Page 434 - Environment
UP govt will soon frame policy to desilt canals: Minister
Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Minister Dharam Pal said Monday a water management policy will be framed soon to desilt canals in the state and drones will monitor the work. He also said if it is reported that a person has broken a canal to steal water, he will be booked and the junior engineer concerned suspended. The minister told reporters that "very soon a water-management policy will be framed" to clean "silt in canals under the supervision of drones to maintain transparency". Pal was in Jagdishpur to address a convention of SC/ST and OBCs. "Only the BJP government is the real well-wisher of schedule castes (SC), schedule tribes (ST) and OBCs. For their welfare a good number of projects have been launched by the state and central governments," he said. The convention was organised at Koora village. MLA from Jagdishpur (reserved) and state minister Suresh Passi was also present on the occasion.
Gadkari stresses on use of alternative fuels
Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari Monday stressed on use of alternative sources of energy including bio ethanol amid rise in petroleum prices. "Import of petrol is becoming difficult for the country and so we should look at the alternative sources of energy ...we should make full use of biofuel, methanol, and ethanol among others," the Union minister said while addressing the closing function of Indian International Science Festival (IISF) here. Under the supervision of ministry of Science and Technology, cheap and eco-friendly alternatives have been successfully tried, Gadkari said, adding that his ministry has earned a lot of revenue through alternative fuel. Gadkari said in the forest areas of the country, there are such natural products through which different alternatives of fuel including ethanol can be prepared. The union government has prepared a policy to purchase to such natural products from tribals, he said . "We can remove our country's poverty with the
India has opportunity to develop more sustainable energy industry: IPCC report co-author
Making plans keeping in view the goal of limiting global temperature rise to under 1.5 degree Celsius gives countries such as India an opportunity to develop a more sustainable energy industry, according to an Indian co-author of the recent IPCC report. The report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) said India could witness deadly heat waves if the planet's temperature goes up by two degrees Celsius. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale", the IPCC said. "At +1.5C, twice as many megacities as present, such as Lagos in Nigeria and Shanghai in China, are likely to become heat stressed, potentially exposing more than 350 million more people to deadly heat stress by 2050. "At +2C warming, Karachi (Pakistan) and Kolkata (India) could expect annual conditions equivalent to their deadly 2015 heatwaves (medium confidence)," the report said. Aromar Revi, one of the authors, ...
Climate finance, tech transfer critical for combating climate change: Env Secy
Climate finance and technology transfer are critical not just for India, but for many other countries which are completely dependent on a dedicated fund for combating the impact of climate change, a top environment ministry official said Monday. Union Environment Ministry Secretary C K Mishra said the Centre was working on a regulatory framework to facilitate climate change mitigation efforts of industry, while asserting that the industry's request for allowing a couple of years more for implementing emission norms will be granted "only if it was accompanied by a concrete roadmap of action". "Mishra said the global pre-2020 commitments on reductions in carbon emissions were sacrosanct and emphasised that climate finance and technology transfer were critical not just for India, but for many other countries that were completely dependent on a dedicated fund for combating the impact of climate change," a FICCI statement quoting him said. The official was speaking after inaugurating the ..
Delhi's air quality slips back to 'poor' category
Delhi's air quality has slipped back to "poor" category due to change in direction of wind, which is now flowing from stubble burning areas in Punjab and Haryana, authorities said Monday. The air quality had on Sunday improved to moderate level with an index of 181, but the air quality slipped to poor category Monday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 262, says the data at the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). An AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'. An official at the Central Pollution Control Board attributed the reason behind the slight improvement on Sunday to less traffic and better wind speed, but as the traffic increased on Monday, the pollution in the city again rose and the air quality fell. The PM10 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 10 mm) was 242 in Delhi and the PM2.5 level (presence of particles with ...
