Page 586 - Environment
India's coal demand rose 7.5 percent to 900 million tonnes in 2017/18 - minister
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's coal demand rose 7.5 percent to about 900 million tonnes in the year ending March 2018, Coal Minister Piyush Goyal told lawmakers on Wednesday.
No night-time metro construction work in south Mumbai area until MPCB files noise pollution report: HC
The Bombay High Court today said it was not inclined to allow the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) to carry out construction for the Metro-III line in south Mumbai's Cuffe Parade area at night, until the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) submits a report on noise pollution. The HC directed the MPCB to record ambient noise levels in the area both during day and night, and submit a report on August 2. "Till the report is submitted, we propose to continue the previous order prohibiting MMRCL from carrying out work at night," a division bench of Justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla said. The court was hearing an application by MMRCL seeking modification of the prohibition order, passed when local residents complained of noise pollution. MMRCL and the contractor Larsen & Toubro had claimed that the ambient noise level at Cuffe Parade was 80 decibels during the day, and 61 at night. "The Metro work will only exceed ten decibels above the already existing noise levels," ...
Airbus unveils pioneering solar-powered drone
European air giant Airbus today unveiled a solar-powered drone called Zephyr that will fly at a high altitude and fulfil the same functions as a satellite. The project was presented at Britain's Farnborough airshow, where Airbus revealed that the Zephyr S took off on July 11 for its maiden flight from Arizona in the United States. "This maiden flight of the Zephyr S aims to prove and demonstrate the aircraft capabilities," Airbus said in a statement. The High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) has a wingspan of 25 metres and weighs less than 25 kilogrammes. It can fly at an altitude of 21,000 metres above the weather and conventional air traffic. Another model planned, the Zephyr T, would have a wingspan of 33 metres. "The only civil aircraft that used to fly at the altitude was Concorde," as well as the military reconnaissance U2 and SR-71 Blackbird planes, Airbus said. The plan is for the drones to fly for three months in the stratosphere, with a descent that would last around 30 ...
Parrikar retort: Should I enter your stomach to check if fish safe?
Badgered by media over the safety of the fish sold in Goa, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar snapped back at a journalist, asking if he should enter the reporter's stomach to check the fish he had eaten.
Government ups sugarcane FRP to Rs 275
With an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the government on Wednesday sweetened its deal for the sugarcane farmers: it approved a Rs 20 per quintal increase in the minimum price that sugar mills will have to pay to farmers for the 2018-19 season starting October.
BYPL signs agreement to source 100 MW wind power
Power discom BYPL has signed an agreement to source 100 MW wind power that will help meet its renewable power obligations, the company said in a statement today. The power is expected to be available to the discom from the third week of November 2019, for a period of 25 years, and will be available at a competitive tariff of Rs 2.52 per unit, a BSES spokesperson said. With this agreement, the two BSES discoms in Delhi will pool in 400 MW of wind power, he said. Earlier, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) had signed an agreement for 250 MW wind power and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) for 50 MW. Out of the 400 MW wind power, the discoms will start receiving 100 MW from November this year, and the remaining 300 MW will be available from November 2019, he said. This is not only one of the "lowest tariff" for wind power, but is also priced substantially lower than the average cost of long-term power purchasing agreements which are above Rs 4.5 per unit, the spokesperson said.
180 new line projects taken up by railways: Government
The government on Wednesday said the Indian Railways took up 180 new line projects with 34 new lines in Bihar.
No decline in cargo container business post GST: Gohain
The government on Wednesday said that there has been no decline in the cargo container business after implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) last year.
Government increases sugarcane FRP to Rs 275
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved a Rs 20 per quintal increase in the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane to Rs 275 for the 2018-19 season starting October.
JSW Steel likely to complete expansion at Dolvi by 2019 end
JSW Steel, which is working on doubling capacity at its unit in Maharashtra's Dolvi to 10 million tonnes per annum at an estimated cost of Rs 15,000 crore, is expecting to complete the expansion project by end 2019, an official said here Wednesday.
Wall collapse: HC orders setting up of panel to implement IIT's suggestions
The Bombay High Court ordered today that a three-member panel be set up to implement remedial measures suggested by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay following the collapse of a building wall here. The committee will comprise a senior civic officer and two experts from IIT-Bombay. The court was hearing a petition filed by Dosti Blossom Cooperative Housing Society, located near the building whose wall collapsed in suburban Wadala last month, challenging permissions granted to Dosti Realty for constructing multi-storeyed buildings in that area. Several cars in the petitioner building's parking lot were damaged after the wall of its adjacent building had collapsed. The petition also alleged that because of the ongoing constructions by Dosti Realty, their building had developed cracks. The high court had earlier this month directed IIT-Bombay to form an expert team to inspect the site of the wall collapse in Wadala and suggest both interim and permanent remedial ...
Goa bans fish import from neighbouring states for 15 days
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has banned the import of fish from neighbouring states for 15 days after huge traces of cancer-causing formalin was found in fish consignments.The ban will be lifted on August 1."In the interest of people of Goa, have issued directions to ban the import of fish in Goa for next 15 days. Fishing activity in Goa will resume in the month of August, hence plenty of fresh fish will be available to Goans," he tweeted.The chief minister also assured the residents that there will be no issue of fish shortage in the coming days due to the ban."A formal notification will be issued by evening. The decision has been taken as a measure of abundant caution," Parrikar told at a press conference at the State Secretariat here.
