Page 762 - Environment
Diamonds in desert rocks came from long-lost planet
A car-sized asteroid that exploded in Earth's atmosphere in 2008, raining down diamond-bearing rocks, was a fragment of a Solar System planet that existed billions of years ago, researchers said today. The parent planet was about as large as Mars or Mercury, and was formed in our Solar System's first 10 million years before being shattered to pieces in collisions with other space rocks, a European team reported. Using high-definition microscopy, the researchers measured the composition of diamonds locked up in rocks left scattered in the Nubian desert of northern Sudan after an asteroid dubbed 2008 TC3 crashed into Earth. They concluded the precious stones must have formed at pressures that could only have existed on a long-lost Mars- to Mercury-sized planet. These are the smallest two planets in our Solar System, which was forged some 4.6 billion years ago. The measurements provide "the first compelling evidence for such a large body that has since disappeared," the research team ...
Trump administration defends Obama's Atlantic monument
The Trump administration is defending former President Barack Obama's Atlantic Ocean monument and asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from fishermen trying to eliminate it. The fishing groups sued to challenge the 2016 creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. The monument is a 5,000-square-mile area off New England and is the first of its kind in the Atlantic Ocean. The Commerce Department is arguing the president clearly has the authority under the federal Antiquities Act to establish national monuments. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, DC. Marine national monuments are underwater areas designed to protect unique or vulnerable ecosystems. Fishing groups say it takes too large of an area away from fishermen who harvest valuable species such as lobsters and crabs.
Wheat procurement in Haryana crosses 37 lakh tonnes
Government procuring agencies and traders have purchased over 37.19 lakh tonnes of wheat from farmers in Haryana, an official said on Tuesday.
Expert opinion taken before felling trees: Maha govt, civic bodies tell HC
The Bombay High Court was today informed by the Maharashtra government and other authorities that civic chiefs were advised by experts while processing applications for felling of trees. The authorities, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Thane Municipal Corporation, were responding to query posed by a division bench of justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla yesterday. The bench had asked them if the commissioners took the opinion of experts before passing orders to fell trees. As per a recent amendment to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, any proposal to cut less than 25 trees could be placed before the civic body commissioner concerned. Proposals to fell more than 25 trees would be sent to the Tree Authority. The court was hearing a petition filed by activist Zoru Bhathena challenging the validity of an amendment to the act that conferred special powers upon the municipal commissioner to decide proposals seeking permission to remove, fell or ...
Sugar production to cross 30 mn tonnes, arrears hits Rs 18,000 cr
Sugarcane production in the country this year has reached 29.09 million tonnes so far and it will cross 30 million mark in next few days, a government official said on Tuesday.
Six-fold rise in renewables must to limit temperature rise: Report
Increasing the pace of global renewable energy adoption by at least a factor of six -- critical for meeting energy-related emission reduction needs of the Paris Climate Agreement -- can limit global temperature rise to two degrees, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)'s long-term renewable energy outlook said on Tuesday.
Nagaland govt launches mobile app for farmers
Nagaland government today launched an interactive mobile app through which farmers can seek solutions to their problems and know about diseases of plants. Agriculture Minister G. Kaito Aye launched the 'NagaFarmDoctor', an app for android phones. The state Department of Agriculture, has developed the app with two features ? an interactive part where farmers can submit their queries, and the other part where they can view information about diseases of plants, an official of the department said. The app also has a feature by which farmers can interact with one another, as can be done in WhatsApp. The minister also encouraged department officials to visit remote villages and help farmers achieve self-sufficiency.
