Page 54 - Environment
Solar power to fuel electricity needs of Oberoi, Trident hotels in Gurugram
Oberoi Hotels & Resorts Tuesday said its Oberoi and Trident hotels in Gurugram, Haryana, have introduced solar power to fulfil the electricity needs of both properties. Both hotels aim at reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 12,344 tonne per year, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts said in a statement. A captive power plant at Balasar in Haryana will generate 7.5 MW of electricity to meet the energy demands of the two hotels, it added. Adopting renewal energy like solar power will help resolve many environmental challenges and also help in driving greater socio-economic benefits by creating local employment opportunities, the statement said.
TN seeks Rs 5,398 crore from Centre for water projects
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday asked the central government to sanction Rs 5,398 crore for execution of various drinking water projects in the state.
Delhi govt assures to plant 1.4L saplings after HC warns of contempt action
The AAP government has assured the Delhi High Court that the latter's direction of planting 1.4 lakh saplings in the central ridge area here will be implemented without further delay. The assurance came after the court warned of contempt action against the forest department officials for non-compliance of its order. The Delhi government's assurance, however, is in contrast to its forest department's claim that the land under its control in the central ridge area would not support plantation in such huge numbers. It also told the high court that in the first instance, it will plant 30,000 trees before June 15 and a report along with aerial photographs would be filed indicating compliance. The submissions were made by the government before Justice Najmi Waziri after the court said planting only 1,500 trees in 15 weeks after its March 11 order to plant 1.4 lakh saplings of deciduous indigenous variety amounted to "breach" of its direction and warranted "initiation of contempt ...
NIRDPR unveils programme to mitigate climate change impact in villages
The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) Tuesday announced the launch of a World Bank-supported programme to train community resource persons and professionals in villages to combat the impact of climate change. As many as 638 drought and flood-prone villages in some districts of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar will be covered initially under the initiative, which will be scaled up nationwide subsequently, the NIRDPR said in a statement. The new programme Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC) is a certificate course. A training manual has already been prepared. According to the institute, the programme aims to create a cadre of over 200 certified climate-smart' community resource persons and over 100 young professionals in villages, who will combat the impact of climate change and secure their livelihood through climate proof planning and adaptations. The cadre will further disseminate the climate resilient technologies to farming ...
Indian-origin student collects 15,000kg paper waste in Dubai
An eight-year-old Indian-origin student here has collected nearly 15,000 kg of paper waste in the gulf emirate as part of the Emirates Environmental Group's nationwide recycling campaign. Nia Tony has been honoured for her efforts in keeping the environment clean by collecting the paper waste, the Khaleej Times reported. "I was campaigning around my area to collect paper, so that it can be recycled. Every week, I would go out to collect newspapers, magazines, and other paper that people were throwing away or didn't want to keep," she said. "I think it's important for children, like myself, to start recycling and spreading awareness about the environment from an early age, so we can acquire the habit of living green as we get older," she added. She was honoured on Monday during the 22nd edition of the Emirates Recycling Awards in Dubai. Tony won the paper section in the individual category for her efforts in collecting a total of 14,914 kg of paper waste, the report said. The ...
Farmers warned against putting up electric fence
: In a crackdown on illegal high-voltage electric fence which caused electrouction of wild animals, officials Tuesday warned of stern action against those found violating rules to protect their crops. Erode Collector C Kathivaran directed farmers to remove the electric fences failing which severe criminal action would be taken against them. In a press release, the Collector said he had learnt that some farmers were erecting high-voltage electric fences around their lands to scare the animals especially elephants to protect the crops. However, in recent days elephants were electrocuted when they came into contact with the electric fence put up illegally, he added. Similar incidents of wild animals falling victims to electric fences have been reported in neighbouring Coimbatore and Nigiris districts.
Roman-era grape seeds reveal ancestry of modern wines
A grape variety used in wine production in France today can be traced to an ancestral plant that was cultivated in the Roman Era, a study has found. With the help of an extensive genetic database of modern grapevines, researchers were able to test and compare 28 archaeological seeds from French sites dating back to the Iron Age, Roman era, and medieval period. Utilising similar ancient DNA methods used in tracing human ancestors, researchers from the UK, Denmark, France, Spain, and Germany, drew genetic connections between seeds from different archaeological sites, as well as links to modern-day grape varieties. It has long been suspected that some grape varieties grown today, particularly well-known types like Pinot Noir, have an exact genetic match with plants grown 2,000 years ago or more, but until now there has been no way of genetically testing an uninterrupted genetic lineage of that age. "From our sample of grape seeds we found 18 distinct genetic signatures, including one set
Ashoka Buildcon update on Belgaum Khanapur road project
Ashoka Belgaum Khanapur receives Appointed Date for NHAI Project
Modi govt approves new agency to develop space warfare weapon systems
New Delhi [India], Jun 11 (ANI): With the aim of enhancing the capabilities of the armed forces to fight wars in space, the government has approved the setting up of a new agency which will develop sophisticated weapon systems and technologies for the purpose."The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the setting up of this new agency called the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRO) which has been entrusted with the task of creating space warfare weapon systems and technologies," sources in the Defence Ministry told ANI.The decision was taken at the topmost level by the government some time ago and the agency has started taking shape under a Joint Secretary-level scientist.The agency would be provided with a team of scientists which would be working in close coordination with the tri-services integrated defence staff officers.The agency would be providing the research and development support to the Defence Space Agency (DSA) which comprises ...
