Page 964 - Environment
Chinese scientists develop sponge that can separate oil, water
Scientists in China have developed an artificial sponge that can separate oil and water and can be used for treating water contaminated by industrial sewage, a media report said today. The porous material is made with nano-crystalline cellulose and graphene composite and has high absorption capacity. "It is 97 per cent effective in separating water and oil," Liu Dongyan, a researcher with the Institute of Metal Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. A paper on the research undertaken by the institute based in Shenyang, capital of north China's Liaoning Province, was published in the latest issue of the international journal Advanced Materials Interfaces. Liu said that industrial sewage contains various oils and organic components that becomes ecologically hazardous once mixed with water. The new material provides a low-cost industrial sewage treatment solution, she added. Liu said that the base material ..
Mobile app& website launched for farmers
City based Kumaraguru College of Technology today launched a mobile application linked with website to help create awarness among farmers of the district on technology supported farming. The website 'Mann Uyir' would assist farmers in sharing knowledge on best practices for crop production,know about the availability of machinery and farm equipment for rentals and to have a portal for marketing their produce. The name 'Mann Uyir' signifies the relation between the earth and living things and shows how protecting farmers can protect the economy and society. The project 'Smart Agriculture for Sustainable Food Production' was conceived by researchers of the College to create awareness among farmers about the benefits of ICT solutions in crop production and marketing the produce. The project has been funded by IEEE Foundation, USA to the tune of 18,263 U.S. dollars to help farmers. The technical partners are Yellow Tree Academy and Eco Green Unit. Launching the app, Indian ...
Gujjars hold protest against JK forest minister
A large number of people belonging to the Gujjar community today staged a protest here, demanding the removal of Jammu and Kashmir Forest Minister Choudhary Lal Singh for allegedly harassing them in connection with removal of encroachments. Over 243 hectares of forest land have allegedly been encroached in the forest areas of Jammu city. Seven cases in this regard have been registered in Katra and 52 cases of Jammu are lodged in courts. Dozens of people under the banner of the All Tribal Coordination Committee (ATCC) assembled at Sidhra, on the outskirts of the city, and took out a protest march towards the Raj Bhavan this afternoon, officials said. They said the protesters blocked the Tawi bridge at the Sidrah bypass after police stopped them from proceeding further. The protesters were carrying placards and were shouting slogans against Singh, demanding his immediate sacking, the officials said, adding that the agitators lifted the road blockade after senior civil and
Govt withdraws stock holding limits on sugar dealers
The government today said it has withdrawn stock holding and turnover limits on sugar dealers with immediate effect as demand-supply situation is likely to be comfortable with the estimated rise in production. Prices are also expected to remain stable at reasonable level, the food ministry said in a statement. Sugar production of India, the world's second largest producer, is estimated to increase at 249 lakh tonnes in the 2017-18 marketing year (October-September) from 203 lakh tonnes in the previous year. "During the current sugar season 2017-18, crushing operations in all major sugar producing states has commenced smoothly. The total sugar production is estimated to be around 249 lakh tonnes by the end of the season against estimated consumption requirement of about 250 lakh tonnes," Food Ministry said in a statement. With the carry over stock, the ministry said the total availability of sugar is sufficient to meet the estimated domestic demand. There would be smooth .
Bihar to formulate agroforestry policy soon: Sushil Modi
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi today said that an agroforestry policy will be formulated soon to spur integrated farming in order to raise farmers' income and green cover in the state. "We need to formulate an agroforestry policy on the lines of Government of India's Agroforestry Policy 2014 if we have to increase farmers' income apart from increasing state's green cover," he said. The deputy chief minister, who also holds the portfolios of environment and forest and finance, stressed on the need to have an integrated farming to increase the income of farmers. One can't be dependent on agriculture by simply indulging in the traditional cultivation of paddy and wheat, he said while emphasising that farmers will have to adopt agroforestry under which they would plant various trees which they can sale as 'wood' after some years when they get mature. There are 15 types (species) of trees - such as poplar, semal, mango, guava, jamun, eucalyptus, etc - which ...
