Page 692 - Environment
To revive mythological river, religion and technology go together for Haryana
Its religious mindset was never in doubt, but the first BJP government in Haryana is using technology, including space technology, to execute its project reviving and rejuvenating the mythological Saraswati river that is once said to have flowed through areas that now make up the state.
New Zealand to kill 150,000 cows to end bacterial disease
New Zealand plans to slaughter about 150,000 cows as it tries to eradicate a strain of disease-causing bacteria from the national herd. Politicians and industry leaders announced the ambitious plan today. They say it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and, if successful, would be the first time an infected country has eliminated Mycoplasma bovis. Farming is vital to the economy in New Zealand, whose isolation has helped protect it from some diseases which affect herds elsewhere. Last July, Mycoplasma bovis was found in the country for the first time. Found in Europe and the US, the bacteria can cause cows to develop mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis and other diseases. They are not considered a threat to food safety, but do cause production losses. Officials say they plan to kill all cows on any farms where the bacteria are found, even if some of the animals are healthy. They say many of the cows will be slaughtered at processing plants and used for beef, but some cows will have .
3 ISS astronauts to return to Earth on June 3
Three astronauts aboard the International Space Station are set to return to Earth on a Russian Soyuz spaceship on June 3, NASA has said.
MP govt mulls new scheme to provide relief to farmers
The Madhya Pradesh government is mulling to introduce a new scheme to facilitate better price of farm produce, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has indicated, ahead of the proposed nationwide stir by cultivators from June 1. "I am going to sit with farmers to work out the possibility of giving remunerative price per acre of the farm yield," Chouhan said last night during a programme on farm sector organised here by some media organisations. He did not elaborate on the scheme, but said it would benefit the small farmers who cannot store their produce for a long time. The Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh, an umbrella body of 110 farmers' organisations, has called for a 10-day protest from June 1 against the "anti-farmer policies" of the Central government and to put forth their demands, including remunerative price for their produce. The small farmers sell their produce immediately after harvesting it and at times do not get a fair price for it, Chouhan noted. "I am ...
Uttarkhand village takes steps to ease water shortage
Faced with a severe water crisis, a village in the northern state of Uttarakhand, has launched and introduced a water conservation programme that has won all-round praise.Inhabitants of Village Dandni, which is located in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal District, said they have been facing a water crisis for the last three decades, if not more. They also said that when it rains heavily in the region, the flow of water assumes flood-like proportions that are equally terrible in terms of impact.Dandni is located about 3500-feet above sea level and its inhabitants realised with the passage of time that they needed to come up with novel ways to address their water-related problems.Interacting with Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) experts and going through several international reports, it was discovered that the root cause of water shortage was a shortfall of 9.25 centimeters of rain.Keeping this in mind, a plan was hatched to identify a six-hectare-long area where ground water would be
Tiger cub missing from Ranthambore park
A four-month-old tiger cub has gone missing from Rajasthan's Ranthambhore National Park, The cub could not be sighted for more than a week. We are keeping constant monitoring and trying to track the cub, Field Director, Ranthambhore National Park, Y K Sahu said. The cub was of tigress T-83. Last month, two cubs of T-79 tigress, both aged around 13 months, were found dead in Anwad Ki Khard area in Ranthambhore. It was concluded later that they were attacked by a male tiger. Spread over 282 sq km area, Ranthambhore National Park is home to 62 big cats and ten of them are cubs.
Indian-origin Veena Sahajwalla among scientists elected as Fellows of Australian Academy of Science
Indian-origin innovator Veena Sahajwalla, who has made her mark in revolutionising recycling science, is among the 21 distinguished Australian scientists elected as new Fellows of the prestigious Australian Academy of Science this year. The Academy, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1954, said they have been honoured for making significant and lasting impacts in their scientific disciplines. Their works include revolutionising the way e-waste is recycled, changing the way people think about carbohydrate foods, research that led to the detection of gravitational waves and new insights into how the immune system may be harnessed to devise new therapies for cancer and other diseases, it said. Sahajwalla, an internationally-recognised materials scientist, engineer and innovator, has made her mark in revolutionising recycling science. She is currently the Associate Dean (Strategic Industry Relations), Faculty of Science, at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. She is .
