An educational campus, owned by Bahujan Samaj Party general secretary Akhilesh Das has been charged with polluting the Gomti river, where thousands o fish have died due to discharge of hazardous effluents from it, officials said tuesday.
Situated on the outskirts of the state capital, the campus has two engineering colleges
, a dental college and a management school named after Das's father, late Banarsi Das, a former chief minister of the state. Das is considered close to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati. While the institution has erected a huge Ganesh Temple at its entrance, which allegedly encroaches upon the Lucknow-Faizabad highway, effluents from the campus were draining into the Gomti river which flows behind the campus. The case of polluting the river by the institution was raised at a meeting of the state environment department here Monday, following which the authorities concerned issued a show-cause notice. "While going into reports about large scale death of fish in the Gomti river, the pollution control
board officials discovered that the discharge from Banarsi Das group of institutions was largely responsible for causing pollution, so we had to initiate necessary measures," principal secretary (environment) Alok Ranjan said on Tuesday. "The institution authorities have been given 15 days' time to submit their plan to put up an effluent treatment plant, failing which we would have no option but to initiate prosecution proceedings," he added.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Cooking fires weakening Indian monsoon, says expert
Soot from the wood-based cooking fires used by 70% of Indians is forming a cloud of pollutants that is impeding the monsoon winds, according to a senior scientist.
The Asian Brown Cloud, as the blanket of pollutants over South Asia and the Tibetan plateau is called, is not only weakening the monsoon but is responsible for half the warming observed in the Himalayas, Syed Iqbal Hasnain, senior fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute, said here Monday evening. He was delivering a talk organised by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation on the melting of Himalayan glaciers due to climate change. Scientists fear the melting will lead to water scarcity in the north and south of the Himalayas, affecting well over a billion people. "With 70% of the Indian population using biomass for cooking, the Asian Brown Cloud covers the entire sub-continent at a height of around 3,000 feet," said Hasnain, a former vice chancellor of Kozhikode University and formerly from New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. The effect of this cloud gets worse in the cold atmosphere of the Himalayas where the soot gathers and impedes wind, he explained. Apart from the weak monsoon that is causing consternation in India now, the cloud also held up the westerly winds in winter. "There was not much of a winter in Kashmir this year," Hasnain pointed out. "And hardly any winter snow." It had a bad effect on horticulture. Scientists have measured the average temperature in the Himalayas had risen by 1.2 degrees Celsius in the last 100-odd years. Hasnain said 0.6 degrees of this was due to increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide -- the commonly known villain in global warming -- and the other 0.6 degrees is due to black carbon (BC), as the soot is called by scientists. Hasnain said the effect of BC in reducing monsoon rainfall had also been shown by a recent study carried out by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. "We have measured BC up on the East Rathong glacier in Sikkim. The concentration is three times as should be." He explained that BC is reducing albido -- the ability of snow to reflect heat -- and thus accelerating melting of the glaciers. East Rathong glacier has reduced in area from 7.125 sq km in 1962 to 0.46 sq km in 2009, a loss of 93 percent. Another glacier Hasnain has been studying -- Kolahai in Kashmir -- has receded 10 metres per year since 1965. "The smaller glaciers, those below 10 square kilometres, are disappearing much faster than the big ones like the Gangotri glacier," Hasnain said. "And these small glaciers are the majority among the 15,000-odd glaciers in the Himalayas." He rued that hydroelectric projects being planned in the lower slopes of the Himalayas were not taking glacier melt into account. "When these glaciers start melting, they form lakes, and there is a serious danger of these lakes bursting, which will bring huge amounts of silt, rocks and dirt to choke the dams being built downstream."
