Page 76 - Environment
Sonsodo fire: Goa govt consults Maharashtra fire official
The Goa government has consulted director of Maharashtra Fire Services Prabhat Rahangdale for bringing the fire at Sonsodo garbage dump in South Goa district under control, it said Friday. Rahangdale, who had experience of dealing with a similar fire at Deonar garbage dump in Mumbai, recommended that a similar course of action be adopted, Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai said here. Fire started at Sonsodo garbage dump near Margao, the oldest garbage dump in the state, four days ago. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Sardesai reviewed the situation at a meeting at the CM's residence Friday. It was also attended by former chief minister Digambar Kamat and Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. Air pollution levels have shot up around Margao because of the fire. The Congress has warned of an agitation if the fire is not doused at the earliest. Though the flames have been largely put out, the dump is still smouldering. "My office contacted Rahangdale who has experience of
First Modi 2.0 Cabinet extends PM Kisan scheme to more farmers
In a major push to boost rural consumption, the Modi government in its first Cabinet meeting decided to cover all the farmers, irrespective of their land holdings, under PM Kisan scheme that promises to transfer Rs 6,000 in their bank accounts.
Airborne metal pollution linked to premature death
Airborne metal pollution is associated with an increased risk of premature death in humans, according to a study.
BJP seeks Guv's intervention as power cuts leave Jammu residents fuming
Slamming Jammu's electricity department for frequent power cuts as the mercury touches 44 degrees Celsius, the BJP Friday sought the intervention of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to ensure relief for the people. The Santra Morh-Hazuribagh-Anandnagar-Bohri belt is the worst affected region in Jammu division, where locals say they are getting electricity for less than eight hours daily. Hundreds of locals in Bohri protested against the power cuts on Friday. They burnt effigies of the Jammu and Kashmir government and alleged wrongdoing on part of the Power Distribution Department (PDD). "The day temperature in Jammu has crossed 44 degrees and the PDD is sleeping even as the region faces a major power crises," BJP State Spokesperson Balbir Ram Rattan told reporters here. Calling the PDD as the worst performing department, Rattan accused the officials of the department of being apathetic to the miseries of the consumers. The State unit of the BJP is concerned for the people ...
RK Singh takes charge as MoS Power and New and Renewable Energy
Bureaucrat-turned-politician RK Singh took charge as the Union minister of state (independent charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy on Friday.Singh said that his priorities would be to ensure quality, reliability and affordability of power and added, "We will overcome the challenges and would maintain the pace of growth."The Minister also emphasised on working towards the right energy mix to meet India's international obligations.He has also been allotted the additional portfolio of Minister of State (MoS) Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the new cabinet of the Modi government.He was greeted at the office in Shram Shakti Bhawan by Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Additional Secretary, MNRE and other senior officials of the Ministry.A second-time Lok Sabha member from Arrah in Bihar, Singh was inducted into the council of ministers of the new government on Thursday.
Goa CM chairs meet on tackling garbage dump fire
With the fire at Goa's largest open garbage dump blazing on for over a week now, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday chaired a high-powered meeting where he called on state government agencies involved to work with better coordination.
Fishing banned for June, July in Himachal
Fishing will be banned in all the reservoirs of Himachal Pradesh for June and July, a state minister said Friday. The ban for the two months every year is a routine process, Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Minister Virender Kanwar said. Most of fish species go through breeding process during this period leading to large scale fish seed production, he said, adding the Fisheries Department would collect seeds of Major Carp and Silver Carp in reservoirs of the state. There will also be complete ban on the sale of fish, he added. The fisheries minister said Rs 3,000 per month would be provided to the fisherman working in reservoirs of the state under 'Close Season Relief Fund Scheme' during the ban period.
Plea filed in SC against Madras HC order on Chennai-Salem highway
A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the Madras High Court order that cancelled the land acquisition announcement for the controversial eight-lane expressway between Chennai and Salem at a cost of about Rs 10,000 crore.
Ready to tackle likely swine fever spread from North: S. Korea
South Korea's agriculture ministry on Friday said it will go all-out on quarantine efforts as an outbreak of African swine fever in North Korea is "highly likely" to hit the South.
HC seeks Centre response on plea seeking to protect Jahanpanah
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Centre and the Delhi government to file a response on a plea seeking protection of the Jahanpanah City Forest and ensure that the nature and character of the forest are not destroyed.
Iran's stocks of nuclear materials still within limits: IAEA
Iran's stocks of key nuclear materials are still within the limits set by a 2015 deal with world powers, the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on the matter said Friday. Despite an announcement from Iran earlier this month that it no longer considered itself bound by the agreed restrictions on stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water, stocks of both did not exceed the ceilings set in the 2015 agreement, the report said.
No trace of girl missing in Telangana forests
There was no trace of a five-year-old tribal girl who went missing in Amarabad tiger reserve in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district last week even as a massive search operation was hampered by rains on Friday.
Tanzania latest African nation to ban plastic bags
A plastic bag ban comes into force in Tanzania on Saturday, as Africa leads efforts to stem the tide of plastic blighting the farthest reaches of the globe, and depths of the ocean. Tanzania is banning the importation, production, sale and use of plastic bags, becoming the 34th African country to implement such restrictions, according to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). "Let me be clear on this, once it reaches June 1, the government is not planning to add any more days and we will not tolerate anyone who will be caught using them. No plastic bag will be allowed in the country," Tanzania's vice-president Samia Suluhu Hassan said when announcing the move in April. Tanzania -- whose wildlife is a popular tourist draw -- has also issued a notice to travellers that they will have to "surrender" plastic bags in their possession before entering the country. "The government expects that, in appreciation of the imperative to protect the environment and keep our country clean
UK mulls extending law to protect ivory bearing species
The British government has announced it wants to extend its tough ivory law by adding other ivory bearing species, including hippos, walruses and some of the whale family to the protection list.
