Page 940 - Environment
Bauxite production drops 73% to 7,269 tn in FY17
Production of bauxite, an aluminium ore, dropped sharply by almost 73 per cent to 7,269 tonnes in 2016-17 compared to 27,146 tonnes in 2015-16, Parliament was informed today. Exploration of bauxite is being undertaken by various agencies in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gujarat, Minister of State for Mines Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Aluminium, derived mainly from bauxite ore, is widely used in manufacturing of automobiles, aircraft, among others. Orissa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh are main bauxite producing states.
CapIndia 2018 chemicals, plastics, shellac expo in March
The third edition of CapIndia 2018 -- a joint exhibition by four industry export promotion councils for chemicals and allied products (Chemexil and Capexil), plastics (Plexconcil) and for shellac and forest products (Shefaxil) - will be held in Mumbai from March 22 to 24, the government announced on Thursday.
Drop in number of winged guests at Chilika
The number of migratory birds visiting the Chilika Lake in Odisha has dropped this season with 53,000 fewer winged visitors sighted at the lagoon compared to the last year. The annual bird census, undertaken in the brackish water lagoon yesterday, put the count to 893,390 birds of 147 different species. Last winter, 947,119 birds of 167 different species had visited the lake. Of them 374,756 were sighted at the 15.59 sq km Nalabana bird sanctuary, said Divisional Forest Officer (Chilika wildlife division) Bikash Ranjan Das. This time, altogether 320,826 birds were sighted at Nalabana bird sanctuary, he said. The increase in the water level of the lagoon due to heavy rain during the monsoons might have led to the decline in the number of birds visiting the lake this year, the DFO said. Moreover, this year, the census was conducted about 10 days ahead of schedule, he said. Das said River Lawping, a local bird, was sighted at the lake for the first time. This species is ...
'Largescale' encroachment in Neelakurinji park: BJP
The BJP in Kerala has demanded a CBI probe into the alleged encroachment of land in the proposed 'Neelakurinji' national sanctuary in the hilly district, with the connivance of politicians and officials. Talking to reporters after visiting the sanctuary along with an NDA delegation yesterday, BJP State President Kummanom Rajasekharan alleged that largescale encroachment was taking place in the park area with the connivance of politicians and officials. The state government should be ready for a CBI inquiry, he said adding BJP would submit a report to the Centre, based on the visit to the park area. The ruling CPI-M-led LDF and Congress headed UDF Opposition were misleading the people on the matter by spreading falsehood, Rajasekharan said. There was no need to evict any settlers if the survey was held in a time-bound manner, he said adding the farmers living there for years should be protected. Rajasekharan also wanted the government to preserve the sanctuary area by ...
Telangana launches Veterinarian Dairy 2018
The Telangana government has launched their flagship scheme - 'Veterinarian Dairy 2018' in Hyderabad.While addressing a gathering at the inauguration ceremony, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Minister for Animal Husbandry, told ANI: "I am very happy to launch this scheme. Every year, the department is working hard to reach the first position in all government departments ever since the government has been formed."The minister added: "I also congratulate all the department officials for their hard work. The officials have also done a lot of hard work in goats' distribution scheme, due to which our government has gained a good name."According to a data from the state animal husbandry ministry, about 29 lakh families in Telangana are engaged in the livestock sector for their livelihood. The value of livestock production is estimated to be Rs 12,403 crores at current prices and the livestock sector contributes around 4.86 percent as a gross domestic product (GDP) in the state.
'Global ocean's average temperature 3.5 degrees Celsius'
The modern global ocean's average temperature is 3.5 degrees Celsius, say scientists who have found a "ground-breaking" approach to measure the average temperature of the ocean. Determining changes in the average temperature of the entire world's ocean has proven to be a nearly impossible task due to the distribution of different water masses, researchers said. Each layer of water can have drastically different temperatures, so determining the average over the entirety of the ocean's surface and depths presents a challenge, they said. Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego in the US have been able to bypass these obstacles by determining the value indirectly. Instead of measuring water temperature, they determined the ratio of noble gases in the atmosphere, which are in direct relation to the ocean's temperature. "This method is a radically new way to measure change in total ocean heat," said Jeff Severinghaus, a geoscientist at University of ...
Ocean's average temperature is 3.5 degree Celsius
The modern ocean's average temperature is 3.5 degrees Celsius, says a study that identified a new way to measure the average temperature of the ocean.
13 TN fishermen arrested by SL navy, boats damaged
The Sri Lankan Navy today arrested 13 Tamil Nadu fishermen for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters off Katchatheevu islet. They also damaged a few boats and fishing equipment belonging to others using iron rods, before chasing them away. Assistant Director of Fisheries, A Manikandan said, more than 2,000 fishermen from Thangachimadam had ventured into the sea yesterday in 523 boats and were fishing near Katchatheevu when the Lankan naval men came to the spot and arrested 13 fishermen. They also snapped the fishing nets of 50 boats and damaged some boats using iron rods, he said. The arrested fishermen were taken to Kangesanthurai port along with two boats. On December 31, 13 fishermen from this island town were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing near Neduntheevu close to the island nation's coast. A total of 89 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry had been released by Sri Lankan authorities last year.
Rising popularity of organic foods: What you should know
The demand for organic foods began with fruits and vegetables when there were reports of pesticide residues in them. However, the popularity of organic foods has now extended to food grains, pulses, tea, spices and even oilseeds."Organic foods have gained popularity because people have become aware of their benefits. They contain no chemical pesticides and fertilizers and are grown naturally with manure or compost and only natural pesticides and insecticides are used," said Dr. Saurabh Arora, MD (Auriga research and Director at Arbro Pharmaceuticals) and Founder of Food Safety Helpline."Children are more susceptible than adults to diseases caused by chemical pesticide residues in food and so parents prefer to give them organic foods. Another advantage is that organic foods do not contain growth hormones or antibiotic residues. Animals are often given growth hormones and antibiotics in animal feeds which are directly passed into animal foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy ...
