Page 44 - Environment
Drought-hit Karnataka seeks central funds for relief works
Reeling under severe drought and delay in the onset of monsoon rains, Karnataka has sought Rs 1,500 crore from the Central government to fund relief works in the state, an official said on Sunday.
Gunmen on motorcycles kill 34 villagers in Nigeria: Police
Gunmen have killed 34 people in Nigeria's northern Zamfara state where criminal gangs have been terrorising remote villages, police said Sunday. Armed bandits on motorcycles stormed into neighbouring Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa villages in Shinkafi district late Friday and shot dead 34 people, state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said in a statement. "Normalcy has been restored in Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa... following attack by armed bandits... where 34 people were killed," Shehu said. He said the victims of the attacks were buried on Saturday, adding police were on the trail of the killers. Local residents put the death toll higher, at 35. The bandits were said to have opened fire on farmers on their fields outside the villages and also pursued those who fled. "The bandits killed 35 people in the attacks," said Lawwali Madattai, a resident. Rural communities in Zamfara state have for years been terrorised by criminal gangs who raid villages, stealing cattle, kidnapping for ransom
S Korea completes quarantine against African swine fever near DMZ
South Korea's agriculture ministry announced on Sunday that quarantine measures against African swine fever near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) had been completed, after an outbreak of the fever was confirmed by Pyongyang on May 30.The contagious animal disease comes at a time when North Korea is already grappling with an acute food shortage which is worsened by drought-like conditions and multiple sanctions against the country.Disinfection at hog farms was undertaken by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs near the DMZ from June 5 to Friday, according to Yonhap News Agency.The DMZ divides the Korean Peninsula in half, into North Korea and South Korea.Blood tests of pigs from around 600 farms were negative for the fever, the ministry said while noting tests on 35 hog farms will be carried out additionally.While humans are not susceptible to the disease, it is highly deadly for pigs and wild boars. A case of the disease was confirmed to the World Organization .
Hoshiarpur farmer sets a shining example of apple cultivation in Punjab
Traditionally limited to states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, apple cultivation has now picked up pace in Punjab. Gurinder Singh Bajwa, a farmer from Ludhiana, is producing apples on a large scale in his farm in Chahal village in Hoshiarpur.Working as an employee in a private firm which dealt with spraying of chemicals on crops, Gurinder often on assignments, used to find himself in apple farms of Kashmir. "It made me wonder if growing apples on a large scale was possible in Punjab," he said.After doing extensive research and consulting experts, he managed to find two low -chilling varieties that could be grown in his village - Anna variety and Dorsette golden variety. Six years later, he has now introduced a few more varieties, like "pink lady", which he says will start to mature by next year.According to Gurinder, his apples are far cheaper than the imported varieties available in markets and much tastier. Moreover, apples from Kashmir and Himachal .
Massive power outage hits Argentina, Uruguay: Power companies
A massive outage blacked out Argentina and Uruguay Sunday, leaving both South American countries without electricity, power companies said. Uruguay's system went down at 7:06 am (1006 GMT), according to the Uruguayan power company UTE, which attributed the outage to "a fault in the Argentine network." Two Argentine power companies confirmed the failure knocked out electricity throughout Argentina, without specifying the cause. "A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all Argentina and Uruguay without power," Edesur Argentina said on Twitter. Edenor, Argentina's largest electricity distributor, attributed the outage to a "general failure in the interconnection system." UTE said the failure left Uruguay's "entire national territory without service, as well as several provinces of the neighbour country." More than an hour after the blackout, UTE said its system was being brought back "from zero." "Some coastal cities already have service and work continues toward .
Field fires in Syria's Hasakeh kill 10: Monitor
Fires engulfing vital wheat fields across Syria's northeast have killed at least 10 people, a war monitor said Sunday, as Kurdish authorities claim the blazes were set deliberately. Kurdish authorities and the Damascus regime are competing to buy up this year's harvest as fires -- some claimed by the Islamic State group -- continue to scorch crops in the country's breadbasket. The victims included civilians and members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who died while trying to extinguish the blazes since Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The fires in the Kurdish-majority province of Hasakeh also wounded another five people, according to a spokesman for the Kurdish Red Crescent. "The victims were trying to douse the blaze but they were trapped by the fire," Kamal Derbas said. Kurdish officials have called on the US-led coalition to help extinguish blazes in the cereal and oil-rich region under their control. "The largest fires have ravaged .
