Page 960 - Environment
Rice basmati, wheat slide on low demand
Prices of rice basmati and wheat fell by up to Rs 100 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today owing to sluggish demand. Traders said besides easing demand, adequate stocks position mainly led to decline in rice basmati and wheat prices. In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa 1121 variety fell by Rs 100 each to Rs 7,600-7,700 and Rs 6,200-6,300 per quintal, respectively. Non-basmati rice permal raw, wand and IR-8 also shed Rs 25 each to Rs 2,300-2,350, Rs 2,350-2,400 and Rs 1,925-1,975 per quintal respectively in line with rice basmati trend. Wheat dara (for mills) too declined by Rs 15 to Rs 1,770-1,775 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded lower by a similar margin to Rs 1,780-1,785 per 90 kg. Maida shed Rs 10 to Rs 990-1,000 per 50 kg. Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,080-2,280, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,770-1,785, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,780-1,785, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs ...
ABB India wins Rs 134 cr order from railways
ABB India said today that it has bagged Rs 134 crore traction equipment order from the Indian Railways. "ABB India has won an order worth Rs 134 crore to supply state-of-the-art traction equipment for electric locomotives, manufactured by Chittaranjan Locomotive works (CLW)," ABB India said in a statement. It said the company will deliver traction converters, stand-alone auxiliary converters and vehicle control units for 64 electric locomotives which will be used for passenger and freight operations. They will be locally manufactured at ABB's Nelamangala production unit in Bengaluru. The compact, light traction equipment converts electricity from overhead power lines to the voltage levels required for traction motors and generates power for on-board auxiliary systems. "ABB has been a key partner of Indian Railways over the decades with a suite of traction solutions. This year marks 10 years of our association with Chittaranjan Locomotive works (CLW) and we are ...
MoU inked for Petrochemcial park in Kochi
An MoU for setting up a Rs 1,800 crore petrochemical park at Kochi, with the aim of making the port city a hub in the petrochemical production chain, was inked by the Kerala government and fertiliser major FACT, owned by the Centre. It will come up in 481 acres of land owned by the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore, the state government said. The park was aimed at making Kochi a hub in petrochemical production chain on par with Jurong in Singapore and industrial complexes in South Korea, it said. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by FACT Chairman and Managing Director S K Lohani and Additional Chief Secretary (Industries and Power) Paul Antony on behalf of the Kerala government here yesterday. The project, which will be developed by Kerala Infrastructure Developemnt Corporation (KINFRA), will foster an environment for industries that use the by-product of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), the ..
Air pollution soars, EPCA writes to Delhi-NCR states
Air pollution soared in Delhi today prompting the Supreme Court-mandated EPCA to write to the states in the region to gear up for another round of action under the 'emergency' category. In his letter, Bhure Lal, chairman of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, has also directed the states to intensify ground-level action to tackle the pollutant-laden haze which has shrouded the region. At around 1 pm today, the concentration of PM2.5 was 320.9 microgram per cubic metre (ug/m3), while PM10 was 496 ug/m3, four units short of the emergency limit of 500 ug/m3. Under the Centre-notified Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), pollution is considered severe plus or emergency when readings of ultrafine particulates PM2.5 or PM10 are above 300 and 500 ug/m3 respectively. Measures listed under the emergency category are rolled out when these conditions prevail for 48 hours at a stretch. If the EPCA notifies the emergency action plan, which was done during the .
Govt confident of achieving target of 100 GW solar power by 2022: R K Singh
Both imported and indigenous solar cells and modules are being utilised for achieving the targets
Thinking outside the box to ease Hong Kong's housing crisis
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's soaring property prices have pushed tens of thousands of families into tiny, partitioned apartments, sparking calls for creative solutions, including converting shipping containers and even water pipes into temporary homes.The former British colony, one of the most densely populated places on Earth where individual, caged beds offer the only living space for some of the very poor, has seen home prices shatter historic records for 12 straight months.In November, an apartment sold for HK$132,060 ($16,915) per square foot, making it the most expensive apartment per square foot in Asia.This has forced some 200,000 individuals into tiny partitioned flats, averaging a mere 62 square feet (six square metres).Government figures released on Wednesday show the number of households living in "inadequate housing", including partitioned flats and industrial buildings, surged nine percent to 115,000 this year.Hong Kong had won praise for a post-war programme that ..
