Page 43 - Environment
Hunt for cause of massive South America power outage begins
As lights turned back on across Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay after a massive blackout that hit tens of millions people, authorities were still largely in the dark about what caused the collapse of the interconnected grid and were tallying the damage from the unforeseen disaster. Argentine President Mauricio Macri promised a thorough investigation into what he called an "unprecedented" outage, one that raised questions about flaws in South America's grid, which connects many of the region's largest countries. Energy officials said the results of the investigation would be available in 10 to 15 days, and they could not immediately provide details on the economic impact of the outage, which came on a Sunday, and a day before a national holiday in Argentina. Argentine Energy Secretary Gustavo Lopetegui said the blackout began with a failure in the country's "interconnection system," adding that it happens in other countries as well. But he said a chain of events took place later, ...
Involving tribal communities can boost India's wildlife conservation: IIT Prof
India's wildlife conservation initiatives need the involvement of local tribal communities -- rather than the token activism of urban dwellers -- to ensure that humans and animals coexist peacefully, according to an IIT expert. Ambika Aiyadurai, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, said that it is high time that wildlife conservation projects in the country are revaluated. "We borrowed the idea of national park, thinking it will protect wildlife. But there are lot of issues about people in national parks," Aiyadurai, who has been closely studying how wildlife conservation affects local populations, told PTI. According to Aiyadurai, forests in India have never been "pristine spaces" and have always had local tribes interacting with them. Wildlife and human populations have peacefully and sustainably coexisted. However, the modern idea of conservation removes local people and puts a fence around forests -- at the same time letting in .
Electricity restored in Argentina after historic blackout
Electricity was restored across Argentina after a massive power outage due to an electrical grid failure led to a historic blackout in the country.
With no monsoon rains, drought-like situation grips Andhra
Andhra Pradesh is witnessing unrelenting heat, depleting ground water, fall in reservoir levels as the delayed and sluggish monsoon has left the fields parched and farmers worried.
Bitcoin use causing huge CO2 emissions: Study
The use of Bitcoin -- a popular virtual currency -- emits over 22 megatonnes of carbon dioxide annually, comparable to the total emissions of cities such as Las Vegas and Vienna, a study has found. Researchers from Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany carried out the most detailed calculation of the carbon footprint of the Bitcoin system to date. For a Bitcoin transfer to be executed and validated, a mathematical puzzle must be solved by an arbitrary computer in the global Bitcoin network. The network, which anyone can join, rewards the puzzle solvers in Bitcoin. The computing capacity used in this process -- known as Bitcoin mining -- has increased rapidly in recent years. Statistics show that it quadrupled in 2018 alone. Consequently, the Bitcoin boom raises the question of whether the cryptocurrency is imposing an additional burden on the climate. Several studies have attempted to quantify the CO2 emissions caused by Bitcoin mining. "These studies are based on a number ..
BHEL wins Rs 800 crore orders for 200 MW solar power plants
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited's (BHEL) solar photovoltaic (SPV) portfolio has surpassed one gigawatt with the company winning two orders for setting up SPV plants with a cumulative capacity of 200 megawatt.Valued at over Rs 800 crore, the orders have been secured from NTPC Ltd and Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL).The NTPC order envisages setting up India's largest floating SPV plant of 100 MW capacity at NTPC Ramagundam in Telangana, while the GSECL order involves setting up a 100 MW ground-mounted SPV plant at Raghanesda Ultra Mega Solar Park at district Banaskantha of Gujarat.BHEL is offering engineering, procurement and construction solutions for both off-grid and grid-interactive SPV plants at various locations in the country including the Lakshadweep islands. Of its current portfolio of more than 1 GW of SPV plants, nearly 500 MW has already been commissioned.BHEL said in a statement that it has been contributing significantly to the nation's green initiatives
To avoid man-animal conflict, villagers near UP's Suhelwa Sanctuary stay alert
People residing in villages near the Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh are forced to stay awake at night most of the time to avoid any conflict with animals, especially leopards, which come out of the forest area seeking water."The leopards mostly attack the people in villagers in night or when they go out in open for defecation. Because of this, people are forced stay awake at night. The administration needs to do something for the safety of people in these villages," a local resident saidAnother local added, "The government should do something for our safety. People here are angry with the administration for failing to provide protection to us. If the situation will remain the same, the people will be forced to protest."Due to the heat wave conditions, water crisis has become a big issue for most of the villages. Not just human beings, animals too have suffered badly due to this."Leopards generally stay near the fringes of and often comes out of the area. There are several
NZ unveils plan to protect endangered dolphin
The New Zealand government on Monday unveiled a plan to expand and strengthen the protection for the endangered Maui and Hector's dolphins.