Kaleswaram project in T'gana to benefit 70 per cent districts
The Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation project, which would be inaugurated on June 21, is expected to supply water to 70 per cent of districts in Telangana to meet agriculture, drinking water and the industrial needs. The Telangana government has decided to start pumping water from the next month, official sources said. "Water from river Godavari at Medigadda, which is about 100 metres above sea-level, is lifted at six stages and supplied to Kondapochamma Sagar, which is at 618 metres height," an official release said. "In other words, the water from Godavari River is being lifted at about half-a-km height. The pump houses are being constructed to lift 2 TMC of water every day this year," it said. Preparations are on to lift three TMC of water from next year. The Telangana government had entered into an agreement with the Maharashtra government on March 8, 2016, putting an end to differences that existed for decades over the issue, it added. The agreement has paved way for the ..
4,000 kg of plastic carry bags seized during raids in Punjab
Raids have been carried out across Punjab and around 4,000 kg of plastic bags, which are banned in the state, was seized, an official said. The statewide raids were carried out Saturday by the joint teams of Punjab Pollution Control Board and the Department of Local Bodies to monitor the efficacy of ban on plastic carry bags, he said. Director of 'Tandarust Punjab Mission' K S Pannu said surprise checks were carried out at nearly 500 shops/units and 200 violations were detected. "As many as 4,000 kg plastic carry bags were confiscated during the raids of which nearly 1,100 kg were from Fatehgarh Sahib district alone," he said in a statement. 'Tandarust Punjab' is a comprehensive mission, envisaged as a holistic initiative to take care of the state's air and water quality, and safe food thus ensuring a good living environment for the citizens. Pannu said under the provisions of the Punjab Plastic Carry Bags (Manufacture, Usage and Disposal) Control Act, 2005, the state government has ..
New rural development ministry office to come up
The Union government has decided to make a new headquarters for the Ministry of Rural Development here, which will also house offices of other related departments and organisations. The move aims to have a single operations centre for planning and implementation of rural development schemes. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) was assigned the responsibility to build the ministry's head office -- 'Grameen Vikas Bhavan' -- at the Kasturba Gandhi Marg in New Delhi. A 'green building' with proper arrangements for water and energy conservation, the building will not only generate 250 kilowatt of solar power, but also reuse 200 kilolitres of water everyday for gardening and cleaning purpose. The building will also have other facilities such as a Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensary, bank, post office and a creche for the employees' children. A senior official from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said after completion of the planning work, all necessary ...
G20 agrees marine plastic pollution deal
The Group of 20 major economies said they agreed a deal to reduce plastic waste that is choking the seas at a meeting in Japan on Sunday. Under the agreement, G20 member countries committed to reducing plastic waste but gave little detail on how that would be done. They added that the steps would be voluntary and progress would be reported once a year, according to local media. The Japanese government hopes to hold the first meeting in November, said newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. "It is great that we were able to make rules for all, including emerging and developing countries," Japanese environment minister Yoshiaki Harada said after the two-day meeting of the G20 environment and energy ministers' meeting. Plastic pollution has become a global concern, particularly after bans imposed by China and other countries on the import of plastic waste from overseas. Many countries, including Japan, have seen their waste pile up as a consequence. Microplastics -- tiny pieces of degraded waste -- .
Himachal CM looks to develop ice skating rink in Shimla
A high-level delegation led by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur met Vishavraj Jadeja, an expert on ice skating, here on Sunday to discuss the possibility of developing an ice skating rink in Shimla.Jadeja is the director of Ice World in Netherlands' capital Amsterdam and a well-known face in the world of ice skating."The development of an all-weather ice skating rink in Shimla would allow the state to host national and international tournaments in the game and boost tourism. The project would be developed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) through a transparent bidding process," an official statement said.Thakur is on a visit to the Netherlands and Germany to promote 'Rising Himachal Global Investors' Meet' to be held in the state later this year.The delegation also met representatives from TAKARA Bio Inc and Omnivent to discuss other investment opportunities in the hill state.Investment opportunities in the biotech sector in Himachal Pradesh were discussed with ...
Rare wolf killed in Bangladesh after first appearance in decades
The first Indian grey wolf to be seen in Bangladesh in eight decades has been beaten to death by farmers after preying on their livestock, wildlife experts said Sunday. The grey wolf was last seen in Bangladesh in 1949, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Locals in a town near the Sundarbans -- the world's biggest mangrove forest that straddles India and Bangladesh -- captured and killed the wolf because it had attacked their livestock. "With the images we confirmed that the animal is an Indian grey wolf," Y.V Jhala of the Wildlife Institute of India told AFP. There are still about 3,000 of the animals in India, some in captivity, but they disappeared from their habitat in north and northwest Bangladesh in the 1940s, he said. Anwarul Islam, a zoologist at Dhaka University, collected DNA samples from the animal as his team looks for signs of more Indian grey wolves in the region. "It's sad it was beaten to death. We need to conduct further investigations to
4,000 kg of plastic bags seized in Punjab
The Punjab Pollution Control Board, along with the local civic bodies, has seized nearly 4,000 kg of plastic carry bags in raids conducted to check the sale of the banned product in the state, an official said on Sunday.
