Page 658 - Environment
Withdraw new draft coastal regulation rules: Goa Church
The Goa Church has demanded withdrawal of the draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification 2018, saying it seems like "guidelines to facilitate projects rather than protecting the environment". The Centre for Responsible Tourism (CRT), an initiative of the Goa Church, claimed that the notification regularises violations to CRZ and opens way for further depredation of the coastal ecology and environment. CRT's general secretary Father Freddy Braganza, in his letter sent on June 9 to Arvind Nautiyal, director, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has raised objections over the proposed amendments in the notification. The ministry had released the draft notification on April 18 seeking comments and suggestions from the general public within 60 days. "The way the draft is framed seems more like guidelines to facilitate projects, rather than to protect the environment. In view of this, the draft CRZ notification 2018 should be categorically withdrawn," CRT .
NGT directs hill states to file report on forest fires
The National Green Tribunal has voiced concern over recurring forest fires in the hill states and directed them to inform it about the steps taken by them to control such incidents. A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Jawad Rahim impleaded the Ministry of Environment and Forests as well as the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal in the case. It also also issued notices to these hill states and asked them to file an affidavit stating measures taken by them to check forest fires, which cause considerable damage to the environment. "Issue notice to the aforesaid states and who are now impleaded with a direction to them to file an affidavit as to what steps they have taken with regard to National Action Plan for forest fire management at state level. It shall be done within two weeks," the bench said. During the hearing, the Uttarakhand government told the tribunal that a state forest fire management plan has been ...
12,000-yr-old rock painting found in China
Archaeologists have confirmed that a rock painting discovered in the Lesser Khingan Mountains in China's Heilongjiang province dates back 12,000 years.
India to share ocean buoy data: official
In a significant decision, India today announced that it would share data obtained by its ocean buoys, positioned outside the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), with others nations without any restrictions. These buoys, having sensors for lower atmosphere and sub surface observations, are located in the Indian Ocean and help forecast monsoon as well as provide cyclone warnings. However, data from buoys within the country's EEZ would not be shared due to security reasons, a senior official said. "It was a kind of policy that we had to withhold the data from these buoys. But now we thought withholding the data may not help us. We are opening up even atmospheric data. It will be given free of cost," M Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences told reporters here today. He was speaking on the sidelines of the second India-USA colloquium on "Earth Observations and Sciences for Society and Economy". Rajeevan said data from these buoys situated in international waters would
Global problems warrant global solutions: US scientist
Global problems, including those related to climate and ocean sciences, warrant global solutions, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) chief scientist Craig McLean said here on Monday.
Andhra CM Naidu inaugurates diaphragm wall pylon of Polavaram project
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday inaugurated the diaphragm wall pylon at the Polavaram irrigation project in West Godavari district."This is the biggest diaphragm wall in India. This is the lifeline for Andhra Pradesh. I am dedicating this project to the nation. Opposition YSR Congress Party tried to create hurdles to the project. But I will definitely complete this (Polavaram) project," Naidu said."Ours is the first government to realise river interlinking in India. We are rehabilitating almost one lakh tribal families. Government of India is still due to pay more than Rs 1000 crore for the project. I will complete this project by December 2019," he added.The diaphragm wall forms the foundation for 150-feet high Earth-cum-Rock-Fill (ECRF) dam, which will store 194 tmcft of water.The diaphragm wall that is constructed below ECRF prevents the leakage of water across the dam from the bottom of ECRF through sand pores.The construction of the diaphragm wall ...
Meat, farmed catfish have highest environmental impact: Study
Industrial beef production and farmed catfish are the most taxing on the environment, while small wild-caught fish and molluscs, including oysters and mussels, have the lowest environmental impact, according to a study. When compared to studies of vegetarian and vegan diets, a selective diet of aquaculture and wild capture fisheries has a lower environmental impact than either of the plant-based diets, researchers said. The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, is the most comprehensive look at the environmental impacts of different types of animal protein production. "If you are an environmentalist, what you eat makes a difference. We found there are obvious good choices, and really obvious bad choices," said Ray Hilborn, a professor at the University of Washington in the US. The study is based on nearly a decade of analysis, in which the researchers reviewed hundreds of published life-cycle assessments for various types of animal protein ...
Total says no impact from farmers' blockade on refinery operations
PARIS (Reuters) - France's Total said personnel from the oil and gas company had access to four refineries in France and a blockade of the sites by farmers had not had an impact on operations.
