Page 673 - Environment
Subarnarekha port gets Defence Min nod; construction to begin soon
The construction of Subarnarekha port in Odisha will begin soon as the defence ministry has given its clearance for the project, Odisha government said today. Chennai-based Creative Port Private Ltd (CPPL) has proposed construction of an all-weather deep-draft commercial port at Subarnarekha river, the Odisha government said in a statement released here. Steel giant Tata Steel has signed an agreement with the Chennai firm to pick up 51 per cent equity in the port project from the original promoters, it said. "Ministry of Defence has given the nod for construction of a port on Subarnarekha river mouth on the Bay of Bengal in Balasore district. Decks have been cleared for the project and the construction will start shortly," the statement said. The proposed port project is located close to the integrated test range site of the defence ministry at Chandipur near Balasore. Earlier, the ministry had certain objections to the project, it added. The land acquisition for the project is ...
Himachal bans use of thermocol plates
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday announced a ban on use of thermocol plates in the state as they are major cause of pollution, as well plastic water bottles less than one litre capacity at official functions.
It's duty of people to protect environment, says Chamling
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling today said it is duty of the people to protect environment from destruction in order to provide a better place for the future generations to live in. "On the World Environment Day, let us remember that we have a responsibility to protect our Mother Earth for our future generation," he said in a message. On this occasion, the chief minister called for a ban on use of plastics as a measure to save environment. "Sikkim is the first state in the country to ban the use of plastics as early as in 1998, it was one of our foremost initiatives towards environmental protection after we formed the government in December 1994," he said. Chamling urged the citizens to refrain from using plastics as it is extremely hazardous to nature and said that all of us must take a pledge to keep our world clean, green and pollution-free always.
Maruti 'investing' in new technologies to bring down CO2 emissions
Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) today said it is investing in new technologies to further reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per vehicle. The company said it is also in the process of aligning with stringent EU norms for classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances besides adopting VCI Packaging (Volatile Corrosion Inhibitors) guidelines for packaging materials. "Maruti Suzuki is working systematically to reduce vehicle emissions and the impact of manufacturing on the environment... Going forward, we will continue our focus on investing in new technologies and further bring down CO2 emissions per vehicle," MSI Managing Director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said in a statement. As part of company's efforts to use renewable source of energy, MSI plans to install a 5 MW solar power plant at its Gurgaon campus this fiscal, he added. "At Manesar, our existing 1 MW solar power plant will be complemented by an additional 0.5 MW solar plant," Ayukawa ...
Centre extends procurement period for gram, garlic
The Centre has extended procurement period for gram in Maharashtra till June 13 and for garlic in Rajasthan till June 20, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today. The two crops, grown in the 2017-18 rabi (winter) season, are being procured under the price support scheme (PSS) as market prices have fallen below the support price level. "Government of India has extended the period of procurement till June 13, 2018 of gram (Chana) under the PSS from farmers of Maharashtra during rabi 2017-18," Singh tweeted. He also said that procurement of garlic in Rajasthan has also been extended till June 20 of this year.
Asian LNG prices rally to four-year seasonal high as demand soars
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices have risen to their highest since 2014 for this time of the year as demand from China, India and South Korea has surged at the same time several production issues are curbing spot supply.
China spends $171 million on ecological conservation in Tibet
China spent $171 million on ecological conservation projects in Tibet in 2017.
Shimla in throes of worst-ever water crisis as world observes Environment Day
As the world observed the Environment Day today, residents of Shimla continued to grapple with the worst-ever water crisis in the hill city's history, a stark warning of what the consequences of degradation of natural resources can be. Despite the best efforts of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) and other authorities, people are getting water only after a gap of three to four days. The severe water shortage raised its head during peak tourist season and has already hit the hospitality sector here. Reckless felling of trees, unplanned and illegal constructions have reduced the 'queen of hills' to a concrete jungle and drying up of water sources has plunged Shimla into this deep crisis. The town has faced water woes during the summer for past many years. But the crisis this year was unprecedented and experts attribute it to the degradation of environment. Shimla has been declared a 'smokeless' city where smoking in public is banned while the use of polythene and plastic is ...
Maruti Suzuki innovations to reduce emissions and water use
Saves 8.3 lakh tonnes of CO2 emission over the past decade
Responsibility of industries to control water pollution: Amarinder
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said it was the responsibility of the industries in the state to control pollution by ensuring that no untreated water or effluent is thrown into the rivers. He also stressed the need for curtailing paddy cultivation in order to save the depleting water resources. Singh was speaking on the World Environment Day at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) here after launching the Congress government's landmark initiative 'Mission Tandarust Punjab', to transform Punjab into one of the healthiest state. Expressing concern over the depleting ground water level, the chief minister underlined the importance of introducing crops that use less water, warning that "if we do not act now, things will become extremely bad for the state in the times ahead". Reiterating his government's commitment to ensuring clean water, the chief minister said throwing of waste into the rivers by industry was not acceptable. "It is the industry's .
Ancient Greenland was much warmer than thought
Greenland was once much warmer than previously thought, say scientists who have discovered remains of ancient life in lake mud of the region that survived the last ice age. The mud, discovered by researchers at the Northwestern University in the US, has remains of common flies nestled within it, which record two interglacial periods in northwest Greenland. Although researchers have long known these two periods - the early Holocene and Last Interglacial - experienced warming in the Arctic due to changes in the Earth's orbit, the mix of fly species preserved from these times shows that Greenland was even warmer than previously thought. This information could help researchers better gauge Greenland's sensitivity to warming, by testing and improving models of climate and ice sheet behaviour. Those models could then improve predictions of how Greenland's ice sheet, which covers 80 per cent of the Arctic country and holds enough ice to equal 20 feet of global sea level, might respond to ...
