Page 922 - Environment
Coast Guard rescues 14 Bangladeshi fishermen
Fourteen Bangladeshi fishermen have been rescued by the Indian Coast Guard, after their trawler lost way and drifted towards Shankarpur in East Midnapore District due to a technical snag, police said today. The fishermen had started from Bangladesh about two weeks back, but soon their trawler developed an engine malfunction and were left stranded in deep seas, a police officer said. Coast guard officials located the trawler and rescued the fishermen yesterday, he said, adding all of them were brought to Digha Police Station. "A report has been sent to the Bangladesh administration through official channels and we are awaiting further communication from them," the police officer said.
Palaniswami urges K'taka CM to release Cauvery water for TN
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E. Palaniswami on Saturday requested his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah to release water from River Cauvery to save the standing crops of farmers in the former's state.Citing that the crop season in Karnataka was over, Palaniswami, in a letter, requested 15 thousand million cubic feet (TMC ft) of water for his state."After reserving the minimum needs of drinking water supply and perennial crops, Karnataka can release at least 15 TMC ft to Tamil Nadu to make up a part of the shortfall, which is required to meet the crucial needs of the standing crops in the Cauvery delta," the letter further read.Palaniswami urged Karnataka chief minister to consider the plight of the farmers whose livelihoods depend on a good harvest to release the water.
J-K govt meets 75 pc target in PMUY implementation
The Jammu and Kashmir government today said it has achieved a target of 75 per cent in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) by providing free LPG gas connections to 3.70 lakh below poverty line households in the state. "Out of 4.90 lakh total eligible applicants, the government has provided free LPG gas connections to 3.70 lakh BPL households in the state," Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said at a function in Rajouri district. He said the state is proud to take lead over rest of the states in the country in implementation of PMUY with 75 per cent target achievement. The function was organised by a private gas agency for distribution of free gas connections at koteranka. As many as 510 gas connections were distributed. The females from BPL households were provided with sets of chulha, cylinder, gas pipe, regulator and safety manual, an official spokesman said. While deliberating on PMUY, the minister said .
Forest Management Certification Standard launched
India's internationally benchmarked Forest Management Certification Standard (FMCS) was launched today with an aim to bring a shift towards responsible utilisation of natural resources and trade of forest products. Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF) in association with the ministries of environment, agriculture, commerce and industry, textiles and leading industry bodies and companies launched the standard. An NCCF statement, while elaborating on the need for the standard, said that forest resource has been under strain primarily because of two reasons--commercial use of wood and deforestation due to changes in land use. Till now, two approaches were adopted--the 'top-down' approach wherein government formulated and implemented policies and the 'bottom-up' approach which was more of a participatory approach to protect forests. However, ineffectiveness of both had led to a third approach--forest certification. "It introduces policy changes ...
UN hails India, China for fighting climate change
India and China are "strongly committed" to the leadership in fighting climate change and ensuring they do not suffer its "devastating" impacts at a time when others are "failing", the UN has said. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN has a "very solid commitment" for climate action, pointing out that African nations were the biggest victims of the globally changing weather patterns. "Of the largest economies of the world, the two largest economies of the G77 are strongly committed to the leadership in climate action - and I refer to China and India," Guterres said on the occasion of handover ceremony of the Chairmanship of the 'Group of 77 (G77) and China' in New York yesterday. Egypt took over the chairmanship of the group from Ecuador. "In a moment when others are failing, I see the largest economies of the Group of 77 and China to be assuming the leadership in climate action to make sure that we don't suffer the dramatic and devastating impacts of climate ..
TN CM asks Karn govt 15 tmcft of Cauvery water; Siddaramaiah
The Tamil Nadu government today demanded Karnataka to release at least 15 tmcft of Cauvery water for saving its crops, but the neigbouring state maintained that it did not have enough water. In a letter to his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami demanded an immediate release of 7 tmcft of water and the balance within a fortnight from the existing storage. As per the 2007 order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Tamil Nadu has to receive 192 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water every year as its share from the Cauvery river. It has only received 111.647 tmcft as on January 9 at Biligundulu as against the due of 179.871 tmcft, leaving a deficit of 68.224 tmcft. When asked about the Tamil Nadu government's demand, Siddaramaiah said, "We do not have water. How can we supply to them? It is not possible to release water to Tamil Nadu". The Karnataka chief minister was in the national capital to attend a meeting called by ...
