Page 547 - Environment
Foreigners can visit 29 inhabited, 11 uninhabited Islands in Andaman
Foreign tourists can visit 29 inhabited islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were prohibited for visitors, without any restrictions, the Home Ministry said today. Foreigners will also be allowed to visit 11 uninhabited islands, to be notified by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration, only for day visits. The decision has been taken in the interest of promoting tourism and overall development of the Union Territory, a Home Ministry official said. The 29 inhabited islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been excluded from the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) regime notified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, till December 31, 2022, subject to certain conditions, the official said. The islands are: East Island, North Andaman, Smith Island, Curfew Island, Stewart Island, Land Fall Island, Ayes Island, Middle Andaman, Long Island, Strait Island, North Passage, Baratang, South Andaman, Havelock, Neil Island, Flat Bay, North Sentinel Island, Little
Delhi air pollution not improved as stubble burning continues: par panel
The air pollution in Delhi and its neighbouring cities has not improved since last year as the practice of stubble burning continues despite a ban by the neighbouring states, a parliamentary panel noted today. The parliamentary committee noted that satellite images have showed paddy burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh increased after Diwali in 2017, raising the air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region. The committee expressed its strong reservations towards the failure of these state governments in implementing the statutory ban on stubble burning. "Weak enforcement of the statutory ban by these state governments coupled with laxity towards the sensitivity and gravity of the matter has also adversely affected the ongoing efforts to tackle the issue of air pollution in Delhi and the NCR," the committee said in a report. The committee recommended that the Environment Ministry should also take the Agriculture Ministry on board in the matter and impress upon the ...
Karna Cong chief questions Sitharaman's contribution to state
Accusing the Centre of doing "injustice" to Karnataka on a host of issues, State Pradesh Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao today questioned Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's contribution to the state. Rao, who has also written a letter to Sitharaman, who isa Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, alleged that she has "failed" in protecting the interests of the state. "...the state has a lot of expectations from you, but when the Centre is doing injustice to the state repeatedly, you have completely failed in getting justice," Rao said while speaking about his letter to the union minister. Speaking to reporters here, he said "I can say that you (Sitharaman) have failed in protecting the interest of the state, because whatever issues you take, south India andthat too Karnataka is facing problem." He cited various instances of alleged "injustice" such as shifting of CRPF centre from Karnataka to Uttar Pradesh, treatment meted out to HAL in Rafale deal and talks about ...
High silt shuts hydropower plants in Himachal
Continuing heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday led to abnormal rise in the level of the silt content in the Satluj river, forcing authorities to temporarily shut down the operation of mega hydropower plants, officials said.
Crop burning: NGT directs Centre to submit status report on helping farmers
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture to submit a status report within six weeks on providing infrastructural assistance to farmers to stop them from burning crop residue to prevent air pollution. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the official to take feedback from the authorities concerned on steps taken to enforce the directions of the tribunal including providing machinery to poor and marginal farmers. The green panel said that the crop residue burning causes air pollution and industries should help the farmers by way of corporate social responsibility. "As per estimate of the Niti Ayog, the farmers are required to be educated at a cost of Rs 700 crore. The report dated June 5, 2017 mentioned equipments available for the purpose. However, the poor farmers are unable to afford the cost of machines. Moreover, in situ degradation of paddy straw may help the soil. The central government has set aside a sum
Are environmental issues finally an important part of India's election discourse?
New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS/Mongabay) Will environmental issues finally bask in the electoral limelight? If events across some of the major Indian cities in the past few years are to go by, it is definitely the time for green issues to shine. The environmental issues plaguing the internet-savvy electorate as well as the poor sections of these major cities may finally become an integral part of the election discourse.
Gadkari for changing crop pattern
Flagging a glut in rice, wheat and sugarcane in the market, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said there was a need for change in crop pattern. The water resources minister also said though the Centre's decision to offer minimum support price (MSP) for the kharif crops equivalent to 1.5 times the input cost was a "very difficult task", the NDA government was committed to implementing it. Gadkari was speaking at the inauguration of a three-day seminar on "International Consultation on Water: Augmentation of Supply and Management of Demand" organised by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation here. "...Today water is not a problem, but its management is. The problem is about agriculture cost too. We have to change the cropping pattern," he said underscoring various projects of the water resources ministry for conservation and management of the natural resources. He said there was a need to thing about change in crop pattern and diversification of agriculture towards ...