Europe needs to step up climate action: Environmental group
A day ahead of the European Union Environment Ministers' meeting expected to adopt the EU's position for the UN Climate Summit (COP24) in December, the world's leading body of climate scientists gave strong scientific evidence for the need to keep temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Viral, bacterial infections killed 17 of 23 lions, Guj govt to HC
The Gujarat government Monday told the High Court that 17 of the 23 lions that died within a span of three weeks in September suffered from viral and bacterial infections leading to respiratory and hepatic failure. The 23 lions had died in Sarasiya range, which is part of Dalkhania range of Amreli district. In an affidavit in response to queries raised by the division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi, the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Junagadh, Dheeraj Mittal said, "The government is sensitive and serious of all issues" related to the well being of the big cats in Gir forest. "As per the postmortem report, 17 of these 23 lions died from bacterial and viral infection leading to respiratory and hepatic failure, three others died due to infighting, and case of death of remaining three could not be ascertained," Mittal said in the affidavit. There has been no spread of the virus in other areas of Gir forest, he said in the affidavit. As per the ...
Delhi government may move the courts over stubble burning
The Delhi government may go to the courts if the neighbouring states and the central government do not take steps to curb stubble burning, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain said on Monday.
India among most vulnerable countries for extreme weather events: Green bodies
Green bodies Monday expressed concern over the findings of the latest IPCC climate change report, saying India is one of the most vulnerable countries for extreme weather events. Reacting to the latest report from the Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), the Centre for Science and Environment said the impact of 1.5 degrees Celsius warming is greater than what was anticipated earlier while the impacts at 2C are "catastrophic" for the poor and for developing nations like India. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the IPCC said in a landmark report that warns time is running out to avert a disaster. At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the 1.5 C marker can be breached as early as 2030 and no later than mid-century, the UN's IPCC reported with "high confidence". The US is the "biggest" obstacle to forming a global coalition to fight climate change and the world needs ..
Police scour forest areas for Maoists
Searches were conducted Monday in Erode district following information about movement of Maoists, police said. Police searched areas in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Burgur and Anthiyur forest areas and also the plains. Superintendent of Police Sakthi Ganesh told reporters that there was no movement of Maoists in the district. As a precautionary measure strict vigil is being maintained by police in forest and border areas, he added.
PMO seeks report from Health Ministry on Zika virus outbreak
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has sought a comprehensive report from the Health Ministry on the outbreak of Zika virus, after 22 people were tested positive for the infection in Rajasthan's Jaipur. As one of those affected in Jaipur hailed from Bihar and visited his Siwan home recently, the eastern state has issued advisories to all its 38 districts to keep a close watch on people showing symptoms similar to Zika virus infection. The Siwan resident, who studies in Jaipur, visited home between August 28 and September 12 to appear for an exam. His family members have been put under surveillance. "The PMO has sought a comprehensive report on the Zika virus outbreak in Jaipur," a senior Health Ministry official said. A seven-member high-level central team is in Jaipur to assist the state government in control and containment measures while a control room has been activated at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to undertake regular monitoring of the situation. The situation
UN climate panel says 'unprecedented changes' needed to limit global warming to 1.5C
A landmark UN report paints a dire picture of the catastrophic consequences the world will face if immediate action is not taken to limit the global warming to 1.5C, warning that at 2C, the world could see 10cm more global sea level rise, loss of all coral-reefs and worsening food shortages. Limiting global warming to 1.5C will require "far-reaching and unprecedented changes," such as ditching coal for electricity to slash carbon emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said, launching a special report that said the world must move faster on climate change. The IPCC, the UN's top climate panel, issued the report from Incheon, Republic of Korea, where for the past week, hundreds of scientists and government representatives have been pouring over thousands of inputs to paint a picture of what could happen to the planet and its inhabitants with global warming of 1.5C (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). "One of the key messages that comes out very strongly from this ...
US 'green growth' duo win Nobel Economics Prize
US economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer on Monday shared the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for constructing "green growth" models that show how innovation and climate policies can be integrated with economic growth. Working independently, they have addressed "some of our time's most basic and pressing questions about how we create long-term sustained and sustainable growth," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement. Nordhaus is a professor at Yale University. Romer is a former World Bank chief economist now at New York University's Stern School of Business. The academy said their models, both developed in the 1990s, have "significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis". The prize announcement came as the UN warned in a landmark report that an "unprecedented" transformation of society and the world economy was needed to avoid global climate chaos. It said time was running out to avert disaster, noting that our plant's surface has already warmed one degree ...
