Page 745 - Environment
ISA task force of corporates on innovation holds first meet
A task force of corporates on innovation set up by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) has held its first meeting here chaired by Japanese multinational SoftBank Corp Chairman Masayoshi Son, a SoftBank statement said on Sunday.
Inauguration of Ganga Jal project postponed again in Agra
A formal inauguration of the ambitious Rs 3,000 crore Ganga Jal project, to ease water supply situation in the Taj city, has again been postponed - to August.
Crack in Mars 2020 rover heat shield won't delay mission: NASA
NASA has said that a crack that it detected in the Mars 2020 rover's heat shield will not change the mission's launch date.
Londoners warned of health threat from toxic caterpillars
Residents in London are being told to beware the white-haired caterpillars that can cause rashes, vomiting and asthma attacks. The British Forestry Commission says caterpillars that become oak processionary moths have been spotted in and around the British capital since mid-April. The caterpillars are covered in thousands of hairs containing the protein thaumetopoein, which can cause skin rashes, sore throats, breathing difficulties and eye problems. People are being warned not to touch the creatures, which are most often found in oak trees - and to keep pets away from them, too. Officials are treating oak trees with pesticide to try and eliminate the moths, which were accidentally introduced to Britain in 2005 on plants imported from continental Europe. The Observer newspaper said today that authorities will also set traps for the caterpillars.
5 injured after inhaling toxic gas inside sewage plant
Five persons were today injured after they inhaled toxic gas while they had gone to check the sewage plant of a prominent hotel in Lutyens' Delhi, police said. The hotel is located near Khan Market and its sewage plant is in the adjoining building. The employees of a sewage company and the hotel employees had gone to the sewage plant and inhaled toxic gases from the plant and got unconscious, police said. The five men are currently undergoing treatment and the condition of some of them is stated to be critical. Police are probing whether the men were wearing safety gear and are yet to record the statement of those who were injured, they added.
Water conservation benefits 150 lakh hectares: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that water conservation in the last three years have helped about 150 lakh hectares of land.
HMRL takes up rain water harvesting structures"
"As part of Telangana government's 'Jalam Jeevam' programme, to recharge the fast depleting water table in the city and address the water stagnation problem in the Metro corridors, HMRL"has come up with a rainwater harvesting structure design, a senior official said today. "Identifying the low lying road points/areas in the Metro corridors where rain water stagnates, Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) is constructing about 100 rain water harvesting structures with injection borewells mostly at the edge of the roads and about 200 structures without injection borewells," HMRL Managing Director NVS Reddy"said in a release. Enough gap is left between the filled up portion of the rain water well and the perforated RCC slab, which can hold a minimum of 5,000 litres of water at any point of time and the rain water constantly gets sucked at good speed to deep underground layers through the injection borewell, Reddy explained. While construction of new storm water drains and ...
Modi hails farmers for making biscuits from farm produce
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appreciated the farmers of Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district for making biscuits from their farm produce.
Maha to release Rs 1,100 cr to farmers for crop damage in pest
Under fire from the opposition over delay in financial aid to farmers for crops damaged by pests, the Maharashtra government is set to release Rs 1,100 crore for cultivators in the next few days, an official said. Bijay Kumar, the principal secretary, agriculture, said today that a sum of Rs 1,100 crore will be released in the coming week to provide relief to the affected farmers. The details will be announced soon as April 30 and May 1 are government holidays and banks would not be functioning on those days, he said. "The state government has prepared a detailed list of the beneficiary farmers and their bank accounts. The money will be disbursed into their accounts only," a senior official from the state relief and rehabilitation department said. As per the state government's primary survey, the pink bollworm and other pests last year affected cotton crop on 34 lakh hectares of land as against the total cultivation on 43 lakh hectares. Many of the areas in eastern parts .
Realty check: Mumbai Development Plan evokes mixed reaction
The Maharashtra government's decision to unlock more land for the housing sector in its Development Plan (DP) 2034 for Mumbai has evoked mixed reaction among citizen groups and environmentalists. Some of the groups criticised the decision to release vast tracts of land now falling under 'No Development Zones' for affordable housing and increase the floor space index (FSI), saying these measures will only help realtors. Environmentalists warned the DP will have "disastrous" impact on the city's already crumbling infrastructure. However, some NGOs have come out in support of the much-awaited DP for Mumbai unveiled on April 25. Mitesh Prajapati of the Citizen Civic Solutions Foundation, that had suggested changes in the draft DP, said the FSI alloted for commercial properties in the name of affordable housing and employment generation will, in reality, only benefit builders. "We strongly oppose the decision to grant an FSI of 5 for commercial properties and will approach the
'Infinitely' recyclable plastic developed
Scientists have developed a novel plastic that can be completely recycled as many times as required, without the use of toxic chemicals or intensive lab procedures. Plastics are cheap, lightweight and long-lasting. For these same reasons, plastics waste in causing major environmental problems around the globe. Researchers from Colorado State University in the US discovered a polymer with many of the same characteristics we enjoy in plastics, such as light weight, heat resistance, strength and durability. However, the new polymer, unlike typical petroleum plastics, can be converted back to its original small-molecule state for complete chemical recyclability. Polymers are a broad class of materials characterised by long chains of chemically bonded, repeating molecular units called monomers. Synthetic polymers today include plastics, as well as fibres, ceramics, rubbers, coatings, and many other commercial products. The work builds on a previous generation of a chemically recyclable ...
