Page 725 - Environment
WHO preparing for the worst in DR Congo Ebola outbreak
The World Health Organisation said today it was preparing for "the worst case scenario" in a fresh outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "We are very concerned, and we are planning for all scenarios, including the worst case scenario," WHO's head of emergency response Peter Salama told reporters in Geneva. WHO has tallied 32 suspected or confirmed cases in the northwestern area of Bikoro, on the shores of Lake Tumbathe near the border with the Republic of Congo, including 18 deaths, between April 4 and May 9. The cases include three healthcare workers, including one who has died, Salama said. The outbreak, declared by the DRC health ministry on Tuesday, is the DRC's ninth known outbreak of Ebola since 1976, when the deadly viral disease was first identified in then-Zaire by a Belgian-led team. Salama said the affected region of the vast strife-torn central African country is very remote and hard to reach, with a dire lack of functioning infrastructure. "Access is ...
Safmarine to ship 80 cryogenic tanks to US from city port
: Container carrier Safmarine will ship 80 cryogenic tanks to the United States later this year through the Kattupalli Port here. Safmarine will be delivering the tanks for Cryolor Asia Pacific in Charleston by December this year, a company statement said. The company recently undertook a feasibility study to determine the best possible route for the shipment. It sourced 'low bed trucks' for the movement of the out of gauge (OOG) cargo through the Kattupalli Port. "Over the years, we have been providing the best logistical solutions which adhere to global standards. We have undertaken a study specially to ensure faster and smoother delivery of this OOG cargo," Safmarine India, Managing Director, Bimal Kanal said in the statement. Safmarine has cut the transit time by four days from the earlier 36-day journey from Chennai to Charleston in this project, the release said.
1,904 pigs die of 2 diseases in Mizoram since March
At least 1,904 pigs and piglets have died in Mizoram since March due to outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Classical Swine Fever (CSF), a senior official today said. Joint director of the state Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Dr Hmarkunga told PTI that the figure was based on data collected from officials of the department in all the eight districts of the state. He said that at least 4,064 pigs were found infected with the two diseases in 91 villages spread across six districts. Except for southern Mizoram's Lunglei district and Mamit district on the Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh border, all the other districts have been affected by the outbreak, he added. Around 8,000 pigs died of PRRS in the state in 2013 and 2016 and it was suspected to have been propagated by pigs and piglets imported and smuggled from Myanmar where the dreaded disease was reported to have been prevalent.
'Kung Fu' red pandas settle into new Laos sanctuary
Munching on bamboo and lazing under a fan spraying cooling mist, "Jackie Chan" is in a relaxed mood, one of three red pandas once destined for the exotic wildlife trade but now instead settling into a new home in a leafy Laos sanctuary. The three animals, nicknamed Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Peace, were among six found stuffed into crates during a random check of a van traveling from China over the border into northern Laos in January. Dehydrated and lacking food, three died within days, while the survivors were taken to a sanctuary run by the non-profit Free the Bears in the hills around the tourist hotspot of Luang Prabang. It was "very very hard" to save the red pandas who perished, says Sengaloun Vongsay, Laos programme manager for Free the Bears. It was the first discovery of red pandas in Laos, experts said, fueling fears the endangered species may be the latest targets of the illegal pet industry, coveted for their shiny copper fur and "cute" appearance. "They're eating well, ..
Country's rivers need to be saved: Sri Lankan President
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in a recently concluded meeting with World Bank officials pointed out the urgent need to protect the country's rivers.This comes after erosion led to threats to the rivers of the island nation.According to the Colombo Page, the President noted that due to lack of a proper program it is becoming a challenge to conserve the 103 river basins that the country boasts of.He further pointed out the challenges faced due to the global warming is not new to Sri Lanka and noted that this is the first time the country is facing such a problem.The President also acknowledged World Bank's support in helping his country in need.
White House cancels NASA program on greenhouse gas: report
The White House has "quietly killed" a USD 10-million per year NASA program that tracks carbon and methane, key greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, the journal Science said. NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) tracked sources and sinks for carbon and made high-resolution models of the planet's flows of carbon, said the report. "Now, President Donald Trump's administration has quietly killed the CMS," it said, describing the move as the latest in a "broad attack on climate science" mounted by the White House. The journal said NASA "declined to provide a reason for the cancellation beyond 'budget constraints and higher priorities within the science budget.'" It also quoted US space agency spokesman Steve Cole as saying there was no mention of the CMS in a budget deal signed in March, which "allowed the administration's move to take effect." Cole, responding to a request for comment from AFP, said Trump proposed cutting the CMS project and four Earth science missions ...
Major Ports Register positive growth of 1.78% in April 2018
The Nine Ports Kolkata (including Haldia), Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Kamarajar, Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore, JNPT and Deendayal have registered positive growth in traffic.
Legal instruments, partnerships needed for conserving wildlife corridors: WWF
Legal instruments and partnerships need to be in place to build a stronger framework for conserving and securing wildlife corridors and landscapes, a global wildlife body has said. In a three-day workshop here experts from wildlife and environment organisations and officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change discussed the importance and challenges of maintaining and securing wildlife landscapes in an increasingly crowded space, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), India, said in a statement. The workshop, which concluded yesterday, had representatives from the WWF, the ministry and the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and organisations such as the Global Tiger Forum. They assessed and identified locations of corridors in wildlife landscapes, the statement said. The workshop went on to explore current approaches for monitoring connectivity, a corridor's structure and functionality, the application of contemporary modelling and genetic tools to design corridors for ...
