Page 918 - Environment

Urgent need to preserve native cattle breeds: Isha founder

Urgent steps should be taken to preserve native breeds of cattle as nearly two thirds of them have become extinct over the years, founder of Isha Foundation Jaggi Vasudev said today. The country had about 120 breeds of cattle. But today only 37 of them have survived. So its very important that the remaining breeds were preserved, he said here. He was speaking at the Pongal celebrations held in front of 112-feet bust of 'Adiyogi" Lord Shiva near the Isha Yoga Centre. "Somewhere we got this idea that only foreign cows are superior quality. But today there is enough science to tell us that indigenous cows are of much better quality," he said. As many as 11 varieties of native cattle breeds, including Kangeyam, Ongole, Red Sindhi, Hallikkar, Sahival, and 300 types of native paddy varieties from 10 states were on display during the event.

Delhi HC suggests electronic mode of fines for littering

Citizens can now on be fined on the spot for littering if Delhi High Court's suggestion to collect such fines through hand-held electronic devices, like the traffic cops, is accepted by the civic bodies. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar made the observation after it was told about the notification of the new solid waste management bye-laws which introduces user fees for using municipal services and imposes penalties for littering or violating waste management rules. The fees and penalties under the bye-laws will see a five per cent per annum increase, Delhi government's additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghosh said. The user fees range from Rs 50 to Rs 5,000 based on the nature of the premises, while the fines per default would range from Rs 200 to Rs 10,000 depending on the nature of violation and the type of building. The monthly fines, applicable to resident welfare associations, gated communities or industrial units, range from ..

Karnataka paid to witness to appear before tribunal: Goa

Goa Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar today accused Karnataka of "paying" money to a witness to appear before a tribunal, which was looking into the dispute over the sharing of the Mahadayi river water between the two states. Karnataka and Goa, the riparian states of the Mahadayi (known as Mandovi in Goa), have been locked in a bitter battle over the sharing of the water of the river, which originates in Belagavi in Karnataka. The matter is pending before the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal. In a series of tweets, Palyekar, who has been engaged in a war of words with the Congress government in Karnataka, made fresh accusations against the neighbouring state. "Goa never paid for its witnesses. Our witnesses worked keeping in mind #GoemGoenkarGoemkarponn (interest of the state) in #Mahadayi matter (sic)," one of his tweets read. "Unlike Karnataka witness A K Gosain who had confessed in tribunal that he was paid 50k per day by Karnataka for being the witness and 5 ...

Rs 10,700 crore telecom projects in NE to improve connectivity

Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha today said the Centre is initiating projects worth Rs 10,700 crore for improving telephone connectivity in North East by December this year. "Telecom connectivity is a big problem in North East. The Central government had identified various solutions, but due to various reasons these could not be completed. Now, the Department of Telecom has initiated projects worth Rs 10,700 crore to complete these by December 2018," Sinha said at a press conference here. This amount, which is about 1/8th of the total investment planned by the DoT, is likely to be enhanced to Rs 15,000 crore for North East, the minister said. "As part of the initiatives, we are rolling out a Comprehensive Telecom Development Project at an estimated cost of Rs 5,336.31 crore," he said. "In 8,621 villages and along the national highway in the North East, 6,673 mobile towers will be set up to provide connectivity and an MoU was signed between BSNL and USO Fund for this ...

Difficult to say Bt cotton crop yield loss due to pink

Seed industry body FSII today said it was "unfortunate" that the Maharashtra government has held seed firms responsible without any proper assessment for the losses suffered due to pink bollworm attack on Bt cotton crop this kharif season. It is "unfair" and "breach of principles of natural justice" to hold seed companies responsible based on "media reports", alleged the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) in a statement. The FSII, in a letter to both the Centre and the Maharashtra government, expressed concerns over the problem faced by farmers but said the industry might close if the state asks seed firms to compensate the losses. "It is very difficult to establish that yield loss, if any, is due to attack of pink bollworm. It is an established scientific fact that crop yields depend on multiple factors... You are also aware of rampant cultivation of illegal GM cotton in Maharashtra this year. All these factors might have contributed to any possible yield ...

N. Korean 'ghost ship' with 7 bodies runs ashore in Japan

Japanese authorities recovered seven corpses, allegedly of North Korean fishermen, as another "ghost ship" from the country ran ashore along the western coast of Japan, the police said on Tuesday.