Australia announces record investment in Great Barrier Reef
Australia will invest AU$500 million ($379 million) to protect the Great Barrier Reef, a minister said on Sunday.
PM Modi underlines importance of water conservation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to take initiatives to conserve water and said that the Centre was leaving no stone unturned for the same.Addressing the nation through his 43rd edition of monthly Radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat,' Prime Minister Modi underlined the importance of water conservation."We often hear that there might be wars due to scarcity of water in future. Therefore, we must assume our responsibility to conserve water. We must ensure conservation of water in every possible manner," he said.Citing examples of various baolis of India, the Prime Minister said, "Water conservation is not a new topic for us. Our forefathers have lived this as a way of life for centuries together. They gave due priority and importance to every single drop of water. They found out newer methods in order to conserve every single drop of water."We often hear that there might be wars due to the scarcity of water in future. Therefore, we must assume our responsibility to conserve
Modi hails Uttarakhand farmers for 'value addition' process
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appreciated the farmers of Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district for starting the production of biscuits from their agricultural produce and selling them in the market.
Activists up in arms against Bangla NTPC power plant near Sundarbans
A diesel ferry cuts through the Poshur river -- the lifeline of Sundarbans -- with travellers watching its heavily industrialised bank, which is rapidly increasing at the cost of worlds largest contiguous mangrove forest.
Thais rally against officials building homes on sacred mountain
Around 1,000 people rallied in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai today to protest the construction of homes for officials on forested land flanking a revered mountain, in one of the largest shows of dissent under junta rule. Public frustration has been mounting over the project since aerial images of several dozen officials' homes -- carved into the green foothills of Chiang Mai's Doi Suthep mountain -- started circulating on social media earlier this year. On Sunday a huge crowd of protesters, many wearing green ribbons, called for the demolition of the buildings as they marched through Chiang Mai, the biggest city in Thailand's mountainous north. "About 1,000 people gathered... since 7:30 am (0030 GMT) to protest against the houses," Chiang Mai police officer Jirasak Sriprasert told AFP. Protesters say the mountain, which looms over Chiang Mai and hosts a hugely popular temple believed to hold a relic of the Buddha, is a sacred site and conservation area. But officials have ...
Bomb blast at Nepal's hydroelectricity project's office weeks before inauguration by Modi
A bomb exploded today at the office of a hydroelectricity project in Nepal developed with Indian assistance, weeks before its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a media report said. The compound wall of 900 MW Arun III Hydroelectric Power Plant's office in Khandbari-9, Tumlingtar, nearly 500 km from here, suffered minor damage after the explosion, My Republica reported. The project is slated to come into operation by 2020. The power plant is scheduled to be inaugurated by Modi on his upcoming visit to Nepal on May 11, the report said. A Project Development Agreement (PDA) for Arun III was signed with India's state-owned Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) on November 25, 2014 in the presence of the then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and visiting Indian Prime Minister Modi, the report said. The wall on the south side is slightly damaged due to the bomb explosion, Police Inspector Bed Prasad Gautam said. The investigation is going on about the incident. However, no one has claimed
Spot power prices to be around Rs 4/unit in May, June: Experts
Spot power prices in the country are unlikely to surge in the next two months and hover around Rs 4 per unit in view of availability renewables, mainly wind energy, experts say. There were fears that the persistent shortage of coal at thermal power plants in the country may jack up spot power prices in the near term with the onset of summer. "The spot power prices in the country would be around Rs 4 per unit in the next two month due to availability of wind energy due to progression of monsoon," a market expert told PTI. The average spot power price at the Indian Energy Exchange was Rs 4.01 per unit till April 27, 2018. It was Rs 4.01 in March as well, but was higher than Rs 3.22 in February this year. The average price was around Rs 2.5 per unit in February and March 2017. But it was slightly up at Rs 2.7 in April last year. "Last year the peak power demand was around 159 GW, which at maximum level, can increase up to 165 GW this year in May and June. But that could be compensated ..
Wheat procurement in Haryana crosses 77.5 lakh tonnes
Surpassing the procurement in 2017, government procurement agencies have procured over 77.5 lakh tonnes of wheat from farmers in Haryana, a spokesman of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department said on Sunday.
World's oldest spider discovered in Australia
Scientists have discovered what may be the world's oldest recorded spider - a 43-year-old arachnid in Australia. The Giaus Villosus trapdoor matriarch, which recently died during a long-term population study, had outlived the previous world record holder, a 28-year old tarantula found in Mexico. The ongoing research has led to new discoveries about the longevity of the trapdoor spider, researchers said. "To our knowledge this is the oldest spider ever recorded, and her significant life has allowed us to further investigate the trapdoor spider's behaviour and population dynamics," said Leanda Mason, PhD student at Curtin University in Australia. "The research project was first initiated by Barbara York Main in 1974, who monitored the long-term spider population for over 42 years in the Central Wheatbelt region of Western Australia," Mason said. "Through Barbara's detailed research, we were able to determine that the extensive life span of the trapdoor spider is due to their ...
