Page 649 - Environment
Minister Rama Rao invited to Germany for a study visit
: The 'Indo-German Cooperation on Seed Sector Development Project' team has invited Telangana Minister for IT and Industries, K T Rama Rao, for a study visit to Germany from June 25 to 27. The Minister is also expected to participate at the 'World Food Convention, 2018' in Berlin on June 26, an official release here said. "The German project implementation agency invited minister Rama Rao for a study visit on seed sector development to Germany, which will help in setting up a Seed Park, it added.
NTPC inks pact with Noida Authority to use treated sewage water at Dadri plant
State-run power major NTPC today said it has signed a pact with the Noida Authority to use treated sewage water at its Dadri power plant. "NTPC will use treated sewage water at its Dadri Power Station. This is in line with the tariff policy amendment by the Ministry of Power, which requires mandatory use of treated sewage water from Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of municipal body for thermal power plant located within 50 kilometre radius of the STP," an NTPC statement said. NTPC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Noida Authority on June 14, 2018, at Noida for the supply of 80 million litres per day (MLD) treated sewage water to the NTPC Dadri power plant, it said. This project is expected to get completed in next three years. As part of its corporate ethos, NTPC aims utilisation of waste water to ensure a sustainable ecological balance by minimising waste and reusing treated waste water at its power stations. NTPC has always made a pro-active approach towards ...
Who's responsible for marine litter?
Turns out, the general public is more responsible for global concerns such as increasing litter in water bodies than industries and retailers.According to a study conducted by the University of Plymouth, the global marine litter crisis is happening more because of the attitude of members of the public than toxic-waste-generating industries.The results were among the findings of a Europe-wide study which asked more than 1,100 members of the general public about their attitudes to marine litter.It showed more than 95 percent of people reported having seen litter when they visited the coast, and such experiences were associated with higher concern and a willingness to adapt personal behaviour to address the problem.There was also growing appreciation and concern about the threat litter pose to wildlife within the marine environment, vastly outweighing other fears such as the impact on tourism and the fishing and shipping industries.Direct releases into the sea and at the coast were ...
Can Vedic technique help curtail air pollution?
With levels of air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas deteriorating to extremely hazardous levels, experts have come up with a Vedic technique to purify the indoor environment, specifically the polluted air.
JSPL's 4 steelmaking facilities at Angul plant to be inaugurated tomorrow
JSPL today said Union Ministers Chaudhary Birender Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan will tomorrow dedicate to the nation its 3 MTPA basic oxygen furnace (BOF) at Angul steel plant in Odisha. Besides, the ministers will inaugurate a 2 MTPA DRI plant, a blast furnace - claimed as India's largest - and coal gasification plant for steelmaking based on indigenous coal, JSPL said in a statement. The company's plant at Angul is the largest steel manufacturing plant in Odisha, spread across 3,500 acres. It has 1.5 MTPA rebar mill, 1.2 MTPA plate mill, 2.3 MTPA billet caster, 1.7 MTPA slab caster and 2.75 MTPA new electric oxygen furnace, the statement said. It also has 810 MW capacity power plant for captive use, it added. Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) Chairman Naveen Jindal; Chairperson Emeritus of OP Jindal Group, Savitri Jindal and senior officials from steel and petroleum ministries will also be present at the event, it said.
McDonald's to ditch plastic straws in UK, Ireland
McDonald's is set to replace its plastic straws with paper ones across all its outlets in the UK and Ireland from September.
Three Naxals gunned down by security forces in C'garh
Three Naxals were killed in an encounter with security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh today, an official said. The gunbattle took place in the forest area located between Gattapad and Tokanpalli villages under Chintagufa Police Station area around 10 am, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI. "A joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) had launched a search operation in the forest of Chintagufa, located around 500 kms away from the capital Raipur, last night," he said. When the patrolling team was cordoning off the forest between Gattapad and Tokanpalli, the Naxals opened fire on them, he said. Security forces fired in retaliation and the gunfight continued for a while. However, Naxals soon escaped into the forest, he said. During a search of the area, bodies of three ultras clad in 'uniform' along with four weapons, including a 315 bore rifle, a pistol and a muzzle-loading gun, were recovered from the spot, he said. The
Nepal, China to sign hydel project JV pact
Private firms from China and Nepal are expected to sign a joint venture (JV) pact to build hydroelectricity plants in the Himalayan Nation.As per a media report, the pact will be signed during Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's six-day official visit to China, starting June 19."The Prime Minister's (Oli) visit will push ahead Trans-Himalayan multi-dimensional connectivity from China to Nepal and executing past accords," Kathmandu Post quoted Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali as saying.Oli has been invited to Beijing by the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, HE Li Keqiang.Agreements will be signed on June 20 after delegation-level talks between both the leaders, including one on cross-border connectivity between the Nepal Electricity Authority and China's State Grid Company.Energy and railway agreements would be key gains for Nepal during this visit.The JV is planned in a way that it begins with the Lower Manang Marsyangdi Hydroelectric Project with an ...
Delhi's air quality remains severe; strong winds expected to clear stagnant air
Delhi's air quality remained severe for the fourth consecutive day today, even as authorities expressed hope that the condition would improve with strong winds expected to clear the stagnant air. The PM10 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 10 mm) was recorded at 754 in Delhi-NCR and 801 in Delhi, leading to hazy conditions. The PM2.5 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 2.5 mm) that deteriorated from 'very poor' to 'severe' showed improvement today at 184 in Delhi region and 175 in Delhi NCR, said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Yesterday, the PM2.5 level in Delhi-NCR was at 268 and Delhi at 277. According to the CPCB, the air quality index (AQI), a measurement of the concentration of toxic particulate matter in air, at several places in Delhi remained over 500. An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe. As the national capital region struggles ...
