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Bees select best flowers even before landing

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 31 Juli 2014 | 22.33

LONDON: For rearing their young, bees need to be able to select flowers providing the most nutritious pollen and they know it even before landing on the flower simply by looking at the colour of the petals, says a study.

As bees do not ingest pollen unlike nectar while foraging on flowers, it has been unclear whether they are able to form associative relationships between what a flower looks like and the quality of its pollen.

The study used bumblebee foragers housed under controlled conditions to test whether they do learn about flowers during pollen collection.

Bumblebees can individually assess pollen samples and discriminate between them during collection, quickly forming preferences for a particular type of pollen, the findings showed.

"Here we have shown that they are able to detect differences in pollen, even before landing, which means they may be able to tell, just from the colour of the petals, which flowers are worth visiting," said Elizabeth Nicholls from University of Sussex in Britain.

The experiments involved manipulating the quality of pollen offered to the bees by diluting the samples.

The researchers examined what they preferred to collect, if they could differentiate quality before landing by only letting the bees smell and see the pollen rather than probing it.

They then presented the bees with four different coloured discs containing stronger and less diluted pollen to record preferences and change of preferences over time.

The study appeared in the Journal of Experimental Biology.


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Goa's Carambolim lake to have bird watching site

PANAJI: Goa's Carambolim lake will have a bird watching site near the second watch tower, environment minister Alina Saldanha told the Goa legislative assembly on Wednesday.

The development of a bird watching site is just one of the various proposals being undertaken at the scenic lake, about 14 kilometres east of Panaji.

Already the government has spent around Rs 9 lakh for various works undertaken for the development of the lake since 2011. While Rs 2.17 lakh was spent for protection work and rehabilitation of wildlife there in 2011-12, Rs 2.41 lakh was spent for eradication of Salvinia weeds from the lake in 2013-14. Till date, around Rs 2 lakh has been spent on vegetation, installation of signage and protection work at the lake.

Ongoing works include construction of three earthen mounds and vegetation of these mounds by planting of grass and fruit bearing trees to improve bird habitat. There is also a proposal to plant tall "Badam" seedlings on the embankment along with the Karmali railway station. A proposal for construction of an interpretation centre on equitable cost sharing basis with Konkan Railway Corporation limited has been submitted for government approval, Saldanha said.


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Act now on climate change or see costs soar: White House

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 30 Juli 2014 | 22.33

WASHINGTON: Putting off expensive measures to curb climate change will only cost the United States more in the long run, the White House said on Tuesday in a report meant to bolster a series of actions President Barack Obama has proposed to address global warming.

"Each decade we delay acting results in an added cost of dealing with the problem of an extra 40 percent," said Jason Furman, chairman of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.

"We know way more than enough to justify acting today," Furman told reporters.

The report drew its conclusions from 16 economic studies that modeled the costs of climate change. It was released as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency holds public hearings on its plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants - the centerpiece of Obama's climate action plan.

Business groups have said the EPA's plan would hurt jobs in the coal sector and harm the U.S. economy.

The White House and environmental groups have pushed back against that argument.

Last month, a bipartisan report commissioned by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and environmentalist Tom Steyer forecast a multibillion-dollar price tag for climate costs such as property losses from storms, declining crop yields and soaring power bills during heat waves.

The Obama administration plans to made additional climate announcements on Tuesday.

Energy secretary Ernie Moniz is set to announce actions by his department to reduce methane emissions from the natural gas transmission and distribution system, along with partnerships and "stakeholder commitments," the White House said.

This fall, the administration is set to propose new rules to cut methane emissions from oil and gas wells on public lands, and also will decide whether to propose regulations to address emissions from operations on private land, said Dan Utech, special assistant to the president for energy and climate change.

The administration also will announce partnerships with IBM , Amazon, Microsoft, Coca Cola and others to use data to help make agriculture and food production more resilient to climate change, the White House said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=white house,global warming,Climate Change


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North Korea ship damages Mexican coral reefs

MEXICO CITY: A North Korean cargo ship damaged nearly an acre (0.37 hectare) of coral reefs off Mexico's eastern coast when it ran aground two weeks ago, Mexican authorities said on Tuesday.

The MU DU BONG freighter was heading to the port of Tuxpan when it hit 250 coral reef colonies in the Gulf of Mexico on July 14, the environmental protection prosecutor's office said.

One of the habitats included Elkhorn coral, or Acropora palmata, an at-risk reef-building species shaped like elk antlers, the agency said in a statement.

Seven other species were struck by the vessel, including coralline rock on a protected list.

The accident was apparently due to a navigational error by the captain as he guided the ship toward Tuxpan, where the vessel was due to pick up cargo bound for Cuba.

Rescuers removed the 6,500-tonne ship on Saturday, using underwater cameras, buoys and other special equipment.

The environmental prosecutor's office said the North Korean embassy has pledged to reimburse the costs of the rescue.

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Human-induced water vapour next climate threat

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 29 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW YORK: The rising levels of water vapour in the upper troposphere - a key amplifier of global warming - owing to greenhouse gases will intensify climate change impacts over the next decades, scientists said.

"The study is the first to confirm that human activities have increased water vapour in the upper troposphere," said Brian Soden, professor of atmospheric sciences at University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

To investigate the potential causes of a 30-year moistening trend in the upper troposphere, a region 3-7 miles above the earth's surface, Soden and colleagues measured water vapour in the upper troposphere collected by NOAA satellites.

Using the set of climate model experiments, researchers showed that rising water vapour in the upper troposphere cannot be explained by natural forces such as volcanoes and changes in solar activity but by increased greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gases raise temperatures by trapping the earth's radiant heat inside the atmosphere.

This warming also increases the accumulation of atmospheric water vapour, the most abundant greenhouse gas.

The atmospheric moistening traps additional radiant heat and further increases temperatures.

Climate models predict that as the climate warms from the burning of fossil fuels, the concentrations of water vapour will also increase in response to that warming.

This moistening of the atmosphere, in turn, absorbs more heat and further raises the Earth's temperature, the study noted.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=global warming,climate threat


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Act now on climate change or see costs soar: White House

WASHINGTON: Putting off expensive measures to curb climate change will only cost the United States more in the long run, the White House said on Tuesday in a report meant to bolster a series of actions President Barack Obama has proposed to address global warming.

"Each decade we delay acting results in an added cost of dealing with the problem of an extra 40 percent," said Jason Furman, chairman of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.

"We know way more than enough to justify acting today," Furman told reporters.

The report drew its conclusions from 16 economic studies that modeled the costs of climate change. It was released as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency holds public hearings on its plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants - the centerpiece of Obama's climate action plan.

Business groups have said the EPA's plan would hurt jobs in the coal sector and harm the U.S. economy.

The White House and environmental groups have pushed back against that argument.

Last month, a bipartisan report commissioned by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and environmentalist Tom Steyer forecast a multibillion-dollar price tag for climate costs such as property losses from storms, declining crop yields and soaring power bills during heat waves.

The Obama administration plans to made additional climate announcements on Tuesday.

Energy secretary Ernie Moniz is set to announce actions by his department to reduce methane emissions from the natural gas transmission and distribution system, along with partnerships and "stakeholder commitments," the White House said.

This fall, the administration is set to propose new rules to cut methane emissions from oil and gas wells on public lands, and also will decide whether to propose regulations to address emissions from operations on private land, said Dan Utech, special assistant to the president for energy and climate change.

The administration also will announce partnerships with IBM , Amazon, Microsoft, Coca Cola and others to use data to help make agriculture and food production more resilient to climate change, the White House said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=white house,global warming,Climate Change


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New species of mayfly discovered in India

Written By Unknown on Senin, 28 Juli 2014 | 22.33

WASHINGTON: Scientists have discovered a new species of mayfly in the southern Western Ghats, a mountain range along the west coast of India.

This is the first time that any mayfly belonging to the genus Labiobaetis has been collected in peninsular India, researchers said.

The new species, called Labiobaetis soldani, "is named in honour of Dr T Soldan for his substantial contribution to the understanding of the Ephemeroptera of Palaearctic and Oriental realms," according to the authors of a study that describes the new mayfly in the Journal of Insect Science.

The larvae have light-brown heads with light-yellow antennae, and they grow to be about 4-5 millimetres in length.

Adults are also about five millimetres long, and the males and females both lack hind wings.

Labiobaetis soldani is closely related to Labiobaetis pulchellus, which has been described from Sri Lanka in the larval stage.

However, it can be differentiated from all other Labiobaetis species described from the Oriental region by several morphological differences.


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Industrial pollution reached South Pole 22 years before man set foot on it

LONDON: The world's most accurate and precise reconstruction of lead pollution over the Earth's southernmost continent has confirmed that dangerous industrial pollution reached the South Pole over two decades before man set foot on it.

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole in December of 1911.

More than 100 years later, an international team of scientists led by Joe McConnell of Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI) and experts from the British Antarctic Survey have proven that air pollution from industrial activities arrived to the South Pole 22 years before.

Measurements indicate that approximately 660 tonnes (1.5 million pounds) of industrial lead have been deposited on the snow-covered surface of Antarctic during the past 130 years.