NGT directs MoEF to finalise national policy on forest fires in 2 weeks
Noting that forest fires normally occur in April every year causing huge damage to the environment, the National Green Tribunal has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to finalise National Policy on Forest Fire within two weeks. A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim directed the Environment Ministry to get all requisite approvals and finalise the plan. The ministry told the green panel that all the states have complied with the direction of the tribunal and submitted their response to the Draft National Policy on Forest Fire. After receiving suggestion from all the states, the ministry was re-examining the draft policy and had fixed a workshop schedule to enable all stakeholders to participate in the effective discussion to finalise such policy. The ministry sought two weeks' time for finalising the document. "Though we have acceded to grant of time, but in view of the fact that forest fires normally occur in the month of April every year, we
Change bylaws, make people benefit from heritage buildings: Experts
Walking through the narrow, winding lanes of Sita Ram Bazar in Chandni Chowk, where the overhead web of electric wires and encroaching tarpaulin shades outside shops make every day seem cloudy, the once two-storey building of Haksar Haveli is easy to miss. Over 100 years ago, it was here that Jawaharlal Nehru was wedded to Kamala Kaul. Now it is a heap of garbage next to an overgrown peepul tree behind a rusted iron-sheet door encroached on both sides by shops. While the Haksar Haveli and several other unprotected monuments in old Delhi and other areas of the city stand in neglect, conservation experts on the eve of World Heritage Day stressed that the buildings were a slice of history and should be preserved. Conservation architect and former INTACH Delhi chapter convener AGK Menon felt that while the conservation of unprotected buildings was a "complex problem", it could be achieved with the government's support and by encouraging people to protect structures that underlined the ...
ABB deploys high-capacity motors for Telangana irrigation project
As part of the Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation System in Telangana, ABB, a pioneering technology leader, deployed five of its high-capacity motors - each capable of pumping 23,000 litres per second.
Aarey metro car shed: HC tells petitioner to file affidavit
The Bombay High Court today directed a group of activists opposing the construction of the proposed metro car shed in Aarey Colony area to file an affidavit supporting their claim that the Maharashtra government flouted environmental norms in approving the construction work. A bench of Justices SC Dharamadhikari and PD Naik directed the petitioners to file the affidavit by April 24. The bench also directed the petitioners to cite official records and documents to support their claim that the Aarey Colony land, a prominent green lung of the city, was a protected 'forest area' and therefore the state's decision to change its usage for construction of the car shed was illegal. The bench was hearing a petition filed by some activists from the city and some residents of the Aarey Colony area, located near suburban Goregaon. The petitioners had alleged that the state government had illegally modified the draft Development Plan 2034 for Mumbai to show, what was previously a green, no ...
Book those involved in tiger killing in Lalgarh: Body
Expressing dismay over the killing of a tiger in Lalgarh in West Bengal by locals, an animal protection body today asked the state government to book those responsible for it and also involve experts to tackle such conflict situations. The adult tiger that had strayed into the forest of Lalgarh in West Midnapore district last month was killed by the locals recently and the carcass was recovered from the forest. The organisation, World Animal Protection, said that the local hunters used spears and bows and arrows to kill the cornered creature on April 13 and urged the authorities to investigate if it was a victim of "ritual hunting". "We call upon the state government to involve experts from outside in case they lack the requisite ability to humanely tackle conflict situations involving tigers and other species of endangered wildlife in Bengal. "We reiterate our original request of humane and professional handling of all animals caught in conflict situations, effective coordination ...
Maha to start Rs 5084 cr power distribution scheme for farmers
Maharashtra government today approved a scheme to provide electricity connection through a High Voltage Distribution System (HVDS) to farmers?for their agriculture pumps. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Power Minister Chandrashekhhar?Bawankule told reporters here. The scheme, estimated to cost Rs 5048 crore, will benefit around 2.24 lakh farmers?who are awaiting new power connections, the minister said. "Two farmers will share a transformer through HVDS lines, to be provided to farmers during August 15 to March 31 next year," Bawankule said. At present, 10 to 15 farmers?are provided electricity through 65 to 100 kilovolt-ampere (kVA) lines, the minister said. "In the present set-up, farmers get low voltage electricity and there are cases of power tripping due to defects in transformers," he said. "For Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, a budgetary provision of Rs 600 crore has already been made.?State ..
Some progress on Westinghouse n-project: US Energy Secretary
Describing American nuclear giant Westinghouse as the finest reactor makers in the world, US Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Tuesday said "some real progress" has been made in the company's proposed reactor deal with India, talks on which have been underway for several years.
