Page 476 - Environment
Marathwada biggest beneficiary of Samruddhi corridor: Maha CM
Aurangabad and Jalna districts in the state's Marathwada region would be "magnets of development" due to the Nagpur Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Monday. The Rs 49,250 crore corridor, alternatively referred to as a super communication expressway, is 700 kilometres long and will pass through 392 villages spread over 11 districts. "Marathwada region is going to be the biggest beneficiary of the Nagpur Mumbai Super Communication Expressway, especially Aurangabad and Jalna districts. These districts will be the magnets of development," Fadnavis said Monday. "The development of Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) as part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is in progress with a total investment of Rs 11,000 crore with an estimated job creation for three lakh people," Fadnavis added. AURIC, formerly called the Shendra-Bidkin industrial area, located near Aurangabad is a planned and greenfield smart industrial city being .
WR develops cleaning system for train air handling units
Western Railway has developed a dust collection system for the roof-mounted air handling units (AHUs) that pump fresh air into suburban train coaches, a senior official said Monday. The official said that portable vacuum cleaners used to suck dirt and grime out of these AHUs were not being able to do the job completely which in turn was affecting the ventilation inside coaches. "The dust collection system will clean the AHU of dust and minute particles in a thorough manner which will increase its efficiency. More fresh air will be available inside coaches for the comfort of passengers, especially considering the fact that local trains are heavily crowded at most times of the day," he informed. He said that the dust collection system was also saving time as it can clean two to three AHUs simultaneously and also coaches at 15 locations if placed adjacent to the tracks. "It prevents environmental pollution and improves quality of air inside the coaches. It also helps ...
Will file report within a mnth on removal of spikes to drive away elephants: MoEF&CC to SC
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Monday told the Supreme Court that they would submit a report within a month on the issue related to removal of spikes and fireballs, which were allegedly used to drive away elephants in some states. The ministry told a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta that directions were issued by them to the forest departments that spikes should not be used for this purpose. It said that these aspects were required to be looked into so that a comprehensive view could be taken keeping in mind totality of facts as it would also have impact in the matter related to elephants corridors in the country. "How much time will you take to file a report on spikes and fireballs?," the bench asked. The ministry said that they would take around one month time to submit a report. "Look at the entire issue in a humane manner," the bench told a senior official of 'Project Elephant' who was present in the court. 'Project ...
Higher demand pushes spot power price to five year high of Rs 14.08/unit
Spot power prices Monday touched over five year high of Rs 14.08 per unit in the day ahead market (DAM) on Indian Energy Exchange, mainly driven by higher demand. "Spot power price for supply on Tuesday touched over five year high of Rs 14.08 per unit in trading at Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) today," a source said. The source said, "The electricity price surged in the DAM at the IEX due to higher demand and lower supplies as there were buy bids for 265 million units (MU) against sell bids of 200 MU in the trading held today at IEX". The source said the demand surged at the IEX due to lower wind and hydro power generation coupled with persistent coal shortages at the power plants. The source also told the PTI that due to shortage of coal at independent power plants and captive power plants, the captive users beeline in DAM to meet their requirement. The spot power prices have touched a high of Rs 12.95 per unit on Sunday for supply on Monday at DAM on IEX due the similar reason. The ..
Odisha CM launches star rating system for industries
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday launched a star rating system for industries, a first-of-its-kind transparency initiative to categorise industries from one to five stars compliant to pollution standards.
PuREnergy set to launch affordable lithium batteries in India
Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-Hyderabad)-incubated start-up PuREnergy on Monday said it would launch its affordable range of lithium batteries at the Renewable Energy Expo 2018 that begins at Greater Noida on Tuesday.
By 2020, no untreated water will flow into River Ganga: DG NMCG Rajiv Ranjan Mishra
New Delhi, [India] Sept 17 (ANI): The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), under its Namami Gange Programme is confident about accomplishing its task of rejuvenating and conserving the mighty river Ganga by 2020. Several projects have been completed and many are ongoing, which would help stop the flow of thousands of million litres per day (MLD) of industrial effluents and untreated domestic sewage into 2500-km-long river, which passes through several cities, towns and villages. The contribution of industrial pollution, volume-wise, is about 20 per cent but due to its toxic and non- biodegradable nature, this has much greater significance.In an exclusive interview to ANI, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga, said since the launch of Namami Gange Programme, many pro-active steps have been taken to clean up the river, which boasts cultural, religious and economic significance.Here are excerpts of the interview:Q. The government took a major ...