Using data from 16 ice cores collected from widely spaced locations around the Antarctic continent spanning a 410-year period from 1600 to 2010 AD, McConnell said "Our new record shows the dramatic impact of industrial activities such as smelting, mining and fossil fuel burning on even the most remote parts of the world".

"It is very clear that industrial lead contamination was pervasive throughout Antarctica by the late 19th century, more than two decades before the first explorers made it to the South Pole," he added.

"The idea that Amundsen and Scott were traveling over snow that clearly was contaminated by lead from smelting and mining in Australia, and that lead pollution at that time was nearly as high as any time ever since, is surprising to say the least".

"Lead is a toxic heavy metal with strong potential to harm ecosystems," said co-author Paul Vallelonga of the University of Copenhagen. "While concentrations measured in Antarctic ice cores are very low, the records show that atmospheric concentrations and deposition rates increased approximately six-fold in the late 1880's, coincident with the start of mining at Broken Hill in southern Australia and smelting at nearby Port Pirie".

Data from the new ice core array illustrates that Antarctic lead concentrations reached a peak in 1900 and remained high until the late 1920's, with brief declines during the Great Depression and the end of World War II. Concentrations then increased rapidly until 1975 and remained elevated until the 1990's.

Concentrations across the Antarctic continent have since declined, but still are about four-fold higher than before industrialization, despite the phase out of leaded gasoline and other mitigation efforts in many countries in the southern hemisphere.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=South Pole,lead,industrial pollution


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173 bird species threatened in India: Report

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 27 Juli 2014 | 22.33

KOLKATA: Over 170 species of birds in the country are threatened, with eight new species added to the 2014 Red List prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The eight species of birds newly added to the threatened list include the woolly-necked stork, Andaman teal, Andaman green pigeon, Ashy-headed green pigeon, red-headed falcon, Himalayan griffon, bearded vulture and Yunnan nuthatch, according to the list.

The latest IUCN list also shows that the newly discovered small colourful bird Bugun Liocichla from Arunachal Pradesh is now "critically endangered", as compared to the earlier safer status.

Relentless habitat destruction is regarded as the reason for decline in the population of birds, one of the best indicators of environment.

The IUCN prepared its report based on studies conducted by BNHS-India, BirdLife International (UK) and other partner organisations.

The list shows that a similar situation exists globally with 13 per cent of all bird species on the threatened list.

The total number of species recognised by BirdLife in the 2014 Red List is 10,425.

Among them 140 species are extinct, 4 extinct in the wild, 213 critically endangered, 419 endangered and 741 vulnerable, the IUCN list said.

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'Lifestyle' babies– A new culprit of climate change

LONDON: A new culprit has been found causing climate change - "lifestyle" babies.

Scientists have called for a blanket ban on free fertility treatment for those making "lifestyle" reproductive choices, such as sterilization reversal or single motherhood for fertile women.

They have also called for a legislation that makes fertility clinics subject to carbon capping schemes, in a bid to help curb climate change.

The US, for example, is the world's second largest carbon emitter, producing 20 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person per year, which multiplies by a factor of 5, with the birth of a child.

This has made professor Cristina Richie of Boston College, Massachusetts, say that only those who are medically infertile through no fault of their own should be eligible for government funded treatment. She singles out fertility treatments (assisted reproductive technologies, or ART for short) because they not only produce a carbon footprint as a result of the resource they consume, but also create a carbon legacy.

And she points out "Assisted reproductive technologies are typically given in places with enormously large carbon footprints".

"Our carbon emissions don't stay locked in one country, but spread out across the world," she adds.

In her paper she argues that the environmental impact of medicine and health has largely been ignored, and that the ecosystem is already overtaxed.

While ART is not the most pressing environmental issue, none the less, it has created 5 million new lives since the late 1970s, and the number of babies born using these methods is rising steeply, she argues.

"It is therefore the obligation of environmental policymakers, the ethical and medical communities, and even society to carefully weigh the interests of our shared planet with a business that intentionally creates more humans when we must reduce our carbon impact," she writes.

"The fertility industry is just one small piece of the jigsaw puzzle of rampant consumption that leads to climate change," but it needs to do its bit to start to become more sustainable, she says.

She advocates that it adopt a carbon capping scheme, either by making a voluntary but legally binding commitment to meet emissions targets or by working to cut its total emissions, rather like the UK National Health Service has done.

And it ought to make free fertility treatment available only to those who are medically infertile, not those who are making "lifestyle" choices, such as people who have voluntarily undergone sterilisation; single fertile women who want to become a mum; and fertile same sex couples who want to become parents.

She emphasises that she is definitely not saying these groups should not have children, but she says they could go green and adopt.

The adoption process needs to be made easier, and society also needs to change its attitude to childlessness, she says.

"Retrenchment in all areas of life is the key to slowing down or halting carbon emissions that lead to climate change. For each child made through medical intervention, a carbon legacy results," she concludes.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias='Lifestyle' babies,free fertility treatment,Climate Change


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Elephants join tiger search in Bandipura Tiger Sanctuary

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 26 Juli 2014 | 22.34

MYSORE: Forest officials on Saturday continued their search for a tiger which recently attacked a shepherd on the fringes of Bandipura Tiger Sanctuary (BTS).

On day two of the operation, two trained elephants were pressed into service to find the big cat. Two more elephants are expected to join the operation on Saturday.

"Our intention is to disturb the animal, if any, in the vicinity so that it won't come to the same place again," BTS director H C Kantharaju said, adding: "We will continue the operation for some more days."

Meanwhile, the condition of shepherd Prasanna Kumar is stable.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=tiger search,elephants,Bandipura Tiger Sanctuary


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Big cat numbers rise in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: Camera traps have shown more tigers in the core area of Dudhwa tiger reserve this time. The initial estimates for two years, 2011 to 2013, have shown 72 to 80 tigers in the core area of the reserve.

Tiger census 2010-11 had counted 118 tigers in Dudhwa reserve. "The final count this time might be around 125," said PCCF (wildlife), UP, Rupak De.

The findings have been sent to the Union ministry of environment and forest for screening, said the official.

Camera-trapping exercise has been done for Kishenpur wildlife sanctuary and Dudhwa national park which form core of the reserve. Initial findings have also come for Pilibhit forest division which is now a separate reserve.

In all, 72 to 80 tigers have been counted in these areas. Once figures for Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary, North and South kheri forest division come, tiger numbers might go up to 125. The improved census technique could have resulted in more tigers getting recorded in camera.

It was an 'intensive' exercise as a pair of cameras was installed every 1.6 sq km of the core area. A pair of cameras was installed at 65 identified points in Kishenpur and at 206 identified points in Dudhwa national park.

The height at which cameras were mounted was also altered to record cubs, two-year old and less.

About a dozen new cubs have been recorded in camera.

At least 382 photographs have been downloaded from cameras installed in Kishenpur and Dudhwa national park.

Many of these photographs, said officials, could be 'repetitions' which is why the photographs would be screened. Tiger census is on since November 15 in the reserve.

UP has a major tiger population in Dudhwa tiger reserve comprising Dudhwa National Park (680 sq km), Kishenpur Sanctuary (204 sq km) and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (440 sq km); Pilibhit (720 sq km); North Kheri (350 sq km) and South Kheri (460 sq km).

Smaller tiger populations are present in Bijnor forests in west and Suhelwa (Gonda-Bahraich) and Sohagibarwa wildlife sanctuaries (Maharajganj) in east.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Union ministry of environment and forest,Dudhwa Tiger Reserve,Camera-trapping exercise


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Delhi among top 10 largest plastic waste producing cities

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 25 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: Delhi figures among the top ten largest plastic waste producing cities in the country, the government said on Thursday.

"Based on a study conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board and Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology for 60 cities in the country during 2010-11, it was observed that 10 cities viz Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Surat, Kanpur and Pune generate more plastic waste," Environment minister Prakash Javadekar told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He said that while his ministry has notified the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011, the government has taken a number of steps for ensuring safety and health of workers through enactment of various statutes in the form of Factories Act, 1948.

"...constitution of site appraisal committees, compulsory disclosure of information by the occupier, specific responsibility of the occupier in relation hazardous process, power of the central government to appoint enquiry committee, emergency standards and others," he said.

Replying to another question, Javadekar said the levels of sulphur dioxide (So2) (annual average) are within the prescribed norms across the country.

However, the levels of PM10 (particulate matter 10) exceed the norms in majority of the cities whereas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in 24 cities including Delhi.

He said that the government has taken various measures to check pollution which include supply of cleaner fuels as per auto fuel policy, use of gaseous fuel for public transport, pollution under control certificates for use in vehicles, stringent source specific emission standards, strict compliance of source specific emission standards, use of beneficiated coal in thermal power plants and others.

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Man eating tigers on prowl in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: Attack on middle-aged villager by man-eating tigers triggered panic among Baiga tribals living in areas across buffer zone at Bandhavgarh National Park (BNP) in Umaria and Katni district of Madhya Pradesh.

Gareeba Baiga, 49-year-old man of Umaria's Checheria village, is the latest victim of the tiger on the prowl. He was attacked by a tiger while grazing goats. The big cat tried to drag him to the forest, but was saved by villagers who gathered in large numbers after hearing his cries for help.

