Page 525 - Environment
Kerala floods: NDDB to send relief materials worth Rs 2 cr
The Gujarat-based National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) today said it will dispatch relief materials worth Rs 2 crore comprising over 10 lakh packs of ready-to-drink milk, 500 tonnes of cattle feed and veterinary medicines to flood-hit Kerala. A release from the Anand-headquartered dairy cooperative said that its chairman Dilip Rath had informed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that an earlier consignment of one lakh packets of sterile milk was unloaded at Thrissur and Kozhikode on Sunday morning. "During the next few days, NDDB will supply more than a million such packs for distribution among the people in relief camps across the state. These packs are being sourced from the Dakshina Kannada Milk Unions dairy plant in Mangalore," it said. The NDDB also informed that 10,000 bags of cattle feed, totalling 500 tonnes, would be supplied to flood-hit areas in the southern state. "The first lot of 46 tonnes, being sourced from the Karnataka Milk Federations cattle ...
Sembcorp says India plant wins Bangladesh tender to supply power
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore-listed Sembcorp Industries said on Monday its power plant in India has won a tender to supply 250 megawatts of power to Bangladesh for 15 years.
Rungta Mines gets green nod for Rs 2,189 cr expansion project
Rungta Mines has received green signal for its steel plant expansion project in Jharkhand that will entail an investment of Rs 2,189.97 crore and generate jobs over 1,800, according to an official document. The proposal is to expand the production capacity of its integrated steel plant located in Kharswan district from 0.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 0.7 MTPA. "The Environment Ministry has considered the application based on the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee and hereby decided to grant environmental clearance (EC) to the project with specific and general conditions," according the EC letter issued to the company. The capital cost of the project is pegged at Rs 2,189.97 crore and will generate employment for 1,830 people, it said. As per the proposal, the existing plant of Chaliyama steel plant is located on 592.16 acres land. The expansion phase will take place within the existing land. The raw materials to be used for the existing as well as expansion phase
Kerala CM thanks Telangana counterpart for Rs 25 cr aid
Kerala Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan today thanked his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao for the gesturein contributing Rs 25 crore towards relief measures in the rain-ravaged state. "The overwhelming response from your state and others demonstrate the extent of compassion and care that we show to each other in the hour of crisis and calamity, which makes us all proud of being part of Indian ethos and spirit," Vijayan said in a letter to Rao. Telangana Home Minister N Narasimha Reddy handed over the cheque for Rs 25 crore to Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday.
Kasturirangan says pressure on land resources could be reason behind rain fury
Pressure on Kerala's limited land resources due to the growing population, denudation of the Western Ghats and climate change could be the reasons behind the floods that have ravaged the state, eminent scientist K Kasturirangan has said. The former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation noted that the state's population had increased in the last century and it "has its own pressures on the environment and resources". "So, together there has been an impact on the environment ... The population has increased, there is more demand on resources, which includes land, agriculture and many other activities," he told PTI. Kasturirangan, who was a member of the now defunct Planning Commission and hails from Kerala, said that heavy rains have in the past been "well managed" by nature through an exceptionally thick vegetation and "other kinds of natural endowment that the state has, including the backwaters". But the size of the backwaters has shrunk to 50-60 per cent of what it was .
Diversion of Mahadayi water by Karnataka to impact Goa: NGO
Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said today a tribunal's decision to allow Karnataka to divert water outside the Mahadayi river basin will prove detrimental to the environment, ecology and the people of Goa. Last week, the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) gave its verdict in the decades-old water sharing row between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Kerkar, secretary of the Mahadayi Bachao Abhiyaan (MBA), said the reduction in Goa's share of the Mahadayi water will have an adverse impact on the coastal state's eco-system, agriculture and fisheries. As per the August 14 MWDT verdict, Karnataka will get 13.4 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water from the river, while Goa and Maharashtra will be allowed to use 24 TMC and 1.33 TMC, respectively. The tribunal has allowed diversion of a part of share of Karnataka from the Mahadayi basin. Goa had demanded 122 TMC of water for its use. "The diversion of water outside the Mahadayi basin, allowed by the MWDT (to ...
Bengal drawing up schemes for promoting renewable energy : Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that the state government is drawing up major schemes for promoting renewable energy including solar.
Chhattisgarh sends 2,500 tonnes rice to flood-hit Kerala
Chhattisgarh has sent 2,500 tonnes of rice for the people of flood-hit Kerala in a special train. The train, which departed from here yesterday, is likely to reach the southern state in the next three days covering a distance of 2,100 kms, officials said today. The move comes after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh announced assistance of Rs 10 crore to Kerala. The state government has sent 2,500 tonnes of rice, worth about Rs 7.5 crore, through the special train, the officials said, adding that the railways has not charged any money for ferrying the consignment. The Chhattisgarh government will soon release the remaining Rs 2.5 crore to Kerala, they said. "We are ready to help Kerala in all possible way. We are also willing to send doctors and a team of self-help groups to help people there," Singh said. Singh has also spoken to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to enquire about the flood situation and offered his government's assistance in any possible way. Heavy rains in
Heavy rains disrupt normal life in Telangana
Normal life was thrown out of gear at different places in Telangana today as heavy rains lashed many parts of the state. "Extremely heavy rain occurred at isolated places in the district of Bhadradi-Kothagudem, very heavy rain occurred at isolatedplaces in Khammam, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Suryapet districts.. Heavy rain occurred at isolated places in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Kamareddy and Medak districts," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its Daily Weather Report of Telangana for today (at 8.30 AM). The Southwest Monsoon has been vigorous over the state, it said. Aswaraopet inBhadradri Kothagudem district received 21 cms of rainfall, followed by the temple town of Bhadrachalam (15 cms), it said. Several rivulets and other water bodies were in spate following the rains at some places in the state, official sources said. The over-flowing water from such water bodies affected road network. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari today ...
