Page 538 - Environment
Himachal promoting off-season vegetable cultivation
Himachal Pradesh is promoting off-season vegetable production in a big way for which emphasis has been laid on providing adequate irrigation facilities, an official said on Sunday.
NASA launches world's first mission to 'touch' the Sun
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, mankind's first mission to 'touch' the Sun, was successfully launched today on an unprecedented, seven-year long journey to unlock the mysteries of the star's fiery outer atmosphere and its effects on space weather. Liftoff of the USD 1.5 billion mission took place from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the US at 3:31 am EDT (1:01 pm Indian Standard Time). "3-2-1... and we have liftoff of Parker #SolarProbe atop @ULAlaunch's #DeltaIV Heavy rocket," the US-based space agency tweeted. The launch of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the spacecraft was scrubbed yesterday due to a violation of a launch limit, resulting in a hold. "The spacecraft is in good health and operating on its own. Parker Solar Probe has begun its mission to 'touch' the Sun," NASA said in a blog post. The spacecraft successfully separated from the carrier rocket and deployed its solar arrays shortly after launch. The mission is the first
NASA's Parker Solar Probe lifts off successfully
NASA on Sunday successfully launched the Parker Solar Probe, the US space agency's historic small car-size probe to "touch the Sun," from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Six new elephant corridors to protect natural nomads (August 12 is World Elephant Day)
Expressing concern over the increasing number of elephant deaths in India, an international organisation involved in the preservation and protection of these animals globally has stressed the urgent need for a comprehensive policy change in the country to arrest the rapid fall in elephant population.
Bid to boost coffee cultivation in Odisha
The administration in Odisha's Koraput district is planning to promote coffee cultivation on a "mission mode" as part of its efforts to improve the economic condition of farmers, an official said. The district authorities have recently undertaken a drive to plant coffee seeds on 20 hectares of government land at Kapsiput village in Laxmipur block of Koraput, he said. "The climatic condition here is conducive for coffee cultivation. If properly promoted, it can provide a sustainable source of income to the farmers. We have decided to promote coffee plantation on a mission mode among them," Collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy said. Last year, the administration formed a coffee development trust, with the district collector as its head, to study and research the viability of the project. The trust has set a target of expanding areas under coffee cultivation to 46,500 hectares by 2025 from the present 1,467 hectares, the collector stated. According to a survey conducted by the
Country lost one-third of its coastline from erosion, gained almost as much: Report
Natural causes such as cyclones and waves, as well as human activities like construction have led to nearly one-third of a large part of India's coastline to be eroded in the last 26 years, but almost an equal area has been added because of new sediment deposits, according to a government report. The National Centre for Coastal Research surveyed 6,031 kilometres of India's7,517-kilometre coastline from 1990 to 2016, and found that 33 per cent of it has witnessed erosion, most of it along the eastern coast facing the Bay of Bengal, with West Bengal recording the highest erosion. At the same time, 29 per cent of the surveyed coastline saw an accretion, or gain in deposits. "Erosion and accretion are complementary to each other. If the sand and sediments have drifted from one side, it must accumulate somewhere," said M V Ramana Murthy, director of NCCR and one of the authors of the report. The report says that 2,156.43 kilometres of the country's surveyed coastline faced erosion, while ..
Laziness led to extinction of Homo erectus
Laziness, paired with an inability to adapt to a changing climate, may have wiped out the Homo erectus, an extinct species of primitive humans, a study has found. An archaeological excavation of ancient human populations in the Arabian Peninsula during the Early Stone Age, found that Homo erectus used 'least-effort strategies' for tool making and collecting resources. "They really don't seem to have been pushing themselves," said Ceri Shipton, from the Australian National University (ANU). "I don't get the sense they were explorers looking over the horizon. They didn't have that same sense of wonder that we have," said Shipton. This was evident in the way the species made their stone tools and collected resources. "To make their stone tools they would use whatever rocks they could find lying around their camp, which were mostly of comparatively low quality to what later stone tool makers used," he said. "At the site we looked at there was a big rocky outcrop of quality stone just a ..