Angry villagers stormed a forest office, demanding protection and compensation for families of the injured. They deflated tyres of all vehicles of forest department, demanded on the spot compensation and intervention of top officials. They also attacked a ranger with canes besides taking three others employees hostage. BNP officers came and requested them to watch out for the ferocious animal and avoid forests.

The tiger has been on the prowl across an area spanning some 60 miles, they said. Police arrested three people for instigating villagers against forest officials.

Wildlife enthusiast Pusphendra Nath Dwivedi said the tiger must have strayed out of the park in search of prey. "There is widespread anger among villagers," he said.

Earlier, a 45-year-old man was mauled to death by three tigers in buffer zone of BNP in Katni district late on Sunday night. The dead was identified as Ramdas Baiga, a resident of Baghdhari village. He had left his home at 5.30 pm in search of a missing buffalo towards BNP's Khatoli range and did not return. The tigers ate him leaving behind mutilated skull.

Irked villagers blocked the national highway demanding compensation for the deceased's family. Forest department announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 to family of the tribal.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Man eating tigers,Bandhavgarh National Park,Baiga tribals


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Super smeller? Not dogs, but African elephants

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 24 Juli 2014 | 22.33

LONDON: It has been scientifically proven that the African elephant has the most powerful sense of smell in the entire animal kingdom.

Researchers for the first time examined the Olfactory Receptor (OR) repertoire encoded in 13 mammalian species and found that African elephants have the largest number of OR genes ever characterized; more than twice that found in dogs and five times more than in humans.

The authors then examined genome sequences from 13 placental mammals and identified over 10,000 OR genes in total. The repertoire of OR genes found in any given species was highly unique - only three OR genes were shared and evolutionarily conserved amongst all 13 mammals.

The African elephant had the most extensive olfactory repertoire with almost 2,000 OR genes. "The functions of these genes are not well known but they are likely important for the living environment of African elephants," said author Yoshihito Niimura. "Apparently an elephant's nose is not only long but also superior."

Conversely humans along with our primate relatives have much fewer numbers of OR genes compared to all other species examined possibly as a result of our diminished reliance on smell as our visual acuity improved.

Scientists traced the evolutionary histories of OR genes using a novel computational tool to deduce ancestral genes and then examined their duplication or loss in each species.


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People build bridge out of plastic bottles in Romanian city

NEW DELHI: The city of Timisoara in western Romania on Wednesday inaugurated a 23-metre (75 feet) bridge made entirely of over 157,000 collected plastic bottles tied together with wires, an AFP report said. The disposed bottles were collected by over 500 volunteers from the city to warn against the devastating effects of litter. The volunteers helped to build the bridge also.

Timisoara is an ancient city and considered the cultural centre of western Romania. It was built near the two rivers Timi and Bega. The area was marshy till it was drained and Bega was canalized.

Residents claim that the bridge crossing the Bega Canal in the city centre is the largest in the world built from plastic bottles. A commission of the Guinness World records has yet to decide on the issue.

This is not the first bridge in the world built from plastic but it is definitely the first made of only plastic bottles tied with wire, and also the first to be made by volunteers.

"We are trying to beat the world record in order to raise awareness about the enormous quantities of litter dumped every day in the rivers and in the oceans around the world," Radu Rusu from environment right-group EcoStuff said.

"Plastic bottles should not end up in the water, that's our message," he added.

In Peeblesshire, Scotland, a 30-metre long bridge made of engineered plastic was built in 2011 over the Tweed river at the Dawyck Estate river crossing. Rutgers University scientists processed waste plastic into a tough composite material that was used to make the sturdy bridge. It can take up to 44 tonnes weight and automobiles use it regularly.

In the US, there are several bridges made of plastic but they are very small. In the small town of York in Maine, a 26 by 15 feet plastic bridge was put in place in 2011. It is estimated that US citizens throw away about 35 billion plastic bottles per year.

The world produced about 288 million tons of plastic every year according to a 2012 estimate by Plastic Europe, an industry body.

An estimated 10 million tonnes of litter, mostly plastic waste, end up in the world's oceans and seas each year with fatal consequences for many sea species, according to the European Commission. This plastic gets degraded into tiny bits (called micro-plastic), making up what is known as the 'plastic soup' in the world's oceans.

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Efforts on to monitor Himalayan glaciers

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 23 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: Efforts are underway for the regular monitoring of the dynamics and climate studies of Himalayan glaciers, minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.

"Efforts are underway for regular monitoring of glacier dynamics, snow and glacier melting, geometrical changes and climate studies of the Himalayan glaciers," Jitendra Singh said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

He added: "A number of glaciers have already been taken up for long-term measurements on glacier-climate interaction by several government agencies."

Studies so far show the Himalayan glaciers are melting. However, the rate, amount and patterns differ.

"The Wadia Institue of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun has set up a number of Automatic Weather Stations to collect real-time weather parameter data at different altitudes in the glacierised areas of the Himalayas to assist and evaluate the climate change...," the minister said.

Jitendra Singh added that his ministry has also identified a few benchmark glaciers for continuous monitoring to understand their dynamics.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Himalayan glaciers,Climate Change


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Melting glaciers giving rise to new lakes in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: Melting of glaciers is resulting in the formation of smaller lakes in the high hills of Himachal Pradesh and is posing threat to the population living downstream. A recent visit to in Chokhang area of Lahaul-Spiti by MLA Ravi Thakur along with forest officials had revealed that around 6-7 smaller lakes have come in the area during the last couple of years. A flood caused by glacial lake outburst in Chenab took place in the 1880s and it had smashed bridges beyond national borders.

Himachal Pradesh has 249 glacial lakes, of which 11 have been identified as having high potential for breach. Glaciers and ice-bodies cover a total of 2472.49 sq km (4.44%) of the total area of 55673 sq km in the state.

Lahaul-Spiti MLA Ravi Thakur said that they had gone to inspect huts being constructed by the forest department for the facility of pilgrims and tourists visiting Neelkanth Lake in Nainghar. During their visit they found around 6-7 new lakes along the stretch which were not there earlier. "Geologists and experts should study the potential threat of these lakes, in case of breach, to population living downstream besides to the 4.5 MW Thirot hydro power project located down the hill," he said.

Divisional forest officer, Lahaul, Heera Lal Rana said that these smaller lakes on way to Neelkanth lake have been formed during the last 2-3 years only as earlier they were not existing at their present location. He said that lakes were formed due to the melting of glaciers. "Soil in the area is very fragile and more accumulation of water could pose threat to people living downstream," he said.

During 2007-08, Geological Survey of India (GSI) had carried out preliminary inventory of glacial lakes in Chandrabhaga basin in Lahaul-Spiti district. For one particularly risky lake in Himachal Pradesh, namely, the Gepang Gath, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) risk mapping in field area was done in 2008, 2012 and 2013 field seasons. The study found that Gepang Gath glacial lake was risky and threatens the Manali-Leh National Highway and the downstream Sissu village.

Dr Milap Chand Sharma, associate professor at Centre for the Study of Regional Development in Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Delhi, said that formation of glacial lakes at high altitudes is a common occurrence where allaround thick spread of ice and snow remains but melts only during the ablation season. Geothermal and geomorphological conditions, clubbed with global warming are supposed to be major causes of formation of glacial lakes, he added.

"Different triggering mechanisms of Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods depend on the nature of damming materials, the position of the lake, the volume of water, the nature and position of associated mother glacier, physical and topographical conditions, and other physical conditions of the surrounding area," he added.

Senior scientist at Kullu based GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Dr Jagdish Chander Kuniyal, who has specialization in environmental assessment and management, said that formation of lake due to melting of glaciers though is a normal process but their potential threat in the wake of breach could not be ignored. He said that Lahaul-Spiti falls under rain shadow zone where formation of small lakes is quite common.

Filed station to come up in Lahaul

To study the glacier behavior in the wake of concerns on melting glaciers due to global warming a field station is being set up in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. The proposed station would be set up either at Menthossa glacier of Miyar valley or Gangsten glacier right above Keylong town. The Himalayas have the largest concentration of glaciers outside polar caps with a staggering number of 9575 glaciers within India territory and of it 1239 lies in Himachal Pradesh alone.


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Giving up beef will be more beneficial to planet than driving cars

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 22 Juli 2014 | 22.33

LONDON: Giving up on beef will be more beneficial to the planet than driving cars.

Scientists have confirmed that beef's environmental impact significantly that of other meat including chicken and pork with research showing that eating less red meat would be a better way for people to cut carbon emissions than giving up their cars.

Cattle require on average 28 times more land and 11 times more irrigation water are responsible for releasing five times more greenhouse gases and consume six times as much nitrogen as eggs or poultry.

Poultry, pork, eggs and dairy all came out fairly similar. That was also surprising, because dairy production is often thought to be relatively environmentally benign.

When compared to staples like potatoes, wheat, and rice, the impact of beef per calorie is even more extreme, requiring 160 times more land and producing 11 times more greenhouse gases.

But the research shows that the price of irrigating and fertilizing the crops fed to milk cows - as well as the relative inefficiency of cows in comparison to other livestock - jacks up the cost significantly.