Star-rating programme in Odisha to cut air pollution
In its bid to clean up the air, the Odisha government Monday launched a 'Star Rating' system here for industries, the first-of-its-kind initiative in the state, to ensure transparency in compliance to pollution standards. The programme, launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, will rate industries from 1 to 5 based on their efforts to meet the standards set by Odisha's pollution control board. A joint effort of State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago, the project is an example of the state's 3T framework - Teamwork, Transparency and Technology, the CM said. "It will go a long way in strengthening the pollution board's regulatory efforts," he observed. Describing the programme as yet another initiative, where his government has demonstrated commitment to transparency and accountability, Patnaik said "the system will encourage industries to adopt clean technologies". "This 'Star Rating' programme will help public find
Shell targets lower methane emissions from oil and gas operations
LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell announced on Monday plans to limit emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, across its oil and gas operations.
Refurbished KAPS-2 nuclear plant in Gujarat attains 'criticality'
Two years after the shut down of the Kakrapur Atomic Power Station (KAPS-1&2) due to a leak at Surat in south Gujarat, it's Unit 2 attained 'criticality' early on Monday after undergoing a renovation and modernization programme, a top official said here.
Dalmia Cement aims to be carbon negative by 2040: Group CEO
Reducing transition risks and creating transition opportunities are the top priorities; emissions and energy intensities directly impact the operating costs and India's Dalmia Cement aims to be carbon negative by 2040, says its Group CEO, Mahendra Singhi.
China to speed up efforts to cut solar, wind subsidies: draft guidelines
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will speed up efforts to ensure its wind and solar power sectors can compete without subsidies and achieve "grid price parity" with traditional energy sources like coal, according to new draft guidelines issued by the energy regulator.
Researchers turn to oysters as pollution-tracking sentinels
French researchers hoping to get an early warning on pollution in the ocean have found an unlikely ally in a mollusc more often destined for the dinner table. Their findings reveal that much like canaries in a coal mine, oysters stationed near offshore oil platforms can detect minute amounts of hydrocarbons as each one constantly filters dozens of gallons of water every day. That could alert scientists to tiny infrastructure cracks before they become catastrophic oil spills that threaten wildlife and coastal communities. Attached to rocks or other supports, oysters are ideal for nearly real-time analysis because "they have nothing to do except notice the surrounding noises and temperature and light variations," said Jean-Charles Massabuau, a researcher at France's CNRS scientific institute. Working with the University of Bordeaux, he has been developing processes for measuring an oyster's reactions to exposure to oil and natural gas in the water since 2011 alongside biologists, ...
Hailstorm alert for some parts of Uttarakhand
The Met Department has issued an alert for a hailstorm in Uttarakhand in the next 24-hours, an official said on Monday.
Myanmar calls for efforts to reduce ozone layer depletion
A Myanmar top official has called for all-inclusive efforts to lessen substances that cause ozone layer depletion, authorities said on Monday.
ISRO likely to launch Chandrayaan-2 on January 3
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Sivan has said that India's second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2 would be launched most probably on January 3, 2019.Addressing the media following the successful launch of PSLV C-42 into orbit, Sivan talked about the slew of launches scheduled over the next few months. He said, "Chandrayaan-2 is planned for a window from January 3 to February 16, 2019, that we are targeting. It can happen anytime during that window. But we are aiming for the beginning of the window, January 3."Talking about the successful launch of the NovaSAR and S1-4 earth observation satellites of U.K, Sivan said, "Today I am extremely happy to announce that PSLV-C42 carrying two customer satellites NovaSAR and S1-4 placed them precisely in orbit. Within the next six months, 10 satellite missions and eight launch vehicle missions would be launched - one every two weeks."Meanwhile, reacting on ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan granted compensation by the Supreme ...
Super Typhoon Mangkhut lands on south China coast
Super Typhoon Mangkhut landed at 5 p.m. on Sunday on the coast of Jiangmen City, south China's Guangdong Province, packing winds up to 162 km per hour, according to the provincial meteorological station.
Germany's RWE says too early to exit coal in 2035
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German utility RWE, its works council and trade unions say they oppose plans to end coal-fired power generation in Germany around 2035, raising questions over a possible compromise between a government commission and environmentalists.
ISRO to launch three more satellites for bandwidth connectivity
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch three more satellites to provide high-speed bandwidth connectivity to rural areas as part of the government's Digital India programme, an official said on Sunday.
PM Modi congratulates space scientists on PSLV-C42 launch
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunday space scientists for the successful launch of PSLV-C42, saying it shows India's prowess in competitive space business. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) PSLV-C42, carrying two foreign earth satellites, took off Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh at 10.08 pm on Sunday. "Congratulations to our space scientists! ISRO successfully launched PSLV C42, putting two UK satellites in orbit, demonstrating India's prowess in the competitive space business," the prime minister tweeted.