Page 588 - Environment
Centre approves developmental projects worth Rs 1131.87 crore for Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said today that the central government has approved projects worth Rs 1131.87 crore for overall development of the state. These include a water conservation project worth Rs 708.87 crore and mushroom development project worth Rs 423 crore, Thakur said in an official statement issued here. Under the water conservation project, check dams, ponds and other water harvesting structures will be constructed. The chief minister said the integrated mushroom development project would prove to be a milestone for the farming community of the state. All varieties of mushroom would be cultivated under the project, he added.
Punjab to help farmers cut down urea usage
Prompted by the success in curtailing fertiliser usage in the kharif crops, 'Tandarust Punjab Mission' will now focus on restraining the usage of urea, a senior functionary said on Tuesday.
12,000 tonnes of debris spew by sea at Marine Drive promenade:
Around 12,000 tonnes of debris and garbage was thrown out by sea along the Marine Drive promenade in south Mumbai during the high tide last week, the Bombay High Court was told today. "Around 12000 tonnes of debris and garbage, thrown into the promenade during the high tide last week, has been cleared from Marine Drive by municipal workers," said Shehzad Naqvi representing the petitioner. City-based NGO 'Citizens Circle for Social Welfare and Education' had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to authorities concerned to frame guidelines on garbage and debris disposal and its discharge into the sea. Naqvi told the HC that authorities are ideally supposed to discharge the garbage or debris into sea at a farther distance from the coastline. A division bench of Justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla noted that the petition raises important issues and an urgent hearing was required. The bench then posted the PIL for hearing on July 30.
Maha govt doesn't seem keen to check river pollution: HC
The Bombay High Court today rapped the Maharashtra government saying it didn't seem to be interested in taking any measures to prevent river pollution. A division bench of Justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO 'Vanshakti' raising concerns over rivers in the state getting polluted due to sewage and other chemical discharge. Advocate Sharmila Deshmukh, appearing for the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), told the bench that 49 rivers were found to be polluted in 2014. "The number has increased to 59 this year," she said. The judges said the state government didn't seem to be interested in taking any preventive measures. "Only when there is any violation pertaining to discharge of any chemicals by some company, the state asks the MPCB (Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) to take action," Justice Oka said. "It is time the state government sees how to stop these violations. If there is a failure on the part of the government to .
India's sugar stockpile to double on record output: trade body
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Sugar stocks in India are likely to more than double by the end of the current marketing year as the world's biggest producer of the sweetener struggles to export a surplus, a leading trade body said on Tuesday.
China's top steel city extends pollution curbs until July 21
BEIJING (Reuters) - Tangshan, China's top steelmaking city, has extended recent emergency pollution control measures until July 21 because of a possible major smog alert, according to a document seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the matter.
MoF nod for two Himachal projects
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Tuesday that the Finance Ministry had approved an expenditure of Rs 1,131.87 crore on two projects in the hill state.
China's top steel city extends pollution measures until July 21
BEIJING (Reuters) - Tangshan, China's top steel city, has extended recent emergency pollution control measures until July 21 because a smog warning for the area may reach its second-highest level, according to a document seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the matter.
Elephant dies of electrocution in UP's Dudhwa National Park
An elephant died of electrocution today after it came in contact with a 11,000 volt live power supply line in compartment number one of north Nighasan forest range of Dudhwa National Park buffer zone. Field director Ramesh Pandey, who alongwith DFO buffer zone Anil Patel rushed the spot, told PTI, "The high-tension power supply line between Bela Parsuva and Raghunagar villages on the border got broken and the 10-year-old tusker came in contact with it while roaming in the area." The pachyderm died on the spot. "Action would be taken after inspecting the spot and the elephant carcass," Pandey said.
PNC Infratech bags seven NH projects till date
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WB panel to decide in 9 months if probe needed on AP capital
A World Bank panel has said it would decide after nine months whether or not investigation is required into the allegations of possible threat to livelihoods and environment among others with regard to the construction of capital Amaravati. The Centre and Andhra Pradesh government have requested the World Bank to finance select infrastructure works in Amaravati, the proposed new capital of the state and the Bank is preparing a loan of USD 300 million for the proposed project, to be co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Some people residing in the vicinity of Amaravati had written to the World Bank's inspection panel on May 25 2017 alleging harm to their livelihoods, environment, food security and resettlement due to the bank's non-compliance with its environmental and social standards in the preparation of the project. "Considering the foregoing and taking into account paragraph 5 of the 1999 Clarifications 5, the Panel is recommending a ...
Japan, US renew nuke pact amid Japan plutonium stock concern
Japan and the US have extended their nuclear pact as Tokyo pledged to work to reduce its plutonium stockpile to address Washington's concern. The 30-year pact agreed upon in 1988 has allowed Japan to extract plutonium and enrich uranium for peaceful uses even though the same technology can make atomic bombs. Without either side requesting a review, the pact was extended today with an option by which it can be terminated by either side giving six months' notice. The new condition, however, makes Japan's nuclear programme more susceptible to US policy. Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters Japan must reduce the stockpile to keep the pact in place stably. Kono said the pact is the foundation of Japanese nuclear industry and Japan must make concrete efforts to "reduce the large amount of plutonium" to eliminate any doubts and concerns about Japan's plutonium programme. Japan has long denied any possible misuse of the material and reprocessing technology, but its failure to reduce the .
