Page 473 - Environment
Cabinet approves deadline extension of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the revised cost estimate of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), along with a two-year time extension from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020, for the completion of the project.The revised cost of the project is Rs 3466 crore, out of which Rs.2,628 crore will be pumped in by the World Bank, Rs.747 crore by the DRIP States / Implementing Agencies (IAs) and Rs.91 crore by the Central Water Commission (CWC).The project envisions institutional strengthening and project management, including capacity building of staff and officials to ensure operational safety. Furthermore, the project aims at comprehensive rehabilitation of 198 existing dam projects located in seven states of India namely, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand (Damodar Valley Corporation) and Uttarakhand (Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited).It also aims at ensuring the safety ..
ADB approves $110 mn for Bangladesh healthcare services
The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved on Wednesday an additional loan financing of $110 million for a project that is improving access to urban primary healthcare services in Bangladesh through public-private partnerships.
DJ, high-decibel music systems major noise pollutants: Maha govt tells HC
The Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court Wednesday that DJ and other high-decibel audio systems were a major source of noise pollution in the state and their use during festivals could not be allowed. Defending the ban on use of such sound systems during Ganesh and Navratri festivals, Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni told the court that the moment a DJ or Dolby system is switched on, the noise level is over 100 decibels, way above the ambient level or the maximum permissible limit under the Noise Pollution Rules-2000. The maximum noise levels permissible under the rules for various areas range between 50 and 75 decibels during the day and between 40 and 70 decibels at night. Kumbhakoni was opposing a plea filed by the Professional Audio and Lighting Association challenging the ban. The petitioner claimed that there was no provision for a blanket ban on such systems under the 2000 Rules. It alleged that the authorities were taking action against any person found in ...
Cabinet clears revised cost estimate for dam rehabilitation project
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 3,466 crore for the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), with the World Bank funding the major part of it, an official said.
17 Maharashtra districts under threat of water scarcity
A threat of drought looms large over 17 districts in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra due to deficient rainfall and excess use of water for sugarcane cultivation, officials said. Most parts of Marathwada received average rainfall this monsoon and the water stock in the region stands at just 28.81 per cent, according to figures of the water resources department. The Jayakwadi dam, considered lifeline of Marathwada, has around 45.88 per cent water stock as of Tuesday, compared to 87.63 per cent the same day last year. "At least 17 districts are under a threat of drought- like situation," an official from the water resources department said. But, it is too early to predict if the regions will face severe scarcity, he said. The meeting of the sub-committee on relief and rehabilitation, headed by revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, is yet to be held and a final decision to declare the areas as drought-prone is likely to be taken after October 15, another ...
Scientists track microbes to monitor health of Sundarbans fisheries (Environmental Feature)
Kolkata, Sep 19 (IANS/Mongabay) They may be microscopic in size, but bacterioplankton steer major carbon cycling and food webs in aquatic ecosystems. Bacterioplankton are the bacterial component of plankton that live in water bodies, including oceans and lakes.
One road in each UP urban local body to be named after Vajpayee: Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said every urban local body in the state will develop an attractive road, which will be named as the "Atal Gaurav Path" after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Along with the beautification of these roads, all necessary and modern facilities should also be provided, he said here on Tuesday, adding that the urban local bodies should also make arrangements for cleaning the drains and keeping them covered. According to the Directorate of Local Bodies, there are 16 municipal corporations, 198 nagar palika parishads and 438 nagar panchayats in the state. Reviewing various schemes such as "Namami Gange", "Amrut Yojana" and "Smart City Mission", Adityanath said people from various parts of the world will be visiting the Kumbh-2019, which will be held in Allahabad from January 15 to March 4 next year. He said cleanliness in the Sangam area should generate a feeling of devotion among the visitors and devotees and added that the ...
Urban landscape mix with nature helps reduce climate impact: French official
An urban industrial landscape mix with natural and agricultural spaces is ideal for striking a balance between the quality of human life and economic prosperity. It also helps reduce impact of a changing climate trigger, a French expert says.
'Australia hopeful of sending uranium shipment to India soon'
Australia's High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, on Tuesday expressed hope that the country would be sending a consignment of uranium to India in the near future.Speaking at the Australia Fest here, Sidhu said, "Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was here (in India last year) and after Prime Minister's visit, she had mentioned some samples were sent to the Indian authorities for testing to make sure that uranium was fit to be sold. I understand that conversations are going on and we are genuinely hopeful that there will be a shipment of uranium in the near future. I can assure that from the Australian government's perspective, there is a high level of support and we're very keen to see such progress."Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of uranium ore, having 40 per cent of its reserves. Both India and Australia had signed a civil nuclear agreement in 2014 to facilitate the supply of uranium to India.The exports of uranium in India are banned as the country is not a ...
Over 7,000 agro-machines given to Pb farmers to manage paddy residue
The Punjab Agriculture department has delivered 7,337 subsidised agro-machines and farm equipment to farmers do far for effective scientific management of paddy residue, a senior official said. Agriculture Secretary K S Pannu said that the department was working to ensure the delivery of the machines before the onset of paddy harvesting, in line with the Chief Minister's commitment to the elimination of the menace of stubble burning from the state. All the Deputy Commissioners had been directed to aggressively pursue the campaign to end stubble burning - a major cause for pollution in the north India, said Pannu in a statement here. Under the scheme, subsidy of 50 per cent was being provided to individual farmers, and 80 per cent to the cooperative societies, said Pannu. In all, 24,315 machines shall be supplied to farmers and cooperative societies this season. Pannu said 2,819 machines or equipment had been given to individual farmers, 2,144 to cooperative societies and 2,374 to ...