Tripura CM urges new waterways with Bangladesh
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has requested the Centre to create new waterways between the state and Bangladesh to boost trade and tourism in the northeastern region, an official said on Sunday.
Maha: Leopard suspected to have killed 2 persons tranquilised
A leopard suspected of having killed two persons and frequently entering villages in Sindewahi tehsil of Maharashtra's Chandrapur district was Saturday night tranquilised by a forest department team, an official said. A statement from the forest department said the areas adjoining Sindewahi forest range, part of Brahmapuri forest division, were under distress due to the leopard. A senior forest officer said four persons have been killed in the last 16 days in leopard and tiger attacks in Sindewahi, and two of the casualties are suspected to be caused by the big cat tranquilised Saturday night. A statement from the deputy conservation of forests, Brahmapuri division informed that personnel from the Rapid Rescue Team of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, the Special Tiger Protection Force of Chimur and Mul Range, a veterinarian and police personnel took part in the operation. "The leopard will be checked by experts and released into the wild after mandatory procedures are ...
Chardham highway threatens Corbett's memorial
A park and a mango tree, commemorating the legacy of hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett in this part of Uttarakhand, are facing an existential threat due to the Rs 12,000 crore all-weather Chardham highway project.
Getting to zero: the Japan town trying to recycle all its waste
Plastic, paper, metal? In Japan's Kamikatsu, sorting rubbish isn't that simple. Residents face a mind-boggling 45 separate categories for their garbage as the town aims to be "zero-waste" by 2020. And that's not all: there isn't even trash collection. The 1,500 residents of the town in western Japan have to transport their waste themselves to a local facility. "Yes, it's complicated," said Naoko Yokoyama, a 39-year-old resident who had brought her trash to the town's waste centre. "But I have become more environmentally conscious since I moved here a year ago," she told AFP. The categories cover everything from pillows to toothbrushes as the town aims to recycle all its waste, sending nothing to incinerators, by next year. The process can be onerous -- not only are there dozens of separate categories, but items like plastic bags and bottles must be washed and dried to facilitate recycling. At the town's waste facility, there are dozens of different boxes for each category. If the ...
Tigers killing and eating elephants in Corbett National Park: Govt study reveals worrying phenomenon
Tigers have been found to be killing elephants, mainly young ones, in the famed Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and in a few cases eating them too, according to an official study. The findings, which is a part of the study conducted by the park authority, signals a worrying trend in wildlife as tigers usually don't eat elephants, wildlife experts say. A total of nine tigers, 21 elephants and six leopards were found dead from 2014 to May 31, 2019, due to infighting and clashes over issues related of mating, according to the study. "Out of the total 36 cases for the three species, 21 were reported in case of wild elephants alone. However, a very surprising aspect was that around 60 per cent of wild elephant death cases (13) were due to attack by tigers mostly on young ones," it said. Senior IFS officer and in-charge of the national park, Sanjiv Chaturvedi said the phenomenon of tigers eating elephants is unique. "One of its reasons could be that tigers need comparatively less ...
BHEL bags 200 MW solar energy orders worth Rs 800 cr, touches 1 GW mark in segment
State-run engineering firm BHEL Sunday said it has won two orders worth Rs 800 crore for setting up solar energy capacity of 200 MW, and its solar photovoltaic portfolio has touched 1,000 MW mark with these orders. Valued at over Rs 800 crore, the orders have been secured from the state-run power giant NTPC Ltd and Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL), a company statement said. "BHEL Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) portfolio has surpassed 1 GW with the company winning two EPC orders for setting up SPV plants with a cumulative capacity of 200 MW," it said. 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 in Banaskantha district of Gujarat. BHEL offers EPC (engineering procurement and construction) solutions for both off-grid and grid-interactive SPV plants at various locations in India, including .
At NITI Ayog meet, Sawant pushes for rainwater harvesting
In his first presentation before the NITI Ayog, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said rainwater harvesting and conservation were his government's key thrust areas. Sawant on Saturday attended the NITI Ayog's meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He spoke about the Goa BJP-led government's "commitment towards water conservation by increasing the number of check dams and through other rainwater harvesting measures," the chief minister said in a statement issued here. He also called for resolution of the Mahadayi river water dispute in the interest of the state, the release said. 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. This was Sawant's first presentation before the government's policy think-tank after he took charge of Goa's top post in March this year following the death of then chief minister .