Page 664 - Environment
Desertification, 'abnormal' Western Disturbances caused spate of storms: Narain
Rapid desertification, water depletion and "abnormal" Western Disturbances, coupled with cyclonic circulations, have contributed to a "spate of dust storms" in the country in the past few month, environmentalist Sunita Narain said today. In a Facebook Live event hosted this evening, she also said that these storms were becoming the "new normal" and therefore the country needed to improve its forecasting ability, dust reduction management and management of its water resources. The event, titled 'Unprecedented storm season and the challenge before us', comes in the backdrop of death of over 250 people in dust and thunder storms across the country last month, owing to which the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has faced criticism. "Large number of dust storms have hit various parts of the country in the past few months, and that is not normal. So, the question, we need to ask is, whether this the new normal. And, what is the level of the preparedness of the country in that ...
IMP Powers provides update on its foray in renewable energy
The company announced the successful trial completion upto 31 May and 4x5 kW turbines are generating power at a record of 70% PLF and has fed more than 80000kWh units till now in the grid. From Tune, the local assembly of Turbines has started in IMP Silvassa.
Asia Rice: India prices dip as Bangladesh production recovers
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India fell this week to their lowest this year on sluggish demand before top buyer Bangladesh slaps import duty on exports of the grain after domestic production recovered.
TN to expand Chennai Trade Centre at Rs 289 Cr: Minister
: Tamil Nadu government has allocated land for taking up expansion of Chennai Trade Centre at a cost of Rs 289 crore and a detailed project report was submitted to the Commerce Ministry seeking its approval, Industries Minister M C Sampath said here today. Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation proposed to expand Chennai Trade Centre with additional space of 15,708 square metres. The government has given permission for additional 9.13 acres of land to TNTPO, he informed the Assembly. "This expansion project will be taken up at an estimated project cost of Rs 289 crore. A detailed project report has been prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the approval," he said. A financial assistance of Rs 10 crore has been received from the Centre for the project, he said. Chennai Trade Centre set up in 2001 is currently spread across 25.48 acres land at Nandambakkam. It was set up by India Trade Promotion Organisation and Tamil Nadu Industrial ...
DVC should regulate water release to avert flood in WB: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said her government will take up with Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) issues like release of water and dredging in its reservoirs ahead of the monsoon to avert floods in South Bengal. Expressing concern over floods in adjoining districts along the Damodar downstream every year, Banerjee said the DVC should regulate the discharge of water with prior intimation to the government to avoid sudden inundation of low-lying areas. "We are writing a letter in this regard to the DVC authority urging it to regulate discharge of water and undertake proper dredging works in their reservoirs to ensure enhanced storage capacity, which could help prevent flood in the downstream adjacent areas," Banerjee said while interacting with the officials at an administrative meeting here. "We don't like to see floods every year at Amta and Udainarayanpur in Howrah, Arambagh-Goghat-Khanakul in Hooghly and Ghatal in West Midnapore with the ...
Plans afoot for permanent solution to Shimla water woes: CM
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday said the government is committed to finding out a permanent solution to the water crisis in Shimla.
Elephant tramples man to death in Uttarakhand
A 48-year-old man was trampled to death by an elephant in Laldhang forest range of Pauri district, a forest officer said today. Bhopal Singh, a resident of Nathukhal village, had gone for some work last afternoon to beat no 7 of Laldhang forest range, a reserved area which is also considered an elephant corridor, Range Officer Virendra Pal Singh said. When he did not return home in the evening, villagers started searching for him, the officer said. They informed the forest department after Bhopal's trampled body was spotted in the reserved forest area late at night, the officer said. The body was sent for a post-mortem in Kotdwar today, he said.
PIL alleges CIDCO is dumping debris in wetland in Navi Mumbai
The Bombay High Court today issued notices to the City and Industrial Development Corporation and civic authorities in Navi Mumbai in response to a public interest litigation alleging that the CIDCO was dumping construction debris in a wetland area. A bench of Justices A S Oka and R I Chagla directed the Collector's office to send an official to the site for inspection. The CIDCO, the planning body for Navi Mumbai, and civic authorities shall stop till further orders all work in the area that is affecting the wetland, the court said. The bench was hearing a PIL filed by NGO 'Abhivyakti'. The construction debris and garbage are being dumped in an area of six hectares in sectors 18 and 19 in Kharghar which contains a pond and a wetland, the PIL alleged. It was being done "at the instance of CIDCO" which is carrying out reclamation in the area since April, it said. Advocate Subhash Jha, the petitioner's lawyer, said several local residents had approached police and the Wetlands Committee
8 MP forest officials arrested for killing man, burning his
Eight forest department personnel, including a deputy ranger, were today arrested for allegedly beating a villager to death and then burning his body to destroy evidence, a police official said. "The incident occurred on Tuesday when a villager Roopchand Sonwane (40) went to the forest to collect firewood near Gangpur village under Bahrai forest circle," said Barghat Police Station in charge Khemendra Jaitwar. He said that deputy ranger Santosh Uike and other forest employees caught him on suspicion that he was cutting teak trees. Some villagers saw the forest department personnel taking away Sonwane, he added. The official said that Sonwane was brought to Uike's residence and the latter assured his family members, when they came looking for the villager, that he would be let off soon. "When Sonwane did not return in the night, the family members contacted Uike again who told them that he had been released. However the man did not return till Wednesday evening," Jaitwar .