Farm sector needs innovative practices for sustenance: Naidu
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said the farm sector in Assam needs innovative practices for sustenance and called upon farmers to take up allied activities such as poultry, dairy and fisheries. "There have been many advances in farming practices like precision farming, vertical farming and robotic farming. We must see if these innovations can be tried out in your state," Naidu said. He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the year-long golden jubilee celebrations of Assam Agricultural University in Jorhat. India needs to respond effectively to the changing needs of the farm sector and agricultural universities have an important role to play to ensure its sustenance, Naidu said. "Knowledge makes all the difference. The educational institutions must generate new ideas, extend the frontiers of scientific knowledge and search for practical solutions to challenging problems," he said. The farmers who toil on the farms should be empowered with knowledge, financial credit, .
Sugar output at record 30 mln tn; cane arrears cross Rs 20k cr
India's sugar production has touched an all-time high of 29.98 million tonnes till April 15 in the current season on higher cane output, leading to a surge in arrears to farmers at over Rs 20,000 crore, according to industry body ISMA. The association demanded that the government should provide production-linked incentive to cane farmers as it was done in 2015-16 marketing year. Sugar marketing year runs from October to September. Sugar output of India, the world's second largest producer, stood at 20.3 million tonnes in the 2016-17 marketing year. The annual domestic demand is estimated at 25 million tonnes. "Sugar production in the current season up to April 15, 2018, has crossed the expected levels and the Indian sugar industry has already produced 299.80 lakh tonnes," Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in a statement. As many as 227 sugar mills were still crushing sugarcane. Sugar production in Maharashtra has almost reached its past record and mills produced 10.49 million
Thai police hunt 'elephant electrocutioner'
Thai police are looking for a pineapple farm worker suspected of setting up an electric fence that has killed two wild elephants in the past month, authorities said today. Cops are searching for the man after the second elephant was found dead over the weekend, lying on its side outside a pineapple farm in Chonburi province that edges up against a national park. The four-tonne animal lay around 100 metres away from where a female elephant fell dead last month. A plantation worker, Samin Jansamut, was charged after the first elephant death with poaching but had since been released on bail, police said. "The suspect used live wire to make a fence and then connected it to electricity...at night," said Phadet Laithong, a regional park official. "There were signs of burning on (the second elephant's) trunk and his side, so it's likely that he was electrocuted," he added. Police are now looking for him again following the second elephant death. Conservationists estimate Thailand is home to .
Naxalites being fought with roads, electricity: Chhattisgarh chief minister
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has said development is the weapon being used against Naxalites, with the government providing villagers in the rebel-hit remote forests of Bastar with roads and electricity. The chief minister also said constructing roads in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh was the "toughest battle in the world". "The biggest pain of the Naxalites is why we (the government) are building roads and electrifying the region," he told reporters here yesterday. The outlawed rebels did not have faith in democracy and protested against every election, as well as development and the construction of roads in the region, Singh said. The 'ladai' (battle) is about electrification and road construction as we build more roads worth Rs 800 crore in the region," he said. The chief minister said the government's challenge was to build roads for the villagers as well protect those constructing them. "We have dual challenges in the region - construction of roads and providing ...
2 Koraput villages to be declared 'smokeless'
Two tribal villages in Odisha's Koraput district are set to be declared 'smokeless' next month as all households there would be using LPG under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) instead of conventional fuel by that time, a district official said. The two villages are Khudubu in Nandaput block which has 403 households, and Jhadiguda in Koraput block with 323 households. "At present, around 90 per cent of the households in these two villages have switched over from conventional fuel to LPG," said Prasanna Kumar Pradhan, the nodal officer of PMUY for Koraput district. "We are hopeful that the remaining households will start using LPG in next couple of weeks. The announcement will be made in a special function on May 5," he added. The villages switched to LPG after the officials held several meetings with the residents and showed them how to use LPG stove. "Initially, the villagers did not cooperate with us. When they were made aware of the health hazards of indoor ...
Sugar production at 299.80 lakh tonne as of April 15: ISMA
India has produced 299.80 lakh tonne sugar as of April 15 during the current October-September 2017-18 season, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said here on Tuesday.
