Page 469 - Environment
PM to visit Chhattisgarh, Odisha tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Odisha and poll-bound Chhattisgarh Saturday and launch several projects there, his office has said. He will unveil a plaque to mark the commencement of work for the revival of Talcher fertilizer plant in Odisha. This is the first plant in India to have a coal gasification based fertilizer unit. In addition to fertilizer, the plant will produce natural gas, which will contribute to the country's energy requirements, the statement said. Modi will then travel to Jharsuguda to inaugurate an airport there. The airport will bring western Odisha on the aviation map of India, and facilitate regional air connectivity through the UDAN scheme, it said. The prime minister will dedicate the Garjanbahal coal mines, and the Jharsuguda-Barapali-Sardega rail link to the nation. He will also unveil a plaque to mark the commencement of coal production and transportation from Dulanga coal mines. He will then arrive in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district where he
Gadkari to review highway projects in NE states next week
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will review National Highway (NH) projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore in north-eastern states next week. The minister will be on a two-day visit to Shillong from September 24 to review ongoing NH projects in the seven north-eastern states, a statement from the transport and highways ministry said. Besides, the highways minister will dedicate to the nation the 102-km Jowai-Ratacherra section of NH-6 in Meghalaya. The Rs 683 crore worth project will reduce the travel time between Jowai and Ratacherra to 2.5 hours from 4 hours at present, it added. Improved connectivity due to the project will foster economic growth in the Barak Valley and surrounding areas, open up employment opportunities and improve overall living conditions in the region, it said. The highway will have 2 toll plazas, 17 bus shelters, 2 highway patrol and 2 ambulances, besides 2 wayside amenities.
Permit govt employees to travel to Kerala on LTC: Alphons to PM
Union minister K J Alphons wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday and urged him to permit central government employees to avail leave travel concession (LTC) allowance to visit Kerala as it would boost tourism in the flood-ravaged state. At present, the central government employees can avail their home town LTC allowance to visit Jammu and Kashmir, northeast region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The employees get reimbursement of tickets for to and fro journey, besides paid leaves. Alphons said he has proposed that the benefit be extended to Kerala as well. "If 48.41 lakh central government employees travel to the state, it will be a big boost to the tourism industry which is still recovering from the floods. I have written to the prime minister and I am hoping he will agree to my request. "Under this, the employees can use their hometown LTC to travel to the state," Alphons told PTI. Sources in the ministry said Kerala's Tourism Department had sent the proposal to the ...
No foul play in Gir Sanctuary lion deaths: Guj Forest dept
The Gujarat Forest department Friday said that the death of 11 lions over the past eight days in the state's Gir Sanctuary was due to infighting and liver problems, and not foul play. The carcasses of 11 lions were found from Gir (East) forest range. While nine of these were found from Dalkhaniya range, two were recovered from Jashadhar range, officials had informed. For administrative purpose, the Gir forest has been divided in east and west parts. The Gujarat government's press release Friday said that three lions died from infighting and the same number from respiratory and hepatic (relating to the liver) failure, while the post mortem reports of five other lions were awaited. "Lions are territorial animals who live in prides. Infighting is common when a lion, heading a pride and controlling a territory, becomes old or is down with disease or injury," Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) G K Sinha told reporters. "Mainly, it seems that the death of lions is due to ...
Japan space probe drops hopping rovers towards asteroid
A Japanese space probe Friday released a pair of exploring rovers towards an egg-shaped asteroid to collect mineral samples that may shed light on the origin of the solar system. The "Hayabusa2" probe jettisoned the round, cookie tin-shaped robots toward the Ryugu astroid, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). If the mission is successful, the rovers will conduct the world's first moving, robotic observation of an asteroid surface. Taking advantage of the asteroid's low gravity, they will jump around on the surface -- soaring as high as 15 metres (49 feet) and staying in the air for as long as 15 minutes -- to survey the asteroid's physical features with cameras and sensors. So far so good, but JAXA must wait for the Hayabusa2 probe to send data from the rovers to Earth in a day or two to assess whether the release has been a success, officials said. "We are very much hopeful. We don't have confirmation yet, but we are very, very hopeful," Yuichi Tsuda, JAXA ...
Camera traps spot antelope in Palamau Tiger Reserve
Camera traps installed in the core area of the Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Jharkhand has found a young antelope this month, a wildlife official said Friday. With this, three young antelopes were spotted in the PTR in three consecutive years, Anil Kumar Mishra, Divisional Forest Officer (Core Area), said. "The first photo was taken in 2016 and then in 2017. The latest one was taken in September this year in the core area of the PTR," Mishra said. Stating that the three antelopes were found in separate areas, he said restoration of waterbodies and copious rainfall leading to increase in grassland resulted in these sightings. Mishra said the report has been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Before 2016, antelopes had been found way back in 2001 and 2002 in the PTR which is spread over 1026 sq km. The Jharkhand forest department's website says four-horned antelopes (Tetraceros ...
Emami Paper to invest Rs 2,000 crore in Gujarat
Emami Paper Mills, part of the city-based Emami group, said Friday it would invest Rs 2,000 crore for a greenfield multi-layer packaging board plant at Bharuch in Gujarat with an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore. The foundation stone for the project was laid Friday by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Spread over an area of 103 acres, the plant would have a total capacity of 2.25 lakh tonne per annum (TPA) along with an 18 MW captive power plant which would entail an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore in the first phase, the company said in a statement. In the second phase, the company will double its capacity with an equal and additional investment of Rs 1,000 crore towards installation of a new machine, it said. "Emami Paper is the largest producer of newsprint and one of the leading producers of multi-layer packaging board in India with a total production capacity of 3.35 lakh TPA," Aditya V Agarwal, director, Emami group was quoted as saying in the ...
