Page 785 - Environment

Efforts on to establish contact with GSAT-6A, ISRO

Space scientists were continuing efforts to establish contact with the country's snag-hit latest communication satellite GSAT-6A that went off the radar, the Indian space agency said today. GSAT-6A lost contact with the ground station two days after it was launched on March 29 in a flawless mission from the space port of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh but the agency has not specified the glitch. The country's most powerful satellite went blank when ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka attempted to ignite the engine in a third and final move to put GSAT-6A in its space home. "Efforts are being continued to establish the communication with the satellite," ISRO sources said today. ISRO chairman K Sivan has said preliminary data shows that there are chances of recovery, but establishing link with the satellite was the key. "The Mission Control is on the job continuously," he had said. The 2,140-kg GSAT-6A rode piggyback on ISRO's powerful geosynchronous

Three killed, five injured by wild bear

Three persons were killed and five others seriously injured in an attack by a wild bear after which angry villagers allegedly beat the animal to death in Odisha's Keonjhar district today. The incident occurred at Khadiadiha village in Sadar forest range area after the female wild bear sneaked into the area, Sadar forest ranger Antaryami Behera said. The bear first attacked a villager when he had gone to his garden. The animal dragged the man for a distance and inflicted grievous injuries virtually all over his body and he died, the official said. Some other persons, including some forest personnel who had rushed to the site to rescue the man, were also attacked by the wild bear. Most of them sustained serious injuries and they were taken to the district headquarters hospital here for treatment, he said. Two of them - including a forest guard were declared dead at the hospital, the ranger said. Out of the five injured persons, three were shifted to a Cuttack hospital ...

Govt has set up wetland authority: TN to HC

The Tamil Nadu government today informed the Madras High Court that it has set up a state wetland authority under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to aid and advise as well as to formulate policies for the protection and preservation of wetlands in the state. The court had earlier taken suo motu notice as per a Supreme Court direction on preservation of wetlands in the state. The high court had also raised several questions to be answered by departments concerned on various issues, including conducting field research of vegetation, water birds and wild life-eco development activities, among others. As directed by the high court, the state government filed a status report today before the first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice A Selvam. The government said it has also formed a conservation authority of Pallikaranai marshland complex in the city. The report further stated that the only water body, which is covered under the Ramsar Convention, 1971, is ...

'Highway Nest will play important role in providing passenger

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh Mandaviya has said the Highway Nest (Mini) project would play a vital role in addressing the needs of highway users. "This new amenity will play a vital role in addressing the needs of commuters during journey," the minister said. He yesterday inaugurated "High-Way Nest" (mini) near Pardi town in Rajkot district yesterday. The Highway Nest (Mini) project has been launched by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for providing facilities for the convenience of highway users. The Highway Nest (Mini) is under construction at all the 372 toll plazas on upside and downside of National Highways approximately at a distance of 200-250 m from the toll plazas. The minister said the Central government was committed to provide better road service to passengers. "The Union Government is doing effective work to connect villages with highways and the government is committed to provide better road service and highway amenities .

Niti pitches for financial support to farmers not burning crop residues

A task force constituted by Niti Aayog on biomass management has pitched for providing financial support to those farmers who have not burnt their crop residues. The burning of agricultural residues leads to poor air quality across Northern India. A report of the task force prepared jointly by Niti Aayog and the CII has also made a case for ploughing the residue back into the field. "Financial support can be transferred to farmers through the DBT system. It can be credited to farmer's account in the subsequent cropping season after a verification that farmer has not burnt his/her crop-residues," the report said. To ensure proper implementation of schemes, a strong monitoring and verification mechanism is crucial, it added. "It is recommended that a 'Clean Air Impact Fund' could be created to provide viability gap funding (VGF) for projects with longer gestation periods and lower return on investment (RoI)," the report said. "This is especially relevant in the case of biopower or ...

M'rashtra earmarks Rs 10cr for awareness drive on plastic ban

The Maharashtra governmenthas made a provision of Rs 10 crore forcreating public awareness about effective implementation of the ban on plastic and thermocol products in the state. According toa GR(government resolution) issued by the environment departmentyesterday, the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) has prepared a plan to spend Rs 10 crore for creating awareness among people about the ban on a range of plastic items. Of the total outlay, a sum of Rs 3,28,24,049 was paid to an advertising agency on March 28 through member-secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, the GR said. On March 23, the government issued the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products (Manufacture, Usage, Sale, Transport, Handling and Storage) notification banning manufacture, use, storage, distribution, wholesale and retail sale, import and transportation of all kinds of plastic items. The ban covered bags, single-use disposable items made of plastic ...

