Page 416 - Environment
Bangladesh, ENOC agree to feasibility study for LPG terminal
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh and Dubai-based Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) agreed on Thursday to conduct a feasibility study on setting up a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal in the country, a Dhaka-based official said.
'It takes just a matchstick': Punjab farmers take the cheaper way out to deal with paddy stubble
Mid-afternoon, Upender is busy tossing paddy residue into the fire he started over an acre of land. Huge, thick clouds of smoke rise into the air and engulf the neighbouring fields before the wind blows them away. After about 15 minutes, the fire is out, leaving only the ash and a question - Have the efforts of the Punjab government to check stubble burning failed? The administration is making serious interventions to curb stubble burning, but the farmers in the state continue to defy the ban on the practice amid a lack of financial incentives. The state government is providing 50 to 80 per cent subsidy to farmers and cooperative societies to buy modern farm equipment for in-situ management of paddy straw and running a massive awareness campaign against stubble burning. It made stubble burning a punishable offence in 2013 and continues to issue challans to erring farmers under the 2015 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), says Karunesh Garg, member secretary, Punjab Pollution ..
Punjab expects 70 pc drop in stubble fires this season: Official
Punjab is expecting not more than 12,000 stubble burning incidents this season, a reduction of about 70 per cent compared to last year, on the back of a "vigorous" awareness drive and distribution of crop residue management machinery, an official said. Stubble burning in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana is a major cause of air pollution not only in the two states but also in the national capital. "We are not expecting more than 10,000 to 12,000 stubble burning incidents this season," Punjab Agriculture Secretary K S Pannu told PTI on Thursday. The number of farm fires have dropped over the years. In 2016, Punjab witnessed 80,879 stubble burning incidents, which came down to 43,814 in 2017, official data said. So far in 2018, the state has recorded 1,212 cases of paddy stubble burning as against 3,141 and 6,733 in the corresponding periods in 2017 and 2016 respectively. According to the data, Amritsar has reported 412 stubble burning incidents so far this year, the state's highest. It ..
Declare Marathwada region drought-hit, demands Aurangabad farmers
Farmers in Aurangabad's Marathwada region have demanded that Maharashtra government should declare the region drought-hit."We are undergoing a very difficult situation due to severe lack of rainfall. Farmers are committing suicide. Dams have huge capacity but no water for the past three years. We urge the government to declare it drought-hit area," a farmer told ANI.Earlier, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that a total of 200 talukas in the state had been identified as scarcity-like conditions.Fadnavis had said that the state ministers were apprised of the prevailing conditions and were also asked to submit a report to him on the issue."The main focus is how to tackle the drought-hit talukas in the state. One of the main reasons behind the drought is the low rainfall which has been recorded 77 per cent only, less than the average mark in the state. We are following the drought manual given by the Centre and that has helped us in planning everything well in advance," he had ..
EU lawmakers back 35 percent CO2 cut for trucks by 2030
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU lawmakers backed a 35 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions from new trucks by 2030 on Thursday, pushing for ambitious measures to limit climate change despite fears over industry competitiveness.
Delhi Cabinet approves proposal for 10 pc discount on using metro card in DTC buses
To encourage use of public transport among commuters amid rising air pollution levels in the city, the Delhi Cabinet Thursday approved a proposal by which one can avail 10 per cent discount on using common mobility card (metro card) in DTC cluster buses. The metro card usage started in DTC cluster buses on August 24. "This was necessary in view of rising air pollution to encourage more and more people to use public transport," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters. He further appealed to the cental government and the governments of Haryana and Punjab to initiate measures in the wake of deteriorating air quality in north India, including Delhi. "The Centre should intervene. Farmers have not been given subsidy. This is the failure on the part of the central government and state governments. "As December and January is nearing, the entire north India, including Delhi, is close to becoming a gas chamber," he said. Sisodia said the government since last year has made several .
Cherry blossoms bloom unexpectedly in Japan
Some of Japan's famed cherry blossoms, also known as sakura, have bloomed unexpectedly this autumn, according to weather experts.