Nearly 20 lakh devotees to take holy dip at Ganga Sagar
Nearly 20 lakh devotees from different corner of the country as well countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh have gathered to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganga and Bay of Bengal on Makar Sankranti tomorrow. "Last year around 15 lakh pilgrims had visited the Ganga Sagar. This year already we have crossed that mark and nearly 20,00,000 people are here. We have made all the arrangements for them so that they can have a memorable outing here," South 24 Parganas district magistrate Y. Ratnakara Rao told PTI today. A thick blanket of security cover has been placed at the famous spot. The state government has deployed around 3,000 policemen and also pressed into service seven drones to keep a tab on the security as well as the safety of pilgrims taking a holy dip tomorrow. In fact, for the first time the state government has equipped its officials with satellite phones to ensure uninterrupted connectivity during the Ganga Sagar Mela. "These satellite phones .
Tiger found dead in MP
The carcass of a tiger was found in the Keolari forest range of the district this morning, an officer said. Divisional Manager of Forest Development Corporation J S Bhargava said the carcass was spotted by a patrolling team at Ugli circle of the range. The wild animal's body appears to be at least four-day old as most of its parts had decomposed. The age of the tiger and other details would be known only after a post-mortem report, he said. The district houses the Pench Tiger Reserve.
Parrikar visits Canacona, meets fishing, tribal communities
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today visited the state's Canacona assembly constituency bordering Karnataka and interacted with people from the tribal and fishing communities here. He had lunch at the house of a tribal family at the Gaodongri village on the periphery of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. Later he met villagers there who demanded that their villages be denotified from the protected areas of the Forest Act as they were facing difficulties "even to dig a well for drinking water." He assured them that their rights under the Forest Act would be protected but these lands cannot be converted into ownership of the locals due to lacunae in the Central law. "Under Forest Rights Act, the decision to hand over the land to the dwellers has to be taken by the gram sabha of village panchayat which should be attended by at least 50 per cent of the population of the village. You dont get such a huge number of people for the gram sabha and this has held back the entire ...
Deficit in realisation of share of Cauvery water: TN CM
The Tamil Nadu government today said there was a "deficit" in realisation of its share of Cauvery water this year (2017-18) and urged the neighbouring Karnataka to release at least 15 tmcft of water to make up for a part of the shortfall. In a letter to his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said Tamil Nadu had received only 111.647 tmcft as on January 9 at Biligundulu as against the due of 179.871 tmcft, leaving a deficit of 68.224 tmcft. As per the 2007 order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Tamil Nadu has to receive 192 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water every year as its share from the Cauvery river. Palaniswami said the storage in Mettur reservoir in Salem district, which caters to the Cauvery delta region, as on January 12 was a "meagre" 21.27 tmcft even as the utilisable storage there was 16.27 tmcft. This was "grossly inadequate" to meet the irrigation needs of standing crops and drinking water needs during summer ..
Haryana to compensate farmers for power breakdown
Determined not to let consumers of power in the agriculture sector suffer in the state, the power utilities of Haryana have decided to compensate farm feeders in the eventuality of any breakdown.
Fossil fuels blown away by wind in cost terms: study
New onshore wind and solar energy projects are set to deliver electricity more cheaply than fossil fuels plants, with other green technologies also rapidly gaining a cost advantage over dirty fuels, a report published today said. According to a new cost analysis from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), within two years "all the renewable power generation technologies that are now in commercial use are expected to fall within the fossil fuel- fired cost range, with most at the lower end or undercutting fossil fuels". It expects renewables will cost between three and 10 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) by 2020, while the current cost spectrum for fossil fuel power generation ranges from five to 17 US cents per kWh. "This new dynamic signals a significant shift in the energy paradigm," said IRENA's Director-General, Adnan Amin, in a statement. "Turning to renewables for new power generation is not simply an environmentally conscious decision, it is now -- ..
