Page 753 - Environment
Giant mosquito with 11.15cm wingspan found in China
A super-sized mosquito with a wingspan of 11.15 centimetres has been found in China's Sichuan province, entomologists said today. According to Zhao Li, curator of the Insect Museum of West China, the mosquito belongs to the world's largest mosquito species Holorusia mikado. It was found in August last year during a field trip to Mount Qingcheng in Chengdu, capital of south-west China's Sichuan province, Xinhua news agency reported. First found in Japan, the Holorusia mikado species normally have a wing span of about eight centimetres, researchers said. "These mosquitoes look horrendous, but do not feed on blood. The adults have a lifespan of only a few days and mainly feed on nectar," Li said. There are thousands of types of mosquitoes in the world, however, barely 100 species feed on blood and may be a problem for humans, he said. In the western parts of Sichuan, Holorusia mikado, also known as the crane fly, are mainly found in the Chengdu plain and in mountainous areas below 2,200 .
Maharashtra: 37 Naxals gunned down in two encounters
At least 37 Naxals have been killed in Gadchiroli district in two encounters that have taken place in as many days.After Sunday's encounter, wherein 31 Naxals died, six more were killed by the security forces at district's +Jimalgatta forest area on Monday.Said to be the biggest encounter in Maharashtra yet, all the bodies have been recovered from different locations in the district during the past 36 hours.The encounter first broke out in Etapalli's Boriya forest area on Sunday morning after a team of C-60 commandos, following specific inputs, was dispatched to the area. The exchange of fire took place after the police team was fired upon and they retaliated.
New York Governor introduces bill to ban plastic bags
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has embraced a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags and has introduced a bill to outlaw them by next year, the media reported.
Graphene-based greener, stronger concrete developed
Scientists have developed a new greener, stronger and more durable concrete using the wonder-material graphene, which they say could revolutionise the construction industry. Researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK developed a pioneering new technique that uses nanoengineering technology to incorporate graphene into traditional concrete production. Graphene is a form of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The new composite material, which is more than twice as strong and four times more water resistant than existing concretes, can be used directly by the construction industry on building sites, researchers said. The graphene-reinforced concentre material also drastically reduced the carbon footprint of conventional concrete production methods, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The new technique, described in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, could pave the way for other nanomaterials to be ...
Nepal, India discuss revising transit treaty
Nepalese and Indian officials began talks here on Tuesday to revise a Transit Treaty allowing a transit facility to Kathmandu through Indian waterways.
Centre gives in-principle approval to greenfield airport near Jewar
The Centre has given in-principle approval to the proposed Greenfield Airport near Jewar in Gautambuddh Nagar during a steering committee meeting held in New Delhi. The approval to this effect was given at the meeting yesterday attended by principal secretary (civil aviation) SP Goyal and other senior officials, Special Secretary, Civil Aviation, Suryapal Gangwar said today. The detailed project report and techno-economic feasibility report for the project has been prepared by Price Waterhouse Coopers. As per the report, acquisition of 1,441 hectare land in eight villages is proposed for the airport which will be built on PPP mode. The work for the project will be taken up in four phases at an approximate cost of Rs 15,754 crores, he said. The airport will have two runways with a capacity to handle 70 million passengers annually and cargo handling capacity of 3 million metric tonnes per year. Preliminary work on the project had started in April 2017 and it is because of the ...
K.P. Energy to develop 300 MW wind power project in Kutch, Gujarat
K.P. Energy will facilitate distinct wind locations, Permits, Wind Campaign, Power Evacuation Infrastructure comprising of 220kv dedicated lines and Pooling Substation as per PGCIL Standards, Site civil works for WTG foundation, logistics & erection.
Assam Rifles provides electricity to interior Manipur village
At least 26 houses of Sehlon village in the isolated exterior areas of Chandel district of Manipur bordering Myanmar have been provided with electricity for the first time since Independence, an Assam Rifles statement said. Residents of the interior villages "which has no road connectivity, electricity and basic amenities" expressed gratitude to the personnel after the para-military force set up an operational 5 KVA solar power plant. The villages were previously provided power supply from a generator of the distantly located AR Sector in Kakching district but installed the solar power plant to enable them self-reliant, it said.