Nano-carbon: New India-made weapon against mosquitoes?
Toxic smog has once again threatened to engulf the National Capital Region (NCR) as farmers in parts of Haryana and Punjab have begun to burn their crop residue. And the zika virus, spread by Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, has mysteriously raised its head in Rajasthan, having already infected about 90 people and worrying health officials.
How far away are we from commercial fusion energy? (Science Feature)
Electricity-generating fusion power plants -- one of the biggest inventions in history -- might be safe, efficient, reliable and environmentally responsible. But, how far are we from turning science fiction into reality -- meaning a world where nuclear fusion energy will be powering our day-to-day lives? Some 60 years.
Air quality in Delhi continues to remain poor
Air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the poor category owing to constant stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.As per the latest Air Quality Index (AQI) data, the air quality of Delhi's Lodhi Road area on Thursday morning showed levels of prominent pollutants PM (particulate matter) 2.5 and PM 10 at 224 and 272 respectively.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 figure remained constant since last night, which was recorded at 9:52 pm. The air quality in other north Indian cities, Gurugram (252), Lucknow (247), Kanpur (247), Agra (236), and Patna (209) was also in the poor category.However, despite being prohibited from burning the farm residue, the farmers continue to do so, owing to the lack of feasible alternatives and blamed the industries and vehicles for being the primary reason for pollution.The ...
US flies B-52 bombers near South China Sea
Two US B-52 bombers flew near contested islands in the South China Sea and "participated in a routine training mission", according to a statement from Pacific Air Forces.
As stubble burning continues, Delhi's air quality turns 'poor'
The air quality in Delhi remains in the poor category, owing to constant stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.As per the latest Air Quality Index (AQI) data, the air quality of Delhi's Lodhi Road area showed levels of prominent pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 at 224 and 272, respectively, above normal.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".On the other hand, farmers in Punjab are continuing to burn stubble in Ludhiana's Raul village, owing to the absence of machinery."We are small farmers. The government claims they have dispatched machines but there is no machine here to collect stubble. What else will we do? Happy seeder isn't suitable for us. Machines are very expensive, cannot afford," a farmer said.Farmers in Ludhiana's Jaspal Bangar on Wednesday explained why burning stubble is important for the farm. One of the farmers said that
UP makes man-animal conflict a 'State Declared Disaster'
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced that man-animal conflicts will now be considered a 'State Declared Disaster', thereby bringing all such cases under the ambit of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).As per the decision, in death cases related to man-animal conflicts, a relief of Rs 5 lakh shall be given to the family of the deceased and disbursement for an injury shall be accorded as per SDRF guidelines.The Forest Department will recoup a sum of Rs 1 lakh per death case from its own budget to the revenue department.For the first time, lion and wild boar have been included to the list of wild animals, in addition to previously added animals like tiger, leopard, Indian wolf, Hyena, crocodile, elephant and rhinoceros.Hereafter, it shall be possible to disburse the relief amount by Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) method within 24 hours of the incident, after the mandatory post-mortem report and completion of paperwork by the District Magistrate.Earlier, it used to take one .
Can sustainable forest management save us from climate change?
If you think that sustainable forest management can be a major contributor to mitigating climate change, then you better not hold your breath. A new study has found that managing Europe's forests to maximise carbon sequestration has a negligible effect on the global climate.The scientists found that the additional climate benefits through sustainable forest management will be modest and local rather than global. Even if Europe's forests are managed in such a way that their carbon sequestration is maximised it will not impact the climate significantly.Instead, it seems that the forests themselves will need to be adapted to climate change.The researchers suggested that the primary role of forest management in Europe in the coming decades is not in protecting the climate but in adapting the forest cover to the climate of the future in order to sustain the provision of wood, as well as ecological, social and cultural services, while avoiding climate feedbacks from fire, wind, pests and ...