NGT expresses surprise over stubble burning at govt institute in Jaipur, issues notice
The National Green Tribunal on Friday expressed surprise over stubble burning at a government institute in Jaipur despite its order prohibiting such activities and issued notice to the Centre and Rajasthan government as to why action should not be taken against them over the incident. Observing that stubble burning has become a menace, a bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore also issued notices to Bikaner Agriculture University, Director Agricultural Research Institute, Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board and Central Pollution Control Board. The tribunal passed the order after taking note of a news report about stubble burning after harvesting of crops at Agricultural Research Institute in Jaipur. The report mentioned that despite a stay order by the NGT, prohibiting burning of stubble in the states, the Agricultural Research Institute has in its campus burned down the agricultural residue after harvesting the crop. "Here is a case where not our farmers but government and .
Protection of Jahanpanah forest serious issue, says HC; seeks responses of Centre, AAP govt
The Delhi High Court Friday sought responses of the Centre, AAP government and land owning agency DDA on a plea seeking protection of the Jahanpanah City Forest, spanning 435 acres in South Delhi, from encroachment and deforestation. Terming the issue raised in the PIL as "serious", a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Brijesh Sethi issued notices to the Environment Ministry, Delhi government, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation seeking their stand before the next date of hearing on August 23. "It is a serious issue," the court said and directed authorities to "file status reports with regard to the allegations and acts of commission and omission indicated in the petition" by a lawyer -- Amit Gupta -- who has claimed that "consistent negligence" by the Delhi Development Authority in discharging its duties has led to rampant encroachment, loss of forest cover as well as dumping of garbage in the forest area. Apart from that, the ...
Harsh Vardhan to take charge of Health Ministry on Monday
Doctor-turned-politician Harsh Vardhan will again lead the Health Ministry, almost five years after he was relieved of its charge. According to sources in the minister's office, he will take charge of the ministry on Monday. Vardhan will also continue to hold Science & Technology and Earth Sciences portfolios. He was appointed as the Union Health minister in May 2014 and was later given the charge of the Ministries of Earth Sciences and Science and Technology. J P Nadda had held the portfolio in the outgoing cabinet. Vardhan was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in May 2017, after the demise of Union minister Anil Madhav Dave. The sixty-four-year-old was re-elected to Lok Sabha from Delhi's Chandni Chowk seat, with a margin of over 2 lakh votes this time. Vardhan as an environment minister initiated the Green Good Deeds Movement in 2018 in which he appealed to organisations and the people to take small positive actions to ...
Horticulture production marginally up at 314.87 mt in 2018-19
The country's total horticulture production is estimated to rise marginally to 314.87 million tonne in the 2018-19 crop year, according to official data. The agriculture ministry Friday released the Second Advanced Estimate (2018-19) of area and production of various horticulture crops, as compiled from information received from different state/UTs and source agencies. "The total horticulture production of the country is estimated to be at 314.87 million tonnes which is 1.01 per cent higher than horticulture production in 2017-18," an official statement said. Horticulture production stood at 311.71 million tonne in the previous year. The area under horticulture crop also rose to 25.6 million hectare from 25.43 million hectare. The crop year in India is from July-June. Under the horticulture crops, production of fruits is estimated to be around 97.38 million tonnes in 2018-19 compared to 97.36 million tonnes in the previous year. Vegetables production is estimated to rise 1.6 per cent .
R K Singh takes charge as minister with focus on 24X7 Power for All
Bureaucrat-turned-politician and second time Lok Sabha member R K Singh Friday took charge of power and new & renewable energy ministries and stressed that focus of Team Modi 2.0 will be on reliable and sustainable '24X7 Power for All'. "Our focus will be on 24X7 power for all. We want to provide reliable and sustainable power to all. The sustainable means the commercial viability of power supplied to consumers," Singh told reporter while taking charge here. About the 100-day agenda, the minister said he will soon be briefed about this along with other ministers. The previous NDA regime had envisaged 24x7 Power for All from April 1, 2019. The government has also worked in that direction and provided electricity connection to over 2.6 crore families under the Rs 16,320-crore Saubhagya scheme. In Team Modi 1.0, Singh was the Minister of State for Power, and New and Renewable Energy. He was instrumental in the launch of household electrification scheme Saubhagya. According to data ...
Philippines ships dumped trash back to Canada
Tonnes of garbage sent to the Philippines years ago was shipped back to Canada on Friday after a festering diplomatic row, as Asian nations increasingly reject serving as dumping grounds for international trash. After a long campaign to urge Canada to take back the rotting waste, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at Ottawa last week and ordered the refuse returned immediately. The 69 shipping containers of garbage were loaded onto a cargo vessel at Subic Bay, a former US naval base and shipping port northwest of Manila, and began the lengthy trip to Canada. "Baaaaaaaaa bye, as we say it," Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin wrote on Twitter, along with images of the vessel leaving. Canada's Environment Minister Catherine McKenna welcomed the news of the trash being returned, telling reporters on Thursday: "We committed with the Philippines and we're working closely with them." Just days earlier Malaysia announced it was shipping 450 tonnes of imported plastic ...