Penguins date back 14,600 years: study
Penguins may have lived in East Antarctica as far back as 14,600 years ago - 6,000 years earlier than thought - according to scientists in China. Researchers from the State Oceanic Administration and the University of Science and Technology of China found deglacial sediment dating back 15,600 years, and sediment of penguin excrement and dirt dating back 14,600 years. This shows that penguins immigrated there around 1,000 years after the ice sheet melted, and the population kept growing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The results are important for research into the evolution of seabird breeding grounds in polar regions, the positioning of penguin shelters during the last deglaciation and penguin migration in Antarctica, researchers said.
Penguins date back 14,600 years: Scientists
A study by Chinese scientists in East Antarctica has shown that penguins existed in the region 14,600 years ago, 6,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Scientists discover new frog species
Scientists have discovered a new frog species from its home in the fast flowing streams in Arunachal Pradeshs Lower Subansiri district, one of the five discovered in India in the recent times and the 59th in the world, officials said today. The new species discovered from Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) has been named as Odorrana arunachalensis, after the state where it was discovered, they said. According to a publication in the Journal of Biosciences, a science journal of Arunachal Pradesh-based Rajiv Gandhi University, the species is sighted during the wet season, from April to September. They are not seen in the dry seasons. Odorrana (commonly known as the odorous frog) is a genus of true frogs (Ranidae) from East Asia and surrounding regions including India. The medium-sized green frog adapted for a life in torrential waters of the state was discovered by a team of scientists from the Zoological Survey of India led by Bhaskar Saikia, Bikramjit Sinha and Ilona
Living bacteria found in polar ice for first time
For the first time, scientists have discovered living bacteria in polar ice and snow - an environment once considered sterile - altering perceptions about which planets in the universe could sustain alien life. The research also shows that humans may be having an even greater impact on levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in Earth's atmosphere than accepted evidence from climate history studies of ice cores suggests. Gases captured and sealed in snow as it compresses into ice can provide researchers with snapshots of Earth's atmosphere going back hundreds of thousands of years. Climate scientists use ice core samples to look at prehistoric levels of CO2 in the atmosphere so they can be compared with current levels in an industrial age. This analysis of ice cores relies on the assumption that there is limited biological activity altering the environment in the snow during its transition into ice. The research, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, revealed ...
Missing Australian WWI submarine discovered after 103 years
Australia resolved the oldest mystery in its naval history on Thursday after discovering its first submarine, the HMAS AE1, which disappeared over a century ago, official sources reported Thursday.
Japanese aid for advanced traffic management system in B'luru
Japan will offer a grant of more than Rs 72 crore to install an advanced traffic information and management system in Bengaluru, the country's embassy here said today. The Exchange of Notes for the implementation of the project in Bengaluru was signed between Ambassador of Japan to India, Kenji Hiramatsu, and Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, S Selvakumar, today. The project for implementation of Advanced Traffic Information and Management System in Bengaluru, includes, signalling system and traffic congestion length measurement sensor in the city. The grant, amounting to 1.276 billion yen, approximately Rs 72.86 crore, for the project is expected to contribute to strengthening connectivity and industrial competitiveness of the local economy by improving traffic congestion and urban environment, the embassy said in a statement. "Especially, in 2022, three years after the completion of this project, this new system will help reduce ...
SoCalGas asks customers to use less natgas during cold
(Reuters) - Southern California Gas on Wednesday urged customers to conserve natural gas to avoid straining energy supplies over the next week as cold weather blankets the area, boosting heating demand.