Pakistan declares 'water war' on people of PoK
Video evidence has come to light pointing to the fact that Pakistan has now declared a 'water war' on the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) by diverting the waters of the Neelum River to Punjab province.Pakistan is depriving the people of Muzaffarabad from their water lifeline - Neelum River - through an elaborate scheme, which has changed the flow of the fresh water from the mountains to Punjab province and in the process drying up the River even in the middle of the monsoon season.Punjab remains Pakistan's pampered and favoured province.Protests are taking place all across Muzaffarabad against this latest move by Islamabad to take away even the most basic right from the Kashmiri people who live under its occupation."The water level in the river has declined drastically and the water available is only sewage water, whereas, the actual water has been diverted towards Punjab. We can live without electricity, but not without water. We are feeling heat because of rise in ...
SC fines Maharashtra builder Rs 100 crore
The Supreme Court has find a builder 100 crore for undertaking construction of a project in Pune in violation of the environment clearance given to it.
BIMSTEC officials take stock of preparations ahead of 4th summit in Nepal
Senior officials of BIMSTEC today met and discussed the preparations for the fourth summit of the regional economic bloc to be held here later this month. The special session, chaired by Nepal's Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, was attended by senior officials of all the member states, including India. The fourth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is scheduled to take place here from August 30 to 31. The meeting deliberated on a wide range of issues such as BIMSTEC structure, mechanism, procedures, rationalisation of sectors and sub-sectors, strengthening institutional mechanism and BIMSTEC secretariat, according to a statement issued here. The officials also discussed matters relating to the establishing a BIMSTEC development fund and ways to enhancing collaboration with other regional and international organisations with similar aims and purposes. The officials recommended a theme 'Towards a peaceful, ...
China's CNPC takes over Total's share in Iran gas project - Iranian agency
DUBAI (Reuters) - China's state-owned energy major CNPC has taken over the share in Iran's South Pars gas project held by France's Total, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.
Stalemate over Power Grid's Bhangar project resolved
The impasse over setting up the Power Grid's Bhangar project in South 24 Parganas district was resolved today after an agreement was reached between the protesters and the state government, officials said. The construction of the sub-station project had been disallowed by protesting villagers since January last year and now it has been decided that work will resume from Tuesday. The project will strengthen the power infrastructure of at least three districts of the state. Alik Chakraborty, leader of the Jami Raksha Committee, the organisation spearheading the agitation, said an agreement was signed today after an amicable settlement that involves compensation to those who had given the land and trimming down of the project. Power Grid would now execute two feeders instead of three while the State Electricity Power Transmission Company will erect only two feeders against 13 initially proposed. "Initially, there was a proposal for three feeders from our side, but now we ...
Migratory bird stuck in mobile phone tower rescued
The Fire and Forest department personnel today jointly rescued a migratory bird, which was stuck in over 150-feet high mobile phone tower of a private company at Laxmi Bihar near Haradakhandi in this Silk City of Odisha. The rescued bird was later identified as the species of Great While Pelican, a migratory bird. The avian was treated at the local veterinary hospital by the forest staffs. The bird is in good condition. It will be kept under observation for two or three days before being released, said divisional forest officer (DFO) Berhampur AK Behera. Physically, the white pelican which is also known as rosy pelican, is almost double the size of the grey pelican. The sighting of the white pelican is very rare in the town, forest officials said. He said the white pelican; a migratory bird was stuck on the tower since Friday evening. These species are generally sighted in the coastal areas and Chilika Lake, he said. "Though the people had informed forest officials last .
