Page 53 - Environment

Government increase arhar imports to 4 lakh tonnes

Food and Public Distribution Ministry on Tuesday increased the limit on the import of arhar (pigeon pea) from current two lakh tonnes to four lakh tonnes to keep the retails prices in control, which touched Rs 100 per kg.

States highlight water crisis, seek aid at high-level review meet

State water resources ministers and officials on Tuesday brought to the forefront the need for urgent action as the Centre held a review meeting with them against the backdrop of drought-like conditions in many parts of the country and the delay in the arrival of the southwest monsoon.

Discussed with states road map to achieve 175 GW renewable energy capacity: Power minister

Union minister R K Singh Tuesday held a meeting with ministers and officials of renewable energy-rich states and discussed with them various issues facing the sector and ways to achieve the target of 175 GW capacity. The government has set an ambitious target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power. Various research reports, however, have cautioned that India is unlikely to meet the energy targets for wind and solar power. The Union new and renewable energy minister met representatives including energy ministers and secretaries of 11 renewable energy rich states. Singh said that steps to be taken to achieve the target of 175 GW were discussed at the meeting. "To meet the target, what all steps should be taken, it was decided. What all problems are coming in the way and what will be the solutions were discussed at length. In some states there were land issues, in ..

An initiative to help rural poor to cope with climate change

The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Hyderabad Tuesday launched an initiative to improve the capacity of the rural poor engaged in farm-based livelihoods to cope with climate change. It seeks to establish a large-scale 'proof of concept' on integrating community-based climate change planning and adaptation by working with 'climate-smart Community Resource Persons (CRPs) and National Resource Persons (NRPs),' NIRDPR said in a release Tuesday. The training manual for the 'Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC)' Certificate Course was released by W R Reddy, Director-General, NIRDPR, Tuesday, during the first Training Programme for Community Resource Persons (CRPs). The aim of the course is to train a cadre of Climate Smart Community Resource Persons who are expected to disseminate the practice of sustainable livelihood through adaptation to climate change. The programme will strengthen the skill sets of resource ...

Guj CM reviews Rs 350 cr lion conservation project in Gir

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday reviewed the progress of state government's Rs 350 crore lion conservation project launched in November last year after more than 15 big cats died in Gir forest. Rupani held a meeting at Sasan-Gir with senior forest officials and asked them to expedite the implementation of the project. The project includes setting up of a dedicated hospital for lions, a research centre, purchasing drones and radio collars for better surveillance, a quarantine facility, a vaccine centre, apart from comprehensive training modules for forest staff, a state government release said. During his visit to the Gir National Park in Sasan in Junagadh Tuesday, Rupani visited the animal care and rescue centre and also flagged off a ambulance to tend to injured or ill lions, it added. The Gujarat CM also suggested that forest staff use electric vehicles instead of petrol or diesel ones for ferrying tourists inside the national park, it said. Giving ...

RIL, BP sanction 3rd phase of integrated KG D6 development

Reliance Industries (RIL) and BP on Tuesday announced the sanction of the MJ project (also known as D55) or the third phase in Block KG D6 offshore the east coast of India.

Govt asks NHAI, states to avoid building highways through wildlife sanctuaries

To ensure protection of ecologically sensitive areas and flora and fauna, the government has asked states as well as NHAI to avoid building highways through wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, unless absolutely unavoidable. "To have minimum impact of highways on the protected eco-sensitive area, the implementing agency should consider to spare sanctuaries/national parks at the planning stage and wherever possible take a bypass/detour," Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said. In a circular to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), Border Roads Organsiation and states, it said all necessary clearances should be obtained before constructing highways in such areas. "If it is absolutely unavoidable, all necessary clearances required under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Forest Conservation Act 1980 and Environment (Protection) Act 1986 should be obtained before any work is undertaken in such ...