Central Government issues orders for extending assistance to clear the dues of sugarcane farmers
2. In order to stabilize sugar prices at reasonable level and to improve liquidity position of mills thereby enabling them to clear cane price dues of farmers, Government has taken following steps in past three months:
Tanzania's Maasai evicted in favor of tourism, group says
Tens of thousands of Tanzania's ethnic Maasai people are homeless after the government burned their houses to keep the savannah open for tourism benefiting two foreign safari companies, a US-based policy think tank has charged. Villagers in northern Tanzania's Loliondo area, near the Ngorongoro Crater tourism hotspot, have been evicted in the past year and denied access to vital grazing and watering holes, said the new report published yesterday by the Oakland Institute, a California think tank that researches environmental and social issues. "As tourism becomes one of the fastest-growing sectors within the Tanzanian economy, safari and game park schemes are wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of the Maasai," said Oakland Institute's Anuradha Mittal. "But this is not just about a specific company - it is a reality that is all too familiar to indigenous communities around the world." Allegations of wrongdoing have persisted in recent years against Tanzania Conservation Limited,
Insight: China's multi-storey hog hotels elevate industrial farms to new levels
YAJI MOUNTAIN, China (Reuters) - On Yaji Mountain in southern China, they are checking in the sows a thousand head per floor in high-rise "hog hotels".
Exclusive: Equatorial Guinea in LNG sale talks as Shell deal winds down
LONDON (Reuters) - Equatorial Guinea is in talks to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply from its Punta Europa project to independent and state-backed oil companies and traders from 2020 as it winds down an exclusive deal with Royal Dutch Shell .
Building rural resilience key for conflict-hit Near East: UN
Rome, May 10 (IANS/AKI) Conflict has increased food insecurity in the Near East and to reverse this situation it is crucial to strengthen the resilience of poor, rural communities, including through social protection systems, FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said on Thursday.
Can Delhi buy remote-sensing machines to detect pollution, SC asks
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Delhi government if it could use the funds collected from the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) to purchase remote-sensing machines to detect pollution emitted from diesel vehicles plying on the roads.
PM to lay foundation stone for semi-ring road project in Srinagar on May 19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lay the foundation stone of Rs 939.41 crore semi-ring road project here during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir on May 19, officials said today. Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan took a detailed review of the status of the land acquisition process for the construction of Srinagar semi-ring road project. In the meeting, he announced the prime minister will lay the foundation stone of Rs 939.41 crore semi-ring road project on May 19. The meeting was informed that all districts, except Budgam, have transferred their land to the National Highway Authority of India, adding the remaining 30 per cent land in Budgam will be transferred within three days. On the recommendations of the divisional commissioner, the NHAI agreed to transfer Rs 120 crore to Budgam and Rs 35 crore to Srinagar district administrations for land acquisition by tomorrow. It was said the agency will transfer the remaining Rs 300 crore to Budgam on May 14. The divisional ...
Leopard caught in wire trap dies
A leopard died today after it was caught in a wire trap at Kannimangalam in the Malayattur forest area, Forest officials said. The five-year old male leopard suffered serious injury and died despite attempts by veterinarians to save it. Earlier, rubber tapping workers found the leopard trapped in a farm and informed forest officials. Wire trap is used to keep wild animals away from farm lands. A case has been registered against the person who allegedly set up the trap in the farm land adjacent to the forest area, forest officials said.
Relief for solar producers as government reneges on import duty
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has scrapped a duty on solar modules, making it easier to import the products after a sudden change in customs policy last year led to a logjam of shipments at Indian ports.
With deadline looming, UN climate talks fall short
UN talks ending today failed to hammer out a draft of the "operating manual" that would bring the landmark Paris climate treaty to life, forcing governments to add an emergency negotiating session ahead of a December climate summit. "We have been here for two weeks and fell short of what was foreseen," Elina Bardram, the European Union's top climate negotiator, told AFP. "We were not even close." The 197-nation Paris Agreement, inked in 2015, calls for capping global warming at "well under" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and 1.5 C if feasible. The global thermometer has risen by one degree since the mid 19th-century, enough to see a crescendo of climate-enhanced droughts, floods, heat waves and superstorms. Voluntary national pledges to reduce carbon pollution would still allow temperatures to rise by three degrees or more, unleashing forces that could pull at the fabric of civilisation, say scientists. The agreement also promises at least USD 100 billion (85 billion ..
Maha CM releases water conservation focus paper at NABARD meet
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today released a State Focus Paper 2018-19 on the theme "Water Conservation: Per Drop More Crop". The focus paper deals with sustainable irrigation, value addition, post harvest technologies and innovative solutions to bring back farmers into the institutional credit system, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said. Fadnavis said that this focus paper needed to be reviewed periodically, adding that it had to be implemented in Maharashtra in the true spirit. He was speaking at the state credit seminar organised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) here. He called for the efficient use of water as well as the digitisation of schemes to improve the planning mechanism. "We need to focus on efficient use of water along with creating water structures. Focus on digitisation of each scheme and data is also important. This will make our planning mechanism more efficient," Fadnavis said. The .
Delhi govt can use ECC funds for purchase of remote sensing device: SC
The Supreme Court today said that the Delhi government could use the funds collected from the environment compensation charge (ECC) for purchasing remote-sensing machines which would detect pollution emitted from diesel vehicles plying on the roads here. The apex court said this after the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) suggested that remote-sensing technology was "revolutionary" and it was successfully used in China and Hong Kong to tackle the problem of air pollution. A bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta was informed by advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae, that EPCA's report on steps to be taken to strengthen pollution under control (PUC) mechanism has recommended the use of remote-sensing machines, which was already being used in Kolkata as a pilot project. Singh said that as far as petrol vehicles were concerned, the existing PUC measures were optimum but for diesel vehicles the remote sensing technology ...