CIL, NLC India ink pact to set up JV for power generation
Coal India Monday said it has entered into a pact with NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) to set up a joint venture for power generation. "Coal India Ltd (CIL) and NLCIL have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for formation of a joint venture for solar power generation of 3,000 MW and thermal power projects of 2,000 MW capacity," CIL said in a filing to BSE. The PSU accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output. CIL Chairman A K Jha had earlier said the company is optimistic about an aspirational production target of 652 million tonne for 2018-19.
China cautious on Saudi investment plan for Pakistan
China on Monday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an open and transparent project and contribution by any country to the initiative will be a "positive factor".
Mahesh Sharma asks children to play leading role in protection of environment, wildlife
Union Minister of State for Environment Mahesh Sharma Monday asked children to play a leading role in the protection of wildlife and the environment, while asserting that relationship with the natural world must be based on cooperation. Sharma said the persistence of children can really be utilised to further the objective of wildlife conservation. "Urging children to play a leading role in the protection of wildlife and environment, Sharma said that our relationship with the environment must be based on cooperation," an official statement quoted him as saying. He was addressing a gathering of schoolchildren at the conclusion of Wildlife Week at the National Zoological Park. Sharma told the children that it is only in India that rivers, forests and animals are worshipped. Director General of Forests Siddhant Das asserted that no programme can succeed without people's participation while emphasising that though India has only 2.5 per cent of land of the world, it is home to about 18 ...
More than 20 tenders worth Rs 88K cr for bullet train project by Jan '19: Sources
The National High Speed Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) is gearing to float more than 20 tenders for the bullet train project by January next year, sources in the railway ministry said. The tenders amounting to Rs 88,000 crore will be for coaches, infrastructure, signalling, technology, among others, the source said. Amid local resistance against land acquisition for the project, NHSRCL floated its first tender for the bullet train in July for building a bridge in Navsari district of Gujarat. It will be the first of the 60-odd bridges on the 508-km high-speed corridor. The project which has been riddled with land issues in both Maharashtra and Gujarat has also been embroiled in court cases filed recently by five farmers who have questioned the process of acquisition and said that it should be governed by central laws. However, in a big relief, one of the farmers has withdrawn his petition in the Gujarat High Court stating that the corporation has addressed his plaint. "We are constantly .
GAIL's Tripathi seeks review of merit order dispatch
State gas utility GAIL India Ltd chief B C Tripathi Monday called for a review of the merit order purchases made of electricity saying the practice promotes pollution as it just looks at cheapest power and not the source of generation. Speaking at The Energy Forum, he said there is a need to define what constitute "merit" as cost of power alone is not a sufficient factor. Under merit order rating (MOR) or merit order dispatch (MOD), sources of energy, especially electrical generation, are ranked based on ascending order of price with the cheapest getting priority. Usually, power generated by polluting coal gets the highest priority as the cost of generation is the cheapest. Tripathi said merit order should be calculated in wholesome by considering the pollution caused by the source, efficiency, and availability of power. "There is a need to review the merit order dispatches," he said. "We need to define what constitutes merit." The effort currently, he said, is to curb pollution at ...
Two lunar craters named to mark 50th anniversary of Apollo 8
Two craters on the Moon have been named Anders's Earthrise and 8 Homeward to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 lunar mission. The Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union officially approved the naming of the craters, which were previously designated by letters. The newly named craters are visible in the foreground of the iconic Earthrise colour photograph taken by astronaut William Anders. It depicts the moment that our shiny blue Earth came back into view as the spacecraft emerged out of the dark from behind the grey and barren Moon. This is arguably the most famous picture taken by Apollo 8. It became iconic and has been credited with starting the environmental movement. Since the Moon is tidally locked to the Earth -- it always has the same side facing the Earth -- the Earth will never appear to rise above the surface to someone standing on the lunar farside. Orbiting around the Moon, however, gave the Apollo 8 ...
TN CM non-committal on alliance with BJP in LS polls
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday remained non-committal on an alliance between the ruling AIADMK and BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in the state and ruled out seeking the resignation of his Ministers facing corruption charges.
