INDONESIA
Forest fires raging in various parts of Indonesia have led to the country's air pollution reaching hazardous level. The smog has spread to parts of neighboring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The
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Leap of joy
Dolphin sanctuary at Satpada
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GALAPAGOS SEA
Slaughter goats to save the exotic Galapagos tortoises, says Julian Fitter, chairperson of the newly constituted Galapagos Conservation Trust. The cluster of islands in the Galapagos
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Kochi set to have India's first marina
LIFESTYLE: It will house around 50 yachts and will be the world's only marina with a golf course. Ever wondered where Vijay Mallya, the proud owner of three luxury yachts, docks his boats? Not in India, for sure, as India does not yet have a marina for private yachts. But he may soon reconsider. The foundation stone for the country's first full-fledged marina, to house around 50 yachts, was laid at Bolgatty Island in Kochi on March 1 by Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan. It will also be the world's only marina with a golf course. Next in line seems to be the Mumbai-Goa coastline, which is 7,500 km long. Indian millionaires are fast buying luxury yachts. Sujay Chouhan, co-organiser of the recent Mumbai Boat Show says, "The market for boats and luxury yachts is just about taking off in India, and besides Kochi, we also expect Mumbai-Goa coastlines to get a marina each from the government soon.' The marina in Kochi would be spread over five acres and is expected to give a huge boost to tourism in the state because it will be a stopover for all yachts that sail from West Asia to the Far East and vice versa. The eco-friendly marina, between Kochi Marine Drive and Bolgatty Island, will accommodate close to 50 luxury yachts, and provide docking, storage, maintenance and other facilities for boats. The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) plans to develop the marina in two stages, with the first phase to be completed in less than 18 months at a cost Rs 8 crore, of which the central government has sanctioned Rs 4 crore. KTDC has appointed Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO) as the consultant for the project. Gulu Lalvani, founder and chairman of Binatone Telecom Group, believes that the Indian coastline could soon have a world-class luxury marina, complete with villas overlooking the bay, luxury condos that would have their own yacht moorings, that too right in Mumbai. Lalvani, who is the developer of Royal Phuket Marina in Thailand, has ambitious plans for India. "At around $250 million investment, I can re-create Royal Phuket Marina's Aquaminium concept, which are condominiums featuring private boat-berths within the residence itself. The property comprises three buildings and offers investors varying unit types including triplex and duplex penthouses, and two and three bedroom condominiums, and offers one of the world's most unique investment opportunities.' He is obviously looking to woo the likes of Vijay Mallya and Gautam Singhania. "Yachting can bring high spending individuals to Indian coasts and port areas,' he enthuses. According to Lalvani, it could take up to three years to develop a new marina, as regulatory approvals from environmentalists, developers and government bodies have to be obtained before developing a marina. "We expect eight projects to develop marinas along the Indian coasts, which will serve as a very integral part of the infrastructure for cities along a coast. A marina can allow more ferry services for increasing water transport. Indians can be exposed to a new lifestyle,' Chouhan notes. With almost 200 boats and about 50 yachts owned by people in Mumbai and Goa, a marina seems to be a timely construction.
