Page 647 - Environment
Adani UPCL executes pact with NMPT for project expansion
The Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL), a subsidiary of Adani Power Limited, has signed a concession agreement with New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) for additional 4.99 hectares in the NMPT premises to enable the UPCL's project expansion. UPCL currently operates two 600 MW thermal power plants at Yellur village in Udupi district. NMPT chairman-in-charge Suresh P Shirwadkar and Adani UPCL joint president Kishore Alva signed the agreement here on June 15, a release here said today. Speaking on the occasion, Shirwadkar said the execution of the concession agreement with UPCL would facilitate NMPT in experiencing good traffic in cargo handling at the port in the coming days. Kishore Alva said the UPCL had in May 2008 entered into a 30-year concession agreement with NMPT for 15 hectares for setting up a bulk coal terminal. This involved the construction and operation of a captive jetty with associated facilities required for handling bulk quantities of coal. He said the ...
Fences dismantled in Tibetan nature reserve for antelopes
Work has begun for dismantling pasture fences in the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in Tibet to protect Tibetan antelopes and other rare animals in the reserve, a media report said today. Upon completion of the work, about 700 hectares of meadow in Nyima County, Nagqu city, will be made accessible to the animals. "The fences were in the core area of the reserve, an important habitat for Tibetan antelopes. Antelopes used to get injured on the fences," Dechen Lhundrup, deputy head of the county forestry police, said. "Thanks to the relocation of local residents to Lhasa, the fences are no longer needed," the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying. At an average altitude of more than 5,000 metres, the reserve covers an area of 298,000 sq km and is home to dozens of protected species. It was established in 1993 as a regional nature reserve and was upgraded to a national reserve in 2000. The estimated population of Tibetan antelopes in the reserve exceeds 150,000, up from ...
Kumaraswamy seeks Centre's support to farm loan waiver
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today requested the Central government for 50 per cent support to his government's farm loan waiver scheme. "Debt of farmers is staring us in the face. My government is ready to address this problem and I request the Government of India to support us," he said. In his address at the 4th meeting of the NITI Ayog governing council in New Delhi, a copy of which was shared with the media here, the chief minister said in Karnataka about 85 lakh farmers have outstanding debts on account of agricultural loans from banks. He said, "Due to recurring droughts, the distress of the farmers is even more severe. I request the Government of India to provide 50 per cent support for our loan waiver initiative." Kumaraswamy is under intense pressure to announce the farm loan waiver that his party, the JD(S) had promised in the run-up to the assembly elections in Karnataka. After initially citing coalition compulsions for the delay, the chief minister on May
Missing workers, including Indians, from Nepal hydro project rescued after 40 hrs
Four people, including two Indians, who had gone missing after a huge mass of earth caved in at a tunnel site of the Arun III hydro power project in eastern Nepal, have been rescued after nearly 40 hours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli had last month jointly laid the foundation stone of the 900-megawatt plant in Tumlingtar area. The mud mound at Numko Fyaisando tunnel had caved in and swept away the workers along with a dozer on Friday night. Those swept away were identified as dozer operator Budhan Munda, 55, of Jharkhand, and pump helper Nanda Kishor, 45, of Bihar besides locals Pradip Shahi, 32 and Prem Pariyar, 44, my Republica quoted a police official as saying. The four were rescued after 39 hours and are undergoing treatment at a hospital, the police official said.
Evict all illegal occupants from core zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve :HC
The Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government to take stepswithin three weeks for eviction of all unauthorised occupants from government buildings at Kalagarh which comes under the core zone of the Corbett Tiger Reserve. On a PIL challenging a government notification demarcating the buffer and core zones of Corbett Tiger Reserve on Saturday, the division bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Lokpal Singh directed the Chief Secretary to take steps for the eviction of unauthorised occupants from government buildings at Kalagarh within three weeks. The court also asked the directors of Corbett and Rajaji Tiger reserves to preserve the viscera of tigers dying unnaturally and videograph their post-mortem besides having inquiries conducted into their deaths by the Sub Divisional Magistrates concerned. The court also directed the State Government to install CCTVs and deploy drones to prevent illegal poaching. Taking stern view of a PIL filed by an illegal occupant of a ...
Plans to construct anicut on Mahanadi
In a bid to boost tourism and conservation of water, the Sambalpur district administration has asked the authorities to prepare a propsal for constructing a new anicut on river Mahanadi, which passes through the city. The district administration has already urged the irrigation department to prepare the proposal for the project for which around Rs 100 crore would be required, Sambalpur Collector, Samarth Verma said. Verma said he has also apprised Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about the project during his visit to the district recently. The chief minister has evinced interest in the proposal, an official said. Anicut is a dam made in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation. An anicut already exists on the river Mahanadi near Hatpara in the city. The anicut was constructed in the mid 60's by the irrigation department, to store the river water for the use of the people of the city. While the length of the existing anicut is around 1.7 kilometres, its height ...