The Asian Brown Cloud, as the blanket of pollutants over South Asia and the Tibetan plateau is called, is not only weakening the monsoon but is responsible for half the warming observed in the Himalayas, Syed Iqbal Hasnain, senior fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute, said here Monday evening. He was delivering a talk organised by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation on the melting of Himalayan glaciers due to climate change. Scientists fear the melting will lead to water scarcity in the north and south of the Himalayas, affecting well over a billion people. "With 70% of the Indian population using biomass for cooking, the Asian Brown Cloud covers the entire sub-continent at a height of around 3,000 feet," said Hasnain, a former vice chancellor of Kozhikode University and formerly from New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. The effect of this cloud gets worse in the cold atmosphere of the Himalayas where the soot gathers and impedes wind, he explained. Apart from the weak monsoon that is causing consternation in India now, the cloud also held up the westerly winds in winter. "There was not much of a winter in Kashmir this year," Hasnain pointed out. "And hardly any winter snow." It had a bad effect on horticulture. Scientists have measured the average temperature in the Himalayas had risen by 1.2 degrees Celsius in the last 100-odd years. Hasnain said 0.6 degrees of this was due to increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide -- the commonly known villain in global warming -- and the other 0.6 degrees is due to black carbon (BC), as the soot is called by scientists. Hasnain said the effect of BC in reducing monsoon rainfall had also been shown by a recent study carried out by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. "We have measured BC up on the East Rathong glacier in Sikkim. The concentration is three times as should be." He explained that BC is reducing albido -- the ability of snow to reflect heat -- and thus accelerating melting of the glaciers. East Rathong glacier has reduced in area from 7.125 sq km in 1962 to 0.46 sq km in 2009, a loss of 93 percent. Another glacier Hasnain has been studying -- Kolahai in Kashmir -- has receded 10 metres per year since 1965. "The smaller glaciers, those below 10 square kilometres, are disappearing much faster than the big ones like the Gangotri glacier," Hasnain said. "And these small glaciers are the majority among the 15,000-odd glaciers in the Himalayas." He rued that hydroelectric projects being planned in the lower slopes of the Himalayas were not taking glacier melt into account. "When these glaciers start melting, they form lakes, and there is a serious danger of these lakes bursting, which will bring huge amounts of silt, rocks and dirt to choke the dams being built downstream."
Mystery mechanism drove global warming 55m years ago
A runaway spurt of global warming 55 million years ago turned Earth into a hothouse but how this happened remains worryingly unclear,
Previous research into this period, called the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, estimates the planet's surface temperature blasted upwards by between five and nine degrees Celsius in just a few thousand years. The Arctic Ocean warmed to 23 C, or about the temperature of a lukewarm bath. How PETM happened is unclear but climatologists are eager to find out, as this could shed light on aspects of global warming. What seems clear is that a huge amount of heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases -- natural, as opposed to man-made -- were disgorged in a very short time. The theorised sources include volcanic activity and the sudden release of methane hydrates in the ocean. Even though there are big differences between Earth's geology and ice cover then and now, the findings are relevant as they highlight the risk of hidden mechanisms that add dramatically to warming, says the paper. After the big warm-up, the planet eventually cooled around 100,000 years later, but not before there had been a mass extinction, paving the way to the biodiversity that is familiar to us today.
Previous research into this period, called the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, estimates the planet's surface temperature blasted upwards by between five and nine degrees Celsius in just a few thousand years. The Arctic Ocean warmed to 23 C, or about the temperature of a lukewarm bath. How PETM happened is unclear but climatologists are eager to find out, as this could shed light on aspects of global warming. What seems clear is that a huge amount of heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases -- natural, as opposed to man-made -- were disgorged in a very short time. The theorised sources include volcanic activity and the sudden release of methane hydrates in the ocean. Even though there are big differences between Earth's geology and ice cover then and now, the findings are relevant as they highlight the risk of hidden mechanisms that add dramatically to warming, says the paper. After the big warm-up, the planet eventually cooled around 100,000 years later, but not before there had been a mass extinction, paving the way to the biodiversity that is familiar to us today.
Nine elephant poaching cases reported in three years
Nine cases of elephant poaching have been reported in the last three years in Kerala, according to state forest minister Binoy Viswam.
In all, 23 persons were arrested and seven others had surrendered in connection with these case, Viswam informed the state assembly in a written reply. Steps to check poaching and ensure safe movement of jumbos in the four elephant reserves in the state had been taken. They included creation of elephant passages, protection of water sources and building of check dams in forests to ensure availability of water for the animals, the minister said. A recent bird survey across the state had put 31 avian species as endangered, he said. During the survey, some new varieties of birds, which were not found earlier in forests and other avian environs in the state, had been sighted. They included 'lesser fishing eagle', 'large hawk cockoo', 'broad billed rovers' and 'forest eagle owl', Viswam said.
In all, 23 persons were arrested and seven others had surrendered in connection with these case, Viswam informed the state assembly in a written reply. Steps to check poaching and ensure safe movement of jumbos in the four elephant reserves in the state had been taken. They included creation of elephant passages, protection of water sources and building of check dams in forests to ensure availability of water for the animals, the minister said. A recent bird survey across the state had put 31 avian species as endangered, he said. During the survey, some new varieties of birds, which were not found earlier in forests and other avian environs in the state, had been sighted. They included 'lesser fishing eagle', 'large hawk cockoo', 'broad billed rovers' and 'forest eagle owl', Viswam said.
Green India Movement
As the modern world is developing very fast, there is a gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth's surface and hence causing the Global warming. Most of this warming has been caused by human activities, growing industries etc. That's to say we have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through a buildup of greenhouse gases like primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
Impact: Rising global temperatures will cause sea level to rise and alter local climate conditions, affecting forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It may also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems. Deserts may expand and some of our countryside may be permanently altered.
