arrival of monsoon," he said while talking to ANI.He also informed that this time to take extra precautions, the cleaning of drains has started to take place way before the arrival of the monsoon season.He also said that until now there has been no report of water-logging."Till now we don't have any case of water-logging due to non-removal of silt," he said.
Uttarakhand HC allows Guptas' wedding in Auli
Amid environmental concerns over the Auli wedding extravaganza of the controversial NRI Gupta brothers' two sons, the Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday allowed the event on condition of a Rs 1.5 crore security deposit for compensating any damage at the pristine ski resort.
SC agrees to hear plea on forest fires in Uttarakhand
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear, next week, a plea seeking urgent steps to protect forests and wildlife in Uttarakhand from wild fires.
SC to hear on June 24 a PIL on forest fire in Uttarakhand
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a petition seeking urgent steps to protect forests, wildlife and birds from wildfires in Uttarakhand, on June 24.Calling it a serious issue, a Bench of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Surya Kant agreed to hear the plea and said: "In the meantime, pray for rain."The petition filed by advocate Rituparn Uniyal, a native of Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, mentioned the matter before the Bench for an urgent hearing.The petition sought a direction that the entire wildlife in the region be declared a living entity and the government be directed to take steps to prevent wildfires.The lawyer approached the apex court after media reports highlighted some that as many as 1451 incidents of forest fires were reported in Uttarakhand last year and this year, in the months of April and May 1493 incidents of forest fires have been reported.Uniyal said forest blazes have increased over the years and cause huge loss to the environment.The petition sought ...
Climate change affects crops in India: Study
India's grain crops are vulnerable to climate changes and yields from rice, experience larger declines during extreme weather conditions, found Kyle Davis Environmental data scientist at Columbia University.The research published in the 'Environmental Research Letters' studied the effects of climate on five major crops: finger millet, maize, pearl millet, sorghum, and rice. These crops make up the vast majority of grain production during the June-to-September monsoon season - India's main growing period - with rice contributing three-quarters of the grain supply for the season. Taken together, the five grains are essential for meeting India's nutritional needs."By relying more and more on a single crop - rice - India's food supply is potentially vulnerable to the effects of varying climate," said Davis, the lead author on the paper."Expanding the area planted with these four alternative grains can reduce variations in Indian grain production caused by extreme climate, especially in ...
Environment issues not justifiable: Rawat on Auli wedding
Amidst environmental concerns over the impending wedding extravaganza of the controversial Gupta brothers' two sons in Auli, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday strongly defended the high profile marriage and said such issues were not justifiable.
HC red flags damage to green world by present generation
The Bombay High Court Tuesday said the environmental damage caused by the present generation is going to severely impact the future generations and lead to physical deformities among people. A division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice N M Jamdar made the observation while hearing a bunch of petitions filed by activists, residents and fisher folk community from the city challenging the Mumbai civic body BMC's Rs 14,000-crore coastal road project. Chief Justice Nandrajog, during the arguments over the project, drew a caricature on a sheet of paper depicting how a human being would look in the future. The human caricature had long fingers, nose and a big head but shrunken hands, legs and body. "With the damage to environment being caused presently this is how our future generations will look," Chief Justice Nandrajog said, passing the paper with the caricature to the advocates arguing the matter. "Humans will be only sitting in front of computers due to which we .
Strict action will be taken against firm selling unapproved cotton seeds: Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Khot
Strict action will be taken against the companies which are selling unapproved cotton seeds to farmers in the state, said Agriculture Minister Sadabhau Khot on Tuesday."Strict action will be taken against the company which is found indulging in selling unapproved cotton seeds to farmers in the state. A committee has also been formed to look into the matter," said Khot, while speaking to ANI."We were informed that several years back, some farmers tried seeking permission for the use of such cotton seeds but the permission was not given by the government. However, we first need to see the supply source of these seeds," he said.According to reports, the cotton seeds which farmers are using in Akola are usually genetically modified ones and have various dangerous consequences."There is an urgent need to teach and educate our farmers about the use of cotton seeds. It is the lack of knowledge that leads them towards the use of unapproved seeds," he said.
17 'panchaloha' idols unearthed in TN village
As many as 17 idols made of 'panchaloha' (alloy of five metals) and believed to be ancient were unearthed while uprooting the trunk portion of a tree at a village in Pudukottai district Tuesday, officials said. After hearing metal sound while removing the trunk using crowbars, the workers started carefully digging the ground and found the idols of Lord Muruga, Goddess Parvathi among others. On information, Revenue officials rushed to the Peraiyur village near Tirumeyyam and with the help of locals started excavating the entire area, which yielded 17 idols. Officials said the idols would be handed over to the Archaeological experts for dating and estimating their value.
Chattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel reviews on-going development work done by his party in Raipur
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel reviewed the on-going development and work done by his party in Chattisgarh during a social programme organised here on Tuesday."We will soon be starting our pilot project in several villages to fight with malnourishment. Bastar, Adivasi tribe area has limited doctors in their region, for which we will be launching a project to send sufficient doctors in that area, providing with proper medicines and treatment to the tribal people residing there" Baghel said.He also said that his party is working on another project where they will be supplying an adequate amount of nutritious food for the malnourished children in several villages.They will take care of their needs and demands and work accordingly for the betterment of several villages.Earlier on Sunday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had said that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and requested him to include Chhattisgarh Forest Rights Act, 2006 leaseholders in .
Punjab urges Centre to allow construction of foodgrain godowns under FCI guarantee
Facing acute shortage of covered space for foodgrain stocking, the Punjab government Tuesday urged the Centre to allow construction of godowns with a total of 20 lakh tonne capacity, which will help in storing grains in a scientific manner. Amarinder urged the prime minister to direct the Union Ministry of Food to allow construction of 20 lakh tonne capacity covered godowns under seven year guarantee by the Centre/FCI (Food Corporation of India) so that foodgrains may be scientifically stored in the state. The FCI generally hires godowns for a guarantee period of certain periods for private parties. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh sought his intervention for permission to construct scientific storage units in the state. The chief minister pointed out that the bumper crops during the last few seasons coupled with slow pace of evacuation of foodgrains in the state had resulted in shortage of covered storage space. As a result, more than 100 ...
Mumbai man held for possession of Rs 1.7 cr worth whale vomit
A 53-year-old man who had come to sell 1.3 kg of ambergris (whale vomit) worth Rs 1.7 crore, was arrested in Mumbai, police Tuesday. Ambergris is a waxy substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas and used in perfume manufacture. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of police and forest department officials laid a trap Saturday in the Cama Lane of suburban Vidyavihar area and nabbed Rahul Dupare, police said. "We seized 1.3 kg of ambergris, worth Rs 1.7 crore, from him. It is a prohibited item. We have registered a case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and have arrested Dupare," a police official said. The sperm whale is an endangered species protected under the Wildlife Act. Ambergris is soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ether and certain volatile and fixed oils.
Federal system prevents people from using state's water:KTK CM
With parts of Karnataka reeling under drought, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday blamed the country's federal system which, he claimed, restricted the people of Karnataka from using water of their state. "It is the misfortune of our state that even if we fill our tanks, if we have to use our water, the federal structure of the country is such that we are obligated to abide by the court and (river water) tribunal's directions," the chief minister told reporters at Mandya. Kumaraswamy was speaking after meeting the kin of a farmer at a village in Mandya who allegedly committed suicide. Before dying, Suresh took a selfie-video addressed to the chief minister where he blamed loans and the lack of water in the water bodies in the locality, for his taking the extreme step and asks the CM to ensure filling the tanks. He urged farmers not to take such extreme steps because government was looking into their problems. Kumaraswamy said the government has allocated Rs 213 crore .
Govt plans to train fishermen, coastal people for seafarer jobs: Minister
The government is considering imparting special training to fishermen and people living in coastal areas to facilitate them in taking up seafarer jobs, Union Minister Mansukh Lal Mandaviya said Tuesday. Fishermen and people across India's 7,300-km coastline have been traditionally dependent on sea for livelihood but the percentage of Indian seafarers in the global trade is low, the Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) said. "We are planning that the fishermen and people across India's 7,300 km coastline, traditionally dependent on sea be imparted training ... It has huge job potential. After the initial 10-15 days training, certificates can be provided by DG Shipping and this could facilitate them to pursue the job of seafarers with separate training for different wings," the minister said in his maiden interaction with media after assuming charge as shipping minister. He said there is huge potential in this area as globally about 50 lakh seafarers are required. He said
Kangra aims to enroll all eligible farmers for PM-KISAN by June 25
The Himachal government has decided to enroll all eligible farmers for PM-KISAN scheme in Kangra district by June 25, an official said Tuesday. About 2.50 lakh farmers families of the district are expected to be benefited from the PM-KISAN scheme which provides for an annual grant of Rs 6,000 to eligible farmers, he said. "For Prime Minister's Kisan Samaan Nidhi Yojna, the target is to register all eligible farmers' families of Kangra district by June 25," said Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati. He said all sub-divisional officers have been asked to launch a special campaign to get the requisite forms filled up by eligible farmers through patewaris. Prajapati said about 1.5 lakh farmers of Kangra district have applied for it till now. "Under this scheme, farmers will get 6,000 rupees every year in three equal installments," he said, adding a sum of Rs 2,000 shall directly be deposited in farmers' bank accounts every four month. The Deputy Commissioner said under this scheme, a ...
