Page 541 - Environment
PM Modi to address IIT-B convocation in Mumbai tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mumbai tomorrow to participate in two events at the Indian Institute of Technology. He will deliver the convocation address at the 56th annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay. "After the convocation, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the new building of the department of energy science and engineering, and centre for environmental science and engineering at IIT Bombay," a PMO statement said.
Haryana agri varsity to speed up crop residue management
To check environment pollution owing to burning of crop residues, the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) has come up with a action plan to deal with the issue that has been a cause of worry for the government. In this regard, the HAU has committed itself for managing crop residues, which will pave the way for making the state pollution free. University Vice Chancellor K P Singh said here today an action plan has been prepared for the management of crop residues across the state. A sum of Rs 4 crore has been sanctioned to the university by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for this work, he added. The burning of crop residues, on one hand contaminate the environment while on the other hand the number of beneficial micro-organisms and organic carbon in the soil are decreasing, thus resulting in depletion of productivity of the fields, Singh said. Besides, the toxic gases generated by burning the crop residues cause adverse impact on human health and also pollute the .
Explainer: Why UK energy firms are upping prices while government fights to keep them down
LONDON (Reuters) - An increase in wholesale energy prices pushed Britain's Centrica to announce its second price rise of the year this week even as regulators prepare to cap prices to help millions of households struggling with rising costs.
Complete road connectivity projects by Oct: Vohra tells PWD
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra has directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to complete the road connectivity projects in the state by October this year. Over 3,500 road connectivity projects at a cost of Rs 12,800 crore are currently at various stages of execution but Vohra has expressed displeasure over the slow pace of works on some of them, officials said. Since the inception of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) scheme, 3,501 connectivity projects, including roads and bridges, have been taken up in J&K at a cumulative cost of Rs 12,800 crore, they said. They said these works were started under the PMGSY Phase I-XII and involves construction or upgradation of around 20,000 kilometre road length connecting around 3,000 habitations. "Out of these, 1,613 schemes have been completed till date at a cost of Rs 4,545 crore covering a road length of 9,000 km spanning over 2212 habitations," the officials said. Vohra recently held a review meeting of these projects ...
Over 86,000 saplings to be planted in Noida on I-Day
As part of the Uttar Pradesh government's afforestation drive and to mark India's seventy second Independence Day, the Noida Authority will plant over 86,000 saplings across the city on August 15, officials said today. The saplings will be planted at 37 locations including parks, on the side of roads and under metro rail corridors, said Noida Authority General Manager Rajeev Tyagi. The drive will be carried out in sectors 72, 145, 150, 151, 166, 167, 137, 74, 115, 44, 123, 144, 120, 121, 122, 123, 120, 63, 64, 61, 62, 22, 122, 56, and along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. As many as 86,750 saplings will be planted, the varieties include neem, pilkhan, jamun, arjun, hibiscus, tikoma , champa, the GM said, adding that dwarf plant species and indoor varieties like erica palm will be planted under the metro corridors and elevated roads. Tyagi said the authority wants to rope in more people and is in touch with educational institutes, resident welfare associations (RWAs), ...
Essar signs contract with GAIL for offtake of Raniganj CBM output
Essar Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL) today said it has signed a Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) with state-owned gas utility GAIL India for sale of entire coal-seam gas (CBM) it plans to produce from Raniganj block. "The GSPA entails a 15-year gas supply contract whereby the company will be able to monetise its entire coal bed methane (CBM) production of 2.3 million standard cubic meters per day from the Raniganj East block at a globally competitive price," the company said in a statement here. Essar had in February this year sold its entire CBM production from the West Bengal block to GAIL using the same formula that Reliance Industries used for pricing of its CBM. The price comes to around USD 8 per million British thermal unit at the current oil price. Having attained the GSPA milestone, EOGEPL would now be focussing on ramping up production from its existing 348 CBM wells and the 150 wells it intends to drill in the future in the block. "The company ..