Mamata flags off new buses
To improve the public transport system in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today flagged off 165 buses which would ply on different routes in the state. Banerjee also flagged off 117 fire tenders at a programme held outside the state secretariat where state Fire and Emergency Services minister Sovan Chatterjee, along with the state Transport minister Subhendhu Adhikary were also present. The 165 buses will ply on 77 different routes including Nabanna to Baruipur; Kulpi to Kolkata; Jharkhali to BBD Bag via Canning, Ballykhal to the Botanical Gardens and Joynagar to Mograhat. The newly introduced buses will also ply on different routes in north Bengal including Behrampore to Dhupguri and Cooch Behar to Haldibari.
DDA should allot more sites for dumping, demands Congress MP
A Congress member in Rajya Sabha today demanded that Delhi Development Authority (DDA) immediately allot land for alternative landfill sites for dumping the municipal waste generated in the National Capital. Raising the issue related to landfill sites during the Zero Hour, T Subbarami Reddy said it is an important matter affecting the national capital, with massive accumulation of municipal solid waste dump causing a tragic incident. "Due to the negligence of the civic agency in East Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Government, excess filling of solid waste, which proved to be a ticking time bomb, collapsed, causing tragic incident," he said. Reddy said a definite plan of action should be prepared and a strategy for solid waste management developed so that it can be replicated in other parts of the country. He said the national capital will need an additional area of 28 square kilometre till 2020 to dump 15,000 tonne of garbage daily. He asked the Centre to direct ...
Alaskan snow more than doubles due to global warming: study
Snowfall in central Alaska has more than doubled since the mid 1800s, said a study today which pointed the finger at global warming. Two ice cores drilled into Mount Hunter in the Denali National Park, revealed a 117-percent increase in wintertime snowfall in south-central Alaska since about 1840, researchers wrote in the journal Scientific Reports. Summer snow also increased, by nearly 50 percent. "We were shocked when we first saw how much snowfall has increased," said Erich Osterberg of Darmouth College, who co- authored the study. "We had to check and double-check our results to make sure of the findings." Next, the team set out to find out why. Scientific models predict that global precipitation -- rain or snow -- would increase by as much as two percent per degree of global warming. Warmer air holds more moisture. This accounted for some, but not most, of the Denali snowfall increase, the team said. They found another contributor: the strengthening of a low-pressure .
Oldest known fossil is 3.5 billion-year-old
An analysis of ancient fossil microorganisms indicates that life on Earth evolved very early on the planet's history -- at least about 3.5 billion years ago.
JTL Infra setting up greenfield project in state of Maharashtra
Signs deal to acquire land for project in Koste Budruk, Raigad
Plants, animals in northeast use chemicals to communicate
In a unique scientific exercise centred on northeast India, researchers have kicked-off investigations into how animals and plants in nature communicate using chemicals in the biodiversity-rich region.
