Page 601 - Environment
NGT asks DPCC to inspect microwave waste treatment unit at IHBAS
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to inspect a microwave waste treatment unit installed at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences here within two weeks. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel gave the direction after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted to it that the capacity of the waste treatment unit of the institute here at Dilshad Garden in North East Delhi was inadequate. "DPCC is to monitor the functioning of the instrument under the Rules. Counsel for the DPCC states the DPCC will conduct its own inspection and inform this tribunal within two weeks. The Central Pollution Control Board may also file its report," said the bench, also comprising justices Jawad Rahim and R S Rathore. The matter was then listed for the next hearing on July 27. The green panel had earlier directed the premier institute to install and commission microwave waste treatment unit in its premises. The tribunal earlier
MoS HRD Upendra Kushwaha visits Marshall Islands; holds talks to boost ties
Minister of State for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha held wide-ranging talks with the Foreign Minister of Marshall Islands, as the two sides vowed to boost cooperation in key sectors such as blue economy, climate change and renewable energy. Kushwaha, on a two-day visit to the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) from July 10-11, held discussions with Foreign Minister John M Silk and several Cabinet members of the island country. "Both sides reviewed bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further advance ties in a host of areas such as blue economy, adaptation-mitigation practices for climate change, disaster preparedness, health, education, renewable energy among others," a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said. During the visit, Kushwaha also called Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine. The RMI shared its interest in joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the earliest, the statement said. The island nation also expressed strong ...
Black carbon in Delhi air is 5 times more than in US, Europe: Study
If you live in Delhi and commute to work by car, you are up to five times more likely to be exposed to the deadly black carbon than those living in Europe or North America, say researchers.
Tata Power arm to develop 250 MW solar project in Karnataka
Tata Power Renewable Energy (TPREL) has bagged an order from Karnataka to develop 250 MW solar project in the state's Tumkur district. The project will be set up at Pavagada Solar Park in Tumkur and the energy will be supplied to the state discoms under a power purchase agreement (PPA) valid for 25 years, Tata Power said in a statement. TPREL is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Power. It won the contract from Karnataka Renewable Energy Development (KREDL) during an auction in April 2018. The project will be commissioned within 12 months from the date of signing of the PPA. With this order, TPREL will have an overall operational capacity of 400 MW in Pavagada Solar Park. TPREL has an operation capacity of 675 MW, making it a key player in the renewable energy space.
Centre working seriously to tackle problem of stubble burning: Modi
Expressing concern over the problem of stubble burning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that the central government was working seriously to ensure that farmers were not compelled to burn agricultural residue. "I want to talk about the important issue of stubble burning from this platform. The central government is working seriously on this issue so that farmers are not compelled to burn agricultural residue after harvesting," Modi told a farmers' rally in the Malwa belt of Punjab. The government has allocated over Rs 50 crore for Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pardesh and Delhi under a scheme to tackle the problem of stubble burning, the prime minister said. "Out of the total allocation, more than half is focussed on Punjab," he said. The government is giving an assistance of 50 per cent to farmers for purchasing machines required to handle crop residue, he said. Urging farmers to take benefit of this scheme, Modi said this would not only improve land fertility, but also give respite
Cong used farmers as vote bank, betrayed them: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that it had betrayed the peasantry and used them as vote bank to further the interests of "one particular family". Modi said that despite toiling hard, farmers could not think of a comfortable life and that they had to live a life of despair and despondency for decades because of the policies of the Congress-led governments. In a veiled attack on the Gandhi family, he said if the Congress had any worry, it was "only for one particular family" and how to make them comfortable. "I know why for years you could fetch only 10 per cent profit on the cost of inputs incurred by you. I know what was the interest behind this. Farmers are soul of our nation, they are our 'annadata', but the Congress always betrayed them and told lies to them.... The Congress used them as vote bank," the prime minister told a farmers' rally. He said that the NDA government at the Centre was working towards changing this ...
Poland renews call for EU to cut reliance on Russian gas
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union must prioritise having a range of other suppliers other than Russia for its energy, Poland's president said on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Germany of being captive to Russian gas supplies.
Rising carbon dioxide levels threaten monarch butterflies: Study
Mounting levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide pose a previously unrecognised threat to monarch butterflies, by reducing the medicinal properties of milkweed plants that protect the iconic insects from disease, a study has found. Milkweed leaves contain bitter toxins that help monarchs ward off predators and parasites, and the plant is the sole food of monarch caterpillars. Researchers at the University of Michigan in the US grew four milkweed species with varying levels of those protective compounds, which are called cardenolides. Half the plants were grown under normal carbon dioxide (CO2)levels, and half of them were bathed, from dawn to dusk, in nearly twice that amount. Then the plants were fed to hundreds of monarch caterpillars. The study showed that the most protective of the four milkweed species lost its medicinal properties when grown under elevated CO2, resulting in a steep decline in the monarch's ability to tolerate a common parasite, as well as a lifespan reduction of ...
J-K: Centrally-sponsored schemes help boost paddy farming
Directly benefitting from the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sanchai Yojna (PMKSY), farmers in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district have taken up paddy farming on a large scale.Under the scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2015, the farmers are provided with subsidised seeds and manure and technological aid to help them boost yields."A total of 8000 hectares of land in Rajouri district is used in paddy farming. All the sub-divisional agricultural officers give us a requirement for seeds, which we provide to the people at subsidised rates. We also provide them with technological support to ensure maximum yields," Mohammad Younus Choudhary, the Chief Agriculture Officer of Rajouri told ANI on Wednesday.A farmer said that the PMKSY has improved the lives of a lot of farmers in the area as everyone has a means to earn a living now."We have all taken to farming now and are very satisfied. Now we eat only farm-grown unadultrated food that keeps us healthy. The grains ..