Agriculture is a significant driver of global warming and causes 15% of all emissions, half of which are from livestock. Furthermore, the huge amounts of grain and water needed to raise cattle is a concern to experts worried about feeding an extra 2 billion people by 2050.

New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science conducted in collaboration with scientists in the US looked at the five main sources of protein in the American diet: dairy, beef, poultry, pork and eggs. Their idea was to calculate the environmental inputs - the costs - per nutritional unit: a calorie or gram of protein.

When the numbers were in, including those for the environmental costs of different kinds of feed (pasture, roughage such as hay, and concentrates such as corn), the team developed equations that yielded values for the environmental cost - per calorie and then per unit of protein, for each food.

The calculations showed that the biggest culprit, by far, is beef. That was no surprise say scientists. The surprise was in the size of the gap: In total, eating beef is more costly to the environment by an order of magnitude - about ten times on average - than other animal-derived foods, including pork and poultry.

Carbon dioxide is the most-prevalent gas when it comes to climate change. It is released by vehicles, industry, and forest removal and comprises the greatest portion of greenhouse gas totals. But methane and nitrous oxide are also greenhouse gasses and account for approximately 28% of global warming activity.

Methane and nitrous oxide are released, in part, by livestock. Animals release methane as a result of microorganisms that are involved in their digestive processes and nitrous oxide from decomposing manure. These two gasses are responsible for a quarter of these non-carbon dioxide gas emissions and 9% of total greenhouse gas emissions overall.

The research team, including Dario Caro, formerly of Carnegie and now at the University of Siena in Italy and Carnegie's Ken Caldeira, estimated the greenhouse gas emissions related to livestock in 237 countries over a nearly half a century and found that livestock emissions increased by 51% over this period.

Breaking it down by animal, beef and dairy cattle comprised 74% of livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions, 54% coming from beef cattle and 17% from dairy cattle.

Part of this is due to the abundance of cows, but it is also because cattle emit greater quantities of methane and nitrous oxide than other animals. Sheep comprised 9%, buffalo 7%, pigs 5% and goats 4%.

"That tasty hamburger is the real culprit," Caldeira said. "It might be better for the environment if we all became vegetarians, but a lot of improvement could come from eating pork or chicken instead of beef".


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Water, air pollution: NGT issues notice to Meghalaya

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal's eastern zone bench has issued notice to the Meghalaya government over a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on air, water and environmental pollution in the state.

Gauhati high court had in 2012 taken suo moto action on the CAG report which had expressed concern over the pollution in the state and subsequently transferred the case to NGT.

A green bench comprising judicial member Justice P Jyothimani issued notice to chief secretary of Meghalaya, secretary, Municipal Board and secretary, Department of Health and listed the matter for next hearing on August 26.

"Issue notice to the chief secretary, government of Meghalaya, secretary, Municipal Board and secretary, Department of Health by the next date of hearing," the bench said.

It directed Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) to file its latest status report on the industries situated in the urban areas and in respect of air and water pollution in the state.

The CAG report had said the ambient air quality of capital Shillong and the entire state of Meghalaya in general is "far from satisfactory", mainly because of emission of air pollutants from automobiles.

It had, further, said that the extent of pollution of air caused by 481 polluting industries was not monitored by the MSPCB and coal mining activities were carried on in the state without authorisation.

"Water of 28 out of 31 water bodies in six districts of the state was not "fit for drinking".

"In violation of bio-medical waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 139 (out of 178), health institutions were functioning in the state without authorisation from the MSPCB," the CAG had said.

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60 peacocks found dead in Warangal district

Written By Unknown on Senin, 21 Juli 2014 | 22.33

WARANGAL: Nearly 60 peacocks were found dead in Chitur village of Lingala Ghanapur mandal early on Monday morning. The peacocks died as a result of drinking poisonous water. It is learnt the farmers in the area used pesticides in the fields and the peacocks which drank the water in which the pesticides were mixed died. Forest officials have arrived at the place to investigate.

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Temple in Andhra Pradesh breeds 55 baby star tortoises

SRIKAKULAM: Southern India's only temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu's second avatar Srikurmanadha (in the form of a tortoise) in Srikurmam, a tiny village 15 km away from here, bred 55 baby star tortoises from July 7 to July 20 this year, an environmental organization said here today.

In order to protect the dwindling number of endangered wild species, the endowments department with the co-operation of Green Mercy, an environmental organisation bred 55 hatchlings bred within a span of 15 days, which the organisation has claimed, is a world record.

In 1990, 50 tortoises were hatched at the Gladys Zoo enclosure in USA, the environmental organization's representative K V Ramana Murty said.

The news has attracted the attention of people who are queuing up to see the hatchlings.

Star tortoises are found in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

The government of India brought it under Schedule 4 of the Wild Animal Protection Act.

"Our aim is to protect endangered species and provide live image of Lord Vishnu in Kurmavatar to devotees," Endowments Department assistant commissioner V Syamaladevi said.

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NGT concerned over rampant air pollution in Uttarakhand

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 20 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: Concerned over rampant air pollution caused by industrial units in Uttarakhand, the National Green Tribunal has constituted an expert committee to look into violation of prescribed standards for emission by iron industries in the state.

A bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar pulled up the Uttarakhand State Pollution Control Board (UPCB) for failing to monitor the industries causing air pollution which already have consent to operate.

"We are afraid that if this be the state of environmental check and control of pollution by the Pollution Control Board then less say the better," the bench said.

The tribunal had on February 18 directed the UPCB to close all industrial units in Jasodharpur Industrial Area (JIA) that are functioning without the consent of the board.

The green bench constituted a special inspection team consisting of the Environmental Engineer from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), senior environmental engineer from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and officer from UPCB.

"This team shall conduct a surprise inspection of all eighteen industries carrying on the business of iron/foundry industries in that area and are allegedly found seriously polluting and it will be ensured that every industry which is inspected is operating at its optimum capacity," the bench said.

The tribunal also held that the inspection report shall clearly indicate the functioning of these units along with the stack and ambient air quality samples and the analysis be included in the report.

"It shall also be stated as to whether the slag used by these industries is being stored and how it is managed," the bench said.

According to UPCB, out of 18 industries, 10 have been granted consents to operate till 2014-2015, while the other eight have not been granted consent and their applications are pending before the board.

The tribunal's order came while hearing a petition by Shiv Prasad Dabral who had alleged that several industries are operating illegally, without consent from the state pollution control board or an environmental clearance in JIA near Kotdwar.

The petition had said that these industries are also major source of air pollution in the area and are a public health hazard.

The plea had alleged that the units have also been flouting industrial pollutant discharge norms by dumping the foundry slag on the banks of the Sigaddi Srot river.

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Rare blue-colored red king crab caught in Alaska

NOME(Alaska): A rare blue-colored red king crab was part of a fisherman's catch earlier this month in Nome, Alaska.

KNOM reports Frank McFarland found the blue crab in his pot when fishing on July Fourth off Nome. The blue crab is being kept alive at the Norton Sound Seafood Center until McFarland can have it mounted.

The rare crab has become a rock star of sorts, with people showing up at the center to have their photos taken with it.

Scott Kent, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Nome, says he has no idea why the red king crab is blue, but suspects it's just a mutation.

Kent says a blue crab "turns up once in a blue moon."

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Atlantic salmon can adapt to warmer waters

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 19 Juli 2014 | 22.33

TORONTO: Populations of Atlantic salmon have a surprisingly good capacity to adjust to warmer temperatures that are being seen with climate change, scientists have found.

Scientists at the University of Oslo and University of British Columbia addressed questions around how climate change might affect salmon species distribution and abundance.

Scientists studied wild salmon from two European rivers. They compared a cold-water population from Norway's northern Alta River, where water temperatures have not exceeded 18 degrees Celsius for 30 years, with warm-water populations from France's Dordogne River, located 3,000 kilometres south, where annual water temperatures regularly exceed 20 degrees Celsius.

Eggs from both populations were hatched at the University of Oslo, where they were raised at 12 or 20 degrees Celsius. Despite substantially different natural environments, both populations had remarkably similar capabilities when warmed.

When reared at 12 degrees Celsius temperatures, salmon from both populations developed cardiac arrhythmias at 21 to 23 degrees Celsius, after a maximum heart rate of 150 beats per minute.

But those raised at 20 degrees Celsius developed cardiac arrhythmias at a surprising 27.5 degrees Celsius, after the heart reached 200 beats per minute.

Researchers found that increasing the fish's acclimation temperature by 8 degrees Celsius raised temperature tolerance by 6 degrees Celsius.

"The results are surprising. A fish faced with uncomfortably warm temperatures might relocate or even die if it is too extreme. Here we have evidence for warm acclimation of a commercially and culturally important fish species," researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Atlantic Salmon,University of Oslo,University of British Columbia


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World's first eco-friendly mosque opens in Dubai

DUBAI: The doors of the first environment-friendly mosque in the Islamic world were opened for worshippers here Friday by Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF).

The Khalifa Al Tajer Mosque on Bur Saeed Street in Deira saw some 3,500 worshippers attending the first Friday sermon by Sheikh Salih Al Maghamsi, imam of Madina's Quba Mosque.