ArcelorMittal agrees to pay $1.5M in coke plant lawsuit
A subsidiary of European steel giant ArcelorMittal is agreeing to pay USD 1.5 million to settle a lawsuit over allegations that its western Pennsylvania coke plant had showered the area with soot and other pollutants almost daily, according to a proposed agreement filed today in Pittsburgh's federal court. The environmental advocacy group that sued, Philadelphia-based PennEnvironment, said it believes the penalty is the largest secured by a citizen lawsuit in Pennsylvania history under the federal Clean Air Act. Federal and state officials, as well as representatives of ArcelorMittal and PennEnvironment, signed the 108-page proposed agreement. As part of the agreement, ArcelorMittal also agreed to implement air pollution controls that the US Environmental Protection Agency estimated would cost USD 2 million. The proposed agreement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and must receive a judge's approval. PennEnvironment sued in 2015, saying the plant in Monessen,
Greenpeace calls for investigation into Sinarmas dealings
The environmental group Greenpeace has called for an investigation into the relationship between paper giant Sinarmas and its wood suppliers afterit was found substantial ties between them despite the Indonesian conglomerate's assertions the suppliers are independent. Among the suppliers described as independent are plantation companies accused of responsibility for devastating fires in Indonesia in 2015 that the World Bank estimated caused losses of USD 16 billion and which a Harvard and Columbia study said hastened 100,000 deaths. AP's investigation also found that a plantation company owned by two Sinarmas Forestry employees has been cutting down tropical forest in Borneo since 2014 and that Sinarmas is recruiting a new wood supplier that is in conflict with dozens of villages. Sinarmas, in a 2013 agreement with Greenpeace, said it would stop cutting down tropical forests and end land conflicts with communities. "We call for an immediate investigation, involving NGOs
Pare Hydroelectric Plant: Pact singed for additional funding
A loan agreement for providing additional funding of euro 20 million was signed today for the project 'Pare Hydroelectric Plant' under Indo-German Bilateral Development Cooperation, an official statement said. The broad objective of the project is generation of hydroelectric power for socio-economic development of the North Eastern region, the statement said, adding, "The purpose of the project is efficient and ecological friendly generation of electric power." According to the statement, the project will contribute to the economic efficient generation of power and growth in the North East region and protection of global climate. In 2008, the statement said Germany had signed a loan agreement with North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) for providing Euro 80 million with government of India's Guarantee for the project 'Pare Hydroelectric Plant' under Indo-German Bilateral Development Cooperation. In a separate statement, the finance ministry said that ..
Cow Protection Committees to come up in UP
The Uttar Pradesh government has approved the setting up of 'Cow Protection Committees' in each district of the state.The order, issued by the state government on Monday, said these committees will headed by the district magistrate and senior police official and ensure efficient management and operation of 'gaushalas' (cow-shelters) across the state and make them self-sufficient.The chairman of the newly setup Uttar Pradesh 'Gau Sewa Aayog', Rajeev Gupta, under which the committees will function, told ANI that these panels would rescue and look after cattle, which may be getting illegally slaughtered or smuggled."Whenever illegal cow slaughter and smuggling is prevented, the number of animals in cow shelters increases. So, we want better upkeep of cattle in these shelters and make them self-sustaining by selling their byproducts," Gupta told ANI.The nod comes after Supreme Court, in September, asked for a compliance report from all the states in connection with cow vigilantism.
Lok Sabha passes Indian Forest Bill
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Indian Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2017.The bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha and will put an end to the need for getting permission to transport bamboo.The Bill was introduced by Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.According to the bill's Statement of Objects and Reasons, section 2 the Act would be amended to exclude the word "bamboos" from the definition of tree, in order to spare bamboos grown in non-forest area from the requirement of permit for felling or transit under the law.This would "encourage bamboo plantation by farmers resulting in the enhancement of their income from agricultural fields," the bill said.The amendment will also encourage farmers to take up block plantation of suitable bamboo species on degraded land.
Plans to prevent Maoists' movement between 3 states discussed
Top police and forest department officials from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka today discussed strategies to monitor and prevent the movement of Maoists between the states. Police said that Tamil Nadu was becoming the transit point for migration of maoists as the state was between Kerala and Karnataka. Tamil Nadu Special Task Force ADGP, Sandeep Rathore, Intelligence ADGP, Eswaramoorty, Superintendents of police of Erode, Coimbatore, Nilgiris districts, DGP North Zone Kozhikode, Rajesh Dewan, SPs of Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad were among those who participated in the discussions. Senior forest department officials and rangers of the three States, who can have direct contact with villagers to get and exchange information about movement of extremists, also participated in the meeting, they said. Though such meetings are held regularly, the stress this time was to have better coordination,the sources said.
Centre cancelled registration of 4,842 NGOs in 2017: Minister
The Home Ministry has cancelled registration of 4,842 NGOs in 2017 so far for failing to submit annual returns in compliance with the FCRA, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