Odisha aims to complete 3,500 km of rural roads by March-end
Odisha has set a target to complete 3,500 km of rural roads by March-end under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a senior official said today. So far, the state has constructed 43,222 km road at an investment of Rs 18,624 crore under the central programme, connecting 19,682 villages, official sources said. The PMGSY is being implemented in the state on a 60:40 sharing basis by the Centre and the state government. "I have asked the officials to complete road construction of 3,500 km under the PMGSY by March, 2018," Chief Secretary A P Padhi said while presiding over a meeting of the PMGSY's State Level Sanctioning Committee here yesterday. The committee also approved 165 new roads and 36 bridges spread across 582 km as new connectivity and upgradation projects. The projects are estimated to cost Rs 500 crore. The target is to complete an additional 14,000 km-road during the next fiscal. Padhi also directed officials to ensure better quality of construction and
China launches land exploration satellite
China on Saturday launched a land resources exploration satellite into a preset orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert.
Bird Festival of Goa to be declared a major event: Parrikar
State Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today announced that the Bird Festival of Goa would be declared as a major event from the year 2019. Addressing participants of the festival at the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in Canacona, Parrikar however cautioned that having a festival on a large scale in a protected area with lots of people attending might not be feasible. He said that the Bird Festival would be held keeping in mind the capacity of the place where it was held. He added that it would be hosted at different places so that people have a variety of choices and more footfalls can be accommodated. The festival, co-hosted by State Tourism Department, Economic Development Corporation and Goa Bird Conservation Network, is being held from Janaury 12-14.
NYC's suit against oil companies sparks mixed reaction
With New York City filing a lawsuit against some oil companies for allegedly contributing to global warming, some experts are expecting it to build momentum inside the US, while the affected firms are calling it a ploy to politicise climate change.
11 langurs found dead in Raj; police suspect they were beaten,
Eleven langurs were found dead by Rajasthan forest officials at an isolated area near a national highway here with police and activists suspecting that the animals were beaten and dumped there. The carcasses were spotted near the National Highway-11 and buried on Wednesday and a case was lodged on a complaint by the forest department on the same day, Station House Officer (SHO), Dudu, Hari Singh Dayal said today. "It is suspected that the langurs were beaten and dumped there," the officer said. The Humane Society International (HSI), an organisation working on animal protection issues, has offered a reward of Rs 1 lakh on information on people involved in incident. "Langurs are important to any ecosystem they reside in. Killing or trans-location of these animals from conflict areas is never a solution and law enforcement agencies need to take action in this instance," Wildlife campaign manager at HSI, Sumanth Bindumadhav, said in a statement. The grey langur is a ...
'Expediting green clearances could damage natural infrastructure'
Expediting the forest and environmental clearances for developmental projects "without due diligence" could lead to "damage to natural infrastructure" like forests, water bodies and loss of habitat, environmentalists said here on Saturday.
How conservation architects fought stereotypes and won
As a student of architecture, her focus on restoration and adaptive reuse of historic buildings was met with scepticism, but Aishwarya Tipnis still managed to carve a niche for herself in the field of urban conservation. Her conservation projects, including at a fort in Madhya Pradesh and at Doon School, Dehradun, earned her recognition from UNESCO in 2016. And on Thursday, she was conferred the top French cultural award - Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres. The architect from Delhi appears poised for an even bigger role. She considers urban planners and restoration professionals as a bridge between the past and the future. But was her journey to the top easy? "While I was studying at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) here, I chose to focus on conservation and reuse of historic structures, while all my classmates were busy designing new, swanky buildings," Tipnis recalled. "Needless to say, it was met with a lot of scepticism, as conservation architects .
Goa minister rushes to site of Karnataka's canal construction
Goas Water Resources Department Minister Vinod Palyekar today rushed to the site where Karnataka, according to the Goa government, is constructing a canal on a tributary of the Mahadeyi river. The Goa government had alleged yesterday that neighbouring Karnataka, disrespecting a Supreme Court order, had resumed work on a canal at Kankumbi. "I have left for Kankumbi with my officials to inspect the violations by Karnataka and take stock of the situation," Palyekar told PTI today. The Goa government has also claimed that it had photographs to prove that the neighbouring state had violated court orders. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who had directed state Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma to write a letter to the Karnataka government asking it to stop work, on Wednesday said the ongoing dispute would be fought before the Mahadeyi Water Disputes Tribunal. Last month, Parrikar had written a letter to Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa stating that Goa would share ...