Ancient infant helps scientists unravel America's genetic
A baby girl who died in Alaska some 11,500 years ago belonged to a formerly-unknown population group whose discovery has shed light on the peopling of the Americas, a study of her genome revealed today. By decoding the child's genetic fingerprint, scientists could look back on the history of the first people to conquer the New World, and conclude they likely arrived from Siberia some 20,000 years ago. "The study provides the first direct genomic evidence that all Native American ancestry can be traced back to the same source population during the last Ice Age," researcher Ben Potter of the University of Alaska told AFP. Potter and a team analysed the DNA of an infant whose remains were unearthed at the Upward Sun River archaeological site in Alaska in 2013. She was named Xach'itee'aanenh T'eede Gaay (Sunrise Girlchild) by the indigenous community, and her genome "provided an unprecedented window into the history of her people", said Potter. The team had expected the ...
KKNP unit-1 was shut down in June 2015 for refuelling: Govt
The first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNP) was shut down in June 2015 for refuelling for the first time after generating about 6,875 million units of electricity, the government today said. Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh in a written reply to question in the Lok Sabha also said, "During the first refuelling shutdown, in parallel with refuelling, detailed inspections, surveillance tests, mandatory checks and routine maintenance works were carried out." Thereafter, the unit was reconnected to the grid in January 2016, he said. "Apart from the long refuelling shutdown of Unit-1, there have been some instances of unit trips. Each of these instances have been investigated, the root causes determined and necessary measures taken in consultation with the Russian experts and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). "In none of these instances, the safety of plants was challenged," Singh said. In reply to another question, the ...
ISRO working on design of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle: Govt
The Indian Space Research Organisation is working on the design of a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, which would be a compact launcher exclusively for smaller satellites, the Lok Sabha was informed today. The small launch vehicle is likely to reduce the cost for launching satellites in the competitive space technology market. When ISRO launched a record 104 satellites in February last year, except the Cartosat-2, all were small satellites. "ISRO is working on the design of a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), that is a compact launcher for small satellites," Minister of State in the PMO, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question. In reply to another question, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Y S Chowdary said: "A project for setting up of a total of 32 new seismological observatories is under implementation and is likely to be completed by the end of financial year 2017-18". After the installation of ..
Israel to launch its first nanosatellites in 2018
The Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) and the Israel Space Agency on Wednesday said Israel will launch a group of three nanosatellites into space in 2018.
Tiger found dead in MP village well
The carcass of a tiger was found floating in a well near here today, said a forest department official today. The well is located near Nagjhola village, some 55km from district headquarters. The striped animal, possibly 7 to 8 years old, fell into the well some 10 days ago, forest range officer Parasram Madankar said, citing an autopsy report. He said the carcass was fished out this morning. The body was disposed according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, he added.
Dozens of endangered dolphins found dead in Brazil
At least 78 tucuxi dolphins have been found dead in the past 17 days in Sepetiba Bay, located in Rio de Janeiro state, threatening the survival of one of Brazil's most endangered marine mammals, environmentalists said on Wednesday.
Swine flu: Raj govt issues alert, rushes teams to affected
The Rajasthan government today sounded an alert in the state after more than 400 people were diagnosed positive for the fatal swine flu virus last month. Rapid response teams of the health department were rushed to the areas where people were feared to have been affected by the H1N1 virus. "We are ensuring that swine flu symptoms are diagnosed early on and treatment is given," Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf said. A meeting with senior officials of the health department was held today. Following the meeting, Saraf ordered the department to send rapid response teams in the affected areas for screening the people and make the treatment available. According to medical and health department records, 241 swine flu deaths have occurred in the state since January. Nearly 11,721 people were tested for swine flu from January 1 to December 19, of which 3,214 were confirmed positive. Seven trainee Rajasthan Administrative Services officers contracted the swine flu virus during ...
3 districts of Leh, Kargil & Srinagar declared ODF
JK Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today said three districts of Leh, Kargil and Srinagar have been declared open defecation free (ODF). "As part of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) initiatives, works are underway to establish solid waste management facilities in all towns. Three districts of Leh, Kargil and Srinagar have been declared ODF. Gulmarg is in the process of being certified as open defecation free," he said in response to a question raised by MLC Surinder Kumar Choudhary at the state council. The minister said under the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched in the state on October 2, 2014, various initiatives have been taken to make the state garbage-free. He informed the council that funds to the tune of Rs 39.62 crore have been released by the Centre till date. Listing the achievements under the mission, the deputy chief minister said against a target of 94,091 Individual Household Toilets (IHHTs), 8,742 toilets have been constructed and the work on 12,501 toilets ..
Cookstoves in India cause more pollution: Study
Smoke emitting from the traditional cookstove, widely used in the rural parts of India with cheap biofuels -- such as crop chaff or dung -- causes detrimental impact on the country's environment and people's health, finds a study, led by one of Indian-origin professors.
Cabinet apprised on India-Italy MoU on clean energy
The Union Cabinet was on Wednesday informed about an MoU that has been signed by India and Italy for cooperation in the area of renewable energy, an official statement said.
New bird flu case discovered in South Korea
South Korea culled 197,000 chickens at a farm close to the capital city after a new case of avian influenza was discovered, the government said on Wednesday.
