Page 878 - Environment

Climate change threatens future of golf - report

Wetter winters and coastal erosion linked to climate change are threatening the future of golf, a report backed by governing body the R&A warned today. Golf is facing an increase in unplayable holes, winter course closures and disruption to professional tournaments due to increased rainfall, while rising sea levels could jeopardise all the world's coastal courses by 2100. Cricket is also facing "disruption at every level" of the game as a result of wetter winters and more intense summer downpours driven by climate change, said the report from Britain's Climate Coalition, which includes 130 organisations. Football is also affected, particularly at grassroots level, by adverse weather, while the Scottish skiing industry could collapse within 50 years as winters become too mild for regular snowfall. Extreme weather is made worse by climate change, causing more golf course closures, while wetter, warmer autumns and winters cause damage and disease to grass and greens, the

RInfra bags 2 road EPC contracts of Rs 1,881 cr from NHAI

Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) today said it has bagged two road projects worth Rs 1,881 crore from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to be developed on EPC basis. The company has received Letters of Award (LOA) for the two projects having a combined value of Rs 1,881 crore awarded under the National Highway Development Program (phase V) and funded by NHAI. The projects include six-laning of 69.5 km stretch of Aurangabad to Bihar-Jharkhand border section of NH2 with a project cost of Rs 882 crore, and the adjoining 71.3 km stretch of the BiharJharkhand border to Gorhar section of NH-2 in Jharkhand for Rs 999 crore. The scope of work includes design, engineering, procurement and construction of six-lane highway and associated bridges with paved shoulders. The overall schedule for project is 24 months and 30 months from the appointed date, respectively. With these two back to back project wins, RInfra's EPC order book rises to over Rs ...

Efforts on to make J&K a power surplus state: Govt

The Mehbooba Mufti government is in the process of exploring natural resources to generate more electricity to make Jammu and Kashmir a power surplus state. Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said today. The road map for the transformation from power deficient to power surplus, include 1,401 MW projects under execution by state, Centre and under the Independent Power Producer (IPP) mode, he said in the Legislative Assembly here. In a written reply to a question by Independent MLA Syed Mohammad Bakir Rizvi, he said 336.5 MW proposed projects were taken up under the Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP). Singh, who is the minister incharge of power, said 5,162 MW projects were cleared by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and Central Water Commission (CWC) and are under tendering stage, while 4,359 MW projects were at the Pre- Feasibility Report (PFR) stage. He said 1,818 MW projects were under survey and investigation and detailed project report or appraisal ...

Rainwater harvesting: NGT seeks report on flyovers in 3 weeks

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi government to submit within three weeks detailed report on the number of flyovers in the city where rainwater harvesting systems have been installed. A bench, headed by acting chairperson Justice U D Salvi, passed the order after the counsel for the Delhi government sought more time to file the status report. The green panel also asked the city government's Public Works Department (PWD) whether it has made the setting up of rainwater harvesting systems mandatory under the new contracts. "The counsel appearing on behalf of the NCT of Delhi seeks time to place on record detailed status report. Time is granted. He undertakes to file the report within three weeks. Advance copy be furnished to the counsel appearing for the applicant," the bench said. The matter is posted for the next hearing on March 8. The NGT had earlier rapped the Delhi government for not filing a status report on whether government buildings, bridges and .

Jojari: NGT slaps Rs 10L over "casual attitude" of Rajasthan

Irked by the "casual attitude" of the Rajasthan government, the National Green Tribunal has slapped an environmental compensation of Rs 10 lakh on it for failing to control discharge of domestic sewage and industrial effluents in Jojari river at Jodhpur. A bench headed by Acting Chairperson Justice U D Salvi said despite its commitment, the state government had not commissioned the sewage treatment plant (STP) at Salawas village. "The affidavit/response of the state government dated August 23, 2017 reveals that 50 million litre per day (MLD) capacity of STP at Salawas, Phase-II was to be constructed and commissioned within one month i.e. by the end of September, 2017. As of today, the said STP is yet to be commissioned. All this shows the casual attitude of the state government which has deleterious effects on the environment. "We, therefore, impose environmental compensation of Rs 10 lakh on the state government out of which 25 per cent of the amount would be paid to ..