Govt, FAO launch green agri project in 5 states with USD 33.5 mn grant
The government along with UN body FAO has launched an agriculture project with USD 33.5 million grant from Global Environment Facility (GEF) that seeks to bring transformative change in the farm sector through conservation of biodiversity and forest landscapes. "The USD 33.5 million project is being funded by the GEF and implemented by the government of India (agriculture and environment ministries) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)," an official statement said. The project aims to transform agricultural production to generate global environmental benefits by addressing biodiversity conservation, land degradation, climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management, it added. Ashok Dalwai, CEO, National Rainfed Area Authority, Ministry of Agriculture has stressed the need for an alternative paradigm to current extractive methods of agricultural production systems. He called for scientific research to focus on achieving greener landscapes ...
Activists, villagers raise concern over proposed nuclear plant in MP
Activists and villagers raised their concerns over a proposed nuclear power plant in Chutka in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, saying it would destroy nature and take away their homeland. In 2009, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) has decided to set up the atomic station in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh to generate 1,400 MW power. Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Limited (MPPGCL) is the nodal agency to facilitate the execution of the project. The villagers claimed they have been protesting for the past nine years over the atomic power plant and when they did not relent, compensation was put into their accounts forcefully. "MPPGCL forcefully put the compensation amount in our bank accounts and took our Aadhaar copies from the bank. We have written to the bank to remove their money," said Meera Bai, a resident of Chutka. Another resident, Dadu Lal Kudape, said they visited other villages where nuclear plants would be coming up and they found contaminated water and ...
Rajnath reviews inter-state issues at council meet
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reviewed several inter-state issues at the 28th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council here.
Odisha alerts district collectors as Met warns of heavy rain
With the Met department forecast warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Odisha due to formation of a possible low pressure area and subsequent depression, the state government Tuesday put all district collectors on alert. Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi said that as per forecast of IMD, a low pressure area is very likely to develop over central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal during 24 hours. It is likely to concentrate into a depression and move westnorthwards towards north Andhra Pradesh, south Odisha coast during subsequent 48 hours. "Alert all concerned and keep the administrative machinery in full preparedness to meet any eventuality and ensure functioning of control room round the clock. Situation should be closely monitored," Sethi said in separate letters to the district collectors. The Met forecast said under influence of the system, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely on September 20 at isolated places over Odisha with extremely heavy rainfall ..
PM Modi, Hasina jointly inaugurate Indo-Bangla friendship pipeline, rail projects
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday described the cooperation between India and Bangladesh as an example for the world as he jointly inaugurated the construction of a 130-kilometre friendship pipeline project and two railway projects with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project, inaugurated through a video conferencing, will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. The Rs 346-crore project will be completed in 30 months and the capacity of the pipeline will be one million metric tonnes per annum. Both countries had entered into an agreement for the pipeline construction in April this year during Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale's visit to Dhaka. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister Modi described the cooperation between the two countries as an example for the world, according to an official statement. He said the two countries were neighbours, geographically and family, ...
Farmers' body writes to Japan govt over Bullet train project
Farmers in Gujarat whose lands will be acquired for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train have written to the Japan government, alleging violation of the guidelines of the Japanese agency which is funding the project. The letter sent by the farmers asked the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is providing a soft loan for the Rs 1.10 lakh crore project, to withhold disbursal of funds to the Indian government until the agency's guidelines are complied with, said a lawyer. Advocate Anand Yagnik, who represents five petitioners who have challenged land acquisition for the project before the Gujarat High Court, said the petitioners and 1,000 other affected farmers, led by the Gujarat Khedut Samaj, have written to the Japan government. They have also sought an appointment with Japan's Ambassador to India, Yagnik said. The letter invited the Japanese Ambassador to Gujarat for understanding the farmers' plight, he said. The letter alleged that JICA's guidelines for
Draft India Cooling Action Plan inadequate, limited in scope: CSE
A green body Tuesday dismissed as "grossly inadequate" and limited in scope the draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), which lists out actions which can help reduce the cooling demand and help in reducing emissions. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) also strongly asked for immediate revision of the ICAP document to address the serious gaps which it said if not rectified now can lock in "irreversible" energy guzzling. Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan Monday released a draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) during World Ozone Day celebrations. India is the first country in world to develop such a document - ICAP, which also gives thrust towards looking for synergies in actions for securing both environmental and socio-economic benefits. The ICAP provides a 20-year perspective (2017-18 to 2037-38) to address the cooling requirements across sectors and ways and means to provide access to sustainable cooling for all, the CSE said. "If we are planning to provide ...
MSRDC, WII to help protect wildlife on Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway
In a first of its kind infrastructure intiative in the country, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corp and Wildlife Institute of India, Uttarakhand, will collaborate to save wildlife habitats along the upcoming Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (NMSCE), a top official said here on Tuesday.
HC seeks Centre's reply on plea to preserve records of Delhi zoo
The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought response of the Centre on a plea seeking direction to preserve the records relating to activities and inventory of the National Zoological Park in the city. The plea has alleged "rampant irregularities and illegalities" in the zoo, like suppression of deaths of protected species, procurement, consumption and stock of drugs meant for animals. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and the National Zoological Park on the application which sought preservation and protection of all records under the personal custody of the director of the zoo. The court also said that the director of the zoo will be responsible for maintaining the records. The application was filed in a pending petition by animals rights activist, Gauri Maulekhi, alleging rampant irregularities and illegalities, like suppression of deaths of ...
President launches logo, web portal for Mahatma's birth anniversary
President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday launched a logo and web portal for the upcoming celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.