Page 707 - Environment
India poised to join China as global leaders in renewables: Report
India is poised to join China as the two global leaders in the renewable energy technology-led transformation, a US-based research institute said on Tuesday.
Solar system's first interstellar immigrant discovered
Scientists have discovered the first known permanent immigrant to the solar system - an asteroid, currently nestling in Jupiter's orbit, that migrated from another star system. All of the planets in our solar system, and the vast majority of other objects as well, travel around the Sun in the same direction. However the immigrant asteroid named (514107) 2015 BZ509 is different - it moves in the opposite direction in what is known as a 'retrograde' orbit. "How the asteroid came to move in this way while sharing Jupiter's orbit has until now been a mystery," said Fathi Namouni, from National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS) in France. "If 2015 BZ509 were a native of our system, it should have had the same original direction as all of the other planets and asteroids, inherited from the cloud of gas and dust that formed them," said Namouni, lead author of the study published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. An object known as 'Oumuamua was the ...
SpaceX to launch twin NASA water cycle tracker satellites
On its way to deploy five Iridium Next communications satellites on Tuesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will also launch twin NASA satellites that will monitor Earth's water cycle, marking a unique rideshare arrangement.
Top US court to examine India power plant complaint
The US Supreme Court said today it will examine a complaint by Indian villagers who say they are suffering from pollution caused by a coal power plant funded by a US-based institution. The plant, owned by the Tata Group in the Indian state of Gujarat, was built with funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a sister organisation of the World Bank that specializes in development assistance. The IFC says the plant, which has a capacity of 4,150 megawatts, uses advanced technology to improve efficiency, save fuel and reduce emissions while generating power for areas that are "chronically short of electricity." But the fishermen and farmers who are plaintiffs in the case denounce the damage caused to marine fauna and the pollution of soil by coal dust. The plaintiffs argue that the IFC failed to comply with its charter, which makes the release of funds conditional on compliance with environmental standards. The case will be argued and judged in the next session of the ...
Giant Chinese salamander speeding toward extinction: study
The world's largest amphibians, giant Chinese salamanders, were once thought to be widespread but now face imminent extinction due to illegal poaching and hunting as a luxury food, researchers said today. "The overexploitation of these incredible animals for human consumption has had a catastrophic effect on their numbers in the wild over an amazingly short time span," said co-author Samuel Turvey, a researcher at the Zoological Society of London. "Unless coordinated conservation measures are put in place as a matter of urgency, the future of the world's largest amphibian is in serious jeopardy." Vast surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2016 at river sites where the critically endangered salamanders -- the size of small alligators and weighing some 140 pounds (64 kilograms) -- are known to live. "We cannot confirm survival of wild Chinese giant salamander populations at any survey sites, and consider the species to be extremely depleted or functionally extinct across the huge surveyed .
Pb governor seeks details of Beas contamination from CM
Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore today expressed concern over the contamination of the Beas river following the release of molasses by a sugar mill, and sought full details from Chief Minister Amarinder Singh about the damage to the environment. In a written communique to Singh, Badnore said the river water is used for drinking in downstream districts of Punjab and Rajasthan. He urged the state government to immediately take steps to reverse the situation and address the long-term issue of pollution of rivers in Punjab, which roughly means "the land of five rivers" - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal accused the Amarinder Singh government of "patronising an environmental massacre" by not addressing the ecological issue "caused by Chadha Sugar Industries and owners of the distillery." In a letter to Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, Badal described the contamination as "a shocking example of the brazen insensitivity .
CSE asks Sania Mirza to disassociate from 'misleading' poultry ad
Research and advocacy organisation CSE today urged tennis ace Sania Mirza to publicly disassociate from a poultry advertisement, saying it has been declared misleading by the Advertisement Standards Council of India (ASCI). The Centre for Science and Environment welcomes the recent decision of ASCI to declare the advertisement featuring Mirza "misleading" by facts, exaggeration and ambiguity, CSE said in a statement. CSE previously had also urged Mirza to dissociate herself from the advertisement. "Earlier, we had written to Mirza apprising her about the malpractice of antibiotic misuse in poultry sector and the libelous nature of the advertisement. As a responsible role model, we urged her to publicly disassociate herself from the advertisement. We once again ask her to consider doing so," said Amit Khurana, senior programme manager, food safety and toxins, CSE. The advertisement "falsely" claimed the poultry sector is not "misusing" antibiotics. It also "misused and misrepresented" .