Number of leopards in Sanjay Gandhi National Park rises to 41

The number of leopards in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park here has increased to 41, up from 35 in 2015, a report submitted to the Forest Department said. The study, titled Monitoring density and movement of leopards within Sanjay Gandhi National Park and along its periphery, was undertaken by the SGNP and wildlife expert Nikit Surve. Camera traps, footprints and visual sightings were used during the leoprad count, Surve said. The survey was conducted using 49 cameras, he added. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park, formerly Borivali National Park, is located in the northern part of Mumbai. Of the 41 leopards, 14 leopards were matched with the database recorded in 2015, and six matched with the 2011 database, he said. This means several leopards have found sufficient prey and security inside the national park, a forest official said. In the last year, there have been some incidents of leopards attacking stray dogs in residential areas on the fringes of the Park, the official ...

Govt buys Rs 3,077cr worth kharif urad and moong at MSP so far

The government has procured over 5.60 lakh tonnes of urad and moong at the support price, worth Rs 3,077 crore, under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) in the 2017-18 kharif season so far, according to official data. Under the PSS, procurement is undertaken to protect farmers when market rates fall below the minimum support price (MSP) level. As on January 30, agri-cooperative and state agencies have procured 5,60,335 tonnes of urad and moong grown in the 2017-18 kharif (summer) season, the data showed. These pulses have been procured at the MSP in seven states -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. The maximum quantity of 3,93,059 tonnes of urad and moong has been purchased from Rajasthan under the PSS, followed by 64,098 tonnes from Maharashtra and 35,085 tonnes from Karnataka. Only urad has been procured in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and the quantities purchased stood at 19,550 tonnes and 17,434 tonnes, ...

MH370 report: No word on search ship's 'disappearance'

Malaysian officials have confirmed missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has not been found after a second week of searching, but questions persist about a three-day period during which the designated search ship disappeared from satellite tracking.

Reliance Energy's pre-summer bounty for Mumbai consumers

Ahead of the upcoming summer season, Reliance Energy on Wednesday announced massive discounts on super-energy-efficient ceiling fans and refrigerators for its Mumbai consumers intended to slash power bills.

Most powerful solar magnetic field measured

With data from the Hinode satellite, astronomers in Japan have observed the strongest magnetic field ever directly measured on the surface of the Sun.

Multi-Modal Transit System Phase 2 to be completed in 2018-19

The ongoing Multi-Modal Transit System (MMTS) Phase-II Project here is targeted for completion in 2018-19, a senior Railways officer said. South Central Railway General Manager Vinod Kumar Yadav said said MMTS Phase II project was sanctioned in 2012- 13 with an estimated cost of Rs 817 crore. "The expenditure incurred on this project during the last three years is Rs 470 crore. The sections between Telapur Ramachandrapuram for 5.75 Kms and Moula AliGhatkesar for 12.2 Kms are targeted to completed in the next few months," Yadav said. The works in the remaining stretch is in progress except to the International Airport (at Shamshabad) connectivity, he said, adding the project is targetted for completion in 2018-19. "The Railways portion of money has already been spent and funds are expected from (Telangana) government," he said. South Central Railway has got a substantial budgetary allocation for 2018-19, Yadav said. "With regard to Telangana, this year (2018-19), the ...

China aims to meet 2020 target for steel capacity cuts this year - ministry

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China aims to meet its 2020 target for reducing steel production capacity this year, two years earlier than planned, the industry ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Hazy sky, poor air quality in Mumbai

The residents of Mumbai woke up to a hazy sky today and monitoring stations across the metropolis recorded poor to moderate air quality, an IMD official said. The suspension of dust particles in air over the city and suburbs, the heavy traffic on roads and construction work at several places were responsible for the poor air quality and the haze, the official said. All the 10 monitoring stations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai recorded poor to moderate air quality today, he said. "There is a thick sheet of clouds over Mumbai, resulting in obscure sunlight," India Meteorological Department's Deputy Director General (Western Region) K S Hosalikar told PTI. He said the slow winds had caused dust particles to remain suspended for a long time over Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The combined effect of the cloud density and the dust particles was causing low visibility, he said. "A lot of vehicular movement and the ongoing infrastructure work in Mumbai are contributing to the poor air ...

China establishing real time global ocean observation network

China is establishing its first global real-time ocean observation network covering most parts of the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, according to Chinese media. Chinese research vesselKexue recently placed the 400th profiling float in the northwest Pacific Ocean since it joined the forefront ocean monitoring plan Argo in 2002. It signals the establishment of the first global real- time ocean observation network in China, state-run Global Times quoted the China Science Daily as saying. So far, the network covers regions in the northwest Pacific Ocean, the mid and north Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, it said. Argo is an international maritime plan committed to continuously monitoring the temperature, salinity, and velocity of the upper ocean via a float array, in order to tackle climate change and enhance ocean-atmosphere forecasting. Other media reports earlier said China has developed a new underwater ...

