Page 34 - Environment
Bhel gains after winning orders
Bharat Heavy Electricals was up 1.17% to Rs 69.40 at 09:23 IST on the BSE after the company said it won Rs 800 crore EPC orders for 200 megawatts solar power plants.
Argentina, Uruguay restore power after massive blackout
Electricity services have been restored to all of Argentina and Uruguay following a massive blackout that left around 48 million people without power on Sunday, authorities said. The cut, which began just after 7:00 am, also caused short, localized losses of power in Paraguay, but didn't impact Tierra del Fuego in Argentina's extreme south because the region is not part of the national system. The episode was the first time a power cut had affected the majority of Argentina, with a population of more than 44 million, and the entirety of Uruguay, which has 3.4 million inhabitants. "These are failures that occur (even) with diligence. The amazing thing is the chain of events that took place to cause the total disconnection," Argentina's Energy Ministry Gustavo Lopetegui told a press conference. He said the outage took place "automatically to protect the system." "We don't have any more information right now on how it occurred. We're not ruling out any possibility, but a cyber attack is .
PM's top priority: Solve UP water crisis before 2022 polls (IANS Special)
By 2021, a year before Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls, India's largest state would have enough water to quench the thirst of its over 20 crore people. After writing personal letters to UP's village pradhans to conserve water, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now instructed Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to solve UP's "water crisis" within next two years.
Rishikesh: Russian Deputy PM visits Parmarth Niketan ashram
Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Petrovich Trutnev arrived with his wife at the Parmarth Niketan ashram and held talks with Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Doctor Bhagwati Saraswati regarding the work being done by the organisation at the global level.He was also informed about the Ganga Action Parivar, International Yoga Day and Kumbh Mela amongst other things at the ashram.Swami Chidananda said that India and Russia have maintained strong political, military and economic ties and now there is a need for the two to work together on the environment, global warming and other conservation fronts.Trutnev had earlier served as the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment of Russia for eight years from 2004 to 2012.Both parties also expressed concern on the condition of Ganga, other Indian rivers and Volga, Don and other rivers in Russia which are suffering from increasing levels of pollution.Swami Chidananda said that the growing levels of pollution in rivers was a cause for ...
I requested PM Modi to increase PMKSNY from Rs 6000 to Rs 12000 per yr: Bhupesh Baghel
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Sunday that he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and requested him to include Chhattisgarh Forest Rights Act, 2006 leaseholders in the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY) and increase the amount given to beneficiaries under the Yojana from Rs 6,000 per year to Rs 12,000 per year."I met him at his residence and requested him that amount given to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY) should be increased from Rs 6,000 per year to Rs 12,000 per year," said Bhupesh Baghel."Further I requested him to ensure that forest dwellers are not stopped from going inside the forest. On one hand, we are giving them lease under Forest right Act and on the other hand, we are stopping them from going into the forest. This is a sheer contradiction and should be done away with," he said."For the construction work in Naxalite area we have demanded that 100 per cent fund from the centre as we .
Massive blackouts leave 55 million people without electricity in S America
South American countries like Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay were left in a complete blackout on Sunday due to a "massive failure" in an electrical interconnection system, according to Edesur which is a Buenos Aires-based electricity distributor.Quoting Edesur, CNN reported that parts of Chile and Brazil were also hit by the massive electricity outage.While power has been partially restored in Uruguay, the company in its latest update removed the Latin American nation, along with Paraguay, from its latest list of affected countries. It is unclear as to how many residents have had their electricity restored in the two countries.The "collapse" in its system occurred at around 7 am on Sunday morning, Edesur said in a statement.In a tweet, the company confirmed that electricity has been restored to 7,00,000 customers in Buenos Aires' Caballito. "Standardization work is ongoing and could take all of Sunday," the company added."We prioritise the attention of electro-dependent users, but ..
Massive South American blackout, 44 million without power
A massive blackout left more than 44 million people without electricity in Argentina and Uruguay on Sunday after an unexplained failure in the neighboring countries' interconnected power grid. Authorities were working frantically to restore power but only about a half a million in Argentina had electricity back by early afternoon. Voters cast ballots by the light of cell phones in gubernatorial elections in Argentina. Public transportation halted, shops closed and patients dependent on home medical equipment were urged to go to hospitals with generators. "I was just on my way to eat with a friend, but we had to cancel everything. There's no subway, nothing is working," said Lucas Acosta, a 24-year-old Buenos Aires resident. "What's worse, today is Father's Day. I've just talked to a neighbor and he told me his sons won't be able to meet him." In Uruguay, power was being more steadily restored, with lights back on in at least three regions by early afternoon. Officials said they ...