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Spain parched
Spain is facing the longest ever dry patch this century. The drought spells disaster for crops. Although the Agrarian Young Farmers Association pegs drought losses at us $2.34 billion, Greenpeace
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Charawa village to be developed as tourist village: Dilawar
Says area under orchards increases to 97000 hectares, about 4000 hectares of additional land in Jammu division is being brought under fruit plantation under technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture during the current financial year raising the total area under horticulture to 97000 hectares. For this purpose, about 5 lakh fruit plants are being supplied to the farmers on subsidized rates. These fruit plants varieties include apple, pears, peach, apricot, walnut, citrous, peacun-nut and olive plants. This was stated by the Minister for Horticulture and PHE Mohammad Dilawar Mir while addressing a gathering of tribal Bakarwals in Charawa village near historic Mansar lake today. The Minister announced that 50 hectares of land in Majalta block will be brought under next year for which about 1250 plants would be distributed among the farmers. He also announced 5 water storage tanks in block Majalta for providing irrigation facilities to the orchardists. He also sanctioned a water reservoir in Charawa village for storage of drinking water. The Minister said that the government have launched an ambitious programme under technology mission to train farmers about latest horticulture technology. He said village women and schoolgirls are being imparted training in fruit and vegetable preservation under technology mission. The Minister said that village Charawa is proposed to be developed as model tourist village under rural tourism development programme to showcase tribal life style, rural cultures and their village life. He said necessary infrastructure in this connection would be developed in the village to make it attracting for domestic and foreign tourists. He said nomadic life style of Bakarwals in Majalta block provide them with perfect skills to become mountain trekking guides for tourists adding that this manpower potential would be exploited optimally to upgrade living standard of the people in the area. Earlier, The Minister inspected renovation works in the famous water body of Mansar lake and directed the concerned officers to make this picnic spot more attractive for tourists. He called for keeping the water body neat and pollution free. ASP asks central govt to frame farmer friendly
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Report of the high level working group on Western Ghats (Kasturirangan Western Ghats Report)
<p>Environment ministry accepts this crucial report on Western Ghats prepared by K Kasturirangan-led 10-member high-level working group and decides to declare the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) over 37% of the Western Ghats under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Download, read this report along with related documents, studies and more...</p>
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Koalas in danger
AUSTRALIA is losing its koala bears, says the Australian Koala Foundation, a conservation group. "If nothing is done, there will not be any koalas in 30 years time," warns Deborah Tabart,
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Peace isn't elusive
Kashmir s economy is nothing but a sensitive and organised use of its ecology. After 15 years of living under the shadow of the gun, finally, when hope is making a comeback in the state, Kashmir will have to turn to its immense environmental resources to
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Call to arms
INTERPOL, the international police body, has declared war against perpetrators of "crime against children". For the first time it has included the issues of child pornography, sex tourism,
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Breaking the rules
Amendments to the Coastal Regulation Zone
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THAILAND
The coral reefs off the coast of Thailand may yet be saved because of joint action by conservationists and villagers. A case in point is the village of Sikao in Trang province of
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FOLLOW UP
Highly-polluting, diesel-operated three-wheelers, popularly known as Vikrams, will be banished from the roads of Kathmandu from mid-September. The decision was announced recently by minister of
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India State of the Environment Report : The Monthly Overview, September 2013
The Kerala government has decided to appeal against two national green tribunal orders that said that the government should take note and adhere to the recommendations of the Western Ghats Expert Ecology Panel (WGEEP) report while approving private and commercial development in eco-sensitive zones. Read more in this September 2013 edition of the Monthly India State of the Environment Report published by the South Asia Environment Portal. Read and Share.
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Floats for green Goa
The government has planned to paint the popular Goa Carnaval green to assuage popular ire against the Rs 600 crore Thapar-DuPont Nylon 6,6 project. "Environment protection" will be the theme in the
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Pesticides: Rlys meets standards
Private companies are gearing up to face the challenge of pesticides in their products, but a public sector unit (PSU) has already left them behind in the race. Indian Railways claims that its
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Botswana's Bushmen to return to Kalahari Game Reserve
Botswana's autochthonous Bushmen (or the San people) have won legal rights to return to their ancestral homeland in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, after the High Court of Botswana ruled against
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Present imperfect
FLY BY GOA - THE CHANGING SHORES . P V Sathe . 30 Minutes . August . 2002 . Price: Rs 500 This gripping film captures the changes that have taken place in Goa in the last 30 years in just 30
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A junkyard in the sky
An average trekker uses as much firewood in a day as an average Nepali family would in a week.
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NET WORK
Dig deep Despite all the developments in technology that we have witnessed so far, the past still interests us. It is, after all, responsible for the rich sense of history that we all possess and