Madhya Pradesh loses two tigers as 2018 begins

In the first reported incidents of 2018, a tigress was killed in retaliation by poisoning and its paws harvested as loot by villagers in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district, while another tigress died in an unusual battle with a male at Kanha National Park, in the state, officials said.

Wallaby hops through traffic on Sydney Harbour Bridge

A wallaby hopped along the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Tuesday before rush hour taking drivers by surprise.

Assocham seeks 10% customs duty on pulp imports in Budget

Industry chamber Assocham has urged the Centre to impose 10 per cent customs duty on import of hardwood chemical pulp and bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp to encourage domestic production.

China sees warmest winter in 2017 due to global warming:Report

China's average winter temperature reached a historic high in 2017, when temperatures for all four seasons were higher than normal due to global warming, a new report said today. The average temperature in China was 10.39 degrees Celsius last year, 0.84 degrees above normal and the third highest since 1951, according to the annual climate report released by the China Meteorological Administration. The rise showed continued global warming partly due to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions, said Song Lianchun, head of the National Climate Centre under the administration. Average precipitation rose 1.8 per cent from the normal amount to 641.3 millimeters, with a 7-per cent drop in winter and an 8-per cent drop in autumn. Total precipitation last year rose 121.4 billion cubic meters from normal to 6.09 trillion cubic meters, the report said. There were fewer droughts, typhoons and severe convective storms than normal last year, and the total area of disaster- hit farmland ...

At 330 feet tall, China builds 'world's biggest air purifier'

China has been struggling with smog for years now and to fight the same, the country has done something really un-thinkable.They have constructed an experimental air purifying tower, which is said to be the 'world's biggest air purifier' and goes to a whopping height of 330 feet, reports South China Morning Post.But the biggest question - Is it really doing wonders in a country, which breathes the air that is equal to a person inhaling smoke of 21 cigarettes?The 100-meter high tower in Xian is reported to be having a positive effect on the air quality in the area.The tower is undergoing tests by researchers of the Institute of Earth Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.Cao Junji, the research head noted that the quality of air was recorded to be better after observations were made over a distance of 10 square kilometers in the past few months.He also shared that the tower has resulted in more than 10 million cubic meters of clean air since the day it was launched. The system

Assocham seeks 10 pc import duty on chemical pulp

Industry body Assocham today urged the Centre to impose 10 per cent customs duty on import of hardwood chemical pulp and bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp (BCTMP) to encourage domestic pulp production. According to a statement by the body, the move will help create jobs and promote overall economic development of the country's vast rural hinterland housing pulpwood plantations. "These measures would help energise creation of sustainable sources of fibre required by the Indian pulp and paper industry," Assocham said. The statement on BCTMP was part of the industry body's pre-budget recommendations on indirect taxes submitted to the Union government. The industry body has also sought policy measures to facilitate private sector participation in plantation development programmes. Besides, the chamber has recommended that import of capital goods required by the paper and paperboard industry for technological up-gradation, especially aimed at environmental protection and

K'taka's claim for drinking water exposes falsehood: Goa govt

The Goa government has told a tribunal that the Mahadayi river water demand by neighbouring Karnataka is actually for irrigating its sugarcane crop areas. Notably, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had last week said his state could share the river water with Karnataka for drinking purposes and expressed his willingness for bilateral talks. Senior counsel Atmaram Nadkarni, representing Goa, in his 531-page submission before the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal yesterday, pleaded against allowing the diversion of the Mahadayi river water by the governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra. "The requirement of Karnataka in the Malaprabha reservoir as also the drinking water requirement in the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad is a bogey of completely incorrect statements...," Nadkarni alleged in his submission. "... The whole exercise, proposed by Karnataka, is aimed at sustaining the manifold increase as well as further increasing and encouraging the cultivation of the water-

New catalyst can help turn carbon dioxide into plastic

Scientists have created a catalyst that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide to ethylene, which is used to produce the most common type of plastic. At the heart of this work is the carbon dioxide reduction reaction, wherein CO2 is converted into other chemicals through the use of an electrical current and a chemical reaction, aided by a catalyst. Many metals can serve as catalysts in this type of reaction: gold, silver and zinc can make carbon monoxide, while tin and paladium can make formate. Only copper can produce ethylene, the core component of polyethylene plastic. "Copper is a bit of a magic metal. It's magic because it can make many different chemicals, like methane, ethylene, and ethanol, but controlling what it makes is difficult," said Phil De Luna, PhD student at the University of Toronto in Canada. Researchers were able to design a catalyst and pinpoint the ideal conditions to maximise ethylene production, while minimising the methane output to nearly ...

