Page 951 - Environment
PIL in Gujarat HC against use of petcoke, furnace oil
A group of city residents today moved the Gujarat High Court seeking a ban on the use of petcoke and furnace oil by various industries, claiming that these fuels were major contributors to air pollution in the state. A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi sought the government's reply and adjourned the hearing on the PIL filed by Tulja Yuvak Mandal to January. The PIL states that furnace oil consumption in the state is approximately 7,76,000 tonnes per year. Citing air pollution data and news reports, the petition said the use of petcoke and furnace oil as fuel by industries has "increased the toxicity in the air to a dangerous level and is causing serious health hazard to the residents of Gujarat". It also cited a recent Supreme Court order banning these fuels in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. The state government should prohibit their use in Gujarat and ensure that industries switch to eco-friendly fuels such as ...
Amit Shah to visit Karnataka
After victories in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, BJP chief Amit Shah will visit Karnataka on December 31 to review the party's organisational work in the Congress-ruled state which faces assembly polls in the first half of next year.
Govt eyes 100% electric public transport through FAME II
Union Minister Anant Geete today said the government is committed to make the country's public transport system fully electric and emphasised that there is a need to increase incentives to promote e-mobility. Also, the minister said the Centre is targeting a fully electric fleet for public transport, including buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws under the second phase of FAME India scheme. The pilot phase or phase I of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India (FAME India) was launched by the government in 2015, which expires on March 31, 2018. Thereafter, the phase II will be launched. "We will accord priority to public transport in FAME II. Our primary objective will be that the country's public transport should be 100 per cent electric. If the public transport is 100 per cent, then we can reduce pollution to a great extent," Geete said at a press conference here. The Department of Heavy Industry today announced the launch of ...
Ganga Sagar should be treated at par with Kumbh Mela : Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that the annual Ganga Sagar Mela should be treated at par with Kumbh Mela and turned into a 'pilgrimage of solidarity' (Sanghati Tirtha). Ganga Sagar Mela is no less important than Kumbh Mela, she said to buttress her point while speaking at the Krishak Bazar at Rudrapur in South 24 Parganas district. "I do not understand why the Gangasagar Mela will not be given the status of the Kumbh Mela. This mela is being held for ages and pilgrims throng this place in huge numbers for many many years. I think Ganga Sagar Mela must be turned into a pilgrimage of solidarity (Sanhati Tirtha). People from all communities, caste and creed from various corners of the world can come here. Nobody has ever thought of this," she said. Lauding the preparations for the Ganga Sagar Mela scheduled to be held next month, Banerjee today said that development work in the area has changed it altogether. "I had paid a visit to the Sagar Island ...
Aravallis turning into 'mass graveyard' of wildlife: Activists
With the authorities turning a blind eye to the ongoing depredation, the Aravalli forest region is fast becoming a land of poaching and illegal construction as well as garbage dumping, wildlife activists said on Wednesday.
Will not give a single drop of Mahadayi water to K'taka: Goa Minister
Goa's Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar on Wednesday firmly stated that his state will not compromise with Karnataka on Mahadayi water issue."We can never compromise on this issue, our people hardly get sufficient water, how can we give them (Karnataka)? Its just not possible," Palyekar told ANI on Mahadayi water dispute.He added that Goa will not give even a single drop of Mahadayi river water to Karnataka."It is like our mother, every drop of this river is precious for us. We will not compromise on this issue. Will not give even a single drop of water to Karnataka," he said.The Pro-Kalasa-Banduri project organisations on Wednesday called for a bandh and staged a protest in Karnataka over Mahadayi water dispute.The state of Karnataka and Goa are at loggerheads on the issue of sharing inter-state Mahadayi river water.While the river originates from Karnataka, a major part of it flows in Goa.Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddarmaiah has called for a meeting with his ...