ISA a forum to share experiences, technology: V.K. Singh
Declaring that India is ready to help countries meet their energy needs, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh said on Tuesday that the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA) can act as a forum for sharing experiences and technology.
NGT directs Numaligarh Refinery to demolish wall falling in Deopahar Reserve Forest
The National Green Tribunal has directed Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) to demolish the boundary wall falling in the Deopahar protected reserve forest (DPRF) as it blocked the movement of elephants. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the elephant corridors have to be preserved to protect their habitats from fragmentation and dismissed the review plea filed by NRL, while asking it to comply with its August 24, 2016 order. "The counsel for the review petitioner submits that the entire wall needs not be demolished as the same is not the part of the Deopahar Reserve Forest. "We are of the view that in view of categorical finding already recorded by the tribunal that the area where the wall came up and the area where proposed township is to come up is a part of the Deopahar Reserve Forest, rehearing on merits is not permissible. Accordingly, we do not find any ground for review of order dated August 24, 2016. The review application is ...
Board of Trident approves setting up captive power plant at it Budni unit
At meeting held on 07 August 2018
India never imposes dev projects on any country: V K Singh
India has offered 262 concessional Lines of Credit (LOCs) amounting to USD 25.7 billion to 61 countries and it never imposes any developmental projects on any nation, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said today. He said India has granted LOCs to the countries mostly in Africa, South-East Asia, Central Asia, Latin America and small island nations, covering a range of sectors including clean energy. The Union Minister was speaking at an event jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, Exim Bank and International Solar Alliance with an aim to bring on one platform all stakeholders implementing various projects in the field of solar energy. "India's model of developmental assistance is slightly different. We prefer that the countries which want assistance to identify their own projects. We don't want to impose any project on them," Singh said, in presence of diplomats from several countries which have been beneficiaries of Indian aid. His comments are seen as ..
India to comfortably achieve 100 GW solar energy target by 2022: Govt
India is all set to comfortably achieve 100 GW of solar energy capacity by 2022 and has already installed solar capacity of 23.12 GW till July this year, Parliament was informed today. The data regarding generation of power from various renewable energy projects is consolidated by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). "The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has planned a detailed trajectory so as to meet the target of 100 GW by 2022. A capacity of 23.12 GW was already installed up to July 2018. Projects of around 10 GW are under implementation and tenders for additional 24.4 GW have been issued," Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. "The country is on track to comfortably achieve the target of 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022," he added. The minister said solar power projects require around 4 to 5 acres of land per MW and the MNRE monitors the development of upcoming and commissioned renewable energy projects ...
Sunsure makes debut in top 3 rooftop solar EPC companies in India
Sunsure Energy has been recognized as the third largest rooftop solar EPC company in India as per leading renewable energy consultancy firm Bridge to India's annual publication - India Rooftop Solar Report 2018.Having commissioned over 20 MW of Rooftop Solar Power Plants for India's leading Industries in the year, Sunsure claimed 1.8 percent market share as per the BTI report. Sunsure - started in 2014 - is the youngest company to have broken into the Top 10% market share pie of the highly fragmented Indian Rooftop Solar EPC market.Sunsure is a pioneer in the Indian Rooftop Solar industry and is one of the most experienced and bankable Solar EPC partner to the Indian C&I segment. Having set up one of India's first 500 kWp rooftop solar plant in 2015, recently, Sunsure also commissioned Haryana's first Captive Open Access plant - a 5.5 MW plant with single-axis tracking.Sunsure's road to a leadership position in Indian Solar is paved with long-term engagements with some of the ...
S.Korea to cut household electricity bills over heatwave
The South Korean government announced on Tuesday that it will reduce household electricity bills to help families bear the burden of increased power usage as the result of an unprecedented heatwave.
