Page 706 - Environment
Azure Power wins 200MW solar projects in Maharashtra
Azure Power today announced it has bagged four 50 MW solar projects for a cumulative capacity of 200 MW in Maharashtra. The company has "crossed the 2 GW milestone solar portfolio" by winning these projects, Azure said in a statement. The solar power projects were auctioned by Maharashtra State Power Generation Co (Mahagenco). Azure Power will sign a 25-year power purchase pact with Mahagenco at a tariff of Rs 3.07 per kWh. The projects are expected to be commissioned in 2019. With a pan India portfolio of over 2 GW across 23 states, Azure Power has developed, constructed and operated solar projects of varying sizes.
18,000 tanks rejuvenated in Telangana, says Minister
The Telangana government has completed works on rejuvenation of 18,000 tanks in the state under its Mission Kakatiya programme, state Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said here today. "We're working on rejuvenating a total of 65,000 tanks. Under Mission Kakatiya, so far we have completed 18,000 tanks all over Telangana," he said. He was speaking at a convention on 'Rejuvenation of Krishna river' organised by the Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation (TWRDC). Quoting different studies, Rao said ground water level has increased with the rejuvenation of tanks in Telangana. Observing that Maharashtra releases 100 TMC of water, used for electricity generation, into Arabian sea, he said such water can be released downstream for the benefit of lower riparian states, including Telangana. "Maharashtra government is using 100 TMC of Krishna water from Koyna dam for electricity. They are sending that water to Arabian sea. Our request is, if they can release that water ..
World's largest amphibians face imminent threat of extinction
The critically endangered Chinese giant salamander, well known as the world's largest amphibian, now faces the imminent threat of extinction in the wild, due in no small part to the demand for the animals as luxury food, warn researchers.
Kerala tourism to unveil world's largest bird sculpture
Kerala tourism will inaugurate the world's largest bird sculpture, Jatayu Earth's Centre, here on July 4, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said on Tuesday.
NGT asks about steps taken to protect Hastinapur sanctuary
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday sent a notice to the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government on the steps taken to protect the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary.
After Varanasi tragedy, Cong seeks audit of under-construction
The Congress has demanded structural audit of the two bridges being built across Mandovi and Zuari rivers in Goa, in the wake of the Varanasi incident wherein a section of an under-construction flyover collapsed killing several people. Former Goa Congress Chief Shantaram Naik has written a letter to Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday to highlight the demand. Reminding Gadkari of the Varanasi incident, Naik said structural audit of the under-construction bridges on Mandovi river in Panaji and Zuari river at Agassaim village, should be carried out. "Two important bridges are being built over Mandovi and Zuari rivers, besides others. They are at various stages of construction. Therefore, appropriate audit of these under-construction bridges be ordered," he said in the letter. Naik also demanded that the names of all companies who have been awarded contracts, sub-contracts and other responsibilities be displayed at the site of the bridges along with other details. "This
NGT notice to Centre, UP govt on plea alleging threat to swamp deer in Hastinapur Sanctuary
A plea alleging threat to wildlife especially to the swamp deer due to human intervention in the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary has prompted the National Green Tribunal to seek response from the Centre and UP government. A bench headed by Acting NGT chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, National Board for Wildlife, National Biodiversity Authority, Uttar Pradesh government and UP State Biodiversity Board while seeking their reply before July 23. The tribunal was hearing a plea field by advocate Gaurav Bansal seeking protection and restitution of the biodiversity and ecosystem of the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary. Bansal, in its petition has stated that recently the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has done a survey of the sanctuary which found that wildlife including swamp deer is fighting for its existence. According to the plea, WII in its report has also stated that due to high human presence and forest fire, endangered species ..