After 'harami' comment, Goa Minister calls Karnataka government 'habitual liars'

Days after he called Kannadigas "harami" or illegitimate, Goa's Water Resources Minister Vinod Palienkar on Tuesday accused the Karnataka government of being "habitual liars" vis a vis the Mhadei water dispute issue.

Ker gov mulls arrangements at Sabarimala similar at Tirumala

The Kerala government today said it was mulling setting up amenities for pilgrims visiting Ayyappa hill shrine at Sabarimala similar to those available to devotees at Lord Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati. "As per the directive of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, an expert team will soon leave for Tirupati to study the Tirumala model development projects," Minister for Devaswom and Tourism Kadakampally Surendran told reporters here. He said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has offered all help for studying the Tirumala model development Though the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala is not open throughout the year, the three-month long November-January festival season at the hill shrine attracts lakhs of people from the country and abroad. Besides this season, the temple usually opens for five days in each Malayalam month for poojas. Surendran said all developmental works would be taken up keeping in mind the fact that there was paucity of land as the the temple ..

Mahadayi River Dispute: Karnataka bribed eyewitnesses, says Goa minister

Goa Water Minister Vinod Palyekar on Tuesday alleged that witnesses were paid by the Karnataka government in connection with the Mahadayi River Dispute."Karnataka government has given all their witnesses Rs 50,000 per day to stand for them in court. We have never given even a single rupee to our witnesses," Palyekar told ANI.He revealed that he has seen officials of the Karnataka government violating conditions related to the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project site at Kanakumbi in Belagavi."It was an order of Supreme Court that no work will be done there. However, the Karnataka government committed violations there. We are the eye witness of that incident and have photographic evidence, which we will present in court," said Palyekar.Palyekar also appealed to the Karnataka government to refrain from using offensive language against Goa.The Kalasa-Banduri Nala diversion project is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the ...

Over 800 truck loads of sand seized in Dakshina Kannada dist

More than 800 truck loads of sand, a dredging machine and several trucks were impounded in surprise raids conducted in coastal areas bythe district officials during the last two days. Five sand extraction units located near Maravoor vented dam in Mangaluru taluk were detected and sealed. Cases were registered against six persons and 40 boats seized, an official release here said. The raids by officials led byDakshina Kannada District Deputy Commissioner of Police Sasikanth Senthil, were launched on January 13 following a tip-off that illegal docks were built at some spots withinthe limits of Coastal Regulatory Zone. The raids were completed last evening, it said. A squad comprising tahsildar, assistant commissioner, national highway authority officials and senior geologists conducted the raids at several places including Moodushedde, Padushedde, Manjalpade and Jappinamogaru, the release added.

Winged guests find new wetlands, less birds sighted in Chilika

Migratory birds are now attracted by other wetlands in Ganjam district and this could be the main reason for the drop in the number of winged guests in the Chilika lake this year, experts and officials said. The bird census conducted by forest officials this month in all major water bodies of the district show that Tampara lake, Baghua dam and other water bodies hosted many migratory birds, besides the Chilika. "The water fowls might have landed on water bodies and some other areas on their way to Chilika due to availability of food. It may be one of the reasons for fewer birds at the lake this year," said retired Chief Conservator of Forest and an noted ornithologist, Sudhakar Mohapatra. Divisional Forest Officer, Chilika, Bikash Ranjan Das seconded Mahapatra's view. The annual bird census, undertaken in the brackish water lagoon of Chilika on January 3, put the count to 8,93,390 birds, which is 53,000 less compared to last year's figure. Forest officials said 1,391 ...

Tiny bird-like dinosaur with rainbow feathers discovered

Scientists have discovered 161 million-year-old fossils of a tiny bird-like dinosaur from China that sported flashy rainbow feathers and a bony crest on its snout to attract mates. Researchers conducted the first in-depth study of the dinosaur named Caihong juji. "Iridescent colouration is well known to be linked to sexual selection and signalling, and we report its earliest evidence in dinosaurs," said Julia Clarke, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "The dinosaur may have a cute nickname in English, Rainbow, but it has serious scientific implications," said Clarke. Aside from making Jurassic ecosystems of 161 million years ago more colourful, the dinosaur is interesting because it has features that are both ancient and modern, said Xing Xu, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The bony crest is a feature usually seen in dinosaurs from earlier eras, while its neck feathers show evidence of microscopic wide, flat, pigment-containing packages, or