Page 406 - Environment
China launches new rail-road cargo service linking Lanzhou with Islamabad
China has launched a new rail and road cargo service linking Lanzhou, capital of its northwestern Gansu province, with Islamabad in Pakistan, state-run media reported Wednesday. The first train carrying 30 carriages of mechanical equipment, auto parts and daily necessities left a logistics centre Tuesday morning in Lanzhou, bound for Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, state-run China Daily reported. The goods will then be transported to Islamabad by a highway, it said. Luo Zhe, deputy director with the management committee of the International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou), said that the 4,500-km trip will take 13 days, around 15 days less than the traditional sea route. This was the second freight train service launched by Gansu to south Asia. In 2016, a rail and road cargo service opened between Lanzhou and Kathmandu, Nepal. "I hope the new rail and road cargo service can set a good example for cooperation between China and Pakistan and encourage more countries and regions .
Activists protest commercial activities in sensitive Soor Sarovar area of Agra
A group of 25 activists Wednesday staged a dharna here demanding a ban on construction and holding of commercial programmes in ecologically sensitive zones of the city. The protest comes ahead of the three-day 'Meet at Agra' trade fair being organised on a five acre plot near the Keetham Bird Sanctuary. The fair from October 26 will have 240 stalls for national and international shoe machinery and component suppliers. Environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya said shoe manufacturers are holding the trade fair at a complex just 250 yards away from the Keetham Bird Sanctuary. "Without permission from statutory government bodies, shoe manufacturers of the Taj city are holding a trade fair at a complex that they have built just 250 yards away from the sensitive eco zone of the bird sanctuary," he said. The event could have been held at the leather park at Achnera but they have chosen to disturb birds and pollute the green lung of the city, Bhattacharya said. According to organisers, UP ...
New tech for farmers, boosting agriculture top priority: Naidu
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Wednesday said farmers should be provided new technology to make farming more sustainable and viable as boosting agriculture is one of the top priorities of the government. "Agriculture is at crossroads and the sector is unviable as people are leaving farming. Boosting agriculture sector is one of the top priorities," Naidu said. The vice president also pointed out the benefits of digital smart farming is already being realised in the country, and called on farmers, officials and scientists to make united efforts to help understand new technologies and reduce input cost of agriculture. Naidu was addressing the International Conference of Asia Pacific Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA) and World Congress on Computers in Agriculture (WCCA) organised here. "As India is going to be third largest economy in the world and growing above 8 per cent, we need inclusive growth. We have to protect and promote and give ...
Mars contains more oxygenated water than previously thought: Study
Water on Mars could hold more oxygen than previously believed, theoretically enough to support aerobic respiration, suggests a new research challenging traditional beliefs about the Red planet's habitability.
Leopard caught in trap dies, probe ordered
A leopard caught in a trap set up by villagers in Kakor died following which the Uttar Pradesh forest department has ordered a probe into the matter, officials said Wednesday. The leopard was caught in the trap on Tuesday. Villagers alleged that the forest department team did not reach the spot promptly despite being informed of the big cat being caught in the trap. Even when they reached they were ill equipped to tranquilize it, the villagers alleged Divisional Forest Officer Anil Misra said a forest team, which reached the spot found the local veterinarian had tranquilized the leopard. The team found the leopard unconscious and it was put in a cage. However, the animal did not revive and died. The exact cause of the death will be known after postmortem, he said. Action will be taken against those found guilty of harassing the wild cat as per the law, the DFO said.
Himalayas facing severe global warming disruption, say foresters
Being sensitive to temperature variations, mountain ecosystems in the Himalayas are facing severe disruption from global warming as they are witnessing melting glaciers and major ecological and geophysical changes, wildlife biologists say.
Kerala MLAs' Rs 80 cr apartment rebuilding comes under fire
As Kerala continues to seek funds to rebuild the state in the aftermath of the worst disaster it faced in a century, a proposed Rs 80 crore apartment complex for state legislators, has come under fire.
Precision agriculture can do wonders for Indian farming (Comment)
The worrisome reality in India is that agriculture is facing a crisis. In village after village, farmers are looking at selling their land and moving away from farming as a livelihood.
No breather for Delhi as air quality remains 'poor'
There seems to be no relief for the people residing in the national capital as the air quality continued to worsen on Wednesday with pollution levels remaining in "poor category".According to the data collaborated by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 246 at 8:30 amThe AQI between 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 falls under the category of satisfactory, 101-200 is marked as moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301- 400 is considered very poor and above 500 is marked as severe.Experts have predicted that the air quality would continue to be poor for the next two days, making it difficult for people to continue outdoor activities.Taking to Facebook, Congress president Rahul Gandhi also expressed his concerns on the issue and wrote, "Air pollution in Delhi is a serious problem. It is our responsibility to take possible steps to reduce the pollution around us. Without the support of countrymen, no ...
Va Tech Wabag bags EPC order worth Rs 555 crore in Qatar
For this Design & Build project, the scope includes the rehabilitation of Doha South Sewage Treatment Works using lamella clarifier, disc filter and aerobic digester technology to treat the additional sewage generated by the football stadium, which is under construction for the FIFA World Cup 2022. The project is scheduled to be delivered over a period of 24 months, while the existing plant is in operation.
Pakistan arrests 16 Indian fishermen
The Pakistani authorities detained 16 Indian fishermen on Tuesday for alleged violation of the country's maritime boundary, security officials said.
