Page 62 - Environment
Alert in 8 Karnataka districts against Nipah virus
Eight districts in western and southern Karnataka have been put on high alert to check the Nipha virus infection from neighbouring Kerala, an official said on Thursday.
'Waste to Wonder Park' ticket sales cross Rs 2 cr; over 12K people visit on Eid
South Delhi's 'Waste to Wonder Park' is emerging as a major tourist attraction and revenue from sale of tickets has crossed over Rs 2 crore since it opened to public in February, officials said Thursday. Authorities at the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which governs the park spread over seven acres, said the daily footfall is surging day by day. "The park is emerging as a major tourism destination in Delhi and one of the most favoured places to visit for people. On Eid, the theme park attracted 12,327 visitors, including senior citizens. The collection on that day through the sale of tickets was over Rs 5.48 lakh," a senior official said. The park features a 60-ft Eiffel Tower, a 20-ft Taj Mahal and replicas of five other wonders of the world built using 150 tonnes of industrial and other waste in south Delhi, and was thrown open to the public on February 22. The total revenue collection since its opening crossed Rs 2 crore on Wednesday, South Delhi Mayor Sunita Kangra ...
24 injured as windstorm hits western Nepal
At least 24 people were injured as a strong windstorm swept through western Nepal on Thursday, officials said. All the injured are undergoing treatment at various health centres in the region. The windstorm swept through Kailali and Kanchanpur districts in the western province of Nepal at 7:30 pm, blocking roads, felling trees and electric poles and leaving at least 24 people injured, the Home Affairs ministry officials said.
India's forest cover expanded by 1 pc in five years: Javadekar
The forest cover of the country has increased by 1 per cent in the last five years and continuous progress will happen only through participation of people, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Thursday. The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change called upon people to plant tree saplings. Javadekar, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting, visited the premises of Gulshan Mahal, the historic building in Films Division that houses a part of the National Museum of Indian Cinema, which was inaugurated in January this year. "In our lives, the amount of oxygen we take, we must plant at least ten saplings. In the last five years, India's forest cover has increased by 1 per cent. "This time, too, a similar progress should be recorded and for that we will try our best. This will happen through people's participation, which is extremely important," Javadekar told reporters. The minister planted saplings at the venue as part of the celebration to mark the .
Ration shop sealed in East Delhi
Delhi Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Imran Hussain Thursday ordered sealing of a ration shop in East Delhi after finding it shut during a surprise inspection. "Found a ration shop shut during a surprise inspection in Pandav Nagar. Residents told me that it opens in the evening. Have issued direction to seal it immediately," the minister tweeted. Hussain said that in Krishna Kunj area, residents complained about the ration shop selling wheat flour for Rs 12-14 per kilogramme.
Ensure big drains are desilted in city, Delhi BJP writes to EPCA
Delhi BJP legislators Thursday demanded the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority to take urgent action to ensure desilting of major drains in the city to prevent water-logging in the coming rainy season. The MLAs submitted their report on desilting of drains maintained by the Delhi government's PWD and Irrigation and Flood Control Department at the EPCA office here. "The delegation demanded urgent action to prevent flooding of Delhi roads and colonies, traffic jams due to water logging in the monsoon. The MLAs also demanded that the report should be sent to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Delhi government for urgent intervention in public interest," said Vijender Gupta, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly. After an inspection of big drains in some parts of Trans Yamuna area, the BJP MLAs on Wednesday, claimed that many of them were not desilted even though they were supposed to be cleaned by June 15.
92 per cent of world population without clean air:
A whopping 92 per cent of world's population are unable to breath clean air because of air pollution which has been identified as the cause of 7 million deaths every year across the globe, eminent environmental scientist Prof Uma Charan Mohanty said. "Pollution is on the rise due to anthropogenic reasons but at the same time mankind needs energy and development, said to be the contributory factors for pollution. Air pollution is reducing our lifespan by 2 to 3 years," said Prof Mohanty, Emeritus Professor at IIT, Bhubaneswar. Around 1.2 million people died in India every year due to air pollution which was identified as the third biggest cause of death in the country, Prof Mohanty said while addressing a rogramme organised on the occasion of World Environment Day here on Wednesday. 'Air Pollution' happens to be the theme for this year's World Environment Day. Meanwhile, the air quality in as many as 102 cities in India was extremely poor. Six of these urban centres -- ..