Working on modalities of farm loan waiver: Kumaraswamy
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said his government is working on the modalities of farm loan waivers.Taking to Twitter, the Chief Minister said the government is looking to develop a scientifically-procured process so that farmers can reap the maximum benefit from the loan waiver."Dear farmers, Let there be no confusion on farm loan waiver. I am fully committed to the loan waiver. I want to ensure it is done scientifically benefitting maximum farmers. I am working on the modalities and will announce it shortly," he tweeted.Days after taking oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Kumaraswamy met representatives of farmers groups in Bengaluru and discussed the problems faced by them.During the meeting, he promised to honour his commitment towards the farming community on farm loans within 15 days of coming to power.Waiving farmers' loan was one of the main focuses of Kumaraswamy's campaign during the recently-concluded state assembly elections.
Over 100 exoplanets that may host habitable moons identified
Scientists have identified more than 100 giant planets outside our solar system that may potentially host moons capable of supporting life. The finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal, will guide the design of future telescopes that can detect these potential moons and look for tell-tale signs of life, called biosignatures, in their atmospheres. "There are currently 175 known moons orbiting the eight planets in our solar system," said Stephen Kane, an associate professor at University of California, Riverside in the US. "While most of these moons orbit Saturn and Jupiter, which are outside the Sun's habitable zone, that may not be the case in other solar systems," said Kane. The researchers, including those from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, identified 121 giant planets that have orbits within the habitable zones of their stars. At more than three times the radii of the Earth, these gaseous planets are less common than terrestrial planets, but each is ...
McDonald's to replace plastic straws with paper ones in UK and Ireland: BBC
LONDON (Reuters) - McDonald's will replace plastic straws with paper ones in all its restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland, starting from September, the BBC reported on Friday.
Over 100 planets with life-hosting moons identified
Researchers have identified more than 121 giant planets that potentially host moons capable of supporting life.
McDonald's to switch to paper straws in UK, Ireland
McDonald's said today it will switch to paper straws at all its locations in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and test an alternative to plastic ones in some of its U.S. restaurants later this year. The burger chain and other fast-food companies have been facing increasing pressure from customers and environmental activists to stop using plastic straws because they can end up in the ocean and harm sea turtles, birds and other marine life. Paper straws, unlike plastic ones, disintegrate in the environment. McDonald's Corp. declined to say what type of straw it would test in the U.S., only saying that it would be a "sustainable solution." It has more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants, compared to about 1,360 in the U.K. and Ireland. The company will begin to phase out plastic straws at its restaurants in the U.K. and Ireland in September and complete the change next year. It also plans to test alternatives to plastic straws in its restaurants in France, Sweden and Norway.
China cuts subsidies for some renewable power projects - finance ministry
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Some Chinese biomass and waste-to-energy plants will no longer be eligible for renewable energy subsidies, the country's finance ministry said on Friday, as it bids to resolve a huge payment backlog.
Pipe dream? Chevron, Woodside vie to shape Australia's LNG sector
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - After spending a decade and billions of dollars developing Australia's vast gas reserves, U.S. energy giant Chevron Corp and local firm Woodside Petroleum are at odds over the pace and timing of the next leg of expansion.
Japan's SoftBank to invest up to $100 billion in Indian solar - NHK
TOKYO (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp has decided to invest $60 billion-$100 billion in solar power generation in India, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.
Japan's SoftBank to invest up to $100 billion in India solar power generation - NHK
TOKYO (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp has decided to invest $60 billion-$100 billion in solar power generation in India, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.
Essel Infraprojects bags 3 waste-to-energy projects in Andhra
Essel Infraprojects Limited (EIL), an enterprise of Subhash Chandra led Essel Group, has bagged three waste-to-energy (WtE) projects in the cities of Kadapa, Anantapur and T.P Gudem in Andhra Pradesh.EIL has awarded the contract to Hitachi Zosen India Private Limited for delivery of the projects.The contract has been executed between Hitachi Zosen India, a company of Hitachi Zosen Corporation, which is known as a leading WTE Plants Engineering major and special purpose companies owned and operated by Essel Infraprojects Ltd.A Vidyavathsal, President, Environment and Water EPC, Essel Infra, said, "We are proud to have bagged these projects which are in keeping with government's Swachch Bharat campaign. The association with Hitachi Zosen India Private Limited, which is a leader in waste to energy technology, will enable us to deliver state of the art plants."Hideaki Horiuchi, Managing Director of Hitachi Zosen India Private Limited, said, "This project is in line with the Clean India ...
Mexico jaguar population grows 20% in eight years
Mexico's population of wild jaguars has grown 20 percent in the past eight years, according to a study, a bit of good news for an iconic species whose numbers have been declining. There are an estimated 4,800 jaguars in Mexico, found the study released yesterday, carried out by a consortium of institutions and academics with remotely activated cameras triggered by sensors. That was a 20-per cent increase from the first edition of the study, carried out in 2010. "The presence of jaguars ensures that these ecosystems function, by controlling the population of herbivores, and is also an indicator of the ecosystems' good health," said Heliot Zarza, vice president of the National Jaguar Conservation Alliance, in a statement released by the World Wildlife Fund. The jaguar, the largest feline in the Americas, can weigh up to 100 kilos (220 pounds), though the ones found in Mexico rarely weigh more than 60 kilos. The yellow, black-spotted cats are found in 18 countries across the Americas, ..