Goa govt to promote mechanised paddy farming on fallow land
The Goa government has decided to promote mechanised farming to encourage farmers to take up paddy cultivation on fallow land, an official has said. The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP) at Nagpur has identified 13,408 hectares of fallow land in Goa, mostly in Tiswadi and Bardez talukas of North Goa district, state agriculture director Nelson Figueiredo told PTI. The study has indicated that 35 per cent of the fallow land can be brought under cultivation after taking up basic things like de-weeding, he said. Nearly 30,000 hectares of land in the state is currently under paddy cultivation, he added. A fallow field is a piece of land that a farmer ploughs but does not cultivate for one or more seasons to allow it recover its fertility. Figueireido said the soil survey bureau's report has also studied characteristics of the fallow land so that farmers can be guided on the kind of plantation that could be taken up in such areas. He, however,
TV actors urge fans to focus on health this monsoon
Sipping your favourite tea with a plate full of fried pakodas while enjoying the drops of rain is what most people like to do during monsoon. But the rainy season also brings a lot of infections with it. Television actors like Kunal Jaisingh, Pearl V Puri and Shubhangi Atre have urged their fans to have fun and also give importance to their health.
Decaying organic matter may be used to build low cost houses
Scientists have created construction material from peat - decaying organic matter - and oil shale ash, that could reduce costs of building a house nearly tenfold. Scientists from the University of Tartu and the Estonian University of Life Sciences wanted to create a self-supporting construction material based on local natural resources and waste that could be used to 3D print houses up to two-storeys high directly at the construction site. Wetlands cover about 22 per cent of Estonia's area, but the peat growing there is not widely used. Only the drier top part of the peat layer has been deemed usable. The unused part is left to decay. This peat could also be used in an economically beneficial way. Many fractions can be separated from peat, for example humic substances and waxes, and the final residue can even be used for producing cellulose. The most popular method for mining peat is milling. During milling, 10 to 20-mm layers are cut loose from the peat deposit and left to dry. For ..
Tata Power receives LoA from Karnataka Renewable Energy Development
For development of 250 MW of solar projects in Tumkur District
After Tesla deal, Shanghai to speed up cancellation of foreign ownership limits
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Shanghai will accelerate efforts to cancel restrictions on foreign investment in the auto manufacturing sector, a government official said on Wednesday, a day after Tesla said it would build a wholly owned auto plant in the city.
China's top steelmaking city set to deepen output curbs over summer
BEIJING (Reuters) - The top Chinese steelmaking city of Tangshan has ordered steel mills, coke producers and utilities to cut output further this summer, according to a document from the city government, the latest step to curb smog in one of the country's most polluted areas.
China's top steelmkaing city set to deepen output curbs over summer
BEIJING (Reuters) - The top Chinese steelmaking city of Tangshan has ordered steel mills, coke producers and utilities to cut output further this summer, according to a document from the city government, the latest step to curb smog in one of the country's most polluted areas.
Rising carbon dioxide levels pose threat to monarch butterflies
A new study revealed that mounting levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide minimise the medicinal properties of milkweed plants, thus posing an unrecognized threat to monarch butterflies.Milkweed plants protect the iconic insects from various diseases. The leaves of the said plant contain bitter toxins that help monarchs ward off predators and parasites, and the plant is the sole food of monarch caterpillars.Researchers at the University of Michigan grew four milkweed species with varying levels of those protective compounds, which are called cardenolides.Half the plants were grown under normal carbon dioxide levels, and half of them were bathed, from dawn to dusk, in nearly twice that amount. Then the plants were fed to hundreds of monarch caterpillars.The study showed that the most protective of the four milkweed species lost its medicinal properties when grown under elevated CO2, resulting in a steep decline in the monarch's ability to tolerate a common parasite, as well as a lifespan
Odisha CM to inaugurate bridge in Maoist-hit dist on July 18
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is set to inaugurate a bridge here on July 18, connecting the "cut-off areas" of the Maoist-hit district with the mainland, a government official said. The Gurupriya bridge on river Janbai would ensure easy access to nearby towns for nine panchayats in the inaccessible areas of Malkangiri, considered a "safe haven of left wing extremists", he said. Earlier this year, the state government had installed CCTV cameras on the bridge to help the BSF and CRPF personnel track the movements of Maoists in the area. Dambaru Sisa, BJD MLA from Chitrakonda seat in Malkangiri district, said the construction work has been completed and the 910-metre-long Gurupriya bridge all set for inauguration on July 18. "Cut off by Balimela reservoir, people living in the remote part of the district had been demanding a bridge on Janbai river for around 40 years. The new bridge would end decades of isolation for them," he added. Former chief minister J B Patnaik
Oxygen levels on early Earth fluctuated several times
A new study suggests that earth's oxygen levels rose and fell more than once hundreds of millions of years before the planet-wide success of the Great Oxidation Event.A research from the University of Washington shows the evidence that indicates a much earlier "whiff" of oxygen in Earth's distant past in the atmosphere and on the surface of a large stretch of ocean showing that the oxygenation of the Earth was a complex process of repeatedly trying and failing over a vast stretch of time.The findings may also have implications in the search for life beyond Earth."The production and destruction of oxygen in the ocean and atmosphere over time was a war with no evidence of a clear winner, until the Great Oxidation Event," said Matt Koehler, lead author of the study.For the study, the researchers used two different proxies for oxygen i.e nitrogen isotopes and the element selenium, substances that, each in its way, also tell about the presence of oxygen.The nitrogen isotopes revealed the ..
Blast levels buildings in US' Wisconsin
Several buildings were levelled after a gas line exploded in US Wisconsin state leaving many injured, police said.