France's Total has officially left Iran: Oil minister
French energy giant Total has officially quit its multi-billion-dollar gas project in Iran, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said today, following the reimposition of US sanctions. "Total has officially left the agreement for the development of phase 11 of South Pars (gas field). It has been more than two months that it announced that it would leave the contract," he told the ICANA news agency, which is linked to the oil ministry. The United States said in May that it was abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions on Iran in two phases in August and November. The second phase will target Iran's oil industry, and Total had already said it would be impossible to remain in Iran unless it received a specific waiver from Washington, which was not granted.
Ganga drying up in summers due to groundwater depletion: Study
Ganga, the 2600-km-long trans-boundary river of Asia, has witnessed "unprecedented low levels of water in several lower reaches" in the last few summer seasons, a study undertaken by a professor of IIT-Kharagpur has said. The study, published recently in 'Scientific Reports' magazine by Nature Publishing Group, used a combination of satellite images of groundwater levels of Ganga, numerical simulations and chemical analyses to draw the conclusion, a statement issued by IIT-Kharagpur said today. Abhijit Mukherjee, associate professor of Geology in IIT-Kharapur, along with researchers Soumendra Nath Bhanja from Canada and Yoshihide Wada from IIASA Austria, found out that the drying of the river in the recent years during the summer seasons was "possibly related to the groundwater depletion in the Gangetic aquifers", the statement said. The decline of groundwater inflow (base flow) is also impacting the health of the river, it asserted. "The present day base flow to the ...
Bengal govt promoting renewable energy sources: CM
The West Bengal government is drawing up several schemes for the promotion of solar power and other sources of renewable energy, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said. On the National Renewable Energy Day, Banerjee made a reference to 'Aloshree', a scheme taken up by her government to fit solar panels in all government offices and educational institutions. "Today is #NationalRenewableEnergyDay. Our State Govt is drawing up major schemes for the promotion of solar power & other sources of renewable energy like tidal power in #Bangla," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle. "One such scheme is 'Aaloshree' under which roofs of all government offices & schools are being fitted with solar panels. #NationalRenewableEnergyDay," she added. The National Renewable Energy Day, also called Akshay Urja diwas and celebrated on August 20 every year, is an awareness campaign on the developments of renewable energy in the country.
Centre asks states to monitor 'Fall Armyworm' pest infestation
With growing incidents of 'Fall Armyworm' pest infestation on the maize crop, the government has issued an advisory to state governments asking them to closely survey the fields and submit a detailed report. The worm was first noticed in Karnataka and has later spread to Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The pest has so far been found only on maize crop. "There are reports of infestation in Karnataka. It is spreading to other states. The agriculture ministry has issued an advisory asking the states to conduct suvey of the affected fields and submit a report," Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director General Trilochan Mohapatra told PTI. The matter will be discussed with state governments, domestic and international research bodies to find out the technological solution and management practices to control the spread of the invasive agricultural pest, he said. "This pest has been there for a decade in the US. This is not a new pest. It can be controlled," he added. The Fall ...
Camera trap in village to protect sheep from wild animals
The forest department has decided to install a trap camera at a village in Ganjam district to track down wild animals that are attacking sheep, a forest official said. Six sheep were killed by an unidentified animal at Tamanada village and the carcasses were found by forest personnel from the outskirts of the village yesterday. Over a dozen sheep were also found injured, the official said. Sheep might have died due to attack by some wild animals like wolf or jackal, said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Ghumusar South, Rama Swamy P. The wildlife protection squad in the range office would also be deployed in the village, he said. Cages would be placed in some places to trap the predators, he said. At the same time, he asked the sheep owners to keep their animals in enclosures to protect their sheep flock from attack by wild animals. Last year, unknown predators had killed several sheep and goats in different places of the district. A two-member team from the Wildlife ...
First-ever live interaction on Canada's Arctic threats
If you are a student or a citizen scientist and curious to understand how waters of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago have been changing as a consequence of the warming trend over the Arctic circle. Here is an opportunity!
Mangalore Chemicals spurts after environmental clearance for plant
Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers rose 10.48% to Rs 61.15 at 11:05 IST on BSE after the company said it received environmental clearance for expansion cum modernisation of a fertilizer plant.
Himachal scaling up farming, nature's way
Himachal Pradesh, the country's fruit and off-season vegetable bowl, has launched a scheme this year to scale up zero-budget natural farming, a chemical-free method, with Governor Acharya Devvrat taking the lead to sow the seeds of sustainability through nature's way.
Kerala witnesses worst flood in 100 years, suffers massive economic loss: ASSOCHAM
In the state's Rs 8 lakh crore Gross Domestic Product, tourism and agriculture, mostly rice, pepper, cardamom, cashew, tea, coffee, coconut, contribute about 10 per cent each (tourism -10 and slightly more for agriculture). Then, the internal and external trade contribute a lot. The external trade not only comprises exports of cash crops and other industrial goods and services from Kerala, but also commercial activities from ports like Kochi and three international ports from the state. At this point of time, all these components of the state GDP are in a state of total chaos and destruction, the chamber said, receiving inputs from the state.
43 pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra
A small batch of 43 pilgrims left Jammu on Monday for the Kashmir Valley to perform the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
Don't upload animal sacrifice pictures on social media: TMC leader
A Trinamool Congress parliamentarian on Sunday advised people to desist from uploading pictures of animal sacrifice on the social media on Eid-ul-Azha, so that the sentiments of no community are hurt.