Britain's supply of electric cars at risk from Brexit: think-tank
Britain risks a shortage of electric cars after Brexit as carmakers will lose an incentive to sell low-emission vehicles there, a Brussels-based think-tank warned. Because British sales will no longer count towards carmakers' EU carbon dioxide targets, they may choose to sell to other European countries instead, the Transport and Environment (T&E) group warned. Britain was the third largest market for zero emission vehicles in the EU last year and the largest for plug-in hybrids, the group said in the report obtained by AFP. "Carmakers may simply opt to dump their less efficient models in the UK market," said Cecile Toubeau of T&E. A shortage of electric and hybrid cars would be a blow to the British government's claims that it is aiming for a so-called "Green Brexit" with environmental standards equal to or higher than those in the remaining 27 EU nations, the group said. Brexit also risks hitting the wider British car industry, the group warned. Up to 6,700 British auto ...
New Zealand orders mass cattle cull to eradicate disease
New Zealand today ordered the culling of 126,000 cattle in an attempt to eradicate the painful Mycoplasma bovis disease, which causes udder infections, pneumonia and arthritis. The decision was taken to "protect the base of our economy -- the farming sector," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. "This is a tough call -- no one ever wants to see mass culls. But the alternative is the spread of the disease across our national herd." Mycoplasma bovis does not affect milk and meat for human consumption, and most governments are content to control outbreaks. However, Ardern said New Zealand -- which relies heavily on livestock farming for its export earnings -- would aim to eradicate the disease completely. "We do believe we are taking it on at a point that it is possible to eradicate and more than 99 percent of farms don't have it and we want to protect them from having it." The phased eradication, to take place over two years at a cost of NZ$886 million (US$616 million), represents only a
Nitish Kumar inaugurates rural roads
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has inaugurated 853 roads and 60 bridges, built by the rural works department, at a cost of Rs 1,097.54 crore. The chief minister also laid the foundation stones for 2,096 rural roads and 45 bridges, to be built at a cost of Rs 1,959.03 crore and launched work on 1,160 roads and 28 bridges at a cost of Rs 1113.30 crore, through remote control here yesterday, an official release said. Addressing a function organised by the department at his secretariat, Kumar said the state government has plans to connect all villages, hamlets and habitations with pucca roads and the construction work of rural roads has been expedited by the department. A village having population of 500 will be connected with pucca road under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana while hamlets and habitations having 250 to 500 population will be connected with pucca road under Mukhya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana, it said. As per the figures which were made available, of the
Hidden mountain ranges discovered under Antarctica ice
Researchers have discovered mountain ranges and three huge, deep subglacial valleys hidden beneath the Antarctica ice. The findings, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, are the first to emerge from extensive ice penetrating radar data collected in Antarctica as part of the European Space Agency PolarGAP project. Although there are extensive satellite data that help image the surface of the Earth and its deep interior, there was a gap around the South Pole area, which is not covered by satellites due the inclination of their orbits. The PolarGAP project was therefore designed to fill in the gap in the satellite data coverage of the South Pole and in particular acquire the missing gravity data. Airborne radar data were also collected to enable mapping of the bedrock topography hidden beneath the ice sheet. The data reveals the topography which controls how quickly ice flows between the East and West Antarctic ice sheets. The team, led by researchers from Northumbria ..
China says to end 'one size fits all' environmental policies
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China plans to end its "one size fits all" approach to fighting pollution, the environment ministry said on Monday, as it tries to devise more nuanced policies that match local conditions and minimise economic disruption.