Located on 105,000 square feet of land, the new green mosque was designed with energy efficiency in mind and was built with environment-friendly material. The building, which covers 45,000 square feet, uses thermal-insulation systems for lowering energy consumption and air conditioners that emit reduced greenhouse gases.

"Environmental awareness is a pillar in Islam", Tayeb Al Rais, secretary-general of AMAF, a Dubai government body, said in remarks at the opening ceremony,

He expressed the hope that similar green projects would be implemented in line Dubai's vision for a sustainable future.

"The new mosque was built to meet guidelines set out by the US Green Building Council Standards and Specifications," he said.

"The mosque integrates renewable energy solutions in its design. This is illustrated in the exterior lighting poles that are fitted with solar panels, battery storage system that is powered by solar energy, and the use of solar panels instead of energy draining electric heaters for the purpose of water heating."

The mosque also meets recent legislation in Dubai that requires new buildings to include green standards in the design, construction and operation of buildings, he noted.

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Wind farms vulnerable to fire

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 18 Juli 2014 | 22.34

LONDON: Wind turbines are catching fire 10 times more often than reported, a new study has shown.

Compared to other energy industries such as oil and gas, fires are much less common in wind turbines. However, the cost of each wind turbine is more than 2 million pounds (Rs.20 crore) and it generates an income of more than 500,000 pounds (Rs.5 crore) per year.

Any loss or downtime of these valuable assets makes the industry less viable and productive.

The study involved about 200,000 turbines. The researchers found that an average of 11.7 fires are reported publicly, but more than 117 separate fires are breaking out in turbines every year.

"Worryingly our report shows that fire may be a bigger problem than what is currently reported. Our research outlines a number of strategies that can be adopted by the industry to make these turbines safer and more fire resistant in the future," said Guillermo Rein from the Imperial College, London.

The team found that in 90 per cent cases, the fire either led to a lot of downtime or a total loss of the wind turbine.

Wind turbines catch fire because highly flammable materials such as hydraulic oil and plastics are close to machinery and electrical wires.

These can spark a fire if they overheat or are faulty. Lots of wind can quickly fan a fire inside a turbine. Once burning, the chances of fighting the blaze are low due to the height of the wind turbine and the remote locations they are often in.

The researchers gave the main causes of fires outlined in decreasing order of importance to be lightning strike, electrical malfunction, mechanical failure, and maintenance errors.

The research was published in the journal Fire Safety Science.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=London,Imperial College London,Guillermo Rein


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4 lion deaths on rail tracks

NEW DELHI: Four lions including cubs have been killed on the rail tracks in Gir Forest till June this year, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday.

In the current year, there have been four deaths of lions or lion cubs upto June 2014 on railway line passing outside notified area of Gir Reserve Forest, Minister of State for Railway Manoj Sinha said in a written reply.

There was no death of lions in 2011 and 2013 and there was only one death of a lion in 2012.

He said metre gauge (MG) line from Visavadar to Talala passes through notified Gir Forest on which there are no incidences of death of lions.

Sinha said several measures have been taken for the MG track passing through Gir Forest which include speed of trains is restricted to 30km per hour, no train operation during night and cautious drive in the forest area.

For broad gauge lines where incidents of lion deaths have occurred recently, he said measures like whistle boards have been provided at the locations advised by the Forest Department.

Information about the movement of lions is being shared by the Forest Department with the Railways and loco pilots are informed to be careful.


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Dams reducing Indus river dolphin numbers

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 17 Juli 2014 | 22.33

LONDON: Removal of river water for irrigation and habitat fragmentation by irrigation dams are decreasing the number of Indus river dolphins, says a study.

"This important study shows that it is river habitat fragmentation by dams, and removal of river water for irrigation that has caused the massive range decline of the Indus river freshwater dolphin," said Gill Braulik from University of St. Andrews in Britain.

Many freshwater marine mammals are endangered due to rapidly degrading habitat and conservation of these megafauna species depends on maintaining intact habitat.

This study used historical range data and information on dolphin presence from fisher interviews to better understand the timing pattern of range decline of the Indus river Dolphin, an endangered freshwater dolphin that inhabits one of the most modified rivers in the world.

Additionally, the researchers modelled seven potential explanations for declining range, including date of construction of the nearest dam, dry season river discharge, distance from the edge of the former range and length of river section to identify the factors responsible for the decline.

The historical range of the Indus dolphin has been fragmented into 17 river sections by diversion dams, the findings showed.

River dolphins disappeared from ten river sections, still live in six, and are of unknown status in one section.

Low dry-season river discharge, due to irrigation at diversion dams, was the principal factor that explained the dolphin's range decline, according to the study.

The study appeared in the journal PLOS ONE.


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Nagoya Protocol to help conserve biodiversity: Javadekar

NEW DELHI: The Nagoya Protocol, which will create incentives to conserve biodiversity, has received the required 50th instrument of ratification on July 14.

India, having hosted CoP-11 to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Hyderabad in October 2012, is currently the President of CoP till CoP-12 to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in October this year.

Making a suo motu statement in Parliament, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Protocol on access and benefit sharing will enter into force on 90th day — October 12, 2014.

He said facilitating early entry into force of this landmark international treaty has been a priority of India as CoP president.

"India has made significant efforts in the last 21 months through political and diplomatic channels. After assuming the charge of Minister, I have taken personal interest in the matter, and addressed the CBD meeting in Montreal via video on June 16.

"I had also made a statement at the UN environment assembly in Nairobi on June 26 urging countries to ratify the Protocol soon. I also met my couterparts of concerned countries for early ratification, on the sidelines of the Nairobi meeting," Javadekar said.

He said ratification of the Nagoya Protocol by 51 parties to the CBD is also a "major step towards achieving the first of the global Aichi Biodiversity Targets (Target 16 that by 2015, the Nagoya Protocol is in force and operational), and that too more than a year before its target date, which is quite remarkable."

"The pivotal role played by India in achieving this remarkable feat once again showcases India's leadership in biodiversity in the global arena," he said.


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Govt offering financial help for e-waste management

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 16 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: To facilitate e-waste management in the country, the government is implementing a scheme under which financial assistance is provided for awareness and capacity building activities relating to e-waste management.

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar told Lok Sabha on Wednesday that under the 'Creation of Management Structure for Hazardous Substances' scheme, government is also setting up integrated recycling facility for e-waste.

"In addition, guidelines for implementation of e-waste rules 2011 have been formulated," he said.

Javadekar said monitoring of compliance of authorisation and registration conditions fall under the purview of state polution control boards but no large scale violation of the e-waste management and handling rules by industrial units and public enterprises has been reported to the Ministry.

The Minister said toxic constituents such as lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers are used in the manufacturing of electronic devices.

"Disposal of e-waste from such electronic devices, without processing it in an environmentally sound manner may affect the human health and environment including soil and ground water," he said, adding as per the survey carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board during 2005, 1,46,800MT of e-waste was generated in the country.


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Poaching of wild animals a serious issue: Govt

NEW DELHI: Terming poaching of wild animals as a serious issue, government on Wednesday said wildlife in the country is "under stress" with illegal trade in South East Asia alone to the tune of $60 billion.

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said killing of wild animals for illegal trade is a "serious issue" and government was taking a number of steps to prevent poaching and illegal trade.

Responding to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, he said government is strengthening mechanisms in state through centrally sponsored schemes.

He said efforts are on to include wildlife smuggling in the agenda for bilateral interactions with relevant neighbouring countries.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed with Nepal to establish a joint task force to check trafficking across international borders.

To another supplementary, Javadekar said 17 species which are on the verge of extinction have been identified and plans are afoot to set up breeding centres.

He also said the number of tigers has increased in the country and the exact figure will be tabled in Parliament when available.

The minister also rejected suggestions that radio collars put on tigers affect their capability to hunt due to weight.

He said the government is not aware of study but was willing to look into the issue if it is provided with the study.

Responding to a question on man-animal conflict, he said following a court ruling, states have been asked to decide on the area around eco-sensitive zones to avoid incidents like animals damaging crops.

4.8 per cent of land including national parks, reserves and zoos have been declared as 'eco-sensitive zone', he said.


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48 industrial units polluting Ganga asked to close down

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 15 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: Directions have been issued to about 48 industrial units polluting River Ganga to close down, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

The Ministry of Environment & Forests has identified 764 grossly polluting industries discharging 501 million litres per day of waste water into Ganga and its major tributaries, Minister of State for Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in his written reply.

"704 industries have been inspected under National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) programme by NGRBA Cell, CPCB till May, 2014. Directions have been issued to 165 industries, of which 48 are closure directions under Section-5 of E(P) Act, 1986," he said.

The State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) are required to implement effluent discharge standards by the industries.

Gangwar said action has to be taken against defaulting industries by SPCBs under powers delegated to them by the Central Government under relevant provisions of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

To another question on jurisdiction of NGRBA, he said, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has informed that on the recommendations of NGRBA, three power projects - Loharinag Pala, Pala Maneri and Bhaironghati hydro power projects were halted in 2010.

"Further, stage 1B project was also halted in 2010, after National Environment Appellate Authority quashed environmental clearance for the project. In the last three years, no hydro power project has been halted by the Government," Gangwar said.

