Page 738 - Environment
WHO air pollution report: How south Indian cities sit pretty ?
No south Indian city figured in the just- released global air pollution report of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO report said 14 of world's 15 most polluted cities were in India which includes Delhi, Kanpur and Varanasi. Asked what helped in tackling pollution, a pollution control official in Tamil Nadu said efforts aimed at improvisation were prioritised always and such measures bore fruit. An "action plan" is being readied now to tackle air pollution better, he said. Measures being planned to tackle air pollution better include putting in place advanced gadgets in industrial premises to enable real time monitoring, he told PTI. Such monitoring will help more in checking emissions which lead to air pollution. To a question on some real time air pollution (PM 2.5) data for Chennai pointing to pollution comparable to cities like Varanasi (PM 2.5/ 151/WHO data), he said it was "dynamic, and keeps changing all the time." Such "so-called high pollution levels," were confined .
Impact of 'Chinese overcapacity' on global trade is exaggerated, study finds
GENEVA (Reuters) - The concept of global excess capacity, commonly used to support the creation of trade defences against China, is imprecise and unsound as a justification for U.S. protectionism, a study by a Swiss-based trade watchdog said on Thursday.
Harsh Vardhan confident BJP will win 2019 LS polls
Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan today exuded confidence that BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to power in the next general election. Speaking at an event to lay the Foundation Stone of a new building of his ministry, Vardhan said the structure would be ready by 2021 and Modi would be inaugurating it as the prime minister. "On May 3, 2021, we will have it inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am not hesitating in giving this statement. I am confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate this building in 2021," Vardhan said, implying the BJP will win the general elections next year. "But I am not sure whether I will be in this position (in-charge of the ministry). But since you also call former officials (of the ministry), I would like to attend the event (in 2021)," the Chandni Chowk MP added. A five-time MLA from Delhi, Vardhan was inducted in the Modi Cabinet in 2014. He initially held the Health and Family Welfare ...
Will examine if alternate landfill sites fall on Yamuna floodplains: NGT
The National Green Tribunal today said it would examine whether the proposed alternate landfill sites at Sonia Vihar and Ghonda Gujran areas here are located on the Yamuna floodplains. A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim, which did not issue notice on the pleas filed by rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra and others, directed them to file a brief note within a week mentioning the grounds on which they were opposing the setting up of the two landfill sites. "We will examine and consider if the two sites fall on the Yamuna floodplains. We will be considering all the issues," the bench, also comprising Justice S P Wangdi, observed. Besides Mishra, AAP spokesperson Dilip Kumar Pandey and others have also sought directions to restrain the DDA from allotting an area of 130 acres at Sonia Vihar and a 50-acre plot at Ghonda Gujran to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) for handling and processing waste. The sites were proposed as the existing site at Ghazipur was ...
WR installs natural sunlight tubes at Mumbai Central station
With an aim to bring down the greenhouse emissions and reduce the energy bills, the Western Railway (WR) has installed natural sunlight tubes at Mumbai Central station here, a senior official said today. The official said the move has not only enhanced the visual comfort of the passengers, but also reduced the energy consumption. "With an objective to maximise the visual comfort and reduce energy use, natural sunlight tubes and sun pipes have been recently installed at the Mumbai Central station concourse, which provide natural, cool and effective lighting during the day. It illuminates every nook and corner," WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said. He said the idea behind introducing this lighting system is in sync with the Ministry of Railways' assertion over the use of renewable sources of energy to bring down the greenhouse emissions, energy bill and carbon footprint. "This is the first ever experiment by any railway zone in the country," Bhakar said. Eighteen ...
Maha govt seeks CMFRI support to start cage fish farming
The Maharashtra government has sought technical support of the CMFRI for starting large-scale cage fish farming ventures, a major attempt by the state for development of its integrated fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Home (Rural) of Maharashtra, Deepak Kesarkar, who visited the CMFRI headquarters here yesterday, requested the authorities to provide technical guidance to the state to launch 500-cage fish farming units in the brackishwater resources of the Sindhudurg district. Sindhudurg, a coastal district in Maharashtra, has rich brackishwater resources. """" The minister said that the Maharashtra government would provide financial support to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) to help the state implement a suitable cage farming model to the ecological and geographical conditions of the brackishwater resources in the Sindhudurg district. "The cage farming models being implemented by the CMFRI in ...
Ind-Ra: Increase in Short-Term Power Prices Driven by Increase in Demand and Coal Supply Mismatches
In March 2018, short-term prices on the exchange increased sharply to INR4.02/unit (February 2018: INR3.23/unit) due to increase in demand associated with seasonal variation, inadequate availability of coal with the thermal generators along with a y-o-y decline in nuclear and hydro power.
First organised census to estimate Indus dolphin begins in India
Looking towards the conservation of Indus Dolphins -- one of the world's rarest mammals -- Punjab government along with WWF-India are conducting a first organised census, officials said on Thursday.
Home Ministry asks 10 Naxal-hit states to expedite development projects
The Home Ministry has asked 10 Naxal-hit states to expedite development projects in Left Wing Extremism affected areas after the Environment Ministry relaxed its guidelines, officials said today. In his letter to chief secretaries of 10 Maoist-hit states, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba said all development projects, including construction of roads, bridges, installation of telephone towers, must be expedited as the Union Environment Ministry has relaxed rules and regulations in this regard. An inter-ministeral meeting, held recently under the chairmanship of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, has empowered state governments to give environmental clearance of up to 40 hectares of forest land in LWE-hit areas for carrying out development works, the home ministry official said. Relevant guidelines were issued by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, another official said. The 10 Naxal-hit tates include Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, ...