Nipah kills three; Kerala, Centre take steps to tackle virus (Roundup)
After three lives lost to Nipah virus (NiV) and eight battling the disease in Kerala's Kozhikode district, both the state and the Central governments on Monday took comprehensive measures to contain the outbreak of the rare virus. Doctors say it is just another viral infection and there is nothing to panic.
Black panther spotted in Sundergarh forest
A black panther has been caught on camera in Sundergarh forest in Odisha for the first time, the Forest Department said. According to the Chief Conservator of Forest, Wild Life, H K Bist, the black panther or melanistic leopard as it is called, was caught on camera while roaming in the forest. The camera trap was installed at the Garjanpahad Reserve Forest under Hemgir in Sundargarh Forest Division, and the footage was captured a week ago, Odisha's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Wildlife Sandeep Tripathi said. Odisha is the ninth state where a black panther has been reported, Bist said. Melanistic leopards or black panthers are also found in other states like Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Twenty years ago, black panthers were reportedly spotted in Phulbani and Simlipal forests of the state, but there was no evidence in the absence of camera traps then. They was installed in the forest in 2015 following ..
Toxic mushrooms kill 11, poison over 800 in Iran
At least 11 people died and more than 800 others were poisoned after eating toxic wild mushrooms in western Iran, Health Ministry officials said on Monday.
Captive plants cry foul over govt decision to boost supplies to power producers
A captive power producers' body today warned that the government's decision to dedicate all coal supplies to central, state and independent power plants would bring the industry to a "standstill". The Indian Captive Power Producers Association (ICPPA) in a letter to the Prime Minister's Office and Railway and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal urged for resuming coal supplies to captive plants, which have been set up by various industries like steel, cement and aluminium to meet their own demand. The installed captive power generation capacity is about 47GW in the country . The ICPPA shot off the letter today after the government decided to supply coal to state/central power plants and independent power producers from May 19 to June 30 to avoid any electricity crisis during summer season. The new adhoc decision without any advance notice would bring industry to standstill particularly the continuous process based sectors like aluminium, the association warned. They also noted that captive ...
Astronomers spot our Solar System's first interstellar immigrant
Astronomers have spotted an asteroid, the first known permanent immigrant to our Solar System, a discovery that may reveal important problems of planet formation, solar system evolution, and possibly the origin of life itself.
Punjab government patronising environmental massacre: Sukhbir
In the wake of death of a large number of fish in the Beas river, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday accused the Punjab government of "patronising an environmental massacre by turning a blind eye to massive and manmade ecological disaster" caused by industries.
Gujarat starts drone surveillance to curb illegal sand mining
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today inaugurated the "Trinetra Drone Surveillance System" to keep an eye from above on the state's rivers to curb illegal sand mining. A state government release informed that, in the first phase, the TDSS would be deployed on four major rivers of the state- Sabarmati, Tapi, Orsang and Bhadar. It added that the system, in the future, would also be implemented in other sectors to keep a watch on mines and mineral deposits spread over an area of two lakh square kilometres of the state. Rupani said that the system would prove effective in stopping illegal sand mining. He said that a central command and control room would also be set up for the purpose and asked other departments, like Water Resources as well as Road and Building. to consider deploying drones.