Thai turtle's plastic-filled stomach highlights ocean crisis
Startling images of plastic shreds, rubber bands and other debris found jammed in the stomach of a green turtle in Thailand have highlighted the crisis of waste-strewn seas following the widely publicised death of a whale this month. Thailand is one of the world's largest consumers of plastic, which kills hundreds of marine mammals and reptiles swimming off its coasts every year. The problem grabbed public attention in the first week of June when an autopsy of a dead pilot whale found near the border with Malaysia revealed 80 plastic bags inside its stomach. The green turtle, a protected species, suffered a similar fate after washing up on a beach in the eastern province of Chanthaburi on June 4, Weerapong Laovechprasit, a veterinarian at the Eastern Marine and Coastal Resource Research and Development Centre, told AFP. Plastic, rubber bands, pieces of balloon and other rubbish had filled the turtle's intestinal tract, leaving it unable to eat and causing its death two days later. "It
Union Earth Sciences ministry to study marine litter issue:
The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences will begin work on gauging marine litter and their sources along the country's coastline, a senior ministry official said today. M Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences said that the country had joined the United Nations' "Clean Seas' programme and the ministry's Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services and another Chennai-based institute would work on the field of marine litter. "Recent talk is about marine litter. People talk about marine plastic, marine micro plastic. We have already joined the UNs Clean Seas programme and we will be starting a new activity on marine litter," Rajeevan told reporters on the sidelines of the India-USA colloquium which began today at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. "It is to gauge pollution in the coastal regions and to find out its sources. We will also work with state governments," he said. Calling marine pollution a serious national problem, Rajeevan said that ..
Iran to build nuclear propulsion system: Atomic Chief
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday that his country has made preparations to build nuclear propulsion systems.
Body of one of the two trapped workers spotted after 11 days
After 10 days of rescue operation, the body of one of the two earth moving machine operators, who were trapped under a heap of boulders was spotted at Bariput quarry in Odisha's Koraput district today. The fate of the other worker is yet to be known, officials said. The body found from the site, located under the jurisdiction of Bisingpur police station, is yet to be identified. It has decomposed since it was buried for the last 11 days, the officials said. "We have called the family members of both the trapped operators to identify the body. Efforts are on to spot the other trapped operator," the District Collector of Koraput, K Sudarshan Chakravarthy, said. Controlled blasting, for at least 10 times, under direct supervision of a team of Indian Army's engineering wing, were carried out in past three days, to remove the heap of boulders in an effort to rescue the trapped workers, an official said. "If required more blasting could be done," the Additional Superintendent
Monsoon rain batters west coast, fishermen advised not to venture into high seas
As the southwest monsoon makes a steady progress up north, India's west coast was battered today by heavy rainfall, especially the coastal Karnataka, Goa and south Konkan region, the India Meteorological Department said. The Northern Limit of Monsoon now passes through Thane (including Mumbai), Ahmednagar, Parbhani, Yeotmal, Brahmapuri, Rajnandgaon, Bhavanipatna, Puri, Agartala, north Lakhmipur. Conditions are turning favourable for its advance to Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and parts of West Bengal, Sikkim and other northeastern states in the next 48 hours, it said. "Heavy to very heavy rain" was recorded at a few places over coastal Karnataka and south Konkan and Goa while "heavy to very heavy rain" was recorded at isolated places in north Konkan, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, central Maharashtra, south-interior Karnataka and Kerala," the IMD said in its monsoon bulletin. For tomorrow, the Met department has predicted "heavy to very heavy rain" at a few places in coastal .
4-fold rise in physical infrastructure expenditure: Mamata
West Bengal has witnessed a four-fold rise in its expenditure on physical infrastructure since the Trinamool Congress formed the government in 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said. Recently, Rs 18,000 crore of new infrastructure projects have been allocated, in addition to the Rs 25,755 crore of budgetary allocation for capital expenditure for the current financial year, she said. "Infrastructure development is going on in a rapid pace in Bengal. In fact, expenditure on physical infrastructure in the state has increased almost four-fold since 2011," Banerjee wrote on her Facebook wall this evening. The Rs 18,000 crore of new infrastructure projects include flyovers, rural and urban drinking water, roads and bridges, power, affordable housing and irrigation, she said. "These will open up huge investment opportunities and generate employment in the state," the chief minister said.