Maharashtra to be 100 pc plastic-free in one year: Minister
Maharashtra will be totally free of plastic in the the next one year, said Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam today as he listed the ill-effects of using the material. On March 23, the BJP-led government imposed a ban on a slew of plastic products in the state. It had issued a notification, baning manufacture, use, sale, distribution and storage of plastic materials such as one-time-use bags, spoons, plates, PET and PETE bottles and also thermocol items. "This is not the first time that plastic has been banned (in Maharashtra). Plastic below 50 microns (thickness) was first banned by the government in 2006 but it was not properly implemented. "Over 1,200 tonnes of plastic waste is created every day, but we don't know how much of it is recycled," Kadam said. He was speaking at a plastic recycling initiative, "Bottles for Change", launched by leading mineral water brand Bisleri on the occasion of the World Environment Day. Kadam claimed 80 per cent of banned plastic items ..
New Zealand classifies kauri tree as threatened
New Zealand on Tuesday classified the kauri tree, which is affected by a plant disease, as "threatened", along with more than 100 endemic plants in the country.
Iran tells UN it will hike uranium enrichment capacity
Iran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has launched a plan to increase its uranium enrichment capacity, nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said today. "A letter was submitted to the agency yesterday regarding the start of certain activities," said Salehi, a vice president and head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation. "If conditions allow, maybe tomorrow night at Natanz, we can announce the opening of the centre for production of new centrifuges" for uranium enrichment, he said, quoted by conservative news agency Fars.
India may install 225 GW renewable power by 2022: power minister
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India hopes to touch renewable power capacity of 225 gigawatts (GW) by March 2022, the country's power minister said on Tuesday, likely breaching the 175 GW target set in 2015.
Deendayal Port in Kandla to have fertiliser cargo facility
A fertiliser cargo handling facility will be set up at Deendayal Port in Kandla for which the port will invest Rs 340 crore, the government today said. The proposed facility will handle 2.60 million tonne per annum (MTPA) cargo which will be raised subsequently to 4.50 MTPA. "The Standing Finance Committee of Ministry of Shipping has cleared a project for setting up an exclusive, fully mechanised handling facility for fertiliser cargo at Deendayal Port in Kandla. "The facility will be developed at berth number 14 of the port, which is being constructed at an approximate cost of Rs 138 crore. The port will further invest nearly Rs 340 crore for the project from its internal resources," Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. The facility is expected to be commissioned by October, 2020. In the proposed project, all activities, right from unloading of bulk fertiliser cargo from ships to loading of the bagged fertiliser onto the wagons will be fully mechanised, the statement said. The ..
Goa's tourism industry feels "powerless"
Goa's tourism industry is facing a tough time due to frequent power cuts in the coastal belt of North Goa, which has a large number of hotels, guest houses and rooms for travellers visting the state. Goa is facing a power crisis since the last 15 days with the state electricity department claiming pre-monsoon works have caused disruptions in distribution network, causing frequent shutdowns. Calangute MLA and deputy speaker of the assembly Michael Lobo admitted the situation in the tourist belt of North Goa is worst in the state as the industry has never seen this kind of load-shedding and power cuts. "The impact on the industry is big. Right now all people are affected," he said, referring to the tourism industry and locals living in North Goa. "People and industry stakeholders are angry with the government. In a day, electricity cuts take place almost 20 times. There is load-shedding for hours," Lobo said. He said the industry, a key source of revenue for the ...
India, Brazil, South Africa discuss South-South cooperation
India, Brazil and South Africa discussed South-South cooperation during an informal meeting here chaired by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and attended by South African Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu and the Brazilian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcos Bezerra Abbott Galvao.
Deendayal Port in Kandla to have an exclusive, mechanized facility for handling fertilizer cargo
In the proposed project all activities, right from unloading of bulk fertilizer cargo from the ships to loading of the bagged fertilizer onto the wagons will be fully mechanized. The fertilizer cargo will be unloaded using Mobile Harbour Cranes onto Mobile Hoppers. The conveyor system, along with the tipper system, will transfer the cargo to the cargo storage shed of 38,500 m2. The storage shed will be equipped with 40 sets of bagging and stitching units which will feed the bagged cargo directly into wagons to reduce labour, movement and will optimize time and as such the logistic cost will come down.
Forest dept buying plastic bottles from people in Koraput
In a novel way to dissuade people from using plastic, Koraput forest division in Odisha is buying plastic bottles from people as part of its campaign coinciding with the World Environment Day today. During the campaign from June 1 to 7, the forest division has been buying unused plastic bottles from residents and business establishments to reuse them, an official said. This year, the United Nations' theme for World Environment Day is 'Beat Plastic Pollution' - a call to combat one of the great environmental challenges of the time. The theme has been chosen by India, this year's host. The Koraput forest division's drive aims to check plastic pollution in the urban areas of the district. For each plastic bottle it buys, irrespective of the size, the forest division is paying the owner 50 paise. "We want to buy as much bottles as we can," said P Poornima, divisional forest officer, Koraput. The officer said the drive was being carried out by forest officials in association ..