Bharat Heavy Electricals wins Rs 800 cr EPC orders for solar power plants
Valued at over Rs. 800 crore, the orders have been secured from NTPC and Gujarat State Electricity Corporation (GSECL), reinforcing the company's position as a leading EPC player in the solar industry.
Experts hail Goa govt's focus on water conservation
Conservationists have welcomed Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's commitment towards rainwater harvesting, and suggested that the state government should draw a comprehensive plan to rejuvenate the groundwater table. At the NITI Ayog's meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, Sawant said his government would take steps to ensure proper rainwater harvesting to overcome scarcity in the state. Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said rainwater harvesting should be made mandatory for all industrial units so that they can use it for their own requirements rather than relying on the government. The Goa-based conservationist appreciated Sawant for laying stress on rainwater harvesting at a time when "the state might face water crisis, if Karnataka diverts water from the Mahadayi river". Karnataka and Goa, the riparian states of Mahadayi (known as Mandovi in Goa), have been locked in a bitter battle over the sharing of water of the river, which originates at Belagavi in Karnataka. Kerkar
Over 90 kinds of birds settle in Shanghai Disney Resort
More than 90 kinds of birds have settled in a wetland park at the Shanghai Disney Resort, authorities said on Monday.
Bhel gains after winning orders
Bharat Heavy Electricals was up 1.17% to Rs 69.40 at 09:23 IST on the BSE after the company said it won Rs 800 crore EPC orders for 200 megawatts solar power plants.
Argentina, Uruguay restore power after massive blackout
Electricity services have been restored to all of Argentina and Uruguay following a massive blackout that left around 48 million people without power on Sunday, authorities said. The cut, which began just after 7:00 am, also caused short, localized losses of power in Paraguay, but didn't impact Tierra del Fuego in Argentina's extreme south because the region is not part of the national system. The episode was the first time a power cut had affected the majority of Argentina, with a population of more than 44 million, and the entirety of Uruguay, which has 3.4 million inhabitants. "These are failures that occur (even) with diligence. The amazing thing is the chain of events that took place to cause the total disconnection," Argentina's Energy Ministry Gustavo Lopetegui told a press conference. He said the outage took place "automatically to protect the system." "We don't have any more information right now on how it occurred. We're not ruling out any possibility, but a cyber attack is .
PM's top priority: Solve UP water crisis before 2022 polls (IANS Special)
By 2021, a year before Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls, India's largest state would have enough water to quench the thirst of its over 20 crore people. After writing personal letters to UP's village pradhans to conserve water, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now instructed Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to solve UP's "water crisis" within next two years.
Rishikesh: Russian Deputy PM visits Parmarth Niketan ashram
Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Petrovich Trutnev arrived with his wife at the Parmarth Niketan ashram and held talks with Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Doctor Bhagwati Saraswati regarding the work being done by the organisation at the global level.He was also informed about the Ganga Action Parivar, International Yoga Day and Kumbh Mela amongst other things at the ashram.Swami Chidananda said that India and Russia have maintained strong political, military and economic ties and now there is a need for the two to work together on the environment, global warming and other conservation fronts.Trutnev had earlier served as the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment of Russia for eight years from 2004 to 2012.Both parties also expressed concern on the condition of Ganga, other Indian rivers and Volga, Don and other rivers in Russia which are suffering from increasing levels of pollution.Swami Chidananda said that the growing levels of pollution in rivers was a cause for ...