Mount Everest, the high-altitude rubbish dump
Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even human excrement litter the well-trodden route to the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak. "It is disgusting, an eyesore," Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who has summited Everest 18 times, told AFP. "The mountain is carrying tonnes of waste." As the number of climbers on the mountain has soared -- at least 600 people have scaled the world's highest peak so far this year alone -- the problem has worsened. Meanwhile, melting glaciers caused by global warming are exposing trash that has accumulated on the mountain since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first successful summit 65 years ago. Efforts have been made. Five years ago Nepal implemented a $4,000 rubbish deposit per team that would be ...
Projs worth Rs 20K cr under implementation to boost ports capacity
As many as 39 projects entailing investment of Rs 20,535 crore are under implementation to augment the capacity of 12 major ports, an official said. These projects are part of 112 port capacity expansion projects, involving total investment of Rs 69,636 crore, that have been planned to increase port capacity to 3,500 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to cater to the projected traffic of 2,500 mtpa by 2025. "Out of these 112 port master plan projects, 39 projects at a cost Rs 20,535 crore are under implementation," a Shipping Ministry official said. As many as 15 projects worth Rs 6,920 crore have already been completed, while 11 projects entailing an investment of Rs 5,485 crore are under tender process, the official added. These 112 port capacity expansion projects had been identified for implementation over next 20 years and are expected to add 780 mtpa capacity at major ports. India has 12 major ports, namely Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O .
Mammals going nocturnal to avoid humans: Study
Human activity is causing the planet's mammals to flee daylight for the protection of night, a study has found. The study, published in the journal Science, represents the first effort to quantify the global effects of human activity on the daily activity patterns of wildlife. Its results highlight the powerful and widespread process by which animals alter their behaviour alongside people: human disturbance is creating a more nocturnal natural world. "Catastrophic losses in wildlife populations and habitats as a result of human activity are well documented, but the subtler ways in which we affect animal behaviour are more difficult to detect and quantify," said Kaitlyn Gaynor, a PhD candidate at University of California, Berkeley in the US. Researchers applied a meta-analysis approach, using data for 62 species across six continents to look for global shifts in the timing of daily activity of mammals in response to humans. These data were collected by various approaches, including ...
Greenpeace India urges Environment Ministry to speed up rolling out National Clean Air Programme
With a massive haze of dust enveloping Delhi and the pollution levels dropping to "severe" category, a green body has urged the Environment Ministry to speed up rolling out its National Clean Air Programme, which proposes multiple strategies to combat air pollution. Greenpeace India said air pollution is a "silent and invisible killer" and a national health emergency, asserting that big polluters must be held accountable for the menace. The air pollution situation in Delhi remained "severe" for the fifth day on Saturday, but authorities expressed hope that the air quality would improve after pollutants begin to disperse. The pollution level had dipped to "severe plus" category at on one point on Saturday but the situation was gradually improving, the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research institute (SAFAR) said. "Air pollution is prevalent all year round and throughout the country and not just limited to Delhi. The environment ministry must speed up its .
New Auto Policy likely to be finalised in 3 months
The new National Auto Policy, which may seek emission-linked taxation for automobiles and a technology agnostic green mobility roadmap, is likely to be finalised in the next three months, according to official sources. Discussions with various stakeholders have been on for the past six months to frame the new policy, which envisages having a single nodal regulatory body for the automobile industry, officials in the Heavy Industry Ministry said. A draft Cabinet note on the policy is being prepared and will be circulated shortly among departments concerned, they disclosed. "There has also been a discussion on strengthening the FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric & Hybrid Vehicles) scheme further for the faster adoption of eco-friendly automobile technologies," a source said. In terms of emission, it has been suggested to have a comprehensive long-term plan with definite time-lines under the new auto policy, the source added. The draft of the policy released ...
Karaikal port expedites work on mechanised coal-handling
Karaikal Port Private Ltd has expedited work on mechanisation of coal-handling through a fully-automated conveyor belt at the cost of Rs 600 crore and it would be completed within two months, a top port official said. Speaking to reporters here, Chairman and Managing Director of the port G R K Reddy said more than 300 technicians were now working on the mechanisation and the work would be completed within 60 days. He said the six-km long conveyor belt would take the coal directly to wagons for inland transit from ships thereby preventing coal particles from flowing into the air. Locals have staged protests complaining about environment pollution caused by the present manual handling of coal. Reddy said the port was directed by the Puducherry pollution control committee to install the belt system to minimise pollution. The port, which was commissioned in 2009, was committed to protecting the environment, and would soon become an environment-friendly port, he added.
