Page 937 - Environment
Hry setting up plant in Karnal to produce gas from garbage
The Haryana government is setting up a plant in Karnal to process garbage and other waste to produce gas which would be used to generate electricity, an official release said here today. Setting up of this plant would solve the problem of stubble burning and would also be beneficial in management of waste, it said. Rs 1 crore has been spent on this plant by the Karnal Municipal Corporation and it would start functioning from January 15. Such project would also be started in other districts of the state also. With a view to deal with the stubble burning issue, the state government has started this project which would produce about 50,000 tonnes of gas and about two lakh tonnes of bio- fertiliser, the release said. "The project would generate 1,000 kg gas, 2,000 kg bio- fertiliser and 3,000 units of electricity every day which would be utilised by the Municipal Corporation in different areas," it said.
Goa to host second edition of Bird Festival between Jan 12-14
Goa will be hosting the second edition of the Bird Festival between January 12-14 at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and Galjibag beach in Canacona in South Goa. Announcing the event, state Principal Conservator of Forests Ajay Saxena said that holding the bird festival in Goa attains significance considering the fact that almost 40 per cent of the total bird species from the country are found here. Saxena said that out of a total of 10293 bird species in the world, 1224 are recorded in India and of this Goa has recorded 450 species. "Bird sighting will be part of this festival and the focus this time would be on oceanic birds," he informed. "There are hundreds of migratory birds that visit the state's coast. Goa being rich in coastline, wetlands, water bodies, one can see lot of oceanic birds taking shelter here for a small period," he said. Delegates from Sri Lanka and the USA will also be participating in the event. The event is being hosted by the Forest department in ...
30 elephants killed by trains in WB in 5 yrs, no action
As many as 30 elephants have been killed by trains in West Bengal in the last five years till December 15, 2017 and no action has been taken against any railway staff involved in the matter, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain told the Rajya Sabha that while the railways has taken precautions against such accidents, some of the locations where the animals have died, did not fall under the list of corridors identified by the national transporter. "In case of identified locations, adequate precautions, as per joint advisory issued by Ministry of Environment and Forests and Ministry of Railways were taken by Railways. Hence, no responsibility was fixed and no action was taken against the railway staff", Gohain said. He said the railways has imposed speed restrictions in identified locations, installed sign boards to alert locomotive drivers, initiated training programmes to sensitise train crew and station masters on a regular ...
China begins work on third aircraft carrier
China has begun working on its third aircraft carrier, a development reflective of its ambition to become a dominant sea power.
Govt refers back issue of commercial release of GM mustard to
The government has referred the issue of commercial release of GM mustard back to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) after receiving representations from various stakeholders. The application related to the environmental release of transgenic mustard was recommended by the GEAC in its 133rd meeting held on May 11, 2017, Minister of State for Environment Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "However, pursuant to the receipt of various representations from different stakeholders, the government has referred the application back to the GEAC for further examination in October 2017," he said. Sharma said "pursuant to the decision taken by the government on transgenic mustard in October 2017, no fresh round of consultations have been conducted with any stakeholder groups." The GEAC, in 2017, had recommended the commercial use of genetically modified (GM) mustard in a submission to the environment ministry, following which there has been ...
Pradhan to inaugurate ONGC symposium, photo exhibition on Chilika
Union Minister for for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan will inaugurate an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) organised symposium-cum-photo exhibition titled "The Mangalajodi Inheritance" here on Saturday.The event is being organised in association with The Bhubaneswar Bird Walks (TBBW) to promote the cause of the largest brackish water lake to obtain heritage status from UNESCO.ONGC has embarked on an ambitious project for conservation and holistic development of Chilika Lake area in Odisha, and for accordance of status of UNESCO "World Heritage Site" for Chilika Lake, in line with its commitment towards environment conservation and heritage protection.Pradhan has taken the noble initiative to reach a tripartite agreement between ONGC, Govt. of Odisha and UNESCO.UNESCO has assured all support towards this objective. ONGC has also charted out a systematic plan for development of Mangalajodi village in Chilika through CSR activities.The objective is to bring together ...