Coal-starved captive producers push spot power price to Rs 11.41/unit
Spot power price touched 5-year high of Rs 11.41 per unit at IEX today, which experts attributed to aggressive bidding by captive units following government's decision to ramp up coal supplies to power plants. The government decided last week to augment coal supplies to centre/ state power plants and independent power producers (IPPs) from May 19 to June 30 to overcome shortage of the dry fuel and check power crisis. The decision was taken in a joint meeting of power, coal and railways ministries on May 17, 2018. "The government is ramping up coal supplies to power plants at the cost of captive power producers. This is one of the main reasons for price touching a peak of Rs 11.41 per unit in day ahead market today at IEX," Indian Captive Power Producers Association(ICPPA) Secretary Rajiv Agarwal told PTI. He further said: "If somebody is running continuous process-based industry like aluminium, then he cannot wait for power supply. They are required to arrange power for their ...
Worsening air quality in 2 decades main reason behind high pre-mature deaths: Study
Worsening air quality in the last two decades is the principle reason behind high number of pre-mature deaths in the country, according to a study conducted by IIT-Delhi. The study titled 'Know what you breathe', conducted with the support of the Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED), has found that the annual mortality is in the range of 150-300 persons per year for every 1 lakh population in the urban areas of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Whereas the level of PM2.5, is more than two times of its National Annual Standard and eight times of the WHO's annual permissible limits in all the studied cities with the exception of Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand. The researchers studied the annual mean PM2.5 concentration for 11 north Indian cities using the satellite data of the last 17 years. Out of these 11 cities, eight are also listed in the global air quality assessment report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) titled 'Global Ambient Air Quality Database ...
Do humans cause cancer in wild animals?
Some of the human activities like smoking, poor diets, pollution, additive chemicals can adversely affect animals.Researchers from Arizona State University state that humans may influence cancer in many other species on the planet.The researchers pointed out many pathways and previous scientific studies that show where human activities are already taking a toll on animals. These include chemical and physical pollution in our oceans and waterways, accidental release of radiation into the atmosphere from nuclear plants, and the accumulation of microplastics in both lands- and water-based environments.In addition, exposure to pesticides and herbicides on farmlands, artificial light pollution, loss of genetic diversity and animals eating human food are known to cause health problems."Cancer has been found in all species where scientists have looked for it and human activities are known to strongly influence cancer rate in humans. So, this human impact on wild environments might strongly ..
'Over 5k Olive Ridley hatchlings released into Bay of Bengal'
Over 5,000 Olive Ridley Sea Turtle hatchlings have been released into the Bay of Bengal this nesting season, an animal welfare group said on the eve of the World Turtle Day. Listed as a 'vulnerable' species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, the turtles are recovering from a sharp decline in numbers a decade ago. Every year the state of Odisha plays host to the largest gathering of Olive Ridleys in the world as the turtles come ashore for a mass nesting event known as 'arribada' - Spanish word for arrival. For up to six months every year, fishing is suspended by law to prevent turtles becoming entangled and drowned in nets, a conservation necessity that fuels resentment from locals whose livelihoods are badly affected. However, fishing is not the only threat to these turtles. According to conservationists, the shore of the Bay of Bengal has several ports, shipbuilding yards and a petro-chemical manufacturing hub. This has led to beach erosion and ...
Rice basmati rises on good demand
Rice basmati prices firmed up by Rs 100 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on emergence of stockists' buying following uptick in demand. However, bajra and maize ended lower on reduced offtake by consuming industries. Traders said upbeat buying, driven by pick up in demand against restricted supplies from producing belts, mainly attributed the rise in rice basmati prices. In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa--1121 variety went up by Rs 100 each to Rs 7,200-7,300 and Rs 6,500-6,600 per quintal, respctively. On the other hand, bold grains like bajra and maize eased by Rs 15 each to Rs 1,250-1,255 and Rs 1,285-1,290 per quintal, respectively. Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,060-2,260, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,740-1,745 Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,745-1,750, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 230-260, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 930-940 (50 kg), Maida Rs 950-960 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,030-1,040 ..
Two girls killed as mound of earth collapsed
Two girls were killed when a mound of earth they were digging collapsed on them in a village in the district this morning, police said. Seema Devi (17) and Jyoti (8) were buried in Ratangarh village under Baheri police station area. They were somehow taken out by the villagers and rushed to Baheri primary health centre where the doctors declared them brought dead, police added.