This is an initiative to make India Green through different ways like by Promoting use of Renewable energy, Energy saving, providing Education for using renewable energy and helping India to Go Green !!!
Apeal to The Citizens
Act today !!!
Start reducing your carbon footprint by reducing your carbon emissions.
Buy Green products
Use Energy saving products
Use and Promote Renewable Energy products
Promote and help us to expand
Help us to reach every citizen
Manufacturers & Dealers
Green India Movement, invites all the manufacturers, dealers and distributers to actively participate in this movement.
By showcasing your Green products
By selling or leasing your Products
Help us to make India Green
Impact: Rising global temperatures will cause sea level to rise and alter local climate conditions, affecting forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It may also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems. Deserts may expand and some of our countryside may be permanently altered.
This is an initiative to make India Green through different ways like by Promoting use of Renewable energy, Energy saving, providing Education for using renewable energy and helping India to Go Green !!!
Apeal to The Citizens
Act today !!!
Start reducing your carbon footprint by reducing your carbon emissions.
Buy Green products
Use Energy saving products
Use and Promote Renewable Energy products
Promote and help us to expand
Help us to reach every citizen
Manufacturers & Dealers
Green India Movement, invites all the manufacturers, dealers and distributers to actively participate in this movement.
By showcasing your Green products
By selling or leasing your Products
Help us to make India Green
Green Movements
Eco India talks about the several severe problems facing the country. It has mainly focussed on the movements that have gained the enormous fame throughout the world's environmentalist circle. It covers the role of the common masses and the prominent leaders involved in the movemnts such as the Chipko Movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Project Tiger Scheme, Tiger Task Force and many more.
Project Tiger Scheme
Project Tiger concieved in, 1973, was the attempt made to put an end to the continuously declining population of teh tigers. It is considered as the most powerful and most ambitious conservation projects in the world for the protection of the tigers. more...
Ridley Turtle Orissa
Olive Turtle is one of the seven species of the sea turtle found all over world and has been declared as endangered by IUCN. They are the migratory creatures that nests on the sandy beaches close to the bay or estuaries.more...
Chipko Movement
Chipko Movement, started in 1970's, was a non violent movement aimed at protection and conservation of trees and forests from being destroyed. It was based on the Gandhian philosophy of peaceful resistance to achieve the goals. more...
Narmada Bachao Andolan
Narmada Bachao Andolan is the most powerful mass movement, started in 1985, against the construction of huge dam on the Narmada river. Led by one of the prominent leader Medha Patkar, it has now been turned into the International protest. more...
Waterman of Rajasthan
Rajendra Singh, waterman of Rajasthan isengaged in conservation of water sources in Rajasthan, is a winner of 2001 Ramon Magsaysay Award For Community leadership. The work done by the Rajendra Singh is a inspiration for the million others in the nation.more...
Panchgani
Tucked amidst the five hills, Panchgani is the best of eco holidays destinations in India. Panchgani derives its name from the five hills that surrounds it. 'Panch' means five and 'gani' means settlement. It is also popularly known as the 'Mecca of Maharashtra'. more...
Rainwater Harvesting
The Rainwater harvesting is the simple collection or storing of water through scientific techniques from the areas where the rain falls. The Rainwater harvesting is the simple collection or storing of water through scientific techniques from the areas where the rain falls. more...
Tiger Task Force
In 2005, following the open exposure by the media on the sudden disappearance of the tigers from the Sariska Wildlife Reserve, The Prime Minister of India set up the Tiger Task Force to strengthen the conservation of Tigers in the country.more...
Golden Langur Conservation
Golden langur is a kind of primate which is only confined to the foothills of Himalayas and jungles of the North East India. These are enlisted in the endangered species category due to the illegal activities of human beings.more...
Marine Turtle
Marine turtles, also known as the Fossil turtles, are regarded as one of the endangered aquatic species. India has five types of marine turtles among the seven species found in entire world. They are on the verge of extinction due to the attacks of natural predators like sharks and also because they are used in food industry. Indian government is protecting them under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).more...
PETA In India
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, is the sister concern of the global PETA organization. This NGO was launched in India in the year 2000. It is the largest organization in India which fights for the protection and welfare of animals in India. Many Indian celebrities are also engaged in protecting the lives of poor animals through this organization. more...
Primates of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh, the largest North eastern state is famous for housing eight species of non- human primates. These are Slow Loris, Stump-tailed Macaque , Snub-nosed Monkey and Hoolock or White-browed Gibbon. These are under constant threat due to poaching and deforestation, 'jhum' (burning and shifting) cultivation and several other reasons. more...
Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH)
Global access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene education can reduce illness and death from disease, leading to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development. However, many countries are challenged to provide these basic necessities to their populations, leaving people at risk for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)-related diseases. CDC programs such as the Safe Water System can empower communities to improve their water by using household treatment options.
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