Replying to a related question, the Minister said,"A comprehensive River Basin Management Plan for Ganga is being prepared by a consortium of seven IITs (Kanpur, Delhi, Madras, Bombay, Kharagpur, Guwahati and Roorkee).

"The objective of the plan is to suggest comprehensive measures for restoration of wholesomeness of Ganga system and improvement of its ecological health, with due regard to the issue of competing water uses in the river basin."

"The plan would take into consideration requirements of water and energy in the Ganga Basin, while ensuring that fundamental aspects of the river system are protected. The IIT consortium is proposing to submit its report by the end of August," he said.


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Chipko movement taught world ahimsa's power: President

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday conferred Chandi Prasad Bhatt, pioneer of the Chipko Movement, with the 2013 Gandhi Peace Prize and said the noted environmentalist has taught the world power of ahimsa, non-violence.

"Ahimsa is not just a method or an instrument. It requires recognition of the humanity of others, including the humanity of those we seek to challenge, including the state," said Mukherjee.

"Bhatt has not only deepened our understanding of responsibility but also provided an object lesson to the world on the power of ahimsa," he added.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Culture and Tourism Minister Shripad Yesso Naik and diplomats from several countries attended the function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mukherjee also praised the 80-year-old Bhatt for his dedicated, tireless and invaluable work put in for for conservation of environment.

"In honouring him, we honour all those countless women and men who became trustees of the nature and who through their embrace expanded our swaraj," he said.

A Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, Bhatt started the Chipko Movement in 1973 using the Gandhanian method of peaceful and non-violent satyagraha through the act of hugging trees and saving them from being felled.

Mukherjee called this movement of love against "pulverising greed".

The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.

Naik hailed Bhatt's contribution in educating villagers on the need to protect environment and to create awareness about ecological conservation.

"He was one of the first voices against damage being caused by big dams," he said.

"His life's work is also proof that we should proceed with caution with respect to the Himalayas, a region vital to our culture, history and future development but with sensitivity to the cultural and natural heritage," he added.

Previous recipients of the award include former president of Tanzania Julius K Nyerere, social worker Baba Amte, South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela, among others.

The award carries a plaque, citation and an amount of Rs 1 crore.


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163 large and medium irrigation projects delayed: Centre

Written By Unknown on Senin, 14 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: A total of 163 large and medium irrigation projects are delayed, the Rajya Sabha was told on Monday.

In a reply to a question, minister of state for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation Santosh Kumar Gangwar said that completion of irrigation projects gets delayed due to various reasons such as land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation of the affected population, clearance from the ministry of environment and forest, litigation, geological surprise in the foundations and paucity of funds.

Considering the normal gestation period of completion for major irrigation projects as being 10-15 years and that of medium irrigation projects as 5-8 years, he said that major projects started prior to 1997 and medium projects started before 2004 could be implicitly considered as having overrun the time of completion with consequent cost escalation.

Gangawar said that as per report of the "Working Group on Major and Medium Irrigation and Command Area Development for 12th Five Year Plan" constituted by the Planning Commission and information available with the Central Water Commission, 326 projects were reported as ongoing including those projects which are in backward and rural areas.

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48 industrial units polluting Ganga asked to close down

NEW DELHI: Directions have been issued to about 48 industrial units polluting River Ganga to close down, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

The Ministry of Environment & Forests has identified 764 grossly polluting industries discharging 501 million litres per day of waste water into Ganga and its major tributaries, Minister of State for Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in his written reply.

"704 industries have been inspected under National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) programme by NGRBA Cell, CPCB till May, 2014. Directions have been issued to 165 industries, of which 48 are closure directions under Section-5 of E(P) Act, 1986," he said.

The State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) are required to implement effluent discharge standards by the industries.

Gangwar said action has to be taken against defaulting industries by SPCBs under powers delegated to them by the Central Government under relevant provisions of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

To another question on jurisdiction of NGRBA, he said, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has informed that on the recommendations of NGRBA, three power projects - Loharinag Pala, Pala Maneri and Bhaironghati hydro power projects were halted in 2010.

"Further, stage 1B project was also halted in 2010, after National Environment Appellate Authority quashed environmental clearance for the project. In the last three years, no hydro power project has been halted by the Government," Gangwar said.

Replying to a related question, the Minister said,"A comprehensive River Basin Management Plan for Ganga is being prepared by a consortium of seven IITs (Kanpur, Delhi, Madras, Bombay, Kharagpur, Guwahati and Roorkee).

"The objective of the plan is to suggest comprehensive measures for restoration of wholesomeness of Ganga system and improvement of its ecological health, with due regard to the issue of competing water uses in the river basin."

"The plan would take into consideration requirements of water and energy in the Ganga Basin, while ensuring that fundamental aspects of the river system are protected. The IIT consortium is proposing to submit its report by the end of August," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=pollution,Industrial units,clean Ganga


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Baboons groom each other early morning for favors: Study

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 13 Juli 2014 | 22.33

LONDON: A new study has revealed that baboons groom each other early in the morning so that they would be favored through the rest of the day.

A new study from Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen and Zoological Society of London shows grooming between individuals in a group of baboons was not practiced without ulterior motives.

To be groomed has hygienic benefits and was stress relieving for the individual, while grooming another individual could provide access to infants, mating opportunities and high quality food by means of tolerance at a patch.

Claudia Sick, MSc biologist, said that they investigated whether diurnal changes in the value of one commodity, tolerance at shared food patches, lead to diurnal patterns of affiliative interaction, namely grooming.

This study found that social strategies of baboons could vary across the day and the findings suggested that group-living animals optimize certain elements of their social strategies over short periods of time and it was also indicated that social strategies might be even more flexible and optimized over even shorter periods that previously appreciated.

These new insights highlighted the importance of understanding the full range of time periods over which social strategies might be optimized and such knowledge would be crucial when studying the social behavior and strategies of group-living animals.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Zoological Society of London,University of Copenhagen,London,Claudia Sick


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Another blackbuck killed in Bihar

PATNA: Suspected smugglers have killed another blackbuck in Bihar's Buxar district, forest officials said on Saturday.

It is the second incident within a month when a blackbuck was found dead in Buxar, about 125 kilometre from here.

"We have found the body of a blackbuck near Rasen village Friday," said Sashibhusan Jha, a district forest official.

Jha said some body parts of the blackbuck were found missing such as its horn and skin. "It seems smugglers killed the blackbuck for its horn and skin," he said.

Jha said eight people have been found to be associated with the case and a man was arrested in this connection.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=district forest official,Bihar,blackbuck


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New approach to improve hurricane intensity forecast

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 12 Juli 2014 | 22.33

WASHINGTON: Scientists have discovered that physical conditions at the air-sea interface is a key component to improve forecast models, offering a new method to aid prediction of storm intensity of hurricanes.

"The general assumption has been that the large density difference between the ocean and atmosphere makes that interface too stable to affect storm intensity," said Brian Haus, from University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and co-author of the study.

"In this study we show that a type of instability may help explain rapid intensification of some tropical storms," said Haus.

Experiments conducted at the UM Rosenstiel School Air-Sea Interaction Salt Water Tank (ASIST) simulated the wind speed and ocean surface conditions of a tropical storm.

The researchers used a technique called "shadow imaging," where a guided laser is sent through the two fluids — air and water — to measure the physical properties of the ocean's surface during extreme winds, equivalent to a category-3 hurricane.

Using the data obtained from the laboratory experiments, the researchers then developed numerical simulations to show that changes in the physical stress at the ocean surface at hurricane force wind speeds may explain the rapid intensification of some tropical storms.

The research team's experimental simulations show that the type of instability, known as Kelvin-Helmoltz instability, could explain this intensification.

The study was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

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Australia slams 'extremist' PETA for sheep abuse video

SYDNEY: Australia's agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce has described animal rights group PETA as "extremist" and questioned their methods after the release of footage showing sheep being beaten by shearers.

Joyce said Australia "does not condone the mistreatment of animals" but added that the violence shown in the PETA video should have been reported immediately.

"An emotional response without full investigation, including why it has taken so long for PETA to release the footage, does not result in better husbandry practices," Joyce said in a statement late Friday.

"It just reinforces the belief that PETA is an extremist group that wants to end livestock production and to irreparably damage the economy and the reputation of Australian farmers."

Australia is the world's leading wool producer and exporter, with annual exports valued at more than Aus$3 billion ($2.8 billion).

The video released on Thursday showed shearers beating and throwing the animals, stamping on their necks and stitching wounds apparently without anaesthetic.

Joyce's criticism comes amid a push in Australia for the adoption of "ag gag" laws, already in practice in the US.

Such laws would make it illegal for activists to film in secret on a farm and then broadcast the images without alerting authorities.

PETA said its decision to collect the footage over several months came from previous experience that a "strong case for authorities" was needed or "officials will be left with their hands tied".

The video clips were reportedly filmed at 19 contractor-run sheep shearing sheds in Australia between October 2013 and February 2014.

"In this instance, PETA US had to show how repetitive and routine the abuse of sheep was, and that it happened as a matter of course in one shearing shed after another," PETA Australia's campaigns director Jason Baker said in a statement to AFP Saturday.