Formalin scare: Goa bans fish import till July-end
The Goa government today banned the import of fish from outside the state till the end of this month, in view of the scare of formalin being found in it. "Instructions would be issued at Goa's borders not to allow fish-laden trucks from outside the state," Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters here. The ban will continue till the end of this month when restrictions imposed on fishing along the western coast end, Parrikar said. The move comes after the Goa Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) had earlier confirmed the the presence of the organic compound in fish imported from other states. The agency, however, had later said the toxic chemical -- used to preserve bodies and prevent its decay in mortuaries -- was "on par" with its naturally-occurring levels in the sampled fishes and there was no added amount of it. The chief minister said the ban, imposed under the Food and Drugs Administration Act, would eliminate all fears of the presence of formalin content in fish. "Local ..
Sustainable Development Goals will succeed if India succeeds: Puri
The success of the ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by world leaders to achieve a healthy, equitable and peaceful world, depends entirely on India and the country is determined to achieve it, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship development programmes are "game-changers" and through these, India has embarked upon the world's largest and most comprehensive programme of planned urbanisation undertaken anywhere in the world. "The Millennium Development Goals succeeded largely because China lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. The success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends entirely on India and we are determined to (achieve that), Puri told PTI here. "I have no doubt on the India success story. We will deliver it in a green and resilient manner. But the SDGs were not made for India, they are a global set of goals. India will succeed
Goa bans fish import from neighbouring states
The Goa government has banned the import of fish from neighbouring states until July end in the wake of a controversy over the use of formalin in fish consignments, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday.
Govt taking steps to further improve IMD's prediction accuracy
The government is taking several steps to further improve the accuracy of predictions made by the meteorological department, Union minister Harsh Vardhan said today. The Earth Sciences Minister told the Lok Sabha that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a normal monsoon during the current southwest monsoon season. "Rainfall over the country as a whole for the 2018 southwest monsoon season (June to September) is most likely to be normal (96 per cent to 104 per cent of long period average)," he said during Question Hour. Vardhan noted that the absolute error of the IMD's monsoon forecast for seasonal rainfall has shown significant decrease after the implementation of the new statistical ensemble forecasting system in 2007 compared to previous years. The IMD was able to correctly predict the deficient monsoon rainfall experienced during 2014 and 2015, the minister said, adding the government has taken various measures to upgrade the IMD forecast system ..
Iran nuclear chief says uranium stockpile reaches 950 tonnes
The chief of Iran's nuclear agency says the country's effort to acquire uranium has resulted in a stockpile of as much as 950 tonnes. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, tells state TV today that Iran has imported some 400 tonnes of the stuff since the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with Western powers, bringing its stockpile to between 900 and 950 tonnes - up from 500 tonnes. Salehi says that's enough for Iran to run its longtime goal of 190,000 centrifuge machines for enriching uranium in the future. The nuclear accord limits Iran's uranium enrichment to 3.67 per cent, enough to use in a nuclear power plant but far lower than the 90 per cent needed for an atomic weapon. However, since the US pulled out of the deal in May, Iran has vowed to boost enrichment capacity to put pressure on the remaining signatories to live up to the agreement.
Twelve new moons discovered orbiting Jupiter
Scientists have discovered twelve new moons orbiting Jupiter, bringing the total number of natural satellites circling around the king of planets to a whopping 79. The findings include 11 "normal" outer moons, and one that scientists call an "oddball." Researchers, led by Scott S Sheppard from Carnegie Institution for Science in the US, first spotted the moons in last year while they were looking for a possible massive planet far beyond Pluto. "Jupiter just happened to be in the sky near the search fields where we were looking for extremely distant Solar System objects, so we were serendipitously able to look for new moons around Jupiter while at the same time looking for planets at the fringes of our Solar System," said Sheppard. "It takes several observations to confirm an object actually orbits around Jupiter. So, the whole process took a year," said Gareth Williams from the International Astronomical Union. Nine of the new moons are part of a distant outer swarm of moons that ...
New phase in Earth's history defined as 'Meghalayan Age'
Scientists have defined a new geological time scale called the 'Meghalayan Age' - a period which began 4,200 years ago and experienced an abrupt mega-drought and cooling around the globe. Sediments collected by an international team of researchers including those from from a stalagmite from a cave in Meghalaya helped define the smallest climatic event in Earth's history. Agricultural-based societies that developed in several regions after the end of the last Ice Age were impacted severely by the 200-year climatic event that resulted in the collapse of civilisations and human migrations in Egypt, Greece, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and the Yangtze River Valley. Evidence of the 4,200-year climatic event has been found on all seven continents. The Late Holocene Meghalayan Age was ratified as the most recent unit of the Geologic Time Scale after many years of research. Two other ages: the Middle Holocene Northgrippian Age and the Early Holocene Greenlandian Age with .
NDDB's project helps over 27,000 dairy farmers in Maharashtra
Over 27,000 milk producers have benefited from a dairy development programme initiated to provide financial stability to farmers in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra, an official said. The project, launched by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) last year, covers 3,023 villages spread across 11 districts falling under the two backward regions. As many as 27,326 milk producers have got Rs 168.43 crore directly into their bank accounts till May this year as part of the programme, the government official told PTI. The project's objective is to provide financial stability to farmers, generate self-employment in the dairy sector and boost milk production through scientific breeding activities, like increasing the number of milch animals by improving their feeding and health care facilities, he said. "A sum of Rs 6.5 crore is being deposited directly into the accounts of milk producers every 10 days," he said. The districts of Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, .