Maharashtra tiger to get prosthetic limb with surgeon's help

A renowned orthopaedic surgeon and a group of veterinarydoctors have come together to implant a prosthetic limb on a tiger whose paw was amputated in 2012. Besides orthopaedic surgeon Shushrut Babhulkar and veterinarydoctors of the Maharashtra Animal & Fisheries Science University (MAFSU), experts from IIT-Bombay and abroad will be working to provide relief to the tiger, 'Sahebrao'. Babhulkar has adopted the eight-year-old tiger, now housed in the newly-opened Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur. Sahebrao had injured its front left paw after it got entangled in a steel trap laid by poachers near a waterhole in the Palasagaon forest range of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district in 2012. The feline, whose paw was amputated, was two years old at the time of the incident. Speaking to PTI, Babhulkar said four to five days back, he along with his family visited the centre where many rescued wildlife animals had been kept. "While in the rescue centre, I saw ...

'World's loneliest bird' Nigel dies in New Zealand

New Zealand wildlife lovers are mourning the death of a gannet named Nigel, dubbed "the loneliest bird in the world" due to the absence of any feathered friends on his island home. Instead the seabird, also known as "no-mates Nigel", spent years living among a colony of fake concrete birds set up by conservationists in a bid to attract wildlife. The antisocial avian fell in love with one of the decoys on Mana Island, off the Wellington coast, and was seen preening, nestling and even trying to mate with it. "Nigel chose to live on Mana, and we know he was happy there because he could have left any time and didn't," Department of Conservation ranger Chris Bell said Wednesday. "It was odd behaviour for a gannet, but every group has their individuals." Bell found Nigel's body lying next to his stony sweetheart late last month and believes he died of old age, although an autopsy is yet to confirm the theory. Sadly, Nigel may have died just as the fake colony was having its ...

'Strongest solar magnetic field measured on Sun'

Astronomers in Japan have observed the strongest magnetic field ever directly measured on the surface of the Sun. The researchers using the HINODE spacecraft determined that the field was generated as a result of gas outflow from one sunspot pushing against another sunspot. "HINODE's continuous high-resolution data allowed us to analyse the sunspots in detail to investigate the distribution and time evolution of the strong magnetic field and also the surrounding environment," said Joten Okamoto from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). "Finally, the longtime mystery of the formation mechanism of a stronger field outside an umbra than in the umbra, has been solved," Okamoto said. Magnetism plays a critical role in various solar phenomena such as flares, mass ejections, flux ropes, and coronal heating. Sunspots are areas of concentrated magnetic fields. A sunspot usually consists of a circular dark core (the umbra) with a vertical magnetic field and ...

Huge number of viruses falling on us from sky: study

An astonishing number of viruses are circulating around the Earth's atmosphere - and falling from it, according to a study. The finding may explain why genetically identical viruses are often found in very different environments around the globe, researchers said. The study marks the first time scientists have quantified the viruses being swept up from the Earth's surface into the free troposphere, the layer of atmosphere beyond Earth's weather systems but below the stratosphere where jet airplanes fly. The viruses can be carried thousands of kilometres there before being deposited back onto the Earth's surface, researchers said. "Every day, more than 800 million viruses are deposited per square metre above the planetary boundary layer - that is 25 viruses for each person in Canada," said Curtis Suttle, virologist at the University of British Columbia in Canada. "It is quite conceivable to have a virus swept up into the atmosphere on one continent and deposited on ...

Tamil Nadu should double wind energy capacity: IEEFA

Tamil Nadu should double its wind energy capacity to 15 gigawatts (GW) and increase its solar capacity six-fold to 13.8 GW by 2026-27 whilst simultaneously delivering cheaper electricity, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said on Wednesday.

Ants' antibiotics can benefit humans

It has come to light that ants produce their own antibiotics to deal with diseases that can be used to treat humans as well.According to a new study, to deal with the bacteria that cause some of these diseases (what disease), some ants produce their own antibiotics.The North Carolina State University-led study identified that some ant species make use of powerful antimicrobial agents. However, it also found that 40 percent of ant species tested didn't appear to produce antibiotics.The study has applications regarding the search for new antibiotics that can be used in humans, according to Clint Penick, lead author of the study."One species we looked at, the thief ant (Solenopsis molesta), had the most powerful antibiotic effect of any species we tested - and until now, no one had even shown that they made use of antimicrobials," said Adrian Smith, co-author of the paper.For this study, researchers tested the antimicrobial properties associated with 20 ant species. They did this by ...