Page 88 - Environment
ISRO's PSLV-C46 injects earth observation satellite into lower earth orbit
A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has successfully injected a radar imaging earth observation satellite into the lower earth orbit, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday.In yet another achievement for the ISRO, PSLV-C46, in its 48th mission, carried 615-kg RISAT-2B from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Sriharikota Range (SHAR).PSLV-C46 is the 14th flight of PSLV in 'core-alone' configuration. This is the 72nd launch vehicle mission from SHAR and 36th launch from the First Launch Pad.RISAT-2B was released into the orbit around 15 minutes after lift-off.As done during the launch of PSLV-C45 on April 1 earlier this year, ISRO had made provision for the public to view the launch from the recently opened viewer's gallery at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, ISRO Chairman K Sivan had said that PSLV-C46 will be an earth observation satellite with high accurate observations."This is a very important mission as far India is ...
India puts into orbit radar imaging satellite RISAT-2B
India on Wednesday successfully placed into orbit a radar imaging earth observation satellite RISAT-2B in a text book style.
ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite RISAT-2B
In a pre-dawn launch on Wednesday, Indian space agency ISRO scripted history by successfully launching earth observation satellite RISAT-2B that would enhance the country's surveillance capabilities among others. As the 25-hour countdown which began Tuesday concluded, the agency's trusted workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C46) blasted off at 5.30 am from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here on its 48th mission, carrying the 615 kg satellite. The RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B), meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, was released into the orbit around 15 minutes after the lift-off. It would replace the RISAT-2, which was successfully launched in 2009. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan had earlier described the mission as a "very, very important" one for the country. "This is a very, very important mission for India. It is an excellent satellite with ..
India's PSLV rocket lifts-off with radar imaging satellite RISAT-2B
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket carrying radar imaging earth observation satellite RISAT-2B lifted off from the first launch pad of the rocket port here on Wednesday.
Bastar: 14-day march demanding revival of Indravati river ends
A 14-day long foot-march by social activists and residents of Bastar demanding revival of river Indravati ended here on Tuesday. The protestors have been demanding the release of water from Katiguda dam in Odisha to the Indravati river as per the water sharing agreement between the two states.The fast-depleting water level of the river, which is considered the lifeline of Bastar, has been a cause of serious concern for the region.The march that began on May 8 from Bhejapadar village situated along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border saw participants raising slogans and holding placards that read 'Indravati Bachao' (Save Indravati).Speaking to ANI, a local said: "It is a 'satyagraha'; we demand that the administration should look into the matter as early as possible."Expressing concern over the future of the water body, one of the protestors said, "The level of water is going down every year. This is due to the indifferent attitude of the Odisha government. Chhattisgarh is not getting the ..
Washington first US state to legalise human composting
Washington on Tuesday became the first US state to legalise human composting after its eco-friendly governor signed a bill to that effect in a bid to cut carbon emissions from burials and cremations. Under the new law that will go into effect in May of next year, people who die in the state will have the option to have their bodies transformed into soil suitable for use in gardening. The process is called recomposition. "Recomposition offers an alternative to embalming and burial or cremation that is natural, safe, sustainable, and will result in significant savings in carbon emissions and land usage," said Katrina Spade, who lobbied for the law and is the founder of Recompose, a Seattle-based company set to be the first to offer the service. "The idea of returning to nature so directly and being folded back into the cycle of life and death is actually pretty beautiful," Spade added in a statement sent to AFP. She said she became interested in the process about 10 years ago after ...
Delhi owes Haryana Rs 100 crore in water bills: Khattar
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Tuesday the Delhi government owed his state Rs 100 crore for Yamuna water supplied to the national capital since 1995. "We have been regularly writing to Delhi government for payment but without any success, Khattar told reporters at a press conference here. He said Haryana government officers have been taking up this issue with their Delhi counterparts during meetings. The chief minister said Haryana is supplying 1049 cusecs of Yamuna water per day to Delhi against its contractual obligation of 719 cusecs. Khattar said a decline in the groundwater level has assumed alarming proportions at many places in Haryana and there is a need to conserve water and encourage farmers to shift from water-guzzling crops like paddy. To encourage them, the Haryana government will provide cash incentives and other benefits. It launched a pilot project aimed at bringing 50,000 hectares in seven blocks Assandh, Pundri, Narwana, Thanesar, Ambala-1, Radaur ..
Breakdown of two trucks, technical glitch on Delhi Metro choke South Delhi roads
Breakdown of two trucks during the peak morning hours and a technical glitch on Delhi Metro's Yellow Line forced commuters to take roads to reach their destinations and choked several stretches in South Delhi and the Gurgaon-Delhi highway on Tuesday. One 10-axle truck, carrying crushed stones, broke down near Rangpuri area at around 7 am, affecting traffic on one lane and another 14-axle truck overturned on Rao Tularam Marg near Subroto Park area at 6.20 am, said Taj Hassan, Special Police Commissioner (Traffic). The first truck was removed from road around 10 am and the second was removed at 9.15 am. However, traffic had already been affected by then. Meanwhile, train services on the 49-km Yellow Line, connecting Huda City Centre in Gurgaon to Samaypur Badli in Delhi, stalled at 9.32 am and remained paralysed for more than four hours. Several commuters were forced to take the road route to reach their destinations, triggering a cascading effect from the earlier traffic jam. "The ...