U'khand: Students use rope ladder to climb Hillock to reach school
After rains in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand washed away the 'only' bridge in the vicinity, students here are now using a rope ladder to climb a hillock to attend the schools.A similar situation was also reported in Assam. Here the villagers belonging to Kamrup and Barpeta districts constructed a bamboo bridge over Kalahi river after it broke a few months back.Narrating their ordeals, the villagers criticised the state government for not making any efforts to reconstruct the bridge."Government had promised to build the bridge but it never did. Many students use this bridge to get to their schools and colleges," said a man residing in the area.In Karnataka too, the situation was found dingy.The people in Chikmagalur region are facing problems while crossing a river through a damaged bridge.They are compelled to use wooden logs over the bridge to cross the river.Due to heavy rainfall, the condition of the bridge has turned worse. People are also using boats to cross the overflowing ...
Central team to visit Bengal to assess reasons behind tent collapse during PM rally
A team of top security officials will be visiting West Bengal to assess the circumstances leading to the collapse of a tent during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Midnapore, in which over 90 people were injured. The team comprising top officials of the Special Protection Group (SPG) will assess whether there was any lapse in the security measures, lack of coordination among different agencies and other shortcomings in organising the rally, a senior Home Ministry official said. The development comes a day after the Home Ministry sought a report from the West Bengal government on the incident that occurred yesterday. The makeshift tent, erected next to the main entrance of the rally venue to shelter people from rain, collapsed when Modi was midway through his speech. The prime minister later visited the hospital where the injured, including 50 women, were undergoing treatment.
'Plants may soon create own fertiliser from thin air'
It may soon be possible to engineer plants that develop their own fertiliser by using atmospheric nitrogen to create chlorophyll for photosynthesis, according to Indian-origin researchers in the US. The researchers from Washington University in the US engineered a bacteria that uses photosynthesis to create oxygen during the day, and at night, uses nitrogen to create chlorophyll for photosynthesis. The research, published in the journal mBio, could eliminate the use of some - or possibly all - human-made fertiliser, which has a high environmental cost. This discovery could have a revolutionary effect on agriculture and the health of the planet, according to Himadri Pakrasi and Maitrayee Bhattacharyya-Pakrasi from Washington University. Creating fertiliser is energy intensive, and the process produces greenhouse gases that are a major driver of climate change. Fertilising is a delivery system for nitrogen, which plants use to create chlorophyll for photosynthesis, but less than 40 per .
Nashik continues to reel under heavy downpour
Incessant rains continued to lash Nashik and other parts of the district for the third day today, forcing the Maharashtra irrigation department to release water from two key dams into rivers. The department released 9,302 cusec of water from the Gangapur dam into the Godavari river today. Similarly, 10,600 cusec of water was released from the Darna dam into the Darna river, official sources said. The water level in the Godavari has increased, forcing people having their shops near the river bank to shift them to safer places. Both Gangapur and Darna dams were filled up to 79 per cent of their storage capacity due to heavy downpour in their catchment areas. People living near the banks of the Godavari and Darna rivers have been asked to be ready to shift to safer places if the rains continue and water level rises, the sources said.
Shivaji memorial: Govt now plans shorter statue, longer sword
The Maharashtra government has changed the height specifications of the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial off the Arabian Sea, in a bid to reduce the cost of the project, reply to an RTI query has revealed. In the new design, the government has reduced the height of the warrior king's statue by 7.5 metres, although the sword he wields will be taller than in the original design. However, these changes will not alter the total height of the statue, which would be 121.2 metres. The height of the entire structure, including the pedestal, would be 212 metres, the government said in its reply. "The height of Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue has now been reduced to 75.7 metres from the earlier 83.2 metres," it said. But in order to maintain the statue's overall height of 121.2 metres, the length of the sword has been raised from 38 metres to 45.5 metres, the government said. "The height of the pedestal has been reduced to 87.4 metres from the earlier 96.2 metres. This change in
Mark Ganesh Chaturthi minus plastic: Dia Mirza
For Ganesh Chaturthi festivities, which fall in September, actress and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza wants people to shun plastic.
China arrests 12 people for dumping toxic waste
At least 12 people were today arrested by Chinese authorities for dumping more than 2,500 tonnes of toxic waste into the Yangtze River in China's Anhui Province in 2017, according to a media report. The charges were filed by a people's procuratorate in China's Wushu city against a waste treatment company in the neighbouring Jiangsu Province for allegedly subcontracting its garbage to unqualified parties for disposal in January 2017, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The economic cost to dispose of this garbage is around 7.94 million yuan (around USD 1.2 million) and restoring the polluted environment is estimated to cost another 3.17 million yuan(USD 0.47 million). The accused allegedly subcontracted its garbage to unqualified parties for disposal in January 2017, the report said. Three ships transported the garbage from Jiangsu and neighbouring Zhejiang Province to Tongling City in Anhui in October 2017. The accused allegedly made two failed attempts to dump another 4,410 ...