Punjab decides to set Sustainable Development Goals
The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, here on Thursday gave in-principle approval to a four-year strategic action plan (2019-2023) and annual action plan (2019-2020) to set Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SBI renders service to cyclone Fani victims
State Bank of India (SBI) has provided more than 11,000 loans so far for rehabilitation and resumption of livelihood activities of people in districts affected by cyclone Fani in Odisha. Stating this here on Thursday, SBI's Managing Director (Retail & Digital Banking) P K Gupta said the bank has also provided over 8000 agri loans and more than 1300 loans to Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the cyclone-hit areas. SBI has also restructured 200 SME and house building loans, he said adding SBI proposes to provide loans to 500 fishermen for purchasing boats and nets. Gupta, who visited Puri which was worst affected by the cyclone on May 3, said that SBI is committed to serve the people of Odisha and will also provide 19,000 mosquito nets to district authorities for further delivery to the affected people in Puri district. Considering huge loss of trees due to the cyclone, SBI has decided to plant 15,000 trees in the affected areas and each branch of the bank in Odisha will ...
Nipah virus: Raj health min asks officials to remain alert
Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma Thursday gave directions to health officials for the prevention and control of Nipah in the state, days after the deadly virus was detected in Kerala. Addressing a meeting here on Nipah virus and Glanders disease in horses, Sharma directed officials to send a team to National Virology Laboratory, Pune for training to examine the samples skilfully. Sharma said that directions have been given to Rapid Response Team to remain alert and take necessary action if any suspected case is identified. He said that people from Kerala living in Rajasthan should take special precautions. A year after two north Kerala districts were hit by Nipah claiming 17 lives, the disease resurfaced in the state with a 23-year-old student here confirmed to be infected with the potentially deadly virus on June 4. The government said 311 people from various districts with whom the student had interacted were under observation. According to the WHO, Nipah virus is a newly ...
Researchers discover sensors which can detect food spoilage
A recent study discovered new sensors which could help in detecting food spoilage and reduce wastage of food for supermarkets and consumers.The laboratory prototype sensors which can be read on smartphones are known as 'paper-based electrical gas sensors' (PEGS), they detect spoilage gases like ammonia and trimethylamine in meat and fish products.The researchers, who developed PEGS, made the sensors by printing carbon electrodes onto readily available cellulose paper. The biodegradable materials are eco-friendly and non-toxic, so they don't harm the environment and are safe to use in food packaging. The sensors are combined with 'near field communication (NFC)' tags, a series of microchips that can be read by nearby mobile devices.During laboratory testing on packaged fish and chicken, PEGS picked up trace amounts of spoilage gases quickly and more accurately than existing sensors, at a fraction of their price.The researchers say the sensors could also eventually replace the 'use-by' .
Delhi's 'poor' air quality days down by 33 per cent: Javadekar
Air quality in Delhi-NCR has improved with the number of "poor" air quality days coming down from 300 in 2014 to 206 in 2018, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said Thursday. Speaking at an event to mark World Environment Day, which was on June 5, the minister said the situation "is not as bad" as being portrayed in the media. "Media reports are always creating a picture that lakhs of people are dying of air pollution but it is not as bad. Yes pollution is there but efforts are on," Javadekar said. "Number of poor air quality days in Delhi in 2016 used to be 246, and in 2014 they used to be around 300, in 2017 it came down to 213 and now it has come down to 206 (in 2018). I am confident that when 2019 figures will come, the number of poor air quality days will further come down. This is a tremendous success. The days of poor quality air have reduced. It is a significant improvement," he said. The number of "poor" air quality days has come down by 33 per cent in 2018 as ...
Trump blames India, China for not doing enough on climate change
President Donald Trump has blamed countries like India and China for not doing enough on climate change, labelling them as regions with air that is impossible to breathe while claiming that the US has some of the "cleanest air". In one of his final interviews before leaving for Ireland at the end of his UK state visit on Wednesday, Trump, who has blamed India and other countries for justifying America's withdrawal from the landmark Paris climate change deal in 2017, said he believes that "there is a change in weather, and I think it changes both ways". Trump claimed that while the US had "some of the cleanest air", it was other countries that were not doing enough to tackle pollution. "China, India, Russia, many other nations, they have not very good air, not very good water in the sense of pollution and cleanliness. They don't do the responsibility," he told Britain's ITV channel. He was replaying his conversation with Prince Charles, an ardent campaigner on climate change issues, ...
Karnataka: Special prayers performed to appease rain gods
Special poojas were conducted at various temples in the state on Thursday to appease rain gods.State Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar held a Parjanya homa (pooja) in Chikkamagaluru, while another special ritual was performed at Belgaum's Savadatti Yellamma temple praying for rainfall.This comes after Karnataka's Religious and Charitable Endowments Department announced that special prayers for rain will be performed at temples of the state on June 6.The rituals were conducted in the presence of a number of priests during early afternoon.Several districts of the state have been declared drought-ridden making water shortage a major concern for the state's government.Reportedly, the combined live storage in all four reservoirs of the Cauvery basin -- Krishnaraja Sagar, Kabini, Hemavathi and Harangi -- is 13.93 tmcft as against their full live storage capacity of 104.55 tmcft.To combat the crisis, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has also ordered Karnataka to release ...