CSIR transfers water purifying technology to pvt firm
The Lucknow-based CSIR-IITR transferred Wednesday an innovative technology, developed by it to disinfect water and make it potable, to a private firm, an official statement said. The CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research transferred its technology, named 'Oneer', to private firm 'Bluebird Water Purifiers', it added. The innovative technology eliminates disease-causing pathogens such as virus, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and cyst in water and makes it potable as per the prescribed national and international standards for the purpose, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said in its statement. The smaller plants with this technology is particularly suitable for homes, street food vendors and small establishments, it added. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan said 'Oneer' will provide safe and clean drinking water at a cost of just 2 paise per litre. "The community level model is of 450 litres per hour capacity. It ..
Delhi's air quality deteriorates, Hussain says zero tolerance for garbage, crop residue burning
Delhi's air quality for the first time this season deteriorated to the "very poor" category Wednesday, with several areas in the national capital nearing severe levels of pollution, according to the authorities. Stating that a number of factors were responsible for the deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution, construction activities and meteorological factors, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) predicted further deterioration of the air quality in Delhi-NCR in the coming days. Meanwhile, Delhi's Environment Minister Imran Hussain said latest satellite images showed crop residue burning at "dangerous" levels and asserted that it should be stopped immediately or the entire north India, including Delhi, would suffer serious health hazards. The Supreme Court-empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has already imposed since Monday the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which prescribes a set of measures to curb air pollution, ...
France's Engie, Casino target large-scale rooftop solar
PARIS (Reuters) - French utility Engie and retailer Casino launched a joint venture on Wednesday that will invest some 100 million euros ($115 million) a year to build solar panels on the rooftops of supermarkets, hotels and hospitals in France.
Maha sets up single empowered panel on mangroves
In a bid to expedite action in the cases of encroachment on mangrove lands, the Maharashtra government has set up a a single empowered committee for all seven coastal districts, a top Forest officer said Wednesday. The move came against the backdrop of a directive given to the state government by the Bombay High Court on September 17 on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed on the issue. The panel would be headed by Konkan divisional commissioner. "The decision has been taken to avoid delays in taking action on encroachment on mangrove land and miscommunication between several agencies working for the same cause. The existing redressal system is being revamped to set up a single empowered committee for all the seven coastal districts in the state, to be headed by the Konkan divisional commissioner," said N Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Forests (Mangroves Cell). He said the committee will be responsible for the preservation and conservation of mangroves and also for
Delhi's air quality 'very poor', Hussain demands immediate halt to crop residue burning
Delhi's air quality for the first time this season deteriorated to the "very poor" category Wednesday, with several areas in the national capital nearing severe levels of pollution, according to the authorities. Stating that a number of factors were responsible for the deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution, construction activities and meteorological factors, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) predicted further deterioration of the air quality in Delhi-NCR in the coming days. Meanwhile, Delhi's Environment Minister Imran Hussain said latest satellite images showed crop residue burning at "dangerous" levels and asserted that it should be stopped immediately or the entire north India, including Delhi, would suffer serious health hazards. The Supreme Court-empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has already imposed since Monday the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which prescribes a set of measures to curb air pollution, ...
Dust from unpaved roads, traffic congestion main local factors behind pollution in Delhi-NCR: CPCB
Dust from unpaved roads, construction activities and traffic congestion are some of the main local factors causing the air quality of Delhi-NCR to deteriorate as reported by 41 inspection teams deployed to monitor the implementation of norms enforced to combat pollution. According to three reports on the inspections conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board till October 7, it was found that a total of 96 inspections were conducted during which 554 violations were recorded. Of the 554 cases, 41 per cent violations were for open storage of construction and demolition of waste; 14 per cent for open waste dumping; 13 per cent for dust from unpaved roads; 10 per cent for open dumping of construction waste; 7 per cent for traffic congestion; 5 per cent for road dust re-suspension; and 3 per cent for open burning. The CPCB has deployed 41 two-membered teams to monitor pollution in the National Capital Region. Delhi's air quality for the first time this season deteriorated to "very ...