Solid waste in Himachal's industrial hub health hazard: Watchdog
For the last two years, the civic body of the Baddi town, Himachal Pradesh's biggest industrial hub, has been dumping municipal waste in Kenduwal village that has become a potential health hazard, an environmental watchdog said on Friday.
Eating food cooked on wood, coal may impair your lungs
Love to eat food cooked on the barbecue? Beware, it is associated with increased risk of respiratory illness or death, researchers warned.
Gadkari to visit Shillong; will inaugurate NH-06
Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will be on a two-day visit to Shillong for an extensive review of the National Highways projects in the seven northeastern states, a government statement said on Friday.
UN Secretary General to visit India with focus on renewable energy
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will embark on a four-day visit to India from October 1 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during which he will attend a series of events on renewable energy and sanitation, it was announced on Friday.
Workshop to raise awareness on heritage conservation among haveli-owners in Old Delhi
Seeking to make owners and occupiers of havelis and other heritage houses in Old Delhi a stakeholder in the conservation process, the north corporation and INTACH will hold a thematic workshop at the historic Town Hall on Saturday. The workshop on 'Conservation of Heritage Buildings in Shahjahanabad' has been jointly organised by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), and hosted by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). It seeks to impress upon the heritage property owners to treat their houses as assets and not an economic liability. "The NDMC came up with the initiative and approached us for the workshop. It is heartening that various stakeholders involved in the conservation process will come together and more so the heritage property-owners would be part of this exercise," INTACH Delhi Chapter Convener Swapna Liddle said. A "special manual" for owners and occupiers of havelis and other heritage ...
6 electrocuted in Assam
Six people were electrocuted in Assam's Nagaon district on Friday, police said.
Fossil of earliest known animal discovered
Scientists have discovered an ancient fossil of the earliest animal on geological record -- a strange oval creature with rib like segments running along its body that lived on Earth 558 million years ago. The animal called Dickinsonia, which grew up to 1.4 metres in length, was part of the Ediacara Biota that lived on Earth 20 million years prior to the 'Cambrian explosion' of modern animal life. Researchers from Australian National University (ANU) found the fossil so well preserved in a remote area near the White Sea in the northwest of Russia that the tissue still contained molecules of cholesterol, a type of fat that is the hallmark of animal life. The 'Cambrian explosion' was when complex animals and other macroscopic organisms -- such as molluscs, worms, arthropods and sponges -- began to dominate the fossil record. "The fossil fat molecules that we've found prove that animals were large and abundant 558 million years ago, millions of years earlier than previously thought," said
NASA balloon mission may help improve weather forecasting
The images of a thin group of seasonal electric blue clouds on the cusp of our atmosphere captured by a new NASA balloon mission may lead to improved weather forecasting, the US space agency has said.
6 fishermen electrocuted in Assam
At least six fishermen were electrocuted and as many injured when a live high-voltage wire touched the water of a pond in Nagaon district of Assam Friday, police said. The incident happened in Rupohi area under Juria police station when the 11,000-volt power line, hanging loose over the pond, touched the water. Villagers had informed the electricity department around 5 am about the wire being loose but they were told that the wire was dead, police said quoting the residents. After an hour the fishermen went into the pond, the wire was activated leading to the electrocution, the villagers said. The injured were rushed to the civil hospital in Nagaon, police said. Armed with sticks, irate villagers went to the residence of the electricity department official's house and damaged his car, police said. State Power Minister Kesab Gogoi is headed to the site on the instruction of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, official sources said.
11 lions found dead in Gujarat's Gir forest
At least 11 lions have died at Gir forest's East division in last few days, forest department officials said on Friday.The sudden deaths of these lions have prompted the state government to initiate an investigation into the matter.Speaking to ANI, Hitesh Vamja, veterinary forest officer of Gir Forest West said, "Most of the lions have died due to the lung infection. It was found that in some of them, the infection had also spread to other organs leading to death."Vamja assured that the forest administration is making efforts to save the remaining tigers by providing them with proper medical care."There is no need to worry as the forest department officials have taken necessary measures to prevent the spread of this air-borne disease to the remaining lions. We have vaccinated them to boost their immunity against the disease," he said.Giving out more details about the deaths of lions, V.M. Chaudhri, Incharge, Assistant Conservator of Forests, said, "The authorities have collected the ..
Scientists identify earliest known animal 558 mn years ago
A new study has revealed that the earliest confirmed animal in the geological record lived 558 million years ago.
Conflicts, climate worsen food insecurity in many countries
Rome, Sep 21 (IANS/AKI) Persistent conflicts and extreme weather are currently driving high levels of severe food insecurity, particularly in Southern African and Near East countries, which continue to require humanitarian assistance, said a report issued on Thursday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Ecogreen set to make Gurugram and Faridabad garbage-free
Ecogreen Energy, the company responsible for the integrated solid waste management, has achieved significant progress towards making Gurugram and Faridabad garbage-free. Taking its commitment to a new height, Ecogreen Energy is also planning to close all the open dump yards in its functional area. It has already closed over 55 open dump yards in Gurugram and Faridabad. The company also plans to beautify the areas.The Ecogreen Energy's new waste management facility (Transfer Stations) is set to provide the city with a state of the art mechanized means of transferring municipal solid waste in covered condition. It has constructed three transfer stations in Gurugram and four transfer stations in Faridabad, further nine transfer stations are under construction. The transfer stations are designed with an aim to ensure no garbage is left in the open which leads to minimal exposure to citizens.Open dumping and burning of municipal solid waste raise serious health and sanitation issues in the