Bengal govt to give 74pc of Tajpur port to Centre for bridge
The West Bengal government will give away 74 per cent share to the Centre to build a new major port in Tajpur as it will build a bridge over the Muriganga river to help pilgrims visiting Sagar Island, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today. The Centre has agreed to the state government's proposal and work for the bridge will start soon, she said. "We have decided to give a share of 74 per cent of the Tajpur Port project to the Centre only because it has agreed to build a bridge over the Muriganga river in South 24 Parganas district. We could have finished this big project single-handedly and earned a lot," Banerjee said at a public meeting held at Rudrapur here. "There is a need to build a bridge on Muriganga river. It is quite difficult for the several thousands of people coming to the Gangasagar Mela to cross the river and come to Sagar Island. To reach the Kumbh Mela people have road and rail facilities but for Gangasagar Mela pilgrims have to cross the ...
Delhi deploys marshals to check pollution offences
To check burning in the open and other practices that cause air pollution, the Delhi government on Wednesday announced deployment of home guard volunteers as environment marshals.
Centre to hold 74% stake in Tajpur port, build bridge across Muriganga: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the state has agreed to provide 74 per cent stake to the Central government in the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to develop the Tajpur deep sea port in the state, after getting an assurance that the Centre would build a bridge across the Muriganga river between the mainland and Sagar Island.
NGT's action plan will 'dilute' Graded Response Plan: EPCA
The Supreme Court-mandated EPCA today said the latest measures announced by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to clean the city's toxic air may "dilute" the Centre-notified Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and create "confusion" among the implementing agencies. Sunita Narain, a member of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority or the EPCA, said the GRAP, which it is authorised to enforce, was much more "stringent". According to the categorisation of the NGT's action plan, measures such as ban on construction activities, diesel generator sets, thermal power plants and closure of schools will kick in when levels of PM2.5 and PM10 cross 600 and 1000 microgram per cubic metre (ug/m3) respectively. The green tribunal defines the aforementioned category as 'emergency'. It says odd-even road rationing scheme is to be rolled out when ultrafine particulates PM2.5 and PM10 range between 400-600 and 700-1000 ug/m3, a level defined as 'critical' by it. In ...
Karnataka farmers petition Governor, CM for Mahadayi water
Over 200 farmers from the state took to the streets here on Wednesday and submitted a petition to the Governor, Chief Minister and other political leaders, demanding release of the Mahadayi river water by Goa.
Bamboo not a tree: Parliament passes bill amending Forest Act
Parliament today passed a bill to exclude bamboo from the definition of tree under the Indian Forest Act, claiming it would improve the earnings of tribals and dwellers living around forests. The Indian Forest (Amendment) Bill, which was adopted by the Lok Sabha on December 20, was passed by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha, amid a walk-out by member of the Congress, Biju Janta Dal and the Samajwadi Party. The opposition parties protested its passage saying the bill was being passed in a hurry without proper consultations with stakeholders and the states. Besides, they alleged it would favour the industrialists. Replying to a short debate, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Harsh Vardhan said the bill to amend the 1927 Indian Forest Act would benefit the tribals, forest dweller and farmers as their income would increase. The bill permits felling and transit of bamboo grown in non-forest areas. However, bamboo grown on forest lands would continue to be ...
Five fishermen rescued after boat capsizes
Five fishermen struggling in the sea after a sudden whirlwind toppled their country boat were today rescued off Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi coast by fellow fishermen. The fishermen had put out to sea off Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi when the whirlwind struck, damaging the boat, Ramanathapuram district fishermen association president S P Rayappan said. They were seen struggling in the sea by another group of fishermen, who brought them to the shore in two boats, he said adding the fishing equipment was swept away.
Cyclone Ockhi: 661 fishermen still missing
A total of 661 fishermen continue to remain missing in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi, as per the figures available with the Union Government, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament on Wednesday.