13 die in rain-related incidents in Kerala in 2 days
Torrential monsoon rains lashing several parts of Kerala have claimed at least 13 lives in the last two days, officials said today. Four people died today -- two inThiruvananthapuram and one each at Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts in rain-related incidents, officials in the state Control Room for disaster management here said. As the Met department warned of strong winds along and off Kerala coast and over Lakshadweep islands in the next 24 hours and asked fishermen not to venture into sea, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked officials to be alert and take utmost care. "People living in hilly taluks need to be extra careful. Government has taken necessary precautions to meet any exigency. Control rooms have been opened across the state," he tweeted. In the state capital, a man was electrocuted to death when he came in contact with a power line that snapped in gusty winds at nearby Neyyatinkara, while another died in a tree fall. According to revenue ...
Ethanol plant in Bargarh to take off soon: Dharmenra Pradhan
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said that work for the Rs 1,000 crore ethanol plant in Bargarh is likely to take off soon. The Union minister for petroleum and natural gas said that the project was delayed as the state government allegedly failed to provide land on time. The problem has already been resolved, he added. "While land for the project has already been provided, environmental clearance was also obtained. The work is expected to begin soon," Pradhan told reporters here while briefing on achievements of BJP-led NDA government at the Centre during the last four years. "I am hopeful that the work on the project will take off in July or August this year," he said. He said crop residue such as straw and other biomass would be utilised to produce ethanol in the plant, which is being set up with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore. Pradhan said Sambalpur would be covered by piped gas distribution network within three years and CNG will be made available in the city
Haryana to organise awareness campaign for farmers
Awareness programmes will be conducted at the village, block and district levels for farmers in Haryana from June 20 to July 15, a top official said today. These programmes will generate awareness about the negative effects of stubble burning, its alternatives and various farmer welfare schemes and will be supervised by senior officials, Principal Secretary of Haryana Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department, Abhilaksh Likhi, said. Likhi was addressing a meeting, via video-conferencing, which was attended by deputy directors from his department and those form the district horticulture departments. The principal secretary said that seminars would be organised across districts under the campaign and directed the deputy directors of departments to ensure maximum participation of the farmers. Likhi also directed the agricultural officers to get the work for soil health cards completed at the earliest. The officers were also asked to ensure that maximum number of farmers enrol for the ..
Kejriwal inaugurates BRPL's new unmanned grid substation
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday inaugurated BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL)'s new grid substation in south Delhi, which will benefit around 3 lakh people and cater to the national capital's constantly increasing power demand.
Northern Railways to monitor cleanliness of trains using WhatsApp groups
The Northern Railways will now monitor cleanliness of its trains using WhatsApp groups supervised by senior officials. Every department, be it pantry, bed rolls etc., will have separate WhatsApp groups, in which status report of cleanliness will be uploaded on a daily basis. "WhatsApp groups have been created for train and pantry cleanliness, bed rolls and functionality of air conditioners in trains. Photographs are being uploaded in these groups for monitoring by senior officials," Northern Railway General Manager Vishwesh Chaube said. The zone will also soon commission an automatic coach washing plant at the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station which can wash a 24-coach train thoroughly in under eight minutes. The plant, which is currently undergoing trials at the station, is being set up by the Northern Railways at a cost of Rs 1.6 crore, he said. The automatic plant will consume around 240 litres of water to wash a coach as against 1,500 litres required in manual washing, Chaube ...
Kejriwal inaugurates power sub station in South Delhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today inaugurated a 66 KVA grid sub station of the discom BRPL at Fatehpur Beri in South Delhi that will benefit around three lakh residents. Kejriwal also unfurled the national flag atop a 35 mt mast at BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), a spokesperson of the discom said. Delhi's power demand has been increasing at around 4-5 per cent annually and the newly inaugurated sub station is a part of future proofing of distribution network of the discom, he said. Power Minister Satyendar Jain and some AAP MLAs were present at the inaugural function. BRPL CEO Amal Sinha said, We are very confident that not only will BRPL continues to meet the ever increasing power needs of the area, but also continue to partner in the development of the national capital." Constructed at a cost of around Rs 45 crore, this 66 KVA grid sub station is extremely critical to the growing power needs of the fast developing areas of South Delhi. "Commissioning of the sub station .