Tamil Nadu: Locals worship Lord Ganesh in tree trunk
People usually worship idols in temples but here in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, people worship an image of Lord Ganesha in roots and trunk of a Gulmohar tree.Locals had created an image of Lord Ganesha in the tree after an impression resembling the God appeared."We call this tree temple. Whatever we pray for in front of this tree we get it. We visit it before leaving to office/school every day," said one of the locals.Most of the trees on the pavement are usually dry, but the leaves on this tree are always green. That is because devotees clean the roots, water and worship the tree every day. Ultimately the tree is protected, said another local.
Avenues to set up fertilizer storage facilities in J-K will be explored: Mandaviya
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Sunday said avenues will be explored to set up storage facility for fertilizers for creating buffer stock and ensure availability during peak season in Jammu & Kashmir. Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemical & Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya convened a review meeting regarding supply and availability of fertilizers in Jammu and Kashmir, according to an official statement. The minister said that avenues would be explored to set up storage facilities for fertilizers to create a buffer stock and ensure no shortages occur during peak demand seasons. Mandaviya was also apprised of the problems being faced in the fertilizer movement in the state, and the need for augmenting current infrastructure, including requirement of additional rake points. He asked the fertilizer supplying companies to ensure timely stocking of fertilizers, particularly in the valley in view of the closure of JammuSrinagar National Highway during winter .
Drought-hit Karnataka seeks central funds for relief works
Reeling under severe drought and delay in the onset of monsoon rains, Karnataka has sought Rs 1,500 crore from the Central government to fund relief works in the state, an official said on Sunday.
Gunmen on motorcycles kill 34 villagers in Nigeria: Police
Gunmen have killed 34 people in Nigeria's northern Zamfara state where criminal gangs have been terrorising remote villages, police said Sunday. Armed bandits on motorcycles stormed into neighbouring Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa villages in Shinkafi district late Friday and shot dead 34 people, state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said in a statement. "Normalcy has been restored in Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa... following attack by armed bandits... where 34 people were killed," Shehu said. He said the victims of the attacks were buried on Saturday, adding police were on the trail of the killers. Local residents put the death toll higher, at 35. The bandits were said to have opened fire on farmers on their fields outside the villages and also pursued those who fled. "The bandits killed 35 people in the attacks," said Lawwali Madattai, a resident. Rural communities in Zamfara state have for years been terrorised by criminal gangs who raid villages, stealing cattle, kidnapping for ransom
S Korea completes quarantine against African swine fever near DMZ
South Korea's agriculture ministry announced on Sunday that quarantine measures against African swine fever near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) had been completed, after an outbreak of the fever was confirmed by Pyongyang on May 30.The contagious animal disease comes at a time when North Korea is already grappling with an acute food shortage which is worsened by drought-like conditions and multiple sanctions against the country.Disinfection at hog farms was undertaken by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs near the DMZ from June 5 to Friday, according to Yonhap News Agency.The DMZ divides the Korean Peninsula in half, into North Korea and South Korea.Blood tests of pigs from around 600 farms were negative for the fever, the ministry said while noting tests on 35 hog farms will be carried out additionally.While humans are not susceptible to the disease, it is highly deadly for pigs and wild boars. A case of the disease was confirmed to the World Organization .
Hoshiarpur farmer sets a shining example of apple cultivation in Punjab
Traditionally limited to states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, apple cultivation has now picked up pace in Punjab. Gurinder Singh Bajwa, a farmer from Ludhiana, is producing apples on a large scale in his farm in Chahal village in Hoshiarpur.Working as an employee in a private firm which dealt with spraying of chemicals on crops, Gurinder often on assignments, used to find himself in apple farms of Kashmir. "It made me wonder if growing apples on a large scale was possible in Punjab," he said.After doing extensive research and consulting experts, he managed to find two low -chilling varieties that could be grown in his village - Anna variety and Dorsette golden variety. Six years later, he has now introduced a few more varieties, like "pink lady", which he says will start to mature by next year.According to Gurinder, his apples are far cheaper than the imported varieties available in markets and much tastier. Moreover, apples from Kashmir and Himachal .
Massive power outage hits Argentina, Uruguay: Power companies
A massive outage blacked out Argentina and Uruguay Sunday, leaving both South American countries without electricity, power companies said. Uruguay's system went down at 7:06 am (1006 GMT), according to the Uruguayan power company UTE, which attributed the outage to "a fault in the Argentine network." Two Argentine power companies confirmed the failure knocked out electricity throughout Argentina, without specifying the cause. "A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all Argentina and Uruguay without power," Edesur Argentina said on Twitter. Edenor, Argentina's largest electricity distributor, attributed the outage to a "general failure in the interconnection system." UTE said the failure left Uruguay's "entire national territory without service, as well as several provinces of the neighbour country." More than an hour after the blackout, UTE said its system was being brought back "from zero." "Some coastal cities already have service and work continues toward .