Sea of solar panels turns Mexican desert green
From a distance, it looks like a deep-blue sea has formed in the middle of the Mexican desert. But this is no mirage -- it's the largest solar park in Latin America. With 2.3 million solar panels -- covering the equivalent of 2,200 football fields in the arid northern state of Coahuila -- the Villanueva power plant, built by Italian energy company Enel, is part of Mexico's push to generate 43 percent of its electricity from clean sources by 2024. Arrayed across the sand in seemingly endless rows that stretch to the horizon, the solar panels are made to turn in tandem with the sun, like a giant field of shimmering metallic sunflowers. The $650-million project came online in December and is due to produce 1,700 gigawatt hours when fully operational later this year -- enough to power 1.3 million homes. Mexico won plaudits from environmentalists in 2015 when it became the first emerging country to announce its emissions reduction targets for the United Nations climate accord, ambitiously .
Lockheed says 'flow' battery will boost use of renewable power
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp hopes to launch a new "flow" battery made of inexpensive, nontoxic materials that can help utilities save money and use more renewable energy, company officials said on Monday.
Reshuffle of bureaucrats in West Bengal
In a reshufle of bureaucrats in West Bengal, six senior IAS officials have been transferred to different departments, sources in the Home Personnel Department said. Sanjib Chopra, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Department, has been transferred as Director General, Administrative Training Institute, while Nandini Chakraborty, Secretary, Food Processing, as Secretary Agriculture. Hridesh Mohan, Director General, Administrative Training Institute, has been asked to take over as Secretary Water Resources and Investigation, the sources said. Subrata Gupta, Principal Secretary, Water Resources and Investigation, will now take over as Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department. The sources said Onkar Singh Meena, Secretary, Urban Development, has been transferred as Secretary, Housing Department. Khalil Ahmed, who was holding the posts of Secretary Housing and KMC Commissioner, will now remain as only KMC Commissioner.
villagers take out procession,demand closure of Sterlite unit
About 500 people from 18 villages in and around this town today took out a procession to the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board office here, demanding closure of the Sterlite plant. However they were stopped half a kilometre away from the plant by police, who allowed one representative from each village to go to the Board office and submit a memorandum. Officials said their memorandum would be submitted to the government for suitable action. The residents in and around the plant have been holding demonstrations and fast over the last 50 days, demanding closure of the factory, citing environmental concerns. Various political parties such as DMK and actor Kamal Hassan's Makkal Neethi Mayyam have also taken part in the anti-Sterlite protest. The company has rejected the allegation, saying there was no violation of pollution control norms. On April 4, the Madras High Court had directed police to provide security for the plant in the wake of the agitation.
SC seeks report on compliance of safety features of Kudankulam n-plant
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to file an affidavit indicating the progress made on safety features of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district.
Diu Smart City first in India to run on 100 pc renewable energy during daytime: Official
The Diu Smart City has become the first city in India that runs on 100 per cent renewable energy during the daytime, setting a bench-mark for other cities to follow, an official release said today. Diu had been importing 73 per cent of its power from Gujarat till last year, it added. The city has developed a 9-MW solar park spread over 50 hectares rocky barren land, besides installing solar panels on the rooftops on 79 government buildings, generating 1.3 MW annually, the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry's release said. Diu also offers its residents a subsidy of Rs 10, 000-50,000 for installing 1-5 -KW rooftop solar panels. The city is saving about 13,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year and due to low-cost solar energy, power tariffs have been cut in residential category by 10 per cent last year and 15 per cent this year, the release said. On other smart cities, the release said Bengaluru Smart City is working on implementation of solution to improve traffic management, while .
