Page 777 - Environment

Inter-discom power transfer to ensure fewer blackouts

Delhiites can expect fewer power cuts this summer, as power distribution companies have agreed to meet deficit in certain slots through inter-discom transfers, a Delhi government official has said. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, the power regulator for the national capital, has issued a detailed order on allocation of power among the discoms -- Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL). The DERC order said that it was observed during the summers preparedness meetings that the national capital as a whole is power surplus during April to September, however, there is shortage of power with individual discoms during few hours of certain fortnights. "The discoms have agreed to manage deficit of power in specific slots among themselves by trading through inter discom transfer (IDT) and assured that there would not be shortage of power during summers of 2018-19," it said. The official said the ...

MP Tourism Board procures lands in 49 districts

The newly constituted Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has acquired about 850 hectares of land at 144 places in 49 districts of the state. The move is aimed at creating land bank for promoting tourism in the state, official said today. "After the constitution of the board, a land bank of about 850 hectares at 144 places across 49 districts has been created under the tourism policy. Of this, 60 hectares were allotted to 16 private investors, which generated a revenue of Rs 23.50 crore. Also, 3,000 sq km area at 18 water bodies has been earmarked for water tourism," said the official of the tourism department. After creating the land bank, bids for tourism projects on 94 hectares at 19 places for hotels, resorts and other establishments have been invited, he said. Relentless efforts are being made to attract holiday- makers to the state, the official said, adding under the home -stay scheme, 97 registrations have been made so far. The official said the state has been divided in

Innovative housing scheme for people in tiny backwater islands

People living in sinkingtiny backwater islands in southern Kerala hope that an innovative housing system coming up there would end the threat of displacement arising out of inundation due to global warming. An eco-friendly amphibious housing model is being developed by a group of architects for poor and vulnerable people, who live in constant fear of floods in Munroe Thuruth islands in Kollam district. The project is being implemented on a pilot basis by the CPI(M), Keralas ruling political party. CPI(M) politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai on Friday laid foundation stone for first such amphibious house at Munroe Thuruth, which is a group of some tiny islands formed by backwaters of scenic Ashtamudi Lake and Kallada river. Panchayat authorities said they were seeking a solution for providing affordable housing for people in the shrinking tiny islands, ranging from one acre to over one hectare. CPI(M) leader and former Rajya Sabha member K N Balagopal, who took the ...

Gujarat villagers tackle salinity ingress

Facing salinity ingress for years and disappointed with official apathy, hundreds of farmers and their kin from across 30 villages in Gujarat's Saurashtra region have taken matters into their own hands to build a small dam.

Humanity's first flight to Earth's closest star set to launch in July

Parker Solar Probe will be launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Kerala Govt to launch 'community radio' to update farmers

Amidst concerns about the shrinking agricultural space and the distancing of people from farming, the Kerala government is getting ready to start a 'community radio' to update them of the latest developments in the sector. Significantly, it will be the first such community radio to get connected with the farming community under a government initiative in the country. The first farm radio of the state is expected to start broadcast from Kuttanad in Alappuzha district, once popularly known as the 'rice bowl of Kerala,from next month,marking the second year anniversary celebrations of the LDF government. Famed for its vast expanse of paddy cultivation, Kuttanad is one of the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea level. The radio platform is envisaged to provide information to farmers on a host of subjects, including climate change and environment issues, agrarian crisis and alerts, tips and information on various aspects of agriculture. The Left ...

AAI seeks 'green signal' from MoEF for 7 airports expansion

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has approached the Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change seeking permission for various expansion programmes ofseven airports including Pune, Guwahati and Tirupati this year so far. The total investment outlay for all the seven airports was pegged at nearly Rs 3000 crore, according to the minutes of meetings of Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the ministry held in January and March. A top official of the national airports' operator recently said that the PSU will be investing Rs 15,000 crore during the current fiscal for terminal building projects across the country. The AAI sought Environmental Clearance (EC) for Jabalpur (MP), Jharsuguda (Odisha), Allahabad (UP) and Guwahati international airports, while requesting the Ministry for preparing Terms of References (TOR) for Pune, Tirupati and Kolhapur Airports. "Construction of New Integrated Terminal Building (for Pune airport), Reconstruction of Old Terminal ..