TN largely dependent on groundwater to meet its needs: CM
Amidst the ongoing severe water crisis in parts of the state, Tamil Nadu government Tuesday said it was largely dependent on ground water to meet the requirements till the onset of north east monsoon in October. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said drought and deficient monsoon had resulted in depletion of groundwater levels, but claimed the issue was not as big as was being made out, especially in the media. Speaking to reporters here after reviewing the progress of work on the Jayalalithaa memorial, he urged the media not to create an "illusion" of water scarcity based on a few reports. "The (northeast) monsoon will arrive only by October-November. Till then we have to meet the requirements only from groundwater sources," he said. The northeast monsoon brings the bulk of rainfall for Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, which is facing a very severe water shortage. Krishna water from Kandaleru in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was also not being realised in its full capacity, the
Cyprus expects 'stronger' EU stand on Turkey's drilling
Cyprus said Tuesday it expects the European Union to adopt a firmer stance over Turkey's bid to drill for oil and gas inside the island's exclusive economic zone. President Nicos Anastasiades said he was not optimistic about Turkey changing its tact, but he does expect Brussels to bare its teeth when dealing with the issue. "I'm optimistic that the EU will at least show decisiveness in sending a stronger message than it has done up until today. This is our objective," he told reporters. "And I believe after the summit of the seven southern EU member states that there will be a stronger EU stance," he added. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Ankara would not back down from its gas exploration. "We continue and will continue to search in those areas that are ours," Erdogan said during a televised speech in Istanbul. Cyprus has issued arrest warrants for crew members of Turkey's drilling ship, Fatih. After a summit of southern EU countries in Valletta, the seven ...
Forest fire a serious issue, pray for rain: SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on June 24 a plea seeking urgent steps to protect forests, wildlife and birds from wildfires in Uttarakhand, saying "it is an serious issue and in the meantime, pray for rain". A vacation bench of justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant listed the matter for June 24 after the petitioner, advocate Rituparn Uniyal, sought urgent listing of the matter. "We are listing the petition for Monday (June 24). It's a serious issue and in the meantime, you pray for rain," the bench observed. Uniyal moved the apex court last Friday to seek urgent steps to protect forests, wildlife and birds from wildfires in Uttarakhand, saying forest blazes have increased over the years and cause huge loss to the environment. The petition sought directions to the Centre, the Uttarakhand government and the principal chief conservator of forests in the state to make pre-fire arrangements and frame a policy to prevent forest fires. It also sought an investigation into the ...
Wabag secures one-city, one-operator contracts in Uttar Pradesh worth Rs 1,477 crore
Va Tech Wabag, a water technology Indian multinational company, said on Tuesday it has secured Rs 1,477 crore worth order from State Mission for Clean Ganga in Uttar Pradesh towards operation, maintenance and management of sewage treatment and network infrastructure in Agra and Ghaziabad for 10 years.The order is expandable for five more years. Wabag will manage, operate and maintain 22 sewage treatment plants, 22 pumping stations and underground network of over 3,000 km with the objective of providing round-the-clock uninterrupted operations.The contract will ensure treatment of over 650 million litres of water per day in both cities of Agra and Ghaziabad put together, adhering to national treatment standards thus providing cleaner and healthier ecosystem to three million people.The company will also improve, rehabilitate and upgrade facilities related to systems, structures and equipment associated with the sewage treatment plants and underground collection systems."With our ...
Karnataka: CM Kumaraswamy meets family members of farmer who committed suicide
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy paid a visit to late farmer Suresh's family in Krishnarajapet, Karnataka here on Tuesday.Suresh, a farmer from the southern state of India committed suicide after sending a video message to the chief minister on the acute water scarcity in his region. Kumaraswamy in response said, "I am pained by the death of the farmer Suresh who had demanded to fill the lakes in the areas. I urge the farmers not to take such extreme steps."The minister informed the public present at the location and said, "We are trying to fill all lakes and wells as soon as possible and have allocated Rs 253 crores to do so. This will also help raise the groundwater level simultaneously, not only in Mandya but in all the districts of the state."The minister also has announced a sum of five lakh for the family as compensation, stating that officials are to stay at villages and talk to villagers to resolve the problems from next week on.The minister acknowledged the crisis and .