Haryana to release mosquito fish in water bodies to control larvae
The Haryana government will release mosquito fish Gambusia in water bodies in rural and urban areas to prevent and control the spread of vector-borne diseases in the state, a senior official said today. Haryana Chief Secretary D S Dhesi said the decision is a part of measures taken to contain vector-borne diseases. The move comes ahead of the beginning of the peak season for vector-borne diseases between mid-July and November. Listing other measures, he said fogging machines would be purchased for all district wards and villages. He directed chief medical officers and district officers to procure the machines within 15 days through the government e-marketplace portal. At least one fogging machine would be installed on one vehicle at district headquarters and the health department would provide medicine and calendar related to fogging, he said. Campaigns would be launched by Urban Local Bodies Department, Panchayati Raj Department, Haryana Urban Development Authority and others to .
Aircraft can't empty toilet tank mid-air: DGCA
There is no way an aircraft can empty toilets mid-air and dump human waste, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told the NGT on Monday.
Fadnavis directs MMRDA to meet timelines
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis today directed the town planning authority Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to speed up the pace of work and complete the projects within the timelines. Fadnavis, who was in the city today, inaugurated two flyovers and performed Bhoomipujan for a rail over bridge (ROB) at Kopri and an elevated road and tunnel connecting Thane-Belapur road and NH-4. "We have been giving timelines of 24 to 36 months for completing various projects. But with the latest technology in place, these timelines should be reduced," he said while addressing a gathering here. He directed the MMRDA, which is the implementing authority for the projects, to trim the timelines of the various projects undertaken in the MMR region, and complete them well on time to facilitate seamless movement. Fadnavis also elaborated the projects undertaken to decongest the MMR region. "We have undertaken works to the tune of Rs 1.50 lakh crore, out of which ...
Adityanath lays foundation of college, stadium in Gorakhpur
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today laid the foundation of a degree college and a stadium named after his spiritual guru, Mahant Avaidyanath, in Jungle Kaudia area in Gorakhpur. After laying the foundation, Adityanath addressed a gathering there. He said: "Mahant Avaidyanathji was a five-time MLA and a four-time MP from this area. From 1957 to 2014, he had great ties with people and they demanded stadium and degree College here." "Dangal (wrestling) and Jungle Kaudia can't be separated. So we are giving a stadium here. Now those running on roads will be able to practice in a stadium, and akhadas should be built for wrestling," he said. Mahant Avaidyanath had started his political journey from Jungle Kaudia. He was an MLA from Maniram seat in 1962, 1967, 1968, 1974 and 1977. He served as an MP from Gorakhpur in 1970, 1989, 1991 and 1996. During his address, Adityanath took a jibe at the power supply situation during previous governments, saying earlier people had to wait
Nipah outbreak: Virus spreading through direct contact
Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja on Monday said the reason for sudden outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus was due to the disease being spread through direct contact.Briefing the media, Shailaja said, "Health department has taken all precautions. The virus is spreading through direct contact, through touch or contact with body fluids. All hospitals have been fully equipped to tackle the Nipah virus."Meanwhile, Kozhikode district collector has confirmed that the total death toll increased to six in Kerala.This came after the district administration obtained the results from Manipal Centre for Virology. More set of results are under observation and will be out by Monday evening.A six-member team, led by the director of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. Sujeet K. Singh, has arrived in Kerala and are visiting the affected areas.Dr. Singh told media, "We need to plan a strategy (on the outbreak) which we will roll out soon. We are assessing the situation. We also have to see
Pradhan lays foundation stone of BPCL LPG bottling plant
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today laid the foundation stone of a Rs 103 crore LPG bottling plant of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in Odisha's Bolangir district. The bottling plant will be set up at Barkhani in the district. Expected to be commissioned by March 2020, the new plant spread over 23 acres, will have a bottling capacity of 42 lakh cylinders per year, official sources said. "Establishment of the second bottling plant of BPCL will be a step towards fulfilling Prime Ministers vision of Purvodaya: A prosperous East for a new India. The new bottling plant will cater to the needs of people of 14 districts of the state," Pradhan said. BPCL has another bottling plant at Khurda in Odisha. The Bolangir plant will supply LPG cylinders to consumers in Bolangir, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Nuapada districts, the sources added. Union ..