NMDC, IREL sign pact to develop rare earth metals value chain

State-owned NMDC today entered into a pact with Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) to explore opportunities in rare earth elements in the country and abroad. "Through this MoU (memorandum of understanding), NMDC and IREL together propose to explore opportunities in rare earths in India and abroad and also in setting up downstream value chain for RE (Rare Earths) products," the company said in a statement. IREL is the sole producer of rare earth elements (REE) compounds in the country, the statement said, adding that the ever increasing demand for such elements necessitates a concerted effort to augment the resource position in India and also explore opportunities for acquisition/sourcing from abroad. Rare earth elements are used extensively in advanced technology products and also have commercial, industrial and military applications. China has a monopoly in the segment, meeting 95 per cent of the global demand.

HC issues notice to Centre, state on PIL seeking action on reducing air-water pollution

The Madras High Court today issued notice to the Centre and state government on a public interest litigation seeking a direction to both to take appropriate action on a war-footing to implement the Air Pollution Control Act and reduce air and water pollution. The plea was filed an NGO -- Global Warming Environment Protecting Society. The petitioner submitted that poor implementation and monitoring of the Air Pollution Control Act led to increase in pollution levels and wanted both the union and state governments to implement it properly on a war-footing. The petitioner said he had already made a representation in this regard, but as there was no response he filed the present petition. The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice A Selvam issued notice and posted the matter for further hearing to April 16.

103 kgs of dried turtle calipee recovered from smugglers

In yet another crackdown, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) today nabbed two smugglers with 103 kgs of dried soft shell turtle calipee here. The smugglers, identified as Tilak Singh and Rajesh Kumar Yadav, were arrested from Ghatampur area while they were taking dried calipee in a truck , Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Arvind Chaturvedi said. The dried soft shell turtle calipee were of as many as 13 endangered species found around rivers including Ganga, Gomti, and Ghaghra, the ASP said. Elaborating on the case, Chaturvedi said that on grilling Saleem Sheikh, whose arrest was made from Kanpur central station,on March 30 last , the STF got vital information about the links of people involved in illegal turtle trade. Following inputs about smugglers, including Tilak and Rajesh that they were involved in collecting dried turtle calipee from several districts including Etawah, Auraiyya, Mainpuri, and Farukkabad, STF with the help of forest officials made the ...

NHPC's Kishanganga project fully commissioned

State-run NHPC today said its 330 MW Kishanganga hydropower project is fully commissioned with synchronising of third unit of 110 MW on March 30, 2018. "The third unit (110MW) of the Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project (3 x 110MW) of NHPC at Bandipora, Jammu & Kashmir has been successfully synchronised with the grid and has also achieved its rated full load successfully at 2358 hours on March 30, 2018," an NHPC statement said. It further said this marks the commissioning of all three units of Kishanganga project, as the first and second units have already been commissioned on March 13 and 21, 2018, respectively. The Kishanganga project envisages diversion of water of Kishanganga river to underground power house through 23.25 KM long head race tunnel to generate 1,713 million units per annum. The project is covered under the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan. Apart from the many states which would be the project's energy beneficiaries, 12 per cent power generated .

SoftBank, China's GCL team up for $930 million Indian solar venture

BEIJING/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Group Corp has agreed to launch a $930 million Indian joint solar energy venture with Chinese firm GCL System Integration Technology Co as part of its India solar investment roadmap.

Farewell, Tiangong-1: China's space lab burns up over Pacific Ocean

As Chinese space lab Tiangong-1 re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on Monday, burning up in the skies over the central region of the South Pacific, residents of the country bid the spacecraft a final farewell.

Khandu seeks help from APSERC to cut down AT&C losses

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today sought cooperation from the state's electricity regulatory commission to cut down huge Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) loss and also for efficient power distribution in the state. Inaugurating the new office premises of the Arunachal Pradesh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (APSERC) here in presence of Power (Electrical) Minister Tamiyo Taga, the chief minister said that in coming days, Arunachal would see huge investment in works for setting up of transmission lines across the state. Khandu also sought support of the commission in capitalising on the states huge hydropower potential. The state is looking forward to working with public sector companies, such as NEEPCO and NHPC Ltd, he added. The chief minister suggested that wherever possible, the state government should take up hydropower projects on feasibility basis. Speaking on the occasion, Taga emphasized on modernizing the power ...