China may avoid 94,000 deaths with climate policies: study
China could avoid nearly 94,000 premature deaths and save a whopping $339 billion in health costs over the next 12 years by honouring its carbon reduction commitments under the Paris climate accord, a study showed today. The country has pledged to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 at the latest and to cut carbon emissions per unit of economic output (GDP) by 60-65 percent compared to 2005 levels. The study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published in the journal Nature Climate Change said China would have to slash CO2 emissions by about four percent each year to save nearly 94,000 lives through cleaner air in that timespan. Researchers estimated that health-related savings could be about four times what it would cost Beijing to meet its climate goals. "The country could actually come out net positive, just based on the health co-benefits associated with air quality improvements, relative to the cost of a climate policy," said co-author Noelle Eckley Selin, an ...
Discussing ways to address sugarcane arrear issue: Paswan
In a bid to help sugar millers in paying off their arrears, the government is contemplating measures like cess on sugar sale, subsidy to cane farmers and tax-reduction in ethanol production, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Monday.
'ADB to give Rs 1,700 crore aid to U'khand'
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed in principle to give an aid of Rs 1,700 crore to Uttarakhand for infrastructure development and creation of sewerage treatment facilities in urban areas. This was conveyed to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat by the country director of ADB's India Regiment Mission Kenichi Yokoyama at a meeting between the two here today. Thanking the ADB for the aid, Chief Minister Rawat said infrastructure development in the urban areas was one of his government's top priorities and 100 per cent of the aid given by the institution will be utilised for the purpose. Institutional processes in the state are being made more transparent and outcome based, Rawat told the delegation and laid emphasis on forming stronger project management units and better inter-departmental coordination for the implementation of the ADB aided projects. Yokoyama said the Rs 1,700 crore aid will be given for the creation of infrastructural facilities, sewer treatment plants and ..
Haryana signs pact with IOC for setting up biomethenation plant
The Haryana government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for setting up a biomethenation plant in Faridabad. The plant will produce cooking gas and compost from organic waste. The MoU was signed by officials of Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, Indian Oil Corporation, Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), Ecogreen Energy and Iskcon in the presence of Industries and Commerce Minister Vipul Goel in Faridabad today, an official release said here. The plant will produce 18 cylinders of gas every day which will be supplied to Iskcon, which is also engaged in cooking mid-day meal for 60,000 school children in Faridabad, free of cost. The plant will also produce about four tonnes of compost per day from five tonnes of organic waste. This compost will be supplied to HSVP for parks. The minister said it is a unique initiative of the state government and IOC towards making Faridabad a clean and smart city. The project, which will be set ..
Uttarakhand receives 20 e-cars from EESL
Government of India undertaking EESL today handed over the first batch of 20 electric cars to the Uttarakhand government to mark the launch of e-transport in the state. Thefleet of 20 cost effective e-vehicles was received from the Energy Efficient Services Limited (EESL) in the first phase which will reduce pollution levels, Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh said after receiving the key of the first electric car from EESL representatives at the secretariat. Secretary(Power) Radhika Jha saidEESL would charge only Rs 38,000 per month including driver's cost from the state government as rent for these vehicles. Only Rs 15 will have to be spent per day on charging each vehicle, she said. Once fully charged, each e-car can cover a distance of 140 kms at a cost of just 28 paise per km, Jha said. It is part of the the Centre's National Electric Mobility Plan under which it wants to bring 60-70 lakh electric vehicles on Indian roads. Introduction of e-vehicles willlessen the financial burden
Kudankulam nuclear plant has advanced safety features, can withstand earthquakes: NPCIL informs SC
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd today told the Supreme Court that the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has advanced safety features and it was designed to withstand earthquakes and other such threats. The NPCIL made the submissions before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. The bench was hearing an NPCIL application seeking an extension of time to complete the away-from-reactor (AFR) facility for spent fuel according to the apex court's directions passed in a judgment in May 2013. Representing NPCIL, Additional Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta told the bench, comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, the process to complete the AFR facility was going on. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, opposed the NPCIL plea and said even after the fuel rods were out of service, they remain radioactive for a long time. He referred to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan after a massive earthquake and followed by a tsunami, and ...
