Reply by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in compliance to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order dated January 21, 2024 in the matter of ‘News item titled “Feeling anxious? Toxic air could be to blame” appearing in Times of India dated 10.10.2023’. NGT had directed CPCB to file a …
About 150 million tonnes of forestry waste and 350 million tonnes of agricultural residue are produced in India every year. However, a major portion of the wastes is not utilised. Scientists in India have devised pyrolysis method to convert biomass into charcoal briquettes that could benefit users and generate employment …
The Centre of Science for Villages (CSV), Wardha, Maharashtra, has developed a microbiogas plant with a battery of 300 litres clay jars, which is known as Ranjan biogas plant. The biogas plant is a large clay pot churned on the potter's wheel that is utilised for storing water during summers. …
Engineers at the University of Calcutta have found that flyash is an excellent catalyst for treating toxic and non-biodegradable chemicals in effluents from the pesticide industry. The results are based on the fact that flyash is nothing but a mixture of oxides. Almost half of its contents are silica or …
International Development Enterprises, an international non-profit organisation, has developed a small-scale irrigation system for small and marginal farmers in developing countries, where irrigation facilities are not assured. The pedal pump, named Krishak Bandhu , is one such product. Being low-cost, efficient, and environmentally-sustainable, it is appropriate for small farmers. Right …
a solar-powered pump has been developed in the uk which is simple and economical. The pump's solar panel captures the Sunlight that can provide sufficient energy to pump up to 4546 litres of water a day under average tropical conditions from depths of up to eight metres, according to a …
an improved biogas system has recently been developed by a Haryana-based non-governmental organisation. Compared with existing systems that produce inflammable methane by fermenting biological waste, this new system from the Social Centre for Rural Initiative and Advancement ( scria ) in Khori village, Haryana, is less expensive and can be …
Researchers at Leicester University, UK, have developed a method to produce clean water using chemicals. This method would be helpful in areas where polluted river water poses serious health risks. Chemicals such as aluminium sulphate will effectively coagulate minute pollutants like sewage, allowing easy cleaning of water. But these chemicals …
A low-cost technique could help convert more than 50 per cent of solar energy into mechanical and electrical energy. Naren Sheth, a Mumbai-based businessperson, has recently developed a solar collector with the help of technologies and skills available in rural India. The device can concentrate nearly 1,200 watts from solar …
Researchers at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, have developed a fuel-efficient bio-mass gas stove. The bio-gas could be produced from animal and crop wastes, and used for domestic and agricultural purposes including irrigation. Bio-mass gasifiers covert agro-wastes into clean and combustible gas called "producer gas', which could be …
in a bid to boost rural development, engineers in Jaipur have developed a software that would help parched villagers by assisting them predict water supplies. It would also help in proper management of water. The software, called SimTanka , simulates the performance of rainwater harvesting systems with covered water storage …
Rural Electrification Corpo-ration Ltd (REC), a government of India enterprise, will soon introduce an improved system for power supply in the rural areas. The system, called Si-Spa, will ensure voltage regulation, reliability in power supply and reduction in power losses at different levels, an REC spokesperson said. The system, costing …
rural India provides ideal conditions for tapping various forms of renewable energy such as biogas, solar and wind energy. Biomass gasification is yet to be exploited for rural areas. Now, a new technique for generating electricity from ipomoea (creeping plants) has been developed by Development Alternatives, a ngo based in …
for years engineers and agriculturists have been trying to modify traditional tools for farmers to increase agricultural production. Now, an improved tool, the Herrandina plough, has been developed at Cusco in the Andes in southern Peru which is far superior than the traditional wooden plough ( Leisa , Vol 13, …
A new technology has been deve loped at the Forest Research Institute (fri), Dehra Dun, for rapid mass propagation of bamboos through macro-proliferation. According to the findings of Adarsh Kumar, a senior FRI scientist, the new technology involves the use of locally available materials. The produce is small in size …
According to the International Centre for Application of Solar Energy (CASE), the most economical energy system to meet rural energy needs is hybrid energy consisting of solar power, wind power and diesel. Five centres in India, four in Thailand and two in Malaysia have been identified by CASE to set …
A low-cost water quality monitoring kit has been developed by Technology and Action for Rural Advancement. This kit can test 14 parameters including temperature, chlorides, fluorides, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, residual chlorine, iron and hardness. A unique feature of this kit is that the bacteria test can be performed easily …
a low-cost cooling chamber that increases the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables has been developed by Susanta K Roy and his team at the Division of Fruits and Horticulture Technology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi ( Science Reporter , Vol 34, No 6). Even though …
TECHNOLOGY and Action for Rural Advancement, tara , which is a part of Development Alternatives, an ngo in New Delhi, is manufacturing products using biomass and other local raw materials like paper and building materials ( Development Alternatives , Vol 7, No 3). The power plant converts renewable biomass fuels …
Researchers in Gujarat have harnessed the energy of bullocks to generate electricity for 24 villages in Vadodara district. Under this innovative method, four bullocks are yoked on to a shaft, which rotates as they move around it. The shaft is connected to a gear-box which turns underground shafts, overground freewheels …