SpaceX targets late June for Falcon Heavy launch

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will take to the skies for the third time to launch the US Department of Defense's Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission in late June, according to a release of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

CPCB pulls up UP authorities over high-level of industrial waste in Ganga in Kanpur-Fatehpur stretch

Irked by high-level of industrial waste in the Ganga in the Kanpur-Fatehpur stretch, the CPCB has pulled up Uttar Pradesh authorities for not complying with its directions and asked them to take pollution control measures in a time-bound manner. In a notice, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) directed the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to coordinate with concerned authorities to ensure minimum environmental flow in the river system and submit an action taken report by June 15, while noting that the river in this stretch was not fit for bathing. "It is evident that the Ganga river is polluted in its stretch from Bithoor to Fatehpur due to discharge of sewage and industrial effluent directly or through drains and tributary river Pandu, discharge of untreated sewage from towns and industrial effluent from authorised and unauthorised industrial or processing units located in the Ganga catchment from Bithoor to Fatehpur are identified as the major potential sources ..

'Maharashtra farmers will fight ban on GM seeds'

A day after defying the ban on GM cotton seeds here, a prominent farmers' body on Tuesday warned that agriculturists will "strongly oppose" any attempts by the government to stop them from using new technology.

Stop the misuse of antibiotics to fight antimicrobial resistance: Experts

There is a need to curtail the misuse of antibiotics, environmental activists deliberated during a meeting of several state representatives developing an action plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a disease which makes consumers immune to antibiotics. "We need to get our act together to stop the misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals. The experts at the meeting have shown how we can do this. We have a road map for Kerala under which antibiotics used for growth promotion and disease prevention could be phased-out in 3-5 years. "We can also stop the use of antibiotics in animal feed and ban last-resort antibiotics like Colistin immediately. If Kerala can do it, so can other states," said Chandra Bhushan, the deputy director of environment think tank CSE, at a meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram with several states represented by their various departments. The meeting saw participation from states including Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, ...

Fadnavis chairs meeting with ministers, BJP leaders in Mumbai

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis chaired a meeting with some ministers and other BJP leaders of Maharashtra on Tuesday.The meeting addressed various issues regarding the state.MLA Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, on the sidelines of the meeting, said, "Our meeting was related to the Nalwande Dam in Ahmednagar district. The 182 villages affected by drought will benefit by the decision regarding the dam."Ministers Girish Mahajan, Subhash Desai, Vijay Shivtare, MP Sujay Vikhe Patil and other leaders were present in the meeting which was held at Mantralaya.

Gurgaon: The Oberoi, Trident introduce 100% solar power

Taking a step towards a greener future, The Oberoi and the Trident, Gurgaon have introduced solar power to fulfill the electricity needs of both hotels.A captive power plant in Balasar, Haryana will generate 7.5 MW of electricity to meet the energy demands of the two hotels.The solar power plant has been equipped with Polycrystalline technology and is spread over 25 acres. With 27,000 solar panels installed, the plant's performance ratio is determined to be 76.50 per cent. The Oberoi and the Trident in Gurgaon aim at reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 12,344 tons per year.Talking about the initiative, Abhishek Panshikar, General Manager - The Oberoi, Gurgaon - said, "We are proud that our Gurgaon hotels are now operating on 100 per cent solar power. This is our small way of giving back to mother nature and providing our guests with a sustainable luxury experience."Adding to this, Amit Khare, General Manager of Trident, Gurgaon, said, "Surveys have shown that guests prefer to stay in

Odisha to formulate new agriculture policy

The Odisha government will formulate a new agriculture policy, which will focus on the income enhancement of farmers, said an official on Tuesday.

Grassroots women's organisation in Andhra Pradesh wins prestigious UN award

A grassroots women's organisation in Andhra Pradesh is among the 22 winners of a prestigious United Nations award given biennially to recognise outstanding efforts towards local, innovative, nature-based climate solutions. The Deccan Development Society has been awarded the Equator Prize 2019, organised by the Equator Initiative within the United Nations Development Programme. Each of the 22 winners represents outstanding community and indigenous initiatives that are advancing nature-based solutions for climate change and local sustainable development. "In the Zaheerabad region of India, the Deccan Development Society promotes women-led regenerative agriculture and community-seed banks to empower Dalit and tribal women, promote sustainable land use, and achieve food security," the citation said. According to information on its website, the Deccan Development Society (DDS) is a two and half decade old grassroots organisation working in about 75 villages with women's voluntary village ..