China's hydro ambitions killing Mekong River

China's hydro ambitions are on the verge of killing Mekong River, says a report.A report published by the Lowy Institute says that biodiversity and precious resources of the Mekong are increasingly under danger because of the rush to construct dams on one of the world's great rivers.The Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia and offers a glimpse into the long history and diverse cultures of the region. The 12th longest river in the world and the 7th longest in Asia, it flows through six countries: China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam."A total of 11 mainstream dams and 120 dams on tributaries are planned, which scientists warn will imperil the already fragile river system. Recent studies call for a suspension and review of future projects," says the report authored by Tom Fawthrop.It also cites a joint report by UNESCO and the Stockholm Environment Institute as saying that if all the dams proposed for the Lower Mekong Basin are developed, including the

Ganga cleaning: NGT exempts Uttarakhand Chief Secretary from appearance

The National Green Tribunal has exempted the chief secretary of Uttarakhand from personal appearance to explain the steps taken by the state government to clean the river Ganga in the stretch between Gomukh and Haridwar. A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim noted the submission of the chief secretary that his presence was required in the state capital due to exigencies of service and the Budget Session of the state Assembly. "Considering the factual position in totality and the fact he holds the office of chief secretary, there may be contingencies which are unavoidable. Thus without expressing any opinion we exempt his appearance on appearing on April 3, 2018 subject to further orders that we pass on that date," the bench said. The green panel had directed the senior bureaucrat to be personally present on April 3 to give first hand information on Ganga cleaning and expressed dissatisfaction over the supplementary compliance report filed by the state noting that is was "factually ...

NTPC commissions 660MW unit of Meja project in UP

Power producer NTPC today said its has commissioned the first unit of 1,320 MW super-critical Meja thermal project at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, taking its total installed generation capacity to 53,651 MW. The first unit of 660MW capacity of Meja Urja Nigam Pvt Ltd, a joint venture firm of NTPC, was commissioned on March 31, the state-run firm said in a statement. "With this, the total commissioned capacity of NTPC group has become 53,651 MW," it said. Located in the trans-Yamuna region of Meja in Allahabad, the two 660 MW thermal power plants boast of super-critical technology that enables higher temperature and pressure resulting in higher efficiency, reduced fuel consumption and minimal emission of greenhouse gases.

BS-VI fuel will bring down sulphur level by 80 percent

According to a Centre for Science & Environment study, air pollution takes 10,000-30,000 lives in Delhi every year. We believe that early migration to BS-VI fuels in the National Capital of Delhi will help in saving thousands of precious lives by bringing down vehicular pollution significantly.

India at risk of food shortage due to climate change: study

India is among the countries which are at the greatest risk of food insecurity due to weather extremes caused by climate change, a global study suggests. Researchers led by the University of Exeter in the UK examined how climate change could affect the vulnerability of different countries to food insecurity - when people lack access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. The study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, looked at 122 developing and least-developed countries, mostly in Asia, Africa and South America. The countries at the greatest vulnerability to food insecurity when moving from the present-day climate to 2 degrees Celsius global warming are Oman, India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, researchers said. "Climate change is expected to lead to more extremes of both heavy rainfall and drought, with different effects in different parts of the world," said Richard Betts, a professor at the University of ...

GSAT-6A satellite could become space debris if link not established

Indian communication satellite GSAT-6A would become a space debris if the Indian space agency does not reestablish communication link with it, said experts.

Myanmar lures Bangladesh Buddhists to take over Rohingya land: officials

Myanmar authorities have lured dozens of mainly Buddhist Bangladeshi tribal families to cross the border and resettle on land abandoned by fleeing Muslim Rohingya, officials said today. About 50 families from remote hill and forest areas on the Bangladesh side, attracted by offers of free land and food, have moved to Rakhine state in mainly Buddhist Myanmar -- the scene of a brutal army crackdown which prompted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee. The families from the ethnic Marma and Mro tribes have left their homes in the Bandarban hill district, local councillor Muing Swi Thwee told AFP. He said 22 families departed from their villages in the Sangu forest reserve last month. The families, mainly Buddhist but with some Christians, were being "lured by Myanmar" to Rakhine where they were given free land, citizenship and free food for five years, Muing Swi Thwee said. "They are going there to fill up the land vacated by the Rohingya who have left Burma (Myanmar). They are ...