NASA's planet-hunting probe catches comet in action
NASA's latest planet-hunting probe has beamed back a stunning sequence of images showing a comet in motion 48 million kilometers from Earth. Taken over the course of 17 hours on July 25, the day the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) started science operations, the images helped demonstrate the satellite's ability to collect a prolonged set of stable periodic images covering a broad region of the sky - all critical factors in finding transiting planets orbiting nearby stars. Over the course of these tests, TESS took images of C/2018 N1, a comet discovered by NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) satellite on June 29. The comet, located about 48 million kilometres from Earth in the southern constellation Piscis Austrinus, is seen to move across the frame from right to left as it orbits the Sun. The comet's tail, which consists of gases carried away from the comet by an outflow from the Sun called the solar wind, extends to the top of the frame
3 tuskers mowed down by train in Bengal
Three elephants were killed after a speeding train knocked them down in West Bengal's Jhargram district early today, a senior forest official said. Two adult elephants and a calf were hit by the Gyaneswari Express while crossing the tracks near Gidhni railway station -- around 180 km from Kolkata -- at around 1.30 am, said Samir Kumar Majumdar, assistant divisional forest officer (ADFO), Jhargram division. "A herd of 11 elephants were seen roaming around the forest areas of Jhargram over the past few days. It is suspected that the three elephants that were mowed down on the tracks were part of the recently-spotted herd," Majumdar said. A number of railway officials, police personnel, along with Divisional Forest Officer Basab Raj Holaichi, have gathered at the site to monitor the situation, the officer said. The ADFO said today's incident was not an isolated one. Last, year, too, another elephant had met the same fate around this time of the year. "There has to be a mechanism to avoid
Alaska was likely 'superhighway' for dinosaurs: Study
Alaska was possibly the 'superhighway' for dinosaurs between Asia and western North America 65-70 million years ago, according to a study. Researchers from the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in the US discovered the first North American co-occurrence of hadrosaur and therizinosaur tracks in the Denali National Park in Alaska, US. Hadrosaur was an unusual predatory dinosaur thought to have become a herbivore, while as therizinosaurs are best known from Asia. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests that an aspect of the continental ecosystem of central Asia was also present in this part of Alaska during the Late Cretaceous. "This discovery provides more evidence that Alaska was possibly the superhighway for dinosaurs between Asia and western North America 65-70 million years ago," said Anthony R Fiorillo from the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Fiorillo and a colleague published on a distinct single footprint in Denali National Park in 2012 that they ...
UN environment chief lauds India's efforts to use solar energy, curb plastics
The UN's environment chief has lauded India' efforts to meet its energy needs through solar and curb use of plastics but said that countries still need to do lot more to protect the planet. UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Erik Solheim said 2017 is "the first year in human history" when more electricity was generated globally from the sun, than oil, gas and coal combined. In an interview with UN News, he said southern India now has "the first all-solar airport in the world". He said that some of India's southern states were experiencing "the most rapid economic development anywhere in the world based on solar energy". The Cochin International Airport in Kerala is the first ever fully solar powered airport. Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), the company which owns and operates the airport, became power neutral in August 2015 with the commissioning of its 12 megawatt peak (MWp) solar power plant. It scaled up the installed capacity to 30 MWp by April ...
Earth heading towards irreversible 'hothouse' state: Study
Our planet is at the risk of entering an irreversible 'hothouse' condition - where the global temperatures will rise by four to five degrees and sea levels may surge by up to 60 metres higher than today - even if targets under the Paris climate deal are met, a study warns. According to the researchers, keeping global warming to within 1.5-2 degrees Celsius may be more difficult than previously assessed. "Human emissions of greenhouse gas are not the sole determinant of temperature on Earth," said Will Steffen from the Australian National University. "Our study suggests that human-induced global warming of two degrees Celsius may trigger other Earth system processes, often called "feedbacks," that can drive further warming - even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases," said Steffen, lead author of the study published in the journal PNAS. "Avoiding this scenario requires a redirection of human actions from exploitation to stewardship of the Earth system," he said. A team of scientists ...
Earth at risk of falling into irreversible greenhouse state
The Earth is at risk of falling into an irreversible greenhouse state due to global warming, which would make several regions of the planet uninhabitable for humans, an international study revealed on Tuesday.