Field fires in Syria's Hasakeh kill 10: Monitor
Fires engulfing vital wheat fields across Syria's northeast have killed at least 10 people, a war monitor said Sunday, as Kurdish authorities claim the blazes were set deliberately. Kurdish authorities and the Damascus regime are competing to buy up this year's harvest as fires -- some claimed by the Islamic State group -- continue to scorch crops in the country's breadbasket. The victims included civilians and members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who died while trying to extinguish the blazes since Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The fires in the Kurdish-majority province of Hasakeh also wounded another five people, according to a spokesman for the Kurdish Red Crescent. "The victims were trying to douse the blaze but they were trapped by the fire," Kamal Derbas said. Kurdish officials have called on the US-led coalition to help extinguish blazes in the cereal and oil-rich region under their control. "The largest fires have ravaged .
Kaleswaram project in T'gana to benefit 70 per cent districts
The Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation project, which would be inaugurated on June 21, is expected to supply water to 70 per cent of districts in Telangana to meet agriculture, drinking water and the industrial needs. The Telangana government has decided to start pumping water from the next month, official sources said. "Water from river Godavari at Medigadda, which is about 100 metres above sea-level, is lifted at six stages and supplied to Kondapochamma Sagar, which is at 618 metres height," an official release said. "In other words, the water from Godavari River is being lifted at about half-a-km height. The pump houses are being constructed to lift 2 TMC of water every day this year," it said. Preparations are on to lift three TMC of water from next year. The Telangana government had entered into an agreement with the Maharashtra government on March 8, 2016, putting an end to differences that existed for decades over the issue, it added. The agreement has paved way for the ..
4,000 kg of plastic carry bags seized during raids in Punjab
Raids have been carried out across Punjab and around 4,000 kg of plastic bags, which are banned in the state, was seized, an official said. The statewide raids were carried out Saturday by the joint teams of Punjab Pollution Control Board and the Department of Local Bodies to monitor the efficacy of ban on plastic carry bags, he said. Director of 'Tandarust Punjab Mission' K S Pannu said surprise checks were carried out at nearly 500 shops/units and 200 violations were detected. "As many as 4,000 kg plastic carry bags were confiscated during the raids of which nearly 1,100 kg were from Fatehgarh Sahib district alone," he said in a statement. 'Tandarust Punjab' is a comprehensive mission, envisaged as a holistic initiative to take care of the state's air and water quality, and safe food thus ensuring a good living environment for the citizens. Pannu said under the provisions of the Punjab Plastic Carry Bags (Manufacture, Usage and Disposal) Control Act, 2005, the state government has ..
New rural development ministry office to come up
The Union government has decided to make a new headquarters for the Ministry of Rural Development here, which will also house offices of other related departments and organisations. The move aims to have a single operations centre for planning and implementation of rural development schemes. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) was assigned the responsibility to build the ministry's head office -- 'Grameen Vikas Bhavan' -- at the Kasturba Gandhi Marg in New Delhi. A 'green building' with proper arrangements for water and energy conservation, the building will not only generate 250 kilowatt of solar power, but also reuse 200 kilolitres of water everyday for gardening and cleaning purpose. The building will also have other facilities such as a Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensary, bank, post office and a creche for the employees' children. A senior official from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said after completion of the planning work, all necessary ...
G20 agrees marine plastic pollution deal
The Group of 20 major economies said they agreed a deal to reduce plastic waste that is choking the seas at a meeting in Japan on Sunday. Under the agreement, G20 member countries committed to reducing plastic waste but gave little detail on how that would be done. They added that the steps would be voluntary and progress would be reported once a year, according to local media. The Japanese government hopes to hold the first meeting in November, said newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. "It is great that we were able to make rules for all, including emerging and developing countries," Japanese environment minister Yoshiaki Harada said after the two-day meeting of the G20 environment and energy ministers' meeting. Plastic pollution has become a global concern, particularly after bans imposed by China and other countries on the import of plastic waste from overseas. Many countries, including Japan, have seen their waste pile up as a consequence. Microplastics -- tiny pieces of degraded waste -- .
Himachal CM looks to develop ice skating rink in Shimla
A high-level delegation led by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur met Vishavraj Jadeja, an expert on ice skating, here on Sunday to discuss the possibility of developing an ice skating rink in Shimla.Jadeja is the director of Ice World in Netherlands' capital Amsterdam and a well-known face in the world of ice skating."The development of an all-weather ice skating rink in Shimla would allow the state to host national and international tournaments in the game and boost tourism. The project would be developed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) through a transparent bidding process," an official statement said.Thakur is on a visit to the Netherlands and Germany to promote 'Rising Himachal Global Investors' Meet' to be held in the state later this year.The delegation also met representatives from TAKARA Bio Inc and Omnivent to discuss other investment opportunities in the hill state.Investment opportunities in the biotech sector in Himachal Pradesh were discussed with ...