Page 45 - Environment

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 .

G20 set to agree on marine plastic pollution deal

The Group of 20 major economies were set to agree a deal on reducing marine plastic waste at a meeting in Japan Sunday where they also discussed energy security following the oil tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Japan "proposed a workable framework" on marine plastic waste that involves emerging and less developed countries, and was welcomed by member countries, environment minister Yoshiaki Harada told reporters late Saturday at the G20 environment and energy ministers' meeting. Plastic pollution has become an increasing international concern, particularly after bans imposed by China and other countries on the import of plastic waste from overseas. Many countries, including Japan, have seen plastic waste pile up in the wake of the ban. Among the many concerns is the issue of microplastics, the tiny pieces of degraded waste that are difficult to collect once they enter the water. Microplastics tend to absorb harmful chemicals and accumulate inside fish, birds and other animals. The

130 ponds to be revived to improve groundwater level in UP district

As many as 130 ponds will be revived in this district of Uttar Pradesh in order to improve the groundwater level in the area, officials said on Sunday. They added that the ponds had been identified and the work had started with respect to 87 such waterbodies in the district. According to Chief Development Officer (CDO) Archana Verma, the work is going on with respect to 87 ponds in the Budhana area, which is the worst-hit in the district due to the low groundwater level. Saplings will also be planted on the boundary of these waterbodies, the CDO said.

Progress in garbage sorting on Mount Everest

Garbage was sorted for collection during the latest climbing season on the north side of Mount Everest in Tibet, officials said here on Sunday.

Odisha: 42-kg turtle of rare variety found during construction

A turtle of a rare variety was found on Saturday during the construction of Biju Expressway near Bhimkhoj Pada Road in Dharamgarh of Kalahandi district.Later, forest officials reached the spot and rescued the 42-kilogram turtle.Odisha is also famous for Olive Ridley turtle and the state is home to over 90 per cent of India's turtle population.

In a first, Lucknow gets road constructed using plastic waste

In a first, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is constructing a road using plastic waste.The road is constructed from Gomti Nagar Police Station to Indian Institute of Management (IIM) under a pilot project by LDA in the state's capital.Chief Engineer Indushekhar Singh told ANI, "Mixing plastic waste increases roads' durability by 40-50 per cent, they will be durable for a longer time. Around 8-10 per cent of plastic waste is being mixed in coal tar."Singh said that LDA has followed guidelines of the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) in road construction."On world environment day, we had declared that we will use plastic in road construction in future," he said."Mixing plastic waste increases durability parameters of roads by 40-50 per cent, they will be more durable and will stay in good condition for a longer time. We use less than 50-micron plastic," Chief Engineer added.Singh said LDA will do more research on this experiment road in the next two years to know if there ..

Amitav Ghosh's passion for climate change continues with 'Gun Island' (IANS Interview)

Three years after making a forceful plea against the effects of environmental degradation, globally acclaimed author Amitav Ghosh returns to the subject by once again focusing on the Sundarbans, which he terms critical for the well being of West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh and lamenting that nations around the world are not responding adequately to the global scourge.

Apollo moon rocks help transform understanding of the universe

- Moon rocks look rather nondescript -- they are often gray in colour -- but for NASA planetary scientist Samuel Lawrence, they are the "most precious materials on Earth." What is certain is that the lunar samples first gathered by Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong nearly 50 years ago have helped transform our understanding of the cosmos. Apollo astronauts collected 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of rocks and soil during their six missions to the Moon between 1969 and 1972 and brought it all back to Earth. "The Moon is the Rosetta Stone of the solar system," Lawrence, who works at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in an interview with AFP. "It's the cornerstone of planetary science." "People don't fully appreciate just how important studying the Apollo samples was for understanding the solar system and the universe around us," he said. "Many of the discoveries that we've made in planetary science, not just on the Moon, but on Mercury, on Mars, on some of the asteroids, directly relate to

Maha recorded 115 MT of food production despite drought, deficient rain: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Saturday said the state recorded 115.70 lakh metric tonnes of food production despite drought and deficient rainfall, thanks to various water conservation methods adopted by it. He was here to attend the NITI Aayog meet. "We achieved 115.70 lakh metric tonnes food grain production. This could be possible because of less dependency on rainfall and putting in place alternative arrangements," Fadnavis said. He also elaborated on the benefits of Jal Yukt Shivar farm ponds and the ongoing irrigation projects and plans for the ambitious Marathwada Watergrid project. Jal Yukt Shivar is the flagship programme of the Mahrashtra government. It envisages desilting streams and encouraging farm ponds with an emphasis on percolation of water. Fadnavis also talked about the measures taken by his government to mitigate drought like deploying tankers, fodder camps and massive tree plantation programmes. He thanked the Centre for the "highest ever ...