Novel Singhal Lavasa, wife of EC Ashok Lavasa, is director on board of over a dozen firms (Resending with correction)
A search on corporate data service providers Zauba Corp and CorporateDir have found Novel Singhal Lavasa, wife of Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, on the board of over a dozen companies.
T'gana govt taking steps to deal with harsh summer:CS
The Telangana government is taking steps to see that people do not face difficulties due to the impact of the hot weather during the ongoing summer season, Chief Secretary S K Joshi said Tuesday. Joshi said this during a video conference held by Union Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha on the severity of summer, heatwaves and drought, a state government release said. The state government has given importance to the irrigation sector after the formation of Telangana, he said. It has revived 46,531 tanks ('Mission Kakatiya' scheme) and is also providing tapped drinking water under 'Mission Bhagiradha', he said. The state government is making efforts to ensure that there is no shortage of drinking water, he said. The situation is being reviewed with district Collectors from time to time, Joshi added.
NGT orders environment audit of work by NHIDCL to ascertain muck dumped into Bhagirathi
The National Green Tribunal has ordered environment audit of the work undertaken by state-run NHIDCL to ascertain the amount of muck dumped into the Bhagirathi river in Uttarakhand during construction of road. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed a committee comprising representatives of the Environment Ministry, Central Soil and Water Conservation, Research and Training Institute, Chandigarh, CPCB, and GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development to submit a report in a month in this regard. "We direct that environment audit of the work undertaken by NHIDCL at Batheri Chungi and Nallupani areas of the NH-34 by the Committee so as to ascertain the total quantity of muck/debris generated by works undertaken by NHIDCL, quantity disposed at designated dump site(s), capacity of designated site(s), adequacy of protection measures, any short comings in terms of muck quantities generated and scientifically disposed which can .
Env Min to display photos of highly endangered animals at airports to check their illegal trade
A campaign to protect "highly endangered" animals -Tiger, Pangolin and Star Tortoise- hunted for illegal trading internationally, has been launched by the Ministry of Environment at major airports in the country. The campaign 'Not all animals migrate by choice' has been launched ahead of the International Day of Biological Diversity, to be celebrated on May 22, by C K Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests and actor and United Nations Environment Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza here. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), UN Environment and GMR Group are also part of the campaign. "Conservation is innate to India's ethos. While wildlife faces threat across the globe and India's flora and fauna's demand continues in illegal global markets, in keeping with our stringent provisions for protection of wildlife under the Wild life (Protection) Act, 1972, efforts towards creating awareness among public at large would go a long way to help protect our wildlife," said Mishra. "In .
Planted around 1 cr trees across country in last three years to maintain ecology: NHAI tells NGT
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) told the National Green Tribunal Tuesday that it has planted around 1 crore trees throughout the country in the past three years to maintain ecology and environmental balance. NHAI told a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel that in compliance of the tribunal's directions an office memorandum (OM) was issued on December 12 last year and it was circulated to all project directors as well as to all the regional officers. "The office memorandum stipulates creation of separate individual teams, consisting of regional officers, project director and one officer of the level of DGM(tech) /Manager (tech) with respect of all individual projects, highway projects being implemented by NHAI. "The OM further provides that the teams created will undertake the work of green belt development, maintenance and protection thereof. It also provided that the task force so created will undertake the work of removal of encroachment on ...
Sand to be given free to TDB to construct facilties for
: The Kerala cabinet Tuesday decided to provide free of cost about 20,000 cubic metre sand which had accumulated on the banks of Pamba river during the August floods, to the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala. The decision in this regard was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, a press release here said. The TDB had made a request to this effect to the state government. The cabinet also decided to permit the forest department to sell the remaining sand to any private parties at the central public works department rates. It was also decided to bring in a bill for constituting the Kerala Devaswom Tribunal, which will have a retired district judge as member, to ensure speedy settlement of disputes relating to encroachments of land belonging to devaswom boards and devaswom management. Welcoming the government decision, TDB President A Padmakumar said the sand would be used for ...