Ganga: NGT warns of action against Kanpur tanneries over effluent treatment plants issue
The National Green Tribunal has rapped the tanneries located in and around Kanpur over the delay in setting up of common effluent treatment plants (CETP) and directed them to contribute 25 per cent of the cost as per its direction. A bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim warned the tannery units in Jajmau, Unnao and Banthar that if they fail to abide by its order, appropriate action would be passed against them. "As far as the CETP is concerned at Jajmau, Unnao and Banthar, the CETPs are not established .... it is stated the tannery industries have failed to contribute 25 per cent of the contribution.... "We caution the industries that they will be dealt appropriately if they fail to contribute 25 per cent of their contribution to the CETP establishment exclusive of cost of the establishment of that CETP. However, we direct all concerned to ensure that CETP at Jajmau, Unnao and Banthar are established and the process is expedited and the report in this regard be filed
Ancient humans in tropical rainforests ate raw plants, dried meat
Ancient hunter-gatherer populations living near tropical rainforests on islands in Southeast Asia ate raw plant foods and dried meats to cope with an economically challenging environment, a study has found. Little is known about the early hunter-gatherer populations that lived on islands in Southeast Asia, as human remains from the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene are extremely rare. The Niah Cave in the northeast of Borneo has been identified as a promising archaeological site for learning about the early humans who dwelled in this region. To learn more about these early inhabitants, Darren Curnoe and colleagues from the University of New South Wales in Australia examined three human mandibles that had been excavated from the west mouth of the Niah Cave in 1957. Using radioactive dating techniques, the researchers estimate that one of the mandibles is 28,000 to 30,000 years old, while the other two are at least 11,000 and 10,000 years old, respectively. The oldest mandible of the .
'All meters to be smart prepaid in 3 years', says Power Minister
The Power Minister advised the manufacturers to scale up the manufacturing of smart prepaid meters as the demand would be huge in coming years. The Minister also advised the officials of the Ministry to consider making smart prepaid meters mandatory after a particular date.
Banned plastic products will not be produced in proposed park
Tamil Nadu government today said plastic items proposed to be banned in the state will not be produced at the Plastics Industries Park planned in the neighbouring Tiruvallur district. "The banned (plastic) items will not be manufactured there," Chief Minister K Palaniswami told the assembly. He was replying to a question by DMK member TRB Raja. On Tuesday, Palasniwami had announced in the assembly that the manufacture, sale, storage and usage of items such as plastic paper, cups, water sachets, straws and carry bags would be banned with effect from from January 1, 2019. However, polythene sachets used for packing milk, curd, oil and medical equipment would be exempted from the ban, he had said. The announcement had been made in the interest of the environment, besides to give a "plastic-free" Tamil Nadu to its future generations.
IKEA to use only renewable and recycled materials by 2030
ALMHULT, Sweden (Reuters) - IKEA, the world's biggest furniture retailer, plans to use only renewable and recycled materials in its products by 2030, in the latest commitment by a global store group to reducing its impact on the environment.
All electricity meters to be smart prepaid in 3 years: Minister
All electricity meters in India will become smart prepaid meters in the next three years, Union Power Minister R.K. Singh said on Thursday.
Cabinet approves Continuation of Off-grid and Decentralised Solar PV Applications Programme - Phase III
Phase-Ill of Off-grid and Decentralised Solar PV Application Programme covers following components:
Dissemination of information on weather warnings needs to be improved: MoES official
There is an "issue" in reaching out to people in regard to extreme weather warnings and dissemination of information needs to be improved, a top official of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) said today. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which comes under the MoES, faced criticism following the death of over 250 people in dust and thunder storms in the country last month. The Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments had criticised and accused the IMD for not giving adequate information of the extreme weather warning, a charge denied by the country's official weather agency. The two states had recorded the maximum deaths. The IMD had also faced criticism from the Kerala government over the issue during Cyclone Ockhi. "We predicted about the extreme weather event three days before (it hit). We admit that there is an issue in reaching out to people and there is a need to improve our dissemination strategy, M Rajeevan, Secretary, MoES, said in response to a question. Defending .
Bangladesh slaps 28 percent tax on rice imports
DHAKA/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Bangladesh is imposing a 28 percent tax on rice imports to support its farmers after local production revived, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said on Thursday.
First footprints of animals discovered in China
Researchers have unearthed the nearly 600 million years old fossil footprints of animals, considered to be the earliest record, in China.
Plastics ban in Gujarat may kill over 2000 SMEs: GPMA
The plastics industry in Gujarat is expecting to face a crisis after the ban, with over 2000 SMEs on the verge of closure in several cities, according to the Gujarat Plastic Manufacturers Association (GPMA). "Over 2000 SMEs will be on verge of closure due to plastic ban in several cities including Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Rajkot in the gujarat, and around 50,000 people may lose employment due to this ban," Alpesh Patel, president GPMA told PTI. The announcement in this regard came at a time when the industry was holding talks at various levels of the government including the Gujarat Pollution Control Boardon how to solve the issue, he further said. Most of the 2000 units are located in Halol in Panchmahah district, Vadodaraand Waghodya (both from Vadodara district), according to him. In a bid to make Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Rajkot cities "free of plastic pollution" the three municipal corporations located in these cities, announced a complete ban on production and usage of .