India inching towards meeting Paris Agreement targets: RK Singh at G20 ministerial meet

India is implementing one of the largest renewable energy expansion and energy efficiency programmes and is moving towards achieving the target to fulfill the country's commitments made in Paris Agreement, said Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh on Saturday.The minister made these remarks at the G20 Ministerial Meeting on 'Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth' being held in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan on June 15-16.The G20 ministerial meeting is being held where leaders from 20 countries will discuss energy transitions and global environment toward sustainable growth.During the address, Singh highlighted the path-breaking achievements in household electrification and providing energy access to all in India. He expressed confidence that India will achieve 40 per cent renewable in the energy mix by 2030.Singh mentioned various energy efficiency programmes such as through PAT, UJALA, Standard and Labelling and ECBC and reiterated ...

NITI Aayog meeting: Maha CM discusses water conservation initiatives

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday addressed the meeting of Fifth Governing Council of NITI Aayog, during which he presented his state's success regarding various water conservation initiatives in spite of drought and only 73 per cent rain."We achieved 115.70lakh MT food grain production. This was possible because of less dependency on rainfall as alternative arrangements were in place," he said during the meeting.The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Government for timely assistance to Maharashtra this year to tackle drought situation, an official statement said.Rs 4248.59 crore of assistance has been received so far and distributed to farmers.Fadnavis also elaborated on the measures taken by the state government to mitigate drought like deploying tankers, relaxation and concessions, repairs of water supply schemes, fodder camps, and massive tree plantation program.According to the official statement, while speaking on ...

Jihadi, terrorist activities have decreased in J-K: NITI Aayog chairman

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Saturday shared figures in the meeting of NITI Aayog's Governing Council, which showed that Jihadi and terrorists activities have decreased in the state and are under control now.NITI Aayog chairman Rajiv Kumar, who was briefing media persons after the meeting, said: "Governor Satya Pal Malik said that now we can concentrate on the development of the state. Agriculture and import sector are the area of emphasis.""Now common people are giving information about the terrorists and their hideouts. They are not finding shelter in homes and are forced to hide in the forest and gardens," said Kumar.He said that two Aspirational districts -- Baramulla and Kupwara -- have shown remarkable improvement.The Aspirational District Programme was launched by the Prime Minister on January 5, 2018. It aims to rapidly transform the districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas and have emerged as pockets of under-development, ...

Haryana moving towards high Ease of Living Index: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said the state government was focusing on moving towards a high Ease of Living Index for the people of the state after systematically ushering in a new era of corruption-free governance.

PM Modi announces 'high level task force' to bring structural reform in agriculture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a high-level task force to bring structural reforms in agriculture in the country, said NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar here on Saturday."The Prime Minister has announced a high-level task force to bring structural reform in agriculture. The task force will be constituted very soon. It will submit its report in 2-3 months. The emphasis is on how to increase production and marketing in the agriculture sector," said Kumar while briefing media persons about the 5th meeting of Governing Council of NITI Aayog.Kumar said that rainwater harvesting, drought situation and relief measures, aspirational districts, agricultural sector transformation and modernisation, and security-related issues were the key issues discussed during the meeting."This is the first time after Independence that there is monsoon deficit continuously for five years. This year the monsoon is projected to be normal at about 96 per cent but still not 100 per cent. Chief ...

Fadnavis meets Union Jal Shakti Minister

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis discussed river-linking projects in his state with Jal Shakti Minister Devendra Singh Shekhawat, here on Saturday. They discussed various linking proposals in Maharashtra, including bringing water from Godavari basin to parched regions in Marathwada and northern Maharashtra, a statement by the state government said. The Marathwada and Vidarbha regions have been grappling with drought-like situation. A presentation would also be made before the union minister on the issue, the statement added. Fadnavis said the Centre has provided considerable help to the state and soon a solution to the drought would be put in place. The Maharashtra chief minister is here to attend the NITI Aayog meeting. On the day, Fadnavis also met Union Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Petroluem and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Strong initiatives needed to revive rural economy: Chhattisgarh CM Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday emphasised on taking strong initiatives for reviving the rural economy in the country.

Patnaik raises spl category issue in NITI Aayog meet

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik raised the Special Category Status issue before the Niti Aayog on Saturday, four days after pushing for the 'Special Focus State' status for the state in view of its vulnerability to natural calamities. Attending the fifth meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Patnaik demanded that natural calamity be included as a criterion for according Special Category Status to Odisha. "As an interim measure, states hit by major natural calamities may be declared as Special Focus States and granted benefits of Special Category Status for a specific period," the chief minister said. Patnaik had raised the same demand during a meeting with Modi on June 11. Patnaik cited the instance of cyclone Fani that battered 14 districts, killed 64 people and caused a total loss of Rs 9,336.26 crore after making landfall at a wind speed of about 200 kmph near Puri on May 3. Noting that India