Delhi's power demand on Monday night breaches 6686 MW, highest this summer

As there is no relief from the scorching heat, the peak power demand in Delhi broke all records of this season on Monday and touched a high of 6686 megawatt. The peak power demand was recorded at 11.23 PM on Monday, a power discom official said. On Tuesday, the peak power demand was 6679 MW at 3.04 PM, second highest in the month of June, according to state load dispatch centre (SLDC) figures. It was 6658 MW on June 6. The mercury shattered all records in Delhi on Monday with parts of the national capital registering 48 degrees Celsius, the highest for the month of June. This year, the highest peak demand is expected to cross the 7,400-MW mark, the official said. Last year, the power demand breached the 7,000-MW mark in the city in July, peaking at 7,016 MW, they added.

Heavy rains lash Kerala; trees uprooted, houses destroyed

: With the South West monsoon becoming active over Kerala,heavy to very heavy rains lashed several places across the state, uprooting trees and destroying houses in coastal areas. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said Piravam in Ernakulam district received the highest rainfall of 14 cm, followed by Alappuzha, Cherthala and Nedumangad here with 11 cm each. Heavy rainfall (7-11 cm) was very likely to occur at one or two places in the state till the morning of June 16, the IMD said in its report "Strong wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph over Lakshadweep area, Kerala and Karnataka Coasts and fishermen have been are advised not to venture into the above mentioned areas," it said. Over 10 houses were destroyed in coastal areas here due to rough seas. Uprooting of trees were also reported from many districts. The monsoon rains had claimed three lives in the state on Monday. Two of the victims, including a woman, were electrocuted on a water-logged ...

Climate protesters chain themselves to Merkel's chancellery

Dozens of German "extinction rebellion" protesters Tuesday chained themselves to the fence of Angela Merkel's chancellery, demanding she declare a "climate emergency". The activists sent the keys to unlock them to all 13 government ministries along with letters formulating their demands, including to effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025. "The current climate policy puts our future at risk," said one 17-year-old demonstrator who asked not to be named. "We will have to bear the physical cost of today's inaction." Another, who gave her name as Natalie, told AFP :"The goal today is to raise awareness about the climate catastrophe." "We want the press and politicians to tell the truth about the climate crisis, and a state of climate emergency to be declared." Together with some 50 supporters, the chained-up protesters chanted a slogan from the Fridays for Future rallies: "What do we want? Climate Justice! When do we want it? Now!" Extinction Rebellion describes itself ..

Heavy influx of tourists chokes roads in Uttrakhand

With people thronging cooler areas for respite from the heatwave, traffic jams are being witnessed on several routes in Uttrakhand. Owing to traffic jams, the commuting time from Haridwar to the four Himalayan shrines (Char Dham) in Garhwal has doubled. It is taking almost 18 hours to reach Badrinath from Haridwar, an official in Chamoli said. Over 80,000 vehicles pass through Haridwar on a daily basis these days, Haridwar SSP Janmejay Khanduri said. Additional forces had been deployed to control the traffic but tourists remain stuck in traffic jams from four to five hours, he added. The situation is not unique to Haridwar. Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Dehradun, Rudraprayag, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Nainital are facing a similar problem. According to Joshimath Block Pramukh Prakash Rawat, the debris left during the construction of all-weather roads had added to commuters' woes beyond Rishikesh. Though the widening of the roads was suspended due to the pilgrim season, the debris deposited on ..

Gogoi calls for setting up of National Rhino Conservation

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday called for the establishment of a National Rhino Conservation Authority for the protection and conservation of the species. Gogoi in a letter to Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadkar expressed concern over the lack of a Central authority to deal with protection and conservation measures for rhinos. "My home state Assam is home to more than 90 per cent of the country's rhino population, out of which 70 per cent reside at Kaziranga which lies within my constituency of Kailabor," he said. There is an urgent need for the establishment of a National Rhino Conservation Authority, which would be modeled along the lines of the existing programme for tigers - the Project Tiger under the National Tiger Conservation Authority, he said. "It is imperative that a Centrally sponsored scheme in a similar manner is put in place with a Central authority that would have exclusive powers for the protection, conservation, and ...