Re-examine notification exempting realty projects from prior
The NGT has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to re-examine a notification exempting real estate projects with a built-up area measuring between 20,000 and 1,50,000 square metres from obtaining prior environment clearance, saying it suffers from legal infirmity. The MoEF, in an amendment notification published on December 9, 2016, exempted buildings and construction projects from the process of environment impact assessment (EIA) and prior environmental clearance. For smaller projects (less than 20,000 sq metres), it has a "self-declaration" clause, which will ensure issuance of permission from urban local bodies. For larger projects of more than 20,000 sq m in size, the green clearance and building permission will be given by urban local bodies simultaneously in an "integrated format". Quashing the provision in the notification which relates to the exclusion of "consent to operate" and "consent to establish" under the Water Act and the Air Act, the
PM discusses post-Ockhi situation with Tamil Nadu CM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held a meeting with Chief Minister K Palaniswami on the post-Ockhi situation here, duringwhich Tamil Nadu sought a Rs 9,300-crore package, including Rs 4,047 crore for the districts hit by the Northeast Monsoon. Modi, who visited Lakshadweep earlier in the day to review the situation after Ockhi hit the Union Territory, also met families of fishermen and representatives of the farmers' community, who were badly affected by the cyclone which hit the state shores on November 29-30. As many as 25 fishermen representatives from eight coastal villages of Kanyakumari district, including Thoothoor, Neerodi, Marthandam Thurai, Poothurai, Chinnathurai and Raviputhanthurai took part in the discussions at the government guest house here. Modi also met Catholic priests, who were also present during the over 90 minute-long meeting with Palanisamy, his deputy O Panneerselvam among others. The prime minister was also shown pictures of the devastation
Take up Brahmaputra pollution with China: LS members
After Lok Sabha members on Tuesday expressed concern over the Brahmaputra river being polluted by China, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar assured the House that he will take up the issue at the "highest level" in the government.
Fungi made life on Earth possible: Study
Life on earth would have been impossible without the humble fungi, as they played an essential role in the creation of an oxygen-rich atmosphere, claims a study.
China aims for nationwide emission trading scheme in power sector: state planner
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday the first phase of its long-awaited nationwide carbon emission trading scheme will focus on the power sector, as the government outlined details of what is expected to be the world's largest such programme.
A 'panic button' to make public transport safer in Kerala
Traveling in public transport vehicles will no longer be a nightmare for women in Kerala, as these will soon be embedded with 'panic buttons'. The motor vehicles department is gearing up to make select public vehicles plying on the state roads GPS-enabled and also install 'mandatory' panic buttons in them within the next two months. With its launch, passengers can press the emergency button in vehicles, pass their messages to a control room and seek the help of law-enforcers if they face any harassment or other such distressing experience, department sources said. As part of the initiative, both public and private buses, vans and buses of educational institutions would be made GPS- enabled and would have emergency buttons, in the first phase. Auto rickshaws and taxis would be brought under the programme in future, the sources said. The ambitious initiative is part of a directive by the Centre in this regard, they said. Joint Transport Commissioner, Rajeev Puthalath said ...
Alpha Centauri may have mini Earths-like planets: study
Alpha Centauri - the closest star system to our planet - may be home to small, rocky Earth-like worlds that have been previously overlooked, according to a study. Astronomers at Yale University in the US have taken a fresh look at Alpha Centauri star system and found new ways to narrow the search for habitable planets there. The study, published in the Astronomical Journal, ruled out the existence of a number of larger planets in the system that had popped up in previous models. "The universe has told us the most common types of planets are small planets, and our study shows these are exactly the ones that are most likely to be orbiting Alpha Centauri A and B," said Professor Debra Fischer. The Alpha Centauri system is located 1.3 parsecs (24.9 trillion miles) from Earth, making it our closest neighbouring system. It has three stars: Centauri A, Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri. Last year, the discovery of an Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri set off a new wave
Goa to ban plastic bags from May next year
The Goa government has decided to ban plastic bags in the coastal state from May next year, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said today. He said the government also aims to make the state free of garbage by December 19 next year, for which the required steps are being taken. "From May 30 next year, there will be a complete ban on plastic in the state. We are making this announcement in advance so that all those who have made it as their economic activity should not complain at the last minute," he said. The ban would include plastic bags and also some other items, Parrikar said. He was speaking at a function to mark the Goa Liberation Day. The state was liberated on this day in 1961 from the Portuguese rule. Parrikar said that 'Swachh Bharat' and 'Nitol Goem' (Clean Goa) are on top of the government's list of priorities. The initiative to make Goa free of garbage has already begun. The Solid Waste Management Corporation has been set up and a garbage treatment plant has ...
Alpha Centauri system may host 'overlooked' Earth-like planets
Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to the Earth, may be home to some small, Earth-like planets which have been overlooked so far, astronomers say.