Baker said it "seems disingenuous" Joyce was questioning PETA's methods rather than asking why the shearers were allowed to hurt the sheep.

The group has said it would not reveal where the footage was taken to protect its investigators.

The RSPCA charity is investigating the footage for potential breaches of Australian animal welfare legislation.

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Rise in daily temperature leads to rise in kidney stones: Study

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 11 Juli 2014 | 22.33

LONDON: Climate change - synonymous to rising temperatures and sea water levels has now been found to be doing serious harm to human health.

For the first time, increase in daily temperatures has now been found to rocket the number of patients seeking treatment for kidney stones.

A research team has now found a link between hot days and kidney stones in 60,000 patients in several US cities with varying climates.

"We found that as daily temperatures rise, there is a rapid increase in the probability of patients presenting over the next 20 days with kidney stones," said study leader Gregory E Tasian from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

The study team analyzed medical records of more than 60,000 adults and children with kidney stones between 2005 and 2011 in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, in connection with weather data.

As mean daily temperatures rose above 50 F (10 C), the risk of kidney stone presentation increased in all the cities except Los Angeles.

The delay between high daily temperatures and kidney stone presentation was short, peaking within three days of exposure to hot days.

Tasian said: "Higher temperatures contribute to dehydration, which leads to a higher concentration of calcium and other minerals in the urine that promote the growth of kidney stones."

A painful condition that brings half a million patients a year to US emergency rooms, kidney stones have increased markedly over the world in the past three decades. While stones remain more common in adults, the numbers of children developing kidney stones have climbed at a dramatically high rate over the last 25 years.

The study team also found that very low outdoor temperatures increased the risk of kidney stones in three cities: Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia. The authors suggest that as frigid weather keeps people indoors more, higher indoor temperatures, changes in diet and decreased physical activity may raise their risk of kidney stones.

The researchers argue that the number of hot days in a given year may better predict kidney stone risk than the mean annual temperature. Atlanta and Los Angeles share the same annual temperature (63 F, or 17 C), but Atlanta has far more hot days than Los Angeles, along with nearly twice the prevalence of kidney stones.

The authors note that other scientists have reported that overall global temperatures between 2000 and 2009 were higher than 82% of temperatures over the past 11,300 years. Furthermore, increases in greenhouse gas emissions are projected to raise earth's average temperatures by 2 to 8 F (1 to 4.5 C) by 2100.

"Kidney stone prevalence has already been on the rise over the last 30 years, and we can expect this trend to continue, both in greater numbers and over a broader geographic area, as daily temperatures increase," concluded Tasian adding "With some experts predicting that extreme temperatures will become the norm in 30 years, children will bear the brunt of climate change."

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How climate change affects parasites and disease spread

NEW YORK: Though hosts might expand their geographical range due to global warming, the parasites do not always follow suit, says a study on how climate change affects parasites.

The evidence from this study suggests that perceived fallout from global warming, in terms of the fears of the spread of infectious disease associated with global warming induced range expansions, is not as foregone a conclusion as many may think.

"Invasive species escape parasites for several reasons," said Ryan Hechinger, an associate professor at University of California, Santa Barbara in the US.

"Many parasites do not come with the invader to begin with - they miss the boat," Hechinger added.

Many parasites that accompany their invasive host do not persist because the parasites, many of which live part of their life cycle in different hosts, no longer have access to the environments or other hosts required to complete their life cycle, he added.

And a species that expands its range by moving into an adjoining area may also escape its parasite, the findings showed.

The researchers studied Kellet's whelk, a large marine snail whose historical biogeographical range starts at mid-Baja California waters in the south to Point Conception in the north.

At least for marine parasites such as the ones that live in the Kellet's whelk, the evidence indicates that range expansion for the host does not mean the same for its parasites, the researchers said.

The study appeared in the Journal of Biogeography.


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National Green Tribunal directs CIL, Mahagenco to follow clean coal norms

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 10 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NAGPUR: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked Coal India Limited (CIL), its subsidiary Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), and Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (Mahagenco) to follow the clean coal norms mandated by union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). The ministry had on January 2 banned coal and power utilities from supplying or using coal with over 34% ash content as it poses a threat to environment.

The Pune-based division bench comprising Justice VR Kingaonkar (judicial member) and Ajay Deshpande (expert member) also asked Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to show compliance of the Environmental (Protection) Rules, 1986.

The directives came while hearing an application by Mahadula-based social activist Ratnadeep Rangari alleging violation of MoEF norms banning use of coal with more than 34% ash content.

Earlier, MPCB had filed an affidavit that it had already issued a warning to all power plants to strictly adhere to MoEF notification advocating use of clean coal technology, beneficiation process to reduce pollution and fly-ash generated due to use of inferior quality coal.

Even Mahagenco's affidavit slammed coal utilities for supplying substandard coal and expressed helplessness, since it had no control over quality of coal received from CIL and its subsidiaries, which enjoy monopolistic position. However, NGT posed tough queries to Mahagenco, asking how it could blame coal companies when the quality of coal at loading point is claimed to be well within parameters.

Expectedly, WCL refuted allegations of low quality coal supply and asserted that it was supplying high-quality coal to Mahagenco. It also referred to Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court's order of March 6 by which its earlier order about third party sampling was recalled. The coal utility passed the buck on Mahagenco, stating that as per sample reports the coal quality was well within norms.

During the last hearing, the NGT directed Mahagenco to strictly follow MoEF notification and on Wednesday, it made it clear that as per law, both coal and power utilities have no choice but to adhere to MoEF notification prescribing clean coal technology.

The respondents apprised the NGT of prevailing litigations in Competition Appellate Tribunal and at the high court, in which quality of coal is a major issue and also promised to furnish certain documents. The bench then deferred the hearing till August 5 in view of pending litigations regarding the coal quality.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Western Coalfields Limited,National Green Tribunal,Coal India Limited


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How climate change affects parasites and disease spread

NEW YORK: Though hosts might expand their geographical range due to global warming, the parasites do not always follow suit, says a study on how climate change affects parasites.

The evidence from this study suggests that perceived fallout from global warming, in terms of the fears of the spread of infectious disease associated with global warming induced range expansions, is not as foregone a conclusion as many may think.

"Invasive species escape parasites for several reasons," said Ryan Hechinger, an associate professor at University of California, Santa Barbara in the US.

"Many parasites do not come with the invader to begin with - they miss the boat," Hechinger added.

Many parasites that accompany their invasive host do not persist because the parasites, many of which live part of their life cycle in different hosts, no longer have access to the environments or other hosts required to complete their life cycle, he added.

And a species that expands its range by moving into an adjoining area may also escape its parasite, the findings showed.

The researchers studied Kellet's whelk, a large marine snail whose historical biogeographical range starts at mid-Baja California waters in the south to Point Conception in the north.

At least for marine parasites such as the ones that live in the Kellet's whelk, the evidence indicates that range expansion for the host does not mean the same for its parasites, the researchers said.

The study appeared in the Journal of Biogeography.


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55 species of herpetofauna found in Manas landscape

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 09 Juli 2014 | 22.33

GUWAHATI: At least 55 species of herpetofauna, comprising 20 amphibian species and 35 reptile species, have been recorded in a recent survey conducted in the Greater India-Bhutan Manas landscape.

The India-Bhutan Manas landscape is one the world's single largest protected area landscapes and is known for its diverse assemblage of flora and fauna.

According to a preliminary survey, some species recorded include green tree frog, bubble nest frog, twin spotted tree frog, blue fan-throated lizard, water monitor lizard, king cobra and pope's pit viper, noted herpetologist Abhijeet Das of the Wildlife Trust of India, who led the survey's technical team, said.

The survey was part of a trans-boundary conservation initiative funded and led by the park authorities of Manas National Park, India and Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan.

Most of the herpetofaunal species recorded from Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan are new country records for the neighbouring country with some of the species found being of utmost scientific interest, he said.

Manas National Park in India is found to hold an admixture of Indian, India-Malayan and India-Chinese elements.

Habitat patches at Lotajhar, Doimari inside Manas National Park were found to be particularly rich in forest species whereas grassland-wetland areas such as Kuribeel under Bansbari Range were identified as critical turtle habitat of the park, Das pointed out.

He emphasized on the need for conducting long-term and periodic surveys to have a better understanding of the species richness and ecology, which will eventually contribute to the conservation of this ecologically important group.

Das said that the survey was conducted in a diversity of habitats including semi-evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest and Terai-Bhabar grasslands emphasising critical herpetological microhabitats.

In all, these habitat sites like forest streams, forest under-storey, rocky areas and waterlogged areas in the interior of forest were sampled mostly using visual-encounter search and the survey was carried out both during day and night to study the activity pattern of diurnal and nocturnal species.

The other component of this trans-boundary conservation initiative was to train the frontline staff of the forest department in both the study locations of Manas National Park and Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan so as to inculcate in them the understanding of reptile and amphibian conservation in their respective areas.

The rich diversity of mammals and birds of the park has been well-documented but there is scanty information on reptiles and amphibians of the park and the survey was undertaken to inventorize hitherto unknown diversity of the species.

Das led the technical team which comprised other researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India, Arya Vidyapeeth College, Gauhati University and NGO Aaranyak along with frontline staff of the various anti-poaching camps in the park.