NASA's nuclear reactor could power crewed missions to Mars
NASA has successfully demonstrated a new nuclear reactor power system that could enable long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond. The Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) experiment was conducted at US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)'s Nevada National Security Site from November 2017 through March, NASA said. "Safe, efficient and plentiful energy will be the key to future robotic and human exploration, said Jim Reuter, NASA's acting associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) in Washington. "I expect the Kilopower project to be an essential part of lunar and Mars power architectures as they evolve," said Reuter. Kilopower is a small, lightweight fission power system capable of providing up to 10 kilowatts of electrical power - enough to run several average households - continuously for at least 10 years. Four Kilopower units would provide enough power to establish an outpost, the US space ...
Gas leakage in Gujarat leaves 3 dead, 2 injured
Three people died and two are admitted to the hospital after a gas leakage from a chemical waste recycling plant in Gujarat's Bharuch.According to reports, the incident happened in the night hours of Wednesday at chemical waste recycling plant RSPL.The injured were admitted to a Gujarat Hospital.More details awaited..
Launching of Bangabandhu satellite delayed again
The launching of Bangladesh's first satellite, 'Bangabandhu-1' has been deferred yet again due to technical issues and will not be launched on May 7, according to Telecommunications, Post and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Wednesday.Asked when the new launch date would be announced, Jabbar said, "This is a highly technical issue. We never said that the satellite would definitely be launched on May 7. There will be a test launch, and the final date of launch will be decided based on that. Preparations had been taken in order to carry out the test launch on May 7, but it is not certain anymore.""We might get to know on May 5 as to when the launch might happen, and we have no hand in this. We did not send a team of representatives. The process for a satellite launch is extremely complicated. They will not launch it without everything being finalized," he was quoted by the Dhaka Tribune as saying.According to sources, a small precursor test was carried out prior to the .
Sugar output crosses 31mn tonnes in India
Sugar production in the country crossed a record 31 million tonnes mark this year and the total production will be around 32 million tonnes when the season ends, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said on Thursday.
Sea slugs can shed light for perpetual green energy
Sea slugs, majorly known as the leaves that crawl, can create perpetual green energy.According to a study by Rutgers University, sea slug sucks raw materials from algae to provide its lifetime supply of solar-powered energy in the Northeast.Sea slug is a marine invertebrate with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs."It's a remarkable feat because it's highly unusual for an animal to behave like a plant and survive solely on photosynthesis," said Debashish Bhattacharya, senior author of the study."The broader implication is in the field of artificial photosynthesis. That is, if we can figure out how the slug maintains stolen, isolated plastids to fix carbon without the plant nucleus, then maybe we can also harness isolated plastids for eternity as green machines to create bioproducts or energy. The existing paradigm is that to make green energy, we need the plant or alga to run the photosynthetic organelle, but the slug shows us that this does not have to be the case," he
NASA's portable nuclear reactor could power missions to Mars
NASA has said that it successfully demonstrated a new nuclear reactor power system that could enable crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond.
Warming Antarctic risks diet of Emperor Penguins
The most beautiful birds in Antartic, Emperor Penguins eat a variety of fish but diminishing sea ice in the warming Antarctic means less fish to eat.The tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species, Emperor Penguin, have a varied menu that changes with the season.Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have developed a way to help determine the foraging success of Emperor penguins.Off all the penguin species, Emperor penguins tend to be the biggest eaters. And for good reason: they make exceptionally long treks on sea ice to reach their foraging grounds and feed their large chicks when they return. But as sea ice diminishes, so does the microscopic plankton living underneath, which serves as the primary food source for fish that penguins eat.Sea ice also provides an important resting platform for the penguins in between foraging dives, so melting can make foraging that much harder."Global warming may be cutting in on food availability for Emperor ...
ASI's 'beauty parlour' treatment cause of Taj's browning, says historian
Welcoming the Supreme Court's concern over discolouring of the Taj Mahal, the 17th century monument to love in Agra, historian Prof R. Nath, an authority on Mughal architecture, said "mud-pack treatment with 'Multani Mitti' was the chief cause (of its browning) and this should be stopped forthwith".
China bans new polluting projects in three cities - ministry
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has ordered three northern cities to stop approving new projects that would add to air pollution after they failed to meet air quality targets this past winter.
Jaguar appoints new manufacturing chief to transform plants for electric future
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is replacing its director for manufacturing as it prepares its plants for an electrified future, the firm said on Thursday.
Farmers' to protest against Centre from June 1
Farmers under the banner of Kisan Ekta Manch and Rashtriya Kisan Maha Sangh today announced not to supply vegetables, fruits, milk and other crops to cities for 10 days starting from June 1 to protest against alleged anti-farmers policies of the Centre. A meeting of the coordination committee of these two farmers' organisations was held here to give final shape to the programme. We have been demanding minimum income guarantee scheme, implementation of Swaminathan Commission report and waiver of farmers' debt. Farmers from northern and central India will not supply vegetables, fruits, milk and other crops from June 1 till June 10. We will not go to cities to supply their produce. Farmers will take holidays for ten days, Bhartiya Kisan Union president Balbir Singh Rajewal said. Farmers from several states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh took part in the meeting.