Punjab signs MoUs with Israel for agri research, water conservation and management
The Punjab government has signed four MoUs with Israeli institutions to address issues of farmers and depleting groundwater level in the state. The memorandums of understandings (MoUs) were signed here in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday, the second day of his five-day visit to the Jewish nation. He had arrived on Sunday evening. The MoUs will help boost cooperation between Punjab and Israel in areas such as water conservation as well as agricultural research and education. The agreements will "help Punjab secure much needed technical expertise and know-how for strengthening its water management systems and improving its agricultural research and learning", Chief Minister Singh said. To formulate a water conservation and management plan in Punjab, an MoU was signed between the Punjab Water Resources Management and Israel's Mekorot Development and Enterprise Ltd. Three MoUs related to agricultural research were signed by the Punjab Agricultural University ..
Khashoggi killing: Trump slams 'one of worst cover-ups' in history
US President Donald Trump has charged that the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul had given rise to "one of the worst cover-ups" in history. "They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups," Trump declared Tuesday in the Oval Office.
Canada to impose carbon tax on provinces bucking climate action
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his government will impose a federal carbon tax on four out of 10 Canadian provinces that have failed to plan to curb climate pollution. The provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick will be subject to the Canadian dollar 20 per tonne levy as of January 1, rising to Canadian dollar 50 in 2022. "Starting next year, it will no longer be free to pollute anywhere in Canada. We are going to place a price on the pollution that causes climate change," Trudeau said in a speech at a Toronto college. All proceeds from the tax - to be collected from individuals and industry - will be remitted to households in the form of rebates or used to pay for projects to improve energy efficiency and cut CO2 emissions, making it revenue-neutral and to "help Canadians adjust to this new reality," he said. Ottawa had worked for two years with the provinces and territories to design plans for each jurisdiction that would allow Canada as a whole to
HC directs MP exam board controller to appear before it for
The Madhya Pradesh High Court Tuesday directed the controller of the State Professional Examination Board and Chhindwara divisional forest officer to appear in person before it on November 26 for not complying with its 2017 order to appoint a woman as a forest guard. The HC was hearing a contempt petition filed by one Varsha Sahu stating that she was not appointed as a forest guard despite the previous order of the HC. "A division bench of justices SK Seth and Subodh Abhyankar issued the directive after the respondents did not take any action for compliance of the court order despite sufficient time given to them," said the petitioner's counsel Parag Chaturvedi. In its order dated December 21, 2017, the HC had ordered that Varsha Sahu be appointed as a forest guard. Chaturvedi told the HC Tuesday that Sahu had scored more marks than the person who was appointed for the post. "The petitioner belonged to the OBC category but she had written the recruitment examination under general ...
Delhi: Amidst declining air quality, Imran Hussain reviews action plan
Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness and action plan of the various stakeholder departments for implementing the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) mandated by the Supreme Court for combating and mitigating air pollution in New Delhi.The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Commissioners of North, South and East Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Chairman of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Secretary (Environment), Secretary (Transport and Power), and Special Secretary (Industries), Chief Engineer of Public Works Department (PWD) along with other senior officers of the departments or agencies concerned.The three municipal corporations informed that mechanical sweeping of the roads including the PWD roads is going on regularly for preventing suspension and re-suspension of dust due to plying of vehicles.The three municipal corporations and the NDMC were directed to ensure that no uncovered building material is permitted on their ...
Focus on likely global consequences of conflict in space: VP
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday said nations should be concerned with the pursuit of weapons systems capable of destroying satellites in orbit. He said India has alway been a responsible space power and maintained international efforts need to focus on the likely global consequences of conflict in space domain. "India, as a responsible power, has always collaborated with other nations on space issues. "As such, the outer space environment is very complex with over 80 nations and numerous government consortia, scientific and commercial firms accessing and operating satellites for countless economic, scientific, educational and social missions," he said. The vice-president was speaking after inaugurating the Forum for Integrated National Securitys conference 'Sagar Discourse 2.0" near Panaji. "At the same time, threats to space systems from debris and other irresponsible activities are adding to the complexity. "We all need to be concerned with the pursuit of weapons
Swiss allow diesel release as Rhine water levels hit imports
ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss government has authorised the temporary release of diesel from the country's compulsory stockpile after low water levels on the Rhine reduced supplies to the country.
Env Min highlights need to convert science into policies for coral reef conservation
Stressing on the importance of protecting coral reefs, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said there was a need to convert science into adequate policies for its conservation. Vardhan inaugurated the International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR 2018) Monday at Bangaram coral Island at Lakshadweep. The theme of the conference is "Reef for Life". "The minister highlighted the importance of coral reefs and the need for its protection, emphasising on converting science into adequate policies for conservation," an official statement said. "Evolving effective management strategies leading to restoration of coral reefs, along with the practice of green good deed for behavioral change and social responsibility in day to day life was also emphasised," it said. Around 150 delegates were participating in this mega event from October 22-24. The delegates for technical deliberations have come from the US, UK, Kuwait, Italy, France, Maldives and Sri ...
Delhi's air quality remains poor; Environment min directs officials to be in 'war mode'
Delhi's air quality continued to be in the 'poor' category Tuesday, with the Environment minister directing all officers and agencies to be in "war mode" to combat air pollution. As parts of the Bhalswa landfill site continued to smoulder, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation announced a slew of measures that it will take for remediation of the over 60-metre high dump. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that people in the country can burst firecrackers from 8 PM to 10 PM only on Diwali and other festivals, permitting the sale and manufacture of low emission "green" firecrackers countrywide. Environment and health experts welcomed the order, with some describing it as a "spectacular" decision, while others saying it was time the society celebrated festive occasions "more responsibly". The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the city's overall AQI at 254 in the evening. An AQI (air quality index) between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 .