PFC ties up PTC India to buy power from stranded power plants
State-run PFC arm PFC Consulting (PFCCL) has inked a pact with PTC India for supply of power from commissioned coal-based thermal power projects stranded due to non-finalisation of power purchase agreement (PPA). The PFCCL entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PTC India for jointly exploring opportunities for procurement of power from coal-based commissioned thermal power projects for supply to discoms and facilitate signing of PPAs, a PFC statement said. Yesterday, Power Minister R K Singh had tweeted: "Government to conduct auctions next month for power plants that do not have power purchase agreements (PPAs) and is working on a model, whereby demand from all states will be aggregated and tariff-based competitive bids will be invited from power-generating companies." These auctions would allow generators to bid for medium- term (5-7 years) PPA. This will help revive those commissioned stressed coal-based capacities which have not inked any PPAs. The ...
Biomedical waste disposal unit in Agra:NGT notice to Centre,UP
A plea alleging that biomedical waste disposal facility was being set up in Agra without obtaining environment clearance has prompted the National Green Tribunal to seek response from the Centre and the UP government. A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice U D Salvi issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Uttar Pradesh government, central and state pollution control boards and the Agra district magistrate while seeking their replies before February 13. The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Mahesh Chandra Sharma who has challenged the construction of the biomedical waste disposal unit at at Etmadpur in Agra. Sharma, in his plea filed through advocate Rahul Choudhary, has alleged that the facility was being set up without environment clearance and authorisation under the provisions of Bio-Medical Waste Rules, 2016 and consent to establish/operate under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and Water (Prevention and Control of
Govt says 6.25 LT capacity silos for storing grains created
Steel silos with a storage capacity of 6.25 lakh tonnes (LT) of foodgrains has been constructed so far, the government informed Parliament today. The Centre has approved an action plan for construction of steel silos in the country for a capacity of 100 lakh tonnes in three phases. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Food C R Choudhary said tenders have been awarded for 38.50 lakh tonnes and a capacity of 6.25 lakh tonnes has been added. Otherwise, state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies together have foodgrain storage capacity of 726.18 lakh tonnes and it is sufficient for the use, he said. The storage capacity creation is being encouraged under the private entrepreneurs guarantee scheme under which 139.92 lakh tonnes capacity has already been created, he added. To a separate query about FCI labourers handling higher bags per day, the Minister said the matter was investigated and disciplinary action has been taken against ...
China aims to supersize coal sector through mergers
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Friday it plans to create several "super-large" coal mining companies by the end of 2020 as the world's biggest producer of the fuel ramps up years of efforts to streamline the fragmented sector and slash outdated capacity.
China develops new underwater surveillance network
China's underwater glider has successfully ended its mission to the Indian Ocean and South China Sea amid reports that the country has developed a new underwater surveillance network to help its submarines lock on to targets. China's independently-developed underwater glider, Haiyi, which means "sea wings" in Chinese, has successfully completed a scientific observation in the Indian Ocean, marking the first time that the country's indigenous underwater glider was used in this ocean, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The mission, between December 11 and January 2, was meant to observe the interaction between global climate change and marine conditions, Yu Jiancheng, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' (CAS) Shenyang Institute of Automation, the glider's developer, was quoted as saying. The underwater glider was used to monitor the deep-sea environment in vast areas, Yu said. After diving into the Indian Ocean on December 11, Haiyi obtained 190 ...
Indian Energy Storage Alliance to hold first startups contest
The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) will organise the country's first startup competition on energy storage, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and micro-grids as part of its fifth international conference and expo here on January 11-12, the industry body has announced.
Sufficient storage capacity for foodgrains exist: Paswan
The government said today there is sufficient capacity for storage of food grains at the national level. During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said that the peak time requirement of the capacity required is 600 lakh metric tonne. "Against this, the total storage capacity available with Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and state agencies along with the hired capacity was 726.18 lakh metric tonnes as on November 30, 2017," he said. As such there is sufficient capacity for storage of foodgrains at the national level, he said. Minister of State C R Chaudhary informed the House that following a report, 100 lakh metric tonnes capacity silos were being created in the country.