Nipah virus: No need to panic in Goa, says govt
In the wake of Nipah virus claiming 10 lives in Kerala, the Goa government today said there was nothing to worry about in the state, but measures were still being taken to prevent its possible spread. "As of now there is no alert issued for Goa by any agency, including the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), whose team is in Kerala assessing the ground-level situation," Dr Utkarsh Betodkar, State Surveillance Officer of Directorate of Health Services, told PTI. He said there was no need to panic as ithas not affected the entire state of Kerala, but only a specific area of Kozhikode. The Nipah virus has so far claimed 10 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in north Kerala, while the condition of two persons undergoing treatment for the viral disease is said to be critical, the Kerala government has confirmed. According to Betodkar, the Goa government was not taking any chances and has already contacted Manipal Centre for Virus Research (MCVR) to assess ...
'Clean air plan lacks sector-specific emission reduction targets'
The proposed National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) would be of "no use" as it has "not mentioned sector-specific and time-bound emission reduction targets" for industries. It has also failed to lay enough emphasis on units which are contributing to air pollution, environmentalists say.
Nipah virus claims 10 lives in Kerala
The Nipah virus has so far claimed 10 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in north Kerala while the condition of two persons undergoing treatment for the viral disease is said to be critical, Health Minister K K Shylaja said today. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been informed about the outbreak of the virus in Kerala, she told reporters here today. Two persons-- Rajan and Ashokan, who were undergoing treatment at Kozhikode, died this morning, have been confirmed to have contracted the virus, she said. A nursing assistant, Lini, who died yesterday had also contracted the virus, she added. Of the 18 samples sent for testing, 12 have tested positive for the virus, of which 10 people have died. Two deaths reported on May 20 from Malappuram-- Sindhu and Sijitha, have tested positive for Nipah virus. The two had come to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for treatment and had been in touch with one of the infected persons who had died of the virus, the minister said. No ...
Pravin Agrawal appointed BHEL director
State-run power equipment maker BHEL today said Pravin L Agrawal has been appointed as part-time official director on its board. An Indian Forest Service officer, Agrawal is presently joint secretary in the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, BHEL said in a statement. Agrawal, 49, is a Commonwealth scholar and holds post-graduate degrees in sustainable development, public policy and management from different global universities. He has varied experience in public policy and governance issues, it added.
Experts: China far side lunar mission potentially historic
China's ambition to soft-land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon later this year faces considerable challenges, but if successful would propel the country's space program to the forefront of one of the most important areas of lunar exploration, experts say. China hopes to be the first country to complete such a landing. On Monday, it launched a relay satellite to facilitate communication between controllers on Earth and the upcoming Chang'e 4 mission. The moon's far side is also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and remains comparatively unknown. Creating the ability to explore the far side of the Moon is an impressive achievement, John M. Logsdon of George Washington University's Space Policy Institute said in an email. "Spacefaring countries around the globe are focusing a great deal of attention on lunar exploration, and this far side capability, if it comes into being, will put China in a leading position with respect to that objective," Logsdon ...
Nepal, India plan to run joint operation to control wildlife poaching
In order to control wildlife poaching and trafficking of animal parts, Nepal and India are planning to carry out a joint operation.The operation is to be conducted in Shuklaphanta National Park in Kanchanpur district on Nepal's side and Krishnapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh.This move comes after both the sides realised that the two reserves are contagious to each other.The chief of National Trust for Nature Conservation, Kanchanpur office, Anil Prasain, said this decision was taken at a joint security meeting held at Haldwani, Uttarakhand, as per Kathmandu Post.It was decided that there should be a regular surveillance at the border crossings to build a network to share information. It was also agreed that both India and Nepal will conduct joint patrol at bordering forest areas.According to Kathmandu Post, the two sides also agreed to manage the wildlife corridors at Brahmadev and Laljhadi to ease the movement of animals, particularly elephants.
25 years of conserving biodiversity in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (Comment)
This year marks a quarter century of the ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) - an agreement among 196 countries to conserve the earth's biological diversity while ensuring it is used sustainably and that the benefits from using genetic resources are shared fairly.