I requested PM Modi to increase PMKSNY from Rs 6000 to Rs 12000 per yr: Bhupesh Baghel
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Sunday that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and requested him to include Chhattisgarh Forest Rights Act, 2006 leaseholders in the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY) and increase the amount given to beneficiaries under the Yojana from Rs 6,000 per year to Rs 12,000 per year."I met him at his residence and requested him that amount given to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY) should be increased from Rs 6,000 per year to Rs 12,000 per year," said Bhupesh Baghel."Further I requested him to ensure that forest dwellers are not stopped from going inside the forest. On one hand, we are giving them lease under Forest right Act and on the other hand, we are stopping them from going into the forest. This is a sheer contradiction and should be done away with," he said."For the construction work in Naxalite area we have demanded that 100 per cent fund from the centre as we .
Massive blackouts leave 55 million people without electricity in S America
South American countries like Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay were left in a complete blackout on Sunday due to a "massive failure" in an electrical interconnection system, according to Edesur which is a Buenos Aires-based electricity distributor.Quoting Edesur, CNN reported that parts of Chile and Brazil were also hit by the massive electricity outage.While power has been partially restored in Uruguay, the company in its latest update removed the Latin American nation, along with Paraguay, from its latest list of affected countries. It is unclear as to how many residents have had their electricity restored in the two countries.The "collapse" in its system occurred at around 7 am on Sunday morning, Edesur said in a statement.In a tweet, the company confirmed that electricity has been restored to 7,00,000 customers in Buenos Aires' Caballito. "Standardization work is ongoing and could take all of Sunday," the company added."We prioritise the attention of electro-dependent users, but ..
Massive South American blackout, 44 million without power
A massive blackout left more than 44 million people without electricity in Argentina and Uruguay on Sunday after an unexplained failure in the neighboring countries' interconnected power grid. Authorities were working frantically to restore power but only about a half a million in Argentina had electricity back by early afternoon. Voters cast ballots by the light of cell phones in gubernatorial elections in Argentina. Public transportation halted, shops closed and patients dependent on home medical equipment were urged to go to hospitals with generators. "I was just on my way to eat with a friend, but we had to cancel everything. There's no subway, nothing is working," said Lucas Acosta, a 24-year-old Buenos Aires resident. "What's worse, today is Father's Day. I've just talked to a neighbor and he told me his sons won't be able to meet him." In Uruguay, power was being more steadily restored, with lights back on in at least three regions by early afternoon. Officials said they ...
Tamil Nadu: Locals worship Lord Ganesh in tree trunk
People usually worship idols in temples but here in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, people worship an image of Lord Ganesha in roots and trunk of a Gulmohar tree.Locals had created an image of Lord Ganesha in the tree after an impression resembling the God appeared."We call this tree temple. Whatever we pray for in front of this tree we get it. We visit it before leaving to office/school every day," said one of the locals.Most of the trees on the pavement are usually dry, but the leaves on this tree are always green. That is because devotees clean the roots, water and worship the tree every day. Ultimately the tree is protected, said another local.
Avenues to set up fertilizer storage facilities in J-K will be explored: Mandaviya
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Sunday said avenues will be explored to set up storage facility for fertilizers for creating buffer stock and ensure availability during peak season in Jammu & Kashmir. Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemical & Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya convened a review meeting regarding supply and availability of fertilizers in Jammu and Kashmir, according to an official statement. The minister said that avenues would be explored to set up storage facilities for fertilizers to create a buffer stock and ensure no shortages occur during peak demand seasons. Mandaviya was also apprised of the problems being faced in the fertilizer movement in the state, and the need for augmenting current infrastructure, including requirement of additional rake points. He asked the fertilizer supplying companies to ensure timely stocking of fertilizers, particularly in the valley in view of the closure of JammuSrinagar National Highway during winter .