DLF5 residents plant seeds for a sustainable future
The Magnolias Club at DLF5, in collaboration with Garbage Free India (GFI) celebrated this World Environment Day with a tree plantation drive and educating the children and adults of their responsibility towards protecting the environment.Held at the Ballroom of The Magnolias Club, the event saw an enthusiastic participation of the residents from all age groups from both- the Aralias and the Magnolias.The event included an art and craft competition in three categories defined by age, namely 3-6 years, 7-12 years and 13-18 years. The winners were rewarded with exciting gifts. There was a 'DIY recycled paper bag making workshop' where residents were taught to make environment friendly alternative of plastic bags for day to day needs. The celebration ended with a tree plantation drive where residents of all age groups planted saplings at the premises of The Magnolias."The event was very well received with a good turnout. Such gatherings bring people together to brainstorm and work ...
Ration shop in Delhi sealed after surprise check
Delhi Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Imran Hussain on Thursday ordered sealing of a ration shop, which was found shut in a surprise inspection in east Delhi.
BS-VI emission norms to be implemented from next year: Javadekar
Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar Thursday said BS-VI emission norms will be implemented from next year which will drastically reduce vehicular pollution. Speaking at a World Environment Day function here, Javadekar said, the Narendra Modi government had decided to switch to BS (Bharat Stage) IV vehicles in 2022 but looking at the poor air situation, it was advanced by four years. He said from 2020 onwards BS-VI compliant vehicles will be available. "Delhi's air began deteriorating in 2007. Narendra Modi government took the challenge with a solution oriented approach. That is why a decision was taken to jump to BS IV fuel vehicles, which were to be shifted to by 2022, fours years in advance. "Now in Delhi and in other places, from 2020 onwards, BS VI fuel will be available and such vehicles will also be prepared for which lot of hard work is required. But it is a commitment and it will be fulfilled. Vehicular pollution will drastically reduce with this effort," he said, ...
The 11th Edition of the GRIHA Summit Will be Co-hosted by UNSW Sydney & GRIHA Council
/ -- Professor Ian Jacobs, UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor and Dr. Ajay Mathur, DG, TERI & President, GRIHA Council, jointly announced the 11th edition of the GRIHA Summit will be co-hosted by UNSW & GRIHA Council in December, 2019 at New Delhi, India inthe presence of Her Excellency Ms Harindher Sidhu, High Commissioner of Australia to India. The 11th edition of India's Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment Council's annual flagship event will, for the second year in a row, be co-hosted with UNSW Sydney in December 2019. The GRIHA Summit brings together experts and consumers to discuss and deliberate on furthering the sustainable habitat agenda in India. It has been recognized as an effective platform for evaluating the environmental performance of a building, holistically over its entire lifecycle, seeking to minimise resource consumption, waste generation and overall ecological/environmental impact of buildings and habitats. Speaking on the announcement, ...
Any decision will be based on our commercial consideration and energy security: India on purchasing oil from Iran
India on Thursday said that any decision on purchasing crude from Iran will be based on its commercial consideration, energy security and national interest."There has not been much change from what I had spoken earlier. The fundamental principle remains that whatever decision we take will be based on commercial consideration, energy security and our national interest," Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said while addressing the weekly press briefing here.Before the Lok Sabha elections, the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that a decision on purchasing oil from Iran will be taken by the new government after the polls.Asked about the US withdrawal of GSP, the MEA spokesperson remained non-committal and said he would not like comment on the basis of media reports."Discussion within the government and even with the US has taken place on the issue. We get such issues in economic ties and these are resolved mutually," he said when ...
CG intensifies search for missing TN fisherman
The Coast Guard is carrying out extensive search for a fisherman from Tamil Nadu who has gone missing in the deep sea off Kerala coast early this week. According to a defence release Thursday, Coast Guard district headquarters (Kerala and Mahe) received distress message on June 3 about fisherman Anthony Raj, 52, missing from a Tamil Nadu registered Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) catamaran. According to information from the Tamil Nadu government's fisheries department, the catamaran left Cochin harbour early morning of June 3, it said. Indian Coast Guard ship (ICGS) C-162 sailed from Kochi and carried out extensive search in the area. ICGS Rajdoot was also diverted to augment the search operation. In addition, Coast Guard helicopter Chetak was also launched on Tuesday. "Extensive sea-air coordinated search was carried out. However, the marooned fisherman could not be located. All out efforts to locate the missing person is still in progress," the release added.