Coal shortage at power plants may push up spot prices in summer

Coal shortage is still affecting the efficacy or capacity utilisation (Plant Load Factor) of independent power projects in the country, which may lead to a spike in spot prices of electricity on exchanges this summer, according to experts. "Earlier last year, the shortage of coal prices resulted in surge in spot power prices at energy exchanges to as high Rs 11 per unit and the rate may increase again with the onset of summers when demand touches its peak," power sector experts said. According to the latest Central Electricity Authority (CEA) data, the Plant Load Factor (PLF) of the independent power projects (IPPs) was 52.54 per cent in February 2018 compared to 59.54 per cent a year ago. However, as per data, the PLF of central sector projects rose to 76.59 per cent in February from 72.93 per cent. Similarly, the PLF of state sector projects increased to 61.76 per cent in the month from 54.41 per cent a year ago. The experts noted that the IPPs have been reporting lower PLF than ...

Setting an example: Temple, mosque, gurdwara join hands in this small UP town (IANS Special Series)

With inter-community violence reported from many parts of India in a society increasingly polarised on religious and caste lines, a small town in Uttar Pradesh is setting an extraordinary example where a temple, a mosque, and even a gurdwara, have joined hands to clean a polluted river while bringing their communities together.

Grown up tigers can't be released from Park: officials

Two tiger cubs, rescued in 2012 from Angrim in Dibang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh, have grown up in captivity and now can't be released them into the wild due to delay in procedures, forest officials said today. Male 'Ipra' and female 'Chipi' have been brought at the Biological Park here in September 2013 after they were rescued from Angrim. "The tigers are well settled now and they have gained weight and increased in size. The approximate weight of the male tiger now is around 300 kg while the female weighs more than 200 kg," park curator Raya Flago said. Fed on the stipulated diet of 10 kg beef each per day, Ipra and Chipi were supposed to be released in the wild but it is too late now as they have grown and might not cope well in the wild. Moreover, delay in certain official procedures has sealed their chance for releasing in the wild, he said. "During 2015 we have submitted a proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for releasing Ipra and

Fear of drought in Srinagar amid prolonged dry spell, advisories issued

A long dry spell sent the mercury soaring in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar, which recorded its hottest-ever March this year, and raised the spectre of drought-like conditions. Authorities have advised farmers in many areas not to cultivate paddy - a water-intensive crop - and the agricultural department is preparing a contingency plan to deal with any eventuality. "The Kashmir Valley has been witnessing above-normal maximum temperatures. Especially in the month of March, the day temperatures were eight to 11 notches above the normal," an official of the Meteorological Department told PTI here. "Though there has been some relief in this month, the maximum temperature is still above the normal for this part of the year. He said the valley recorded the hottest ever month of March this year and the maximum temperature broke the nearly five decade-old record. On the last day of March this year, Srinagar recorded a maximum of 28.3 degrees Celsius, which was 10.7 degrees ...

Anti-parking crackdown drives residents crazy

Facing a massive crackdown on unauthorised roadside parking on the Jammu and Kashmir High Court orders, Srinagar residents have been left a helpless lot, knowing not where to park their vehicles in the city with little public parking space. Selected under the Centre's flagship Smart City scheme, Srinagar has public parking space for just one per cent of the vehicles registered here. The state's summer capital and its biggest city, Srinagar has over over 2.43 lakh of its residents owning private vehicles besides another 58,000 commercial vehicles registered here, but the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has provided the parking space only for 2460 vehicles, said officials. The parking space crunch here has been further aggravated following shifting of the two major bus stands at Batamaloo and Lal Chowk to outskirts of the city on the high court orders. Adjudicating a public interest litigation on transport and traffic problems in the state, the high court has ordered the traffic police ..

German scientists grow first Antarctic salad

Scientists have successfully grown the first batch of lettuce, cucumbers and radishes in a lab in Antarctica, taking the possibility of producing food in space closer to reality. A shipping container-size greenhouse, called EDEN ISS, was installed in near the the Neumayer Station III, a German research facility in Antarctica. The lab is providing fresh vegetables for the scientists during long missions in Antarctica. The EDEN ISS is an experiment led by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) designed to test the best methods for cultivating crops for astronauts. "It tasted as if we had harvested it fresh from the garden," said Bernhard Gropp, the manager of the Neumayer Station III. Plants grwon in space could help sustain crews on long missions inside the International Space Station (ISS), or at farther destinations like the Moon or Mars, where fresh food can not be regularly delivered. The Antarctic greenhouse has conditions similar to that of a spacecraft, 'Live Science' reported. It ...