Garbage in water drains polluting Mumbai coastline: BMC
The Mumbai civic body told the Bombay High Court today that garbage and solid waste thrown into open storm water drains by people were causing pollution along the metropolitan city's coastline. In an affidavit filed before a division bench of justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said, "There are 107 storm water drain outfalls which drain into the Arabian sea directly. In suburbs and extended suburbs, open storm water drains are constructed on both sides of the road. The flow from such open drains are discharged into nullahs, creeks or the sea." "Garbage and solid waste is thrown by citizens into such drains. Also release of sullage (filth) into such drains is then discharged into the sea without any treatment," it said. The BMC affidavit was filed in response to a public interest litigation by a city NGO seeking direction to authorities to frame guidelines on disposal of garbage and debris and their discharge into the Arabian Sea. The petition by ..
Odisha signs agreement to invest Rs 1,115 crore for groundwater recharge
The Odisha government on Friday signed a subsidiary agreement for the implementation of a project on climate change for massive groundwater recharge.
Pi Industries gets green nod for Rs 393 cr project in Gujarat
Pi Industries has been given the environment clearance for its Rs 393 crore greenbelt pesticides project in Bharuch district, Gujarat, a senior government official said today. The proposal is to set up a manufacturing unit to produce pesticide, pesticide intermediates and fine chemicals with a total capacity of 43,240 tonnes per annum in an area of 87,300 square metre in Bharuch. "Based on the recommendations of the Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC), the environment ministry has accorded green clearance to the project," the official said. The green nod has been given to the project with some conditions. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 393 crore, he added. Among conditions specified, the company has been informed that out of proposed total production of pesticides, at least 25 per cent should be bio-pesticides. The company has been asked to obtain consent to establish/operate the project from the state pollution control board, he added. The company has decided to expand its
Pondy CM assures all help to rain-hit Kerala
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today spoke over phone to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan and assured him of all help to tackle the situation there in the wake of torrential rains. An official release said Narayanasamy enquired about the situation in the Kerala which has been experiencing heavy rains for the past few days. "The situation in Kerala causes concern and Puducherry government is concerned about the development and all help and assistance would be extended by the territorial government," Narayanasamy told Vijayan. Narayanasamy also contacted officials in Mahe, an enclave of Puducherry in Kerala, and enquired about the situation there, the release said.
Global & local factors contributed to rain fury in Kerala: Nair
Eminent scientist and former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair believes the monsoon fury in Kerala might be a part of "global phenomena" but local factors like deforestation and "invasion" of mountain slopes contributed significantly to flash floods and landslips in the state. He said from the statistics point of view, this week's rainfall was a "peak" of the last 50 years, and was an "unusual phenomena" and could not be attributed to any systematic change. "Also, in many parts of Europe and other places, heat wave is going on. May be it (rain fury in Kerala) is part of global phenomena, it is my assessment," Nair, who hails from Kerala, told PTI. But he hastened to add that "from one sample (the current spell), we cannot make a judgement. We have to keep a watch. But it (the heavy rainfall) is not contributed by Kerala alone. (It being part of a global phenomena cannot be discounted)". Nair, who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 2003-2009, said deforestation has
Rains intensify, all 5 floodgates of Idukki dam opened
With heavy rains continuing in Idukki, the authorities in Kerala were forced to open the remaining two more floodgates of the nearly overflowing Idamalayar dam on Friday afternoon even as the death toll reached 27 in the state.
Navy put on alert as heavy rains lash Kerala
The Navy has put on alert its Southern Naval Command in view of the rising water level in Periyar river in Kerala and a possible inundation of parts of Wellingdon Island, surrounded by the backwaters of Kochi. A defence spokesperson said the Navy has made preparations to meet any situation arising out of the possible inundation of the island, said to be the largest artificial island in the country, following the opening of shutters of three dams of Cheruthoni, Idamalayar and Kakki. "We will take all necessary steps to ensure that important installations in the island are not affected," the spokesman told PTI. The Wellingdon Island, part of Kochi city, houses strategic facilities, including the Southern Naval Command and Cochin Port Trust. The water level will rise in downstream districts with the released excess water from the dams reaching there. Areas in Kuttanad Taluk are likely to be affected, sources said. The spokesperson said three contingents (50 men each) from INS ...