After EPCA, NGT introduces action plan to fight air pollution
Observing that air quality in the national capital was "severe" for most of the month, the National Green Tribunal has directed implementation of a graded response action plan to combat different levels of air pollution. The apex environment watchdog said there was no uniformity and "unanimity" in action plans of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Supreme Court appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA). The air-quality categorisation needs "clarity and certainty", it said in its order recently. "The statistics clearly shows that all the time, the ambient air quality of NCT of Delhi is polluted and for most of the period of the month it is severe and above. This is the quality of air that we are providing to the people living in NCR Delhi and NCT of Delhi. It is a clear violation of their fundamental right," said a bench headed by former chairperson Swatanter Kumar. The tribunal said an approach which is precautionary and preventive rather .
Parrikar's letter to Yeddyurappa on Mhadei a political stunt: Goa Minister
Dismissing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's letter to Karnataka BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa as a "political stunt", Goa Water Resources Minister Vinod Palienkar on Wednesday said that his state will not share "a drop of water" of the Mhadei river with the neighbouring state.
All villages in Bihar electrified: Nitish Kumar
All 39,073 villages of Bihar were now electrified, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said here today. He added that every household in the state would have a free power connection by the end of the next calendar year. The efforts in this regard were a part of Kumar's seven resolves ("saat nischay") of good governance. "We have come a long way since 2005 when we assumed power. Back then, small towns and villages had given up all hopes of getting power and even in the state capital, Patna, the electricity situation had left much to be desired," Kumar said. Kumar had first become the chief minister of Bihar when the NDA came to power in the state in 2005. He has been on the chair since then except for a few months, when he quit after the JD(U) debacle in the 2014 general election and anointed Jitan Ram Manjhi to the post. Kumar has, on a number of occasions, said improving the electricity situation in power-starved Bihar was a topmost priority of his government. He was addressing .
New marine spider species named after Bob Marley
A team of researchers has discovered a new water-adapted species of spiders from tropical Queensland, Australia, and have named it after a renowned Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter Bob Marley.The singer whose song 'High Tide or Low Tide', inspired the researchers as the spider lives in a 'high tide low tide' habitat.In 2009, the sea along the coastline of Queensland in Australia receded to such an extent that it exposed a population of water-adapted spiders.The observant researchers later described these spiders as the species new to science and were quickly associated their emergence with Bob Marley and his song 'High Tide or Low Tide'.Researchers Barbara Baehr, Robert Raven and Danilo Harms from Queensland Museum and the University of Hamburg, who conducted the study, describe the intertidal spider and are truly marine.They have adapted to the underwater life by hiding in barnacle shells, corals or kelp holdfast during high tide and breathe by building air chambers from ...
845 rescued, 661 still missing since Cyclone Ockhi: Sitharaman
The defence forces and other agencies involved in rescue operations when Cyclone Ockhi battered southern India saved 845 lives, but 661 fishermen still remain missing, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha today. In a written response to a question, Sitharaman said the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard saved the lives of 821 people until December 20. Another 24 lives were saved by other agencies, including merchant navy vessels. Of the total 845 people rescued, 453 were from Tamil Nadu, 362 from Kerala, and 30 from Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands. However, Sitharaman said 661 fishermen were still missing. The majority of those untraceable are from Tamil Nadu (400) and Kerala (261), the worst hit states when Cyclone Ockhi swept through the coastlines of southern India. The cyclone had caught many fishermen off guard after it formed quickly in the Arabian Sea in early December. Replying to another question, Sitharaman's deputy and minister of state ..
'Smoke rings' spotted in the ocean from space
Scientists have discovered the equivalent of smoke-rings in the Tasman Sea which may 'suck- up' small marine creatures and carry them at high speed and for long distances across the ocean. The rings were spotted by analysing sea level measurements taken from satellites together with sea surface temperature images from the same time and place. "My thinking is that these linked, fast moving eddies could 'suck-up' small marine creatures and carry them at high speed and for long distances across the ocean," said Chris Hughes, professor at the University of Liverpool in the UK. The ocean is full of eddies, swirling motions some tens to hundreds of kilometres across, which mix the water and carry it across the average currents. The 'smoke-rings' are a pair of linked eddies spinning in opposite directions that travel up to ten times the speed of 'normal' eddies and were spotted in the Tasman Sea, off the southwest of Australia and in the South Atlantic, west of South ...