Caution sounded after tigers spotted near Goa-Karnataka border
In a warning to tourists and travellers, the Railways on Saturday issued a public caution stating that tigers and leopards have been sighted along the Castlerock-Kulem rail section near the Goa-Karnataka border.
Sri Lanka to tighten environmental law against waste, pollution
Sri Lanka will strengthen its environmental law against growing industrial pollution, urban waste disposal and illegal buildings, Cabinet spokesperson Gayantha Karunathilleke said on Saturday.
Similipal Tiger Reserve closes for monsoon
The Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) will remain off limits for visitors, starting from today, in view of the monsoon, a senior forest official said. The tiger reserve is closed during the rainy season every year, STR Field Director M Mohan said. "The date of reopening of STR will be notified after the monsoon ends," he added. The STR, spread over an area of 2,750 sq km, attracts thousands of domestic and foreign tourists due to its varied flora and fauna, including the Black Melanistic Royal Bengal Tiger, and breathtaking waterfalls.
Weather forecasts may get precise soon
It has been a known fact for long that rain forecasts are flawed, as a lot of factors like evaporation are not taken into account.The researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have developed a system that improves the precision of forecasts by accounting for evaporation in rainfall estimates, particularly for locations 30 miles or more from the nearest National Weather Service radar."Right now, forecasts are generally not accounting for what happens to a raindrop after it is picked up by radar," said a researcher, Neil Fox, "Evaporation has a substantial impact on the amount of rainfall that actually reaches the ground. By measuring that impact, we can produce more accurate forecasts that give farmers, agriculture specialists and the public the information they need."A dual polarization radar was used ends out two radar beams polarized horizontally and vertically, to differentiate between the sizes of raindrops by researchers Fox and Quinn Pallardy. It was seen that the size .
61-day fishing ban concludes in Tamil Nadu
The 61-day fishing ban period which was imposed for mechanised boats along Tamil Nadu's east coast concluded on Friday.The fishing ban operates between April 15 and Jun 15 every year during the breeding season for fishes.Although the fishermen from Rameswaram have started sailing on Saturday, they are disappointed because of the less diesel supply at state-run petrol pumps.Tamil Nadu Fishermen Federation State Secretary C.R. Senthilvel said that the fishermen are ready to cooperate with the authorities in regard to their ecological concerns, but in return, he demanded that the fishermen should get their subsidised diesel for running their motorboats otherwise the livelihoods would be at risk."Painful ironies keep repeating for the Fishermen Community of Tamil Nadu. Fishermen respect the ecological constraint and they wish to cooperate with the authorities in getting their quota of subsidized diesel, but the state-run banks are running dry today. If we have to depend on the private ...
Elderly woman killed by wild elephant in C'garh
A septuagenarian woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Korba district of Chhattisgarh this morning, police said. The victim, identified as Nevarthin Bai (78), was attacked by the pachyderm when she had gone to collect forest produce from the forest adjacent to her village Sakdukala in Kartala forest range, a forest official said. "She spotted the pachyderm in the forest, after which she tried to escape. However, theelephant chased and attacked her, in which she died on the spot," he said. The local villagers spotted her body and informed the police and forest officials, following which they rushed to the spot, he said. The woman's body has been sent for the post-mortem, he said adding that a case has been registered in this connection. "The kin of the deceased were given an instant relief amount of Rs 25,000 by the forest department, while the remaining compensation amount of Rs 3.75 lakh will be disbursed after completing all the formalities in this ...
Delhi: Air quality improves considerably
Air Quality Index (AQI) reports in the national capital indicated that PM 2.5 and PM 10 particles were in the moderate and severe categories respectively on Saturday.In Delhi's Lodhi Road area, the PM 2.5 particles level was at the 169 mark, while PM 10 pollutant level was at 500.Strong-anti cyclonic winds, blowing from Rajasthan, have been singled out as the reason behind the worsening air quality.Based on these numbers, air quality has improved considerably since yesterday, when the PM10 level was over 700 in most of the areas in Delhi-NCR areas, leading to hazy conditions and limiting visibility.The AQI of R.K. Puram and Anand Vihar were recorded 948 and 999 respectively.In the wake of the poor air quality over Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had on Thursday ordered to stop all civil construction activities across the national capital from June 15 to 17 to bring down the severe dust pollution.Lt. Governor took to Twitter and said, "Held emergency meeting in view of severe ...
Air connectivity restored in Chandigarh
To and fro air connectivity in Chandigarh was restored on Saturday after two days of partial suspension owing to a thick haze of dust and pollution that reduced the visibility in the region, an airport official said.