Cash crop cultivation set to get a boost in Odisha
The administration in Odisha's Ganjam district is encouraging farmers to allot more space for cash crop cultivation during the kharif season and reduce area for paddy. The stipulated area for growing paddy will be decreased from 2.15 lakh hectares last year to 2.08 lakh hectares this year, Deputy Director, Agriculture, Manoj Kumar Behera said. "As part of the agriculture strategy for Kharif-2018, the administration will boost the cultivation of pulses, like mung, biri and arahar, by increasing farming land from 43,323 hectares to 48,755 hectares," he said. Similarly, the space for oilseeds such as groundnut, till and caster will be increased from 23,599 hectares last year to 24,915 hectares this year, the deputy director stated. The farmers would get remunerative prices if they switch over from traditional paddy to cash crops, he added. The district officials will also focus on increasing productivity this season. The administration plans to improve paddy yield from ...
BCCI signs Letter of Intent with UN Environment
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) signed an agreement to promote 'green' cricket in India with the United Nations (UN) Environment.Acting BCCI Secretary Amitabh Choudhary and Executive Director of UN Environment Erik Solheim signed a letter of intent at the BCCI headquarters, Cricket Centre in Mumbai ahead of the VIVO IPL 2018 final between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.Commenting on the initiative, Amitabh Choudhary said, "The Board is happy to announce its partnership with UN Environment. This is a major step in spreading the message of environmental conservation. We will help make cricket green and sensitize spectators towards minimizing waste generation during matches."The partnership aims to spread greater awareness about key environmental challenges facing the country, and highlight alternate, sustainable solutions. The BCCI will endeavor to reduce its environmental impact by greening operations and engaging cricketers and fans in green ...
Kerala: Nipah virus takes toll on sale of fruits
The daily profits of local fruit sellers in Kerala have reduced drastically as reports came in that Nipah virus could spread through consumption of fruits.One of the sellers told ANI, "Even though we are selling at half of the usual price, no one is willing to buy."As per an advisory released by the Kerala government, it has been stated that the virus could spread by fruit bats.Earlier on May 27, Meerut cancelled leaves of nurses, who were seeking to visit their hometown in Kerala.Meanwhile, the Bihar Government has also issued an advisory regarding the occurrence of the virus.The Bihar advisory said that the disease is spread by bats and pigs. Also, people infected with the disease can spread the virus.Till now, Nipah virus has claimed lives of 14 people.
Agra green activists protest Thoothukudi killings
Green activists here on Sunday evening protested and observed two minutes silence to condole the death of 13 people in police firing in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi.
Balochs hold protest against Pak's 1998 nuke tests
The Baloch National Movement held a protest demonstration in Germany's Gottingen against five simultaneous underground nuclear tests conducted by the Pakistan Government in Chagai area of Balochistan in 1998.According to the demonstrators, the people in Balochistan are suffering its after effects even after two decades.Chagai-I was Pakistan's first public test of nuclear weapons. Its timing was a direct response to India's second nuclear tests, on 11 and 13 May 1998.By testing nuclear devices, Pakistan became the seventh nation to publicly test nuclear weapons.Pakistan's second nuclear test, Chagai-II, followed on 30 May 1998.According to the reports, in 1998, on a clear and bright day in the Chagai district, Pakistan carried out a series of nuclear tests.Pakistan's chief scientific officer is reported to have said "All praise be to Allah" and pushed the button, causing the mountain to shake in a vast explosion.People have resorted to the usage of Twitter and used ...
HP govt to promote organic farming
The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to promote organic farming in a big way and plans to adopt an integrated approach for promoting organic and zero budget natural farming system, an official spokesperson said. At present, 39,790 farmers ave already switched over to organic farming ensuring production of healthy food grains, free from harmful chemical ingredients. The state government has introduced 'Prakritik Kheti Khushhaal Kisaan Yojana' to enhance agricultural income by adopting low-cost climate-resilient Zero Budget Natural Farming System (ZBNF), the spokesperson said. He said this system would not only improve soil fertility, water infiltration but also discourage use of fertilizers and pesticides and reduce environment pollution. A state-level committee headed by the chief minister would monitor the implementation and progress under ZBNF. Mass awareness programmes will be organised to educate farmers about organic farming, the spokesperson said.
Slew of activities lined up for Environment Day celebrations
With the World Environment Day around the corner, the central government on Sunday launched a slew of activities for the day, ranging from nationwide clean-ups to ban on plastic after one-tme use across states, universities and national parks.