World's reefs under siege from global warming: study
The window for saving the world's coral reefs from the effects of global warming is rapidly closing, according to a study. For the first time, researchers have measured the escalating rate of coral bleaching at locations throughout the tropics over the past four decades. The study published in the journal Science documents a dramatic shortening of the gap between pairs of bleaching events, threatening the future existence of these iconic ecosystems and the livelihoods of many millions of people. "The time between bleaching events at each location has diminished five-fold in the past 3-4 decades, from once every 25-30 years in the early 1980s to an average of just once every six years since 2010," said Terry Hughes, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) in Australia. "Before the 1980s, mass bleaching of corals was unheard of, even during strong El Nino conditions, but now repeated bouts of regional-scale bleaching and mass mortality ..
Rice basmati rules firm on upsurge in demand
Rice basmati prices firmed up by up to Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on the back of rising demand against restricted supplies from producing belts. However, other grains traded flat in thin trade. Traders said besides rising demand from retailers as well as rice mills, fall in arrivals from producing regions, mainly pushed up rice basmati prices. In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121 variety went up by Rs 200 and Rs 100 to Rs 7,800- 7,900 and Rs 6,400-6,500 per quintal, respectively. Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,080-2,280, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,800-1,815, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,810-1,815, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 960-970 (50 kg), Maida Rs 990-1,000 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,050-1,060 (50 kg). Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs ...
Sena slams Parrikar for statement on sharing Mahadayi water
The Shiv Sena has hit out at Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for his remarks on sharing river Mahadayi water with neighbouring states, including Karnataka. Sena's Goa spokesperson Rakhi Prabhudesai-Naik yesterday said, "the chief minister's agreement to give river Mahadayi water to Karnataka was a shocking move for the coastal state, which trusted Parrikar's leadership." "To make India 'Congress-mukt' (Congress free), BJP and Parrikar are all set to make Goa 'Mahadayi-mukt (Mahadayi free Goa) by stooping down to the lowest level of compromise over the (sharing of) river (water)," Prabhudesai-Naik said in a veiled reference to the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls. Parrikar had recently said that sharing the water of the Mahadayi river with other states was "inevitable". "One has to understand that 52 kms of the river runs through Goa, 35 kms through Karnataka and 16 kms through Maharashtra. As such, sharing of water of the Mahadayi river is inevitable as it is ...
SC asks CPCB to analyse effect of firecracker ban
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to analyse the effect of firecracker ban in the national capital in terms of pollution.The apex court will hear the matter next after two weeks.Earlier on October 9, the apex court imposed a blanket ban on sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR in the run-up of Diwali to check the alarming pollution level.
Amidst increasing pollution, inverters and UPSs are answer to power backup woes
The Delhi-NCR region has been in the spotlight for the past few days over air pollution shooting to alarming levels with toxic smog enveloping the region.The authorities have finally woken up to the cause and banned diesel generators in the wake of increasing air pollution. However, the decision has not gone down well with masses, according to which diesel generators have no alternative.Taking into account that the months of November-December and January herald a wedding season, people are further wary of the ban.However, taking into account the alarming levels of pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, the ban appears a justified move."The ban on generators is absolutely justified. We all know that the capital has had very poor air quality for the past few years and the situation is getting worse day by day. A number of factors contribute to the high pollution level and generators are one of the major contributors. The fumes released from generators are hazardous for the environment and ..
Meghalaya CM inaugurates 40 mw Umtru hydro-electric project
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma inaugurated the 40 mw Umtru hydro-electric project at Dehal in Ri Bhoi district. Inaugurating the Rs 629 crore project yesterday, he said the state has various potential areas for power generation and called on the local indigenous people to participate in the process of state building. "Power sector is the most important sector. It not only provides power to consumers but also helps sustain our livelihood and augment revenue of the state," he said. The chief minister said Meghalaya has the potential to sell electricity to other states and may be export power to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh.
When the Yamuna riverbed becomes home for Delhi's roofless (Human Interest Feature)
It's 9 p.m. and a biting chill has set in as dozens of migrant labourers start gathering near the Yamuna embankment in north Delhi's Kashmere Gate area. Welcome to one of the national capital's open-to-the-sky shelters -- just one km away from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in the Civil Lines area -- for homeless workers who have not been able to find a place in one of the Delhi government's many night shelters.