Humanity's first flight to Sun to launch in July: NASA

NASA's Parker Solar Probe, which is humanity's first mission to the Sun, has begun final preparations for its launch in July.

Plastic ban: Environmentalists give a thumbs up, but industry

The Maharashtra government's decision to ban the use of plastic has been welcomed by environmentalists, but frowned upon by some stakeholders who feel that lakhs of people will be rendered jobless in the Rs 50,000 crore industry. The government had earlier rejected the pleas of some players from the plastic industry to reconsider the decision on ban, saying "today's pain is tomorrow's gain". On March 23, the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products notification was issued to ban the manufacture, use, storage, distribution, sale, import and transportation of all kinds of plastic items. The ban covers a wide range of items like plastic bags, thermocol, disposable cups and plates, cutlery, non-woven polypropylene bags, plastic pouches and packaging. Commercial bodies, like the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association, the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India, say the ban would have an adverse impact on .

Siliguri: Over 20 black kites found dead

Over 20 black kites were mysteriously found dead in several areas of the city.An investigation is underway in this regard to ascertain the reason behind the deaths.Veterinary surgeon of Bengal Safari Park said, "We are receiving multiple cases on this issue. We have also found birds which were still alive and are being treated at clinics. Only a test will reveal the truth"."It is being speculated that the birds had consumed some creature that consisted poisonous substances which led to their death," surgeon added.It is also reported that many others kites were recovered in sick condition, who are undergoing treatment.

Vice Prez Naidu calls for 'new ideas' to realise dream of 'New India'

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today stressed that the dream of a "New India" could only be visualised with new ideas and new ways of making them realise through effective implementation. Emphasising that the New India" would be a scientific India and technological India", he batted for making science an integral component of education curriculum. He said that scientific approach that relies on evidence and raising relevant questions and seeking answers should be internalised. In his inaugural address at the ninth Indian Youth Science Congress organised by Career Point University at NIT, Hamirpur, Naidu said that fora like Science Congress enable the young minds to share knowledge, information and draw inspiration to come up with new ideas that would empower India of the future. "The students should be encouraged to discover' rather than be told' the answer," Naidu said, hoping that the conference would usher in an era of accelerated progress and development by inculcating scientific

Shikra bird rescued after it got exhausted due to heat

A young Shikra bird was rescued from the Moti Bagh area here, after it got exhausted due to heat and dehydration, an NGO said today. The bird, which was found from the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) area yesterday, is currently under observation and will be released back into its natural habitat post recovery. Shikras (Accipiter badius) are widely found throughout the Indian subcontinent, the NGO, Wildlife SOS said. "Suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration, the bird was struggling to fly," it said in a statement. The bird breeds between January and June in India and the clutch is two to four eggs. This raptor, commonly known as the little banded goshawk, feeds primarily on small mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. "A large number of the avian population in New Delhi is falling prey to the rising temperatures due to dehydration, heat exhaustion and lack of shade. They are often found lying unconscious on the ground and some even suffer from heat stroke, which can ...

Oil minister inaugurates PM Ujjwala Yojana In Delhi

Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan today inaugurated Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana here today, and asked the rich families to sacrifice Gas Subsidy so as to enable the poor families to get gas connection. PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two years ago in order to prevent pollution and facilitate the healthy atmosphere in the families of poor people, Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development, said in a statement. The minister also distributed gas connections to housewives. "After distribution of gas connections to the housewives of poor community, Pradhan said that so for 9 crore people are having LPG gas connections. Out of them 3.5 crore people are the beneficiaries of PM Ujjwala Yojana," the statement said. The minister also informed that the government aims to give gas connections to 5 crore families by 2019. Senior officials of state-run oil companies like Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and others were also ...

India to launch navigation satellite on April 12

India's space agency ISRO on Saturday said it will launch a navigation satellite from its spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on April 12.