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China, US differ on global plan to cut emissions

BEIJING: China and the United States took small steps toward their shared goal of fighting climate change on Wednesday, but the two sides remain significantly apart over a wider global plan to cut carbon emissions.

China's chief climate official Xie Zhenhua said China should not be subject to the same rules for greenhouse gas emissions as the United States and other rich countries and that Beijing opposes any attempt to impose them on China at next year's world climate conference.

The US special envoy Todd Stern said Washington favors every country deciding what it is capable of doing, instead of being categorized either as a developed country or a developing country in deciding how much a country should contribute to reduce climate change.

Xie and Stern made the remarks as Chinese and American officials — including US Secretary of State John Kerry — are meeting in Beijing for two days of high-level bilateral talks, an annual event that aims to forge a more cooperative relationship between the world's two largest economies.

The difference on the global plan aside, the two countries announced eight joint projects to improve fuel efficiency and other standards on Wednesday.

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Ganga to be developed as major tourist destination and navigation corridor

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 08 Juli 2014 | 22.33

Vishwa Mohan, TNN | Jul 7, 2014, 02.20PM IST

Union tourism and culture minister Shripada Naik said  tourism spots will be developed by government all along the banks of  Ganga  from  Gangotri  to  Gang a  Sagar. 

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NEW DELHI: River Ganga will be developed as major tourist destination and navigation corridor where the tourists from across the world will be able to visit various tourism spots along the river banks from Gangotri to GangaSagar and also enjoy 'Shikara' ride.

Unveiling the plan, Union tourism and culture minister Shripada Naik on Monday said tourism spots will be developed by government all along the banks of Ganga from Gangotri to Gang a Sagar.

Speaking on the occasion of 'Ganga Manthan' (national dialogue on river Ganga) here, Naik said his ministry was also exploring the possibilities of introducing ' Shikaras' on Ganga on the pattern of Kashmir (Srinagar).

Ganga Manthan is being organized at Vigyan Bhawan where Union ministers, MPs, scientists, experts, religious leaders and NGOs are discussing various issues relating to the river pollution and cleaning exercises.

Views and suggestions, expressed by the stakeholders during the session, will be shared with the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) that has been working on a blueprint to develop the river. This group is expected to submit its plan by mid-July.

Speaking on the occasion, Union road transport and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari proposed to conduct dredging to provide a width of 45 meters and five meters draft (depth) to enable navigation of small ships between Varanasi and Hoogly on river Ganga in the first stage of its development .

He said barrages were proposed to be constructed at every 100 Kms on the river. His ministry has sent a proposal in this regard to World Bank for the development of Allahabad-Haldia corridor.

Union minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation U ma Bharti said, ""W e will work with full sincerely on the outcome of this dialogue. We have had series of discussions with various stakeholders on the issue and will soon arrive on some positive outcome".

The day long dialogue, being organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga, is being attended by large number of delegates from different part s of the country and abroad.

The dialogue have four different sessions on " Ganga & Sanskriti " (for Spiritual Leader s ), "Public Participation for Ganga " (for Public Representatives & Administrators) , " Aviral & Nirmal Ganga " (for NGOs & Environmentalists) and "Comprehensive & Sustainable Solutions" (for Academicians & Technocrats).

Article continues
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Malls are energy guzzlers, says R K Pachauri

NEW DELHI:Terming shopping malls as "energy guzzlers", noted environmentalist R K Pachauri on Monday said they are not suited to the Indian environment.

"I have never been to a shopping mall in this country. Whenever I need something, I go to a shop that I know," Pachauri, director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), said at an event here.

Buildings contribute to green house gas emissions and they should be made more efficient, said Pachauri, who is also chairperson of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Meanwhile, TERI and the US Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate development of high performance buildings in India and Southeast Asia.

The largest expansion of buildings is happening in the emerging economies. Most of the buildings projected to be standing in 2030 in India are yet to be built, Pachauri said.

"Whatever we construct, if we get it right we will be saved from energy inefficiency. We don't want to go on a path that will lock us into energy inefficiency, which would be unsustainable in the long run," he added.

TERI's GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) and USGBC's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) have partnered to promote the best of global and Indian practices to ensure efficiency of design, construction and operation of high performance buildings, a statement said.

For new buildings, GRIHA projects will have the opportunity to earn LEED certification and LEED buildings will have the opportunity to earn GRIHA certification.

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Delhi's satellite towns witness increase in air pollution

Written By Unknown on Senin, 07 Juli 2014 | 22.33

NEW DELHI: Delhi's air pollution measures like introducing compressed natural gas, building the Metro and moving polluting industries outside city limits have been praised universally. But evidence has now emerged that, since these interventions, areas bordering the city have been experiencing very poor air quality.

As polluting industries, built-up area and population over there rises, satellite towns of Delhi may be silently bearing the brunt of the resulting increase in air pollution.

A study of satellite-based aerosol optical depth data by scientists at division of environmental health in department of public health sciences at University of Miami and Nasa has found that Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad borders saw a significant deterioration in air quality after 2002.

AOD—the degree to which aerosols (airborne solid and liquid particles) prevent transmission of light in an area—is also considered an indirect proxy for air quality. Naresh Kumar, associate professor at University of Miami, who has authored the study, has correlated land use change in Delhi and surrounding areas between 2000 and 2004 with rate of increase in AOD.

Overall, AOD in the study area was 6-7 times higher than many less polluted areas of United States. Areas outside Delhi experienced 1.7% higher increase in AOD between 2000 and 2004 as compared to parts of central Delhi. "After the interventions, rate of increase of AOD increased rapidly with increase in distance from the city centre," the study found. Rise in AOD was about 2.5% within 10km from the city centre while areas more than 50km away from the city recorded a 6.5% increase in AOD, suggesting a jump in aerosol loading from anthropogenic sources.

Unlike Delhi, there has been no intervention in the bordering areas to deal with air pollution. Most of these places don't even have air quality monitoring stations.

The air pollution interventions in Delhi led to registration of 1,00,000 CNG vehicles. More than 25,000 industries that were previously in Delhi—in three industrial areas—have relocated to peripheral areas..

There was also a massive increase in population here. Districts bordering Delhi experienced 1.5-3 times higher population growth than Delhi between 2001 and 2011. Population growth in Gurgaon was 73% as compared to 20% in Delhi. This had a trickledown effect in peripheral areas.

Add to this the effects of increase in built-up area and deforestation.

"Our study suggests an intensifying burden of air pollution with increase in distance from the city centre—especially in eastern, southern and southwest parts of Delhi," says the study. "This calls for policy makers' attention to checking the unabated increase in air pollution in areas outside Delhi. An important lesson we learn from this research is that the lack of uniform policy interventions is likely to result in disproportionate distribution of emission sources and hence air pollution."

Experts have raised these concerns earlier. Environmentalists in Delhi have been demanding all NCR be treated as a single air-shed so that there is uniform impact of the government's air pollution interventions.

Kumar feels "there is an urgent need to quantify the burden of morbidity and mortality associated with air pollution, and develop effective air quality management strategies to combat air pollution in the world's most polluted city. PM2.5 concentration in and around Delhi is 6 to 12 times higher than WHO standards, depending on location".

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River Ganga to be developed as major tourist destination and navigation corridor

NEW DELHI: River Ganga will be developed as major tourist destination and navigation corridor where the tourists from across the world will be able to visit various tourism spots along the river banks from Gangotri to GangaSagar and also enjoy 'Shikara' ride.

Unveiling the plan, Union tourism and culture minister Shripada Naik on Monday said tourism spots will be developed by government all along the banks of Ganga from Gangotri to Gang a Sagar.

Speaking on the occasion of 'Ganga Manthan' (national dialogue on river Ganga) here, Naik said his ministry was also exploring the possibilities of introducing ' Shikaras' on Ganga on the pattern of Kashmir (Srinagar).

Ganga Manthan is being organized at Vigyan Bhawan where Union ministers, MPs, scientists, experts, religious leaders and NGOs are discussing various issues relating to the river pollution and cleaning exercises.

Views and suggestions, expressed by the stakeholders during the session, will be shared with the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) that has been working on a blueprint to develop the river. This group is expected to submit its plan by mid-July.

Speaking on the occasion, Union road transport and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari proposed to conduct dredging to provide a width of 45 meters and five meters draft (depth) to enable navigation of small ships between Varanasi and Hoogly on river Ganga in the first stage of its development .

He said barrages were proposed to be constructed at every 100 Kms on the river. His ministry has sent a proposal in this regard to World Bank for the development of Allahabad-Haldia corridor.

Union minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation U ma Bharti said, ""W e will work with full sincerely on the outcome of this dialogue. We have had series of discussions with various stakeholders on the issue and will soon arrive on some positive outcome".

The day long dialogue, being organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga, is being attended by large number of delegates from different part s of the country and abroad.

The dialogue have four different sessions on " Ganga & Sanskriti " (for Spiritual Leader s ), "Public Participation for Ganga " (for Public Representatives & Administrators) , " Aviral & Nirmal Ganga " (for NGOs & Environmentalists) and "Comprehensive & Sustainable Solutions" (for Academicians & Technocrats).

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