Indian expat student collects 15,000kg paper waste in Dubai
An eight-year-old Indian expat student has collected nearly 15,000 kg of paper waste in Dubai as part of the Emirates Environmental Group's nationwide recycling campaign.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics podiums to be made of recycled plastic
The podiums on which winners will stand to receive their medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be made of recycled plastic, the organizing committee said on Tuesday.
NASA twin satellites to study signal disruption from space
NASA is preparing to launch twin satellites this month that focus on how radio signals that pass through the Earth's upper atmosphere can be distorted by structured bubbles in this region called the ionosphere.
Goa CM censures man for dumping waste in river
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday stopped his convoy at a North Goa bridge and censured a scooterist for throwing 'nirmalya' (flowers offered to God) into a river, and urged him to act as a responsible citizen and not pollute rivers.
Gujarat delegation visits Andijan to further expand cooperation
A delegation from Gujarat consisting of officials from various ministries visited the Andijan region in Uzbekistan where they held talks to further expand cooperation between Andijan and Gujarat."On June 10, members of the delegation visited Andijan (Uzbekistan), where they held talks with the leadership of the region and representatives of the private sector. Implementation of joint projects in tourism, agriculture, renewable energy sources, telemedicine, start-up projects was discussed at the meeting. The parties also considered the issue of holding a joint business forum," a press release read."It includes officials of the Ministry of Tourism of Gujarat, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Industries Commissionerate, representatives of pharmaceutical, energy, innovation industries, as well as start-up companies studying promising areas for developing mutually beneficial cooperation," the release added.The Indian delegation visited production facilities and ...
One more time: 2020 Olympic podiums to be made from recycled plastic
Podiums at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be made from plastic waste donated by local residents or collected from the sea, organisers said Tuesday, as part of a sustainability push. It will be the first time podiums have been made from recycled materials and organisers say they will need about 45 tonnes of plastic to fashion around 100 podiums for the Games. Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said the plan would help push a message of sustainability, which organisers want to be a key theme of the Games next year. "By sending that message to both Japan and the rest of the world, we think this project will have great significance," he told reporters. Plastic for the project will be gathered at more than 2,000 outlets of a local supermarket chain, where boxes will be set out for Tokyo residents to drop off their recyclable plastic waste. The project will also use plastic waste that has been collected from the ocean during marine clean-ups. The 2020 organisers have been keen to promote an ...
Hybrid microbes can convert CO2 to plastics, fuels
Scientists have developed hybrid organisms that use ambient carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce a variety of plastics and fuels. The research is a promising first step toward low-cost carbon sequestration and eco-friendly manufacturing for chemicals. By using light-activated quantum dots to fire particular enzymes within microbial cells, the researchers were able to create "living factories" that eat harmful carbon dioxide and convert it into useful products such as biodegradable plastic, gasoline, ammonia and biodiesel. "The innovation is a testament to the power of biochemical processes," said Prashant Nagpal, an assistant professor at University of Colorado Boulder in the US. "We're looking at a technique that could improve CO2 capture to combat climate change and one day even potentially replace carbon-intensive manufacturing for plastics and fuels," said Nagpal. The project began in 2013, when researchers started exploring the broad potential of nanoscopic quantum dots, which .
Naxals kill man on suspicion of giving land for police camp
Naxals shot dead a man in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on suspicion that he gave his land to police for setting up their camp, an official said on Tuesday. Devendra Kumar Sinha, a resident of Charama area in the district, went to Badetevda village, where he owned farm land, for some work on Monday when around a dozen Naxals caught him and his son and forcibly took them to a nearby forest area, the police official told PTI. The rebels then shot Sinha dead in the forest, located around 150 km from here. Before escaping from the spot they warned his son not to inform the police, he said. On hearing the gunshots, some villagers went to the forest and informed the police about the incident, he said. The police rushed there and sent the body for postmortem, he said. A Maoist pamphlet was recovered from the spot in which the ultras claimed that Sinha had given his land to the police for setting up their camp in the area, he said. The official denied the claim of Naxals and ...
Telangana: Central govt okays construction of bunds under Kaleswaram project
The Environment Ministry on Monday cleared construction of bunds and embankments in 10 hectares of forest land at Medigadda barrage as part of the Kaleswaram project in Telangana, the state government said."The Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change has accorded clearances to construct bunds and embankments on 10 hectares of the forestland towards Maharashtra State at Medigadda barrage taken up as part of the Kaleswaram project," a notice from the chief minister's office said.The phase one clearances for this have already been accorded by the Ministry a month ago. The state government has already earmarked funds to acquire 10 hectares of the land to develop as forestland alternatively.
Sluggish monsoon may spell trouble for farm sector
Southwest monsoon this year has become a thing of concern for policymakers as it has not just been delayed by a week, but it is also likely to be sluggish and erratic, which may spell trouble for the farm sector.
Crunching space data new frontier for AWS Cloud
As humankind aims to reach Mars and beyond, companies around the are busy harnessing satellite data to address real-life challenges on Earth. Amazon Web Services (AWS), retail giant Amazon's Cloud arm, is helping such companies democratize space data with its Machine Learning (ML) capabilities.