Festival from Sunday to enhance awareness on elephants
On the occasion of the World Elephant Day on Sunday, a three-day festival would be organised to enhance awareness for the conservation efforts necessary to protect and preserve jumbos. The festival, which would start from Sunday, was organised by the Wildlife Trust of India in association with the Environment Ministry, UN Environment and International Fund for Animal Welfare. Vivek Menon, Executive Director and CEO of the Wildlife Trust of India, said the festival's main aim was to tell people that elephants, who were also the national heritage animal of India, were important. The festival would see exhibition of 101 life sized elephant art installations. There would also be sculptures designed by artists from across the country, Menon said. Alka Pande, a curator of sculptures, said all the artists had contributed in their own creative way of what elephants meant to them personally.
Rajasthan to change names of 4 more villages
The Rajasthan government will change the names of four more villages after three Hindu-dominated villages were earlier renamed, officials said on Friday.
Arunachal Pradesh CM reviews status of highway projects
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has urged government officials to fast track execution of all highway projects in the state by speeding up land execution and forest clearance processes. The chief minister, who reviewed the status of the projects in the state at a meeting here yesterday, also expressed concern over delay in the execution of road projects, particularly the Potin-Pangin stretch of the Trans-Arunachal Highway project, an official statement said. "The state government is drawing flak from the people for the Potin-Pangin stretch of the TAH and the four-lane road in the state capital. We should take these criticisms in the right sense and tighten our belts. "Citizens cannot be allowed to suffer for no fault of theirs," the chief minister was quoted as saying in the statement. Khandu also requested the representatives of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited ...
NASA counts down to launch of first spacecraft to 'touch Sun'
NASA counted down today to the launch of a USD 1.5 billion spacecraft that aims to plunge into the Sun's sizzling atmosphere and become humanity's first mission to explore a star. The car-sized Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to blast off on a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida early tomorrow. The 65-minute launch window opens at 3:33 am (local time), and the weather forecast is 70 percent favorable for takeoff, NASA said. The probe's main goal is to unveil the secrets of the corona, the unusual atmosphere around Sun. Not only is the corona about 300 times hotter than the Sun's surface, it also hurls powerful plasma and energetic particles that can unleash geomagnetic space storms and disrupt Earth's power grid. "The Parker Solar Probe will help us do a much better job of predicting when a disturbance in the solar wind could hit Earth," said Justin Kasper, one of the project scientists and a professor at the University of Michigan. The probe is protected by an ...
PM targets Rs 12k cr saving in oil import bill from ethanol use
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today set a target to triple ethanol production in four years to help save Rs 12,000 crore in oil import bill by mixing the sugarcane extract in petrol as well as boost farm income. Speaking at a function here to mark World Biofuel Day, he said about Rs 10,000 crore is being invested in setting up 12 bio-refineries in the country that will produce fuel from crop stubble and residue as well as urban waste. "Biofuels can help reduce import dependency on crude oil. They can contribute to a cleaner environment, generate additional income for farmers and create rural jobs," he said. Modi said fuel generated from sugarcane and crop residue not only gives additional income to farmers but also helps the environment by the safe disposal of farm stubble. The world's third largest oil consumer is dependent on imports to meet 81 per cent of its needs and substituting some of the fuel with biofuels will help cut import dependence. India started blending ethanol, ...
Series on endangered species on small screen soon
An anthology series "The Red List: Save the Wild" with focus on the trials and tribulations of endangered species across the world will soon beam on Indian television.
Biofuel will infuse new energy in 21st century India: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the use of biofuel would infuse new energy in the 21st century India while stressing that the use of the eco-friendly fuel would change the lives of the people.Addressing a diverse gathering of farmers, scientists, students, entrepreneurs, government officials and legislators at the Vigyan Bhawan here to mark World Biofuel Day, Prime Minister Modi said, "Biofuel means the fuel emanating from crops and which is derived from waste. Biofuel is not just science but it is the mantra which will give new energy to India of the 21st century."The Prime Minister elucidated that the use of the eco-friendly fuel would create new employment opportunities in the country, save the country's foreign exchange reserves and would not affect the environment.Stressing on his government's vision to promote biofuel in the country, Prime Minister Modi underlined, "This is a part of our broad vision for the country to introduce this eco-friendly fuel, where ...