Need to align efforts of infrastructure, development with wildlife conservation: Prabhu
There is a need to align efforts of infrastructure and development with wildlife conservation to create an ideal balance where both can thrive without negatively impacting the other, Union minister Suresh Prabhu said today. Underlining that the population of elephants is critically threatened by the increasing man-animal conflicts, Prabhu said there is a need to protect the jumbos. "There is a need to align infrastructure and development efforts with wildlife conservation efforts to create an ideal balance where both can thrive without negatively impacting the other," the Union Commerce minister said in a video message. He was speaking ahead of the World Elephant Day celebrations tomorrow on the occasion of which a four-day 'Gaj Mahotsav' has been organised. The festival, which would start from tomorrow, has been organised by the Wildlife Trust of India in association with the Environment Ministry, UN Environment and International Fund for Animal Welfare. Vivek Menon, Executive ...
Karnataka CM turns farmer, sows paddy seedlings for bumper crop
Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday turned into a farmer to sow seeds for a bumper paddy crop at a farm at Aralakuppe village in Mandya district, about 100 km from here.
UN environment chief hails 'PARIVESH'
UN environment chief Erik Solheim has lauded India for launching a single-window hub for online submission and monitoring of proposals submitted to the Environment Ministry to seek various types of clearances, and said it is an important step in ensuring such clearances are "transparent and efficient". Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday launched the Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub (PARIVESH), a single-window hub for online submission, monitoring and management of proposals. Solheim said the launch would also ensure that "we protect the country's tremendous natural wealth". The prime minister launched 'PARIVESH' on the occasion of World Biofuel Day yesterday. "Congratulations to @PMOIndia and @drharshvardhan! This is an important step towards ensuring that environmental clearances are transparent, efficient and that we protect the country's tremendous natural wealth. @moefcc @UNinIndia @UNEnvironmentAP ...
Stray dogs, fences behind rising deaths of chinkaras, black bucks
Amidst unabated poaching of chinkaras and black bucks, attacks by stray dogs and accidents caused by barbed wire fences were adding to the rising deaths of the endangered antelopes in Rajasthan's Jodhpur and Barmer districts, activists said today. The deaths caused by the two factors were surging in the antelope populated areas with two to three animals dying everyday, said Rampal Bhawad, President of the Bishnoi Tiger Force, a wildlife vigilante group based in Jodhpur. Earlier, the group had urged the state government to help them catch the stray dogs and also provide land in the villages where the mongrels can be kept after being sterilised by their volunteers. "We have been planning to push this demand by launching a movement very soon,, Bhawad said. Corroborating his views, veterinarian Sharavan Singh Rathore said the existence of chinkaras and black bucks in the region was under threat but the surprisingly the authorities were not dealing with the issue seriously. Rathore said ...
Karnataka CM plants saplings in Mandya district
In a display of solidarity with farmers facing crisis in the state, Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy today sowed paddy saplings in a muddied agriculture field in a village in Mandya district. Folding up his white dhoti in a traditional south Indian style, Kumaraswamy planted saplings at Aralukuppe village. The objective of Kumaraswamy's programme was to urge the agriculturists not to take any drastic steps like suicide in the face of distress, a government release said. It is also seen as a move to silence critics in the opposition that he was fully aware of the problems faced by farmers. Before venturing into the field, Kumaraswamy paid his obeisance to Lord Hanuman at the local Anjaneya temple. As soon as Kumaraswamy started sowing the saplings amid a steady drizzle, people thronged the venue to catch a glimpse of the chief minister. Utter commotion prevailed as youth tried to take selfies with him. Later, addressing the gathering, Kumaraswamy said he has ...
Under-construction flyover collapses in Darjeeling district
A portion of an under-construction flyover came crashing down at Phansidewa in Darjeeling district today without injuring anybody, police said. The incident happened near Kanthibhita in Phansidewa town along the National Highway 31D. Fiur laning of the highway is presently going on in the stretch which is a part of the East-West corridor envisaged under National Highways Development Project - Phase II, and is a vital link for connectivity to the North East. An investigation into the incident is underway, said a National Highway Authority of India representative.
Why Homo Erectus went extinct?
Laziness could explain the reason why Homo Erectus -- a species of primitive humans -- went extinct, a new research has shown.