25-hour countdown commences for launch of RISAT-2B
A 25-hour countdown began Tuesday for the launch of India's all-weather radar imaging earth observation satellite RISAT-2B on-board Polar rocket from the spaceport of Sriharihota, the ISRO said. The workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, on its 48th mission, PSLV-C46, is scheduled for lift-off from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, over 130 km from here, at 5.30 am Wednesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said. The 615 kg satellite, meant for applications in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, will be released into orbit about 15 minutes after lift-off. ISRO Chairman K Sivan described the mission as "very very important" but did not elaborate. "Tomorrow morning at 5.30 am, we are going to have the PSLV-C46 mission which is going to launch satellite RISAT 2B and this is very very important mission for India...It is an excellent satellite with hi-fi earth observation ...
Countdown begins for launch of PSLV earth observation satellite: ISRO
Countdown has begun for the launch of PSLV-C 46 satellite on Wednesday that will be an earth observation satellite with high accurate observations, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Tuesday.He told reporters that after offering prayers at the Venkateswara Temple here that this PSLV-C 46 mission will be launch at 5:30 in the morning and will carry onboard satellite RISAT-2B."This is a very important mission as far India is concerned. It's an excellent satellite. This is an earth observation satellite for remote sensing operation and is a very high, accurate observation," he said.Sivan said that subsequently, ISRO's next mission will be the launch of Chandrayaan-2 between July 9 and 16 which will land on the moon on September 16.The 25-hour countdown for the launch of earth observation satellite onboard PSLV C-46 began at 4:30 in the morning.PSLV C-46 will launch the RISAT-2B, a radar imaging earth observation satellite, from the first launch pad at SHAR Range Sriharikota.Reportedly, PSLV ..
PSLV-C 46 will focus on terrorists' movements: ISRO chief K Sivan
PSLV-C 46 satellit, that will be launched shortly, will help India combat the menace of terrorism and aide security forces to spot the hideouts of the terrorists near border areas, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan said on Tuesday."The rocket will take RISAT 2 BR 1 satellite into space. The satellite will focus on terrorists' movements and their hideouts in the borders," he said.The ISRO Chairman also told ANI that the life span of PSLV-C 46 satellite is five years and added that the arrangements are on for holding Chandrayan 2 in coming July.The 25-hour countdown for the launch of earth observation satellite onboard PSLV C-46 began at 4:30 in the morning.PSLV C-46 will launch the RISAT-2B, a radar imaging earth observation satellite, from the first launch pad at SHAR Range Sriharikota.Reportedly, PSLV in its 48th mission will carry the 615-kg RISAT-2B into an orbit of 555 km at an inclination of 37 degrees. Notably, this will be the 72nd launch vehicle ...
Dutch issue first 'green bond'
The Netherlands said it was issuing its first "green bond" on Tuesday, becoming the first top-rated country to tap into a growing market for investments in environmental projects. It is aiming to raise between four and six billion euros (USD 4.5 billion to USD 6.7 billion) up to July 2040, according to HSBC, one of the banks handling the operation, although the Dutch government did not immediately give a figure. The Netherlands is the fifth country to issue environmentally friendly sovereign debt after fellow EU nations Poland, France, Belgium and Ireland. "The Netherlands is today the first triple A country to issue a green bond," Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Twitter, referring to its international bond rating. The Dutch finance ministry added: "With green bonds we finance green expenditures and we stimulate the green capital market. A new step towards a greener economy and a greener Netherlands." Climate change and the environment are pressing issues for the ...
NGT forms committee to monitor compliance of conditions by ISKCON in temple construction
The National Green Tribunal has formed a committee to monitor compliance of conditions in the environment and forest clearances by ISKCON in Mathura where the organisation is building a 70-storey temple. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel constituted a joint committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) to avoid passing of responsibilities. "The CPCB will be the nodal agency for compliance and coordination of the joint committee so as to cover all aspects required to be dealt with in the matter. A copy of this order be sent each to the MoEF, CPCB and the CGWA by e-mail. Let a further report be submitted by the CPCB within a month by e-mail," the bench said. The green panel passed the order after the CPCB told it that monitoring of condition of bio-diversity park is to be enforced by the MoEF and the issue of ground water is to be ...
Technical glitch in Metro leads to traffic snarls in South Delhi
A technical glitch on the Delhi Metro's Yellow Line caused massive traffic snarls in South Delhi, officials said Tuesday. The trains services on the line that connects Huda City Centre in Gurgaon to Samaypur Badli in the city, running a distance of 49 km, stalled at 9.32 am and normal services were not resumed till after 1.30 pm leaving thousands of passengers stranded on the road and traffic snarls all the way from Gurgaon to New Delhi, they said. "The stretch between the Hauz Khas and MG Road was effected. The Mehrauli Circle was the most effected area," a senior traffic police officer said. The Delhi Traffic Police tweeted, "Traffic is heavy at Qutub minar, Sultanpur, Ghitorni, Chhatarpur,100 Feet Rd, CDR chowk ,Lado Sarai, Aurobindo Marg, MG road due to technical fault in Metro line". There was heavy traffic for around two to three hours in South Delhi. People came out of metro stations and sought autos or taxis to reach their destination, the officer said, adding now the traffic .