In 2023, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded a total of 399 disasters related to natural hazards. These events resulted in 86,473 fatalities and affected 93.1 million people. The economic losses amounted to US$202.7 billion. The 2023 earthquake in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic was the most catastrophic event …
Livestock production has become a major envioronmental management challenge. When its full commodity chain is included, the sector contributes to global warming, causes stress on land by grazing, increases demand for water for feed crop production and leads to water pollution by animal waste and chemicals 80 per cent of …
function map() { var popurl="image/20061231/25-map.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=550,height=600,scrollbars=yes") } Cripple effect Moradabad district in western Uttar Pradesh (up) holds a dubious distinction: this year it has registered the highest number of polio cases of any district in the country. When this magazine went to press, officials there were gearing up for a …
public sector banks have long been chastised as the black sheep of the financial sector. But while a lot of experts might deride these institutions for their non-performing assets and lower productivity, at the end of the day, public sector banks have far happier customers compared to their counterparts in …
In October 2006, the World Health Organisation (who) released new guidelines challenging governments around the world to improve air quality in their cities. The recommended limits of pm10, ozone and sulphur dioxide have been substantial lowered. The prescribed standards are far tougher than the those in vogue in many parts …
the European Commission (ec) will adopt Euro 6 stage of emission norms, along with the existing Euro 5 norms. It, however, trails behind leading nations in reducing nitrogen oxide (nox) emissions from diesel cars. The Euro 6, according to ec , would significantly lower nox emissions. ec has considered a …
Little headway was made at the un climate change conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 6 to 17, 2006. The most important issue, mandating commitments to cutting carbon emissions, was stonewalled, with the us refusing to budge from its stated positions, as expected, and the European Union pushing for …
• The global potential for renewable energy is 20,000 times than that of the daily consumption of atomic and fossil energy. In 2005, non-hydro renewables generated only 2 per cent of world's net generation of 4.06 trillion kilowatt-hour (kwh) • At present, there are two principle methods employed by governments …
Energy Australia (ea), electricity and gas supplier to over 1.4 million families in Australia, brought out in late October that people spend more time in showers, which adds to their annual power bill by almost Australian $100. Their research found that 4.21 minutes is the average time for each shower. …
India has toppled the us to become the second largest producer of cotton, after China, states the cotton fiscal of 2006-2007. Statistics also show that by October-end, the annual cotton farmers' suicide-mark has crossed 1,000. But the why behind suicides
This paper has threefold objectives: (a) to discuss the background and the need for a health insurance scheme; (b) to examine the different health insurance schemes including Community Based Universal Health Insurance Scheme (CBUHIS) and the most recent one proposed by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector …
PRIME agricultural land in the fertile terai of Uttaranchal is being acquired to set up industrial estates in the districts of Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Haridwar. Mining and topsoil quarrying are compounding the problem of agricultural retreat in the terai and the hills. Following its new industrial policy of …
Roughshod riding SEZs will trample on farmers' rights A farmer in Cheete Kalan village in Amritsar, Harjeet Singh Hundal, has big plans. For the past year, he has been using organic manure on his fertile and irrigated agricultural land and he can't stop talking about it. function table() { var …
But the farmers are not the only ones who have been protesting against these special zones. An unlikely but forceful voice has been that of the ministry of finance. Though the commerce and finance ministries had drawn swords over the issue of whether sezs will result in a revenue loss …
The internal structure of sezs and their relations with the world outside are equally controversial. Environment and labour standards followed inside sezs are suspect all around the world. Chinese sezs are particularly notorious for their lax labour and environmental standards. The sez Act has in its own way tried to …
• International finacial institutions (IFIs) are powerful. IFIs get into contractual agreements with borrowing governments and, in turn, the citizens of these countries are bound by the terms of these agreements. But citizens have virtually no say in the negotiations
function table() { var popurl="image/20061115/13-table.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=550,height=200,scrollbars=yes") } villagers and townsfolk of Lalkuan, Bindukhatta, Pantnagar, Kichha, Bazpur and Kashipur in Uttaranchal's terai belt are beset by water and air pollution. The districts of Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Hardwar have a number of red-category (most polluting) paper and pulp units and …
POLLUTING industrial units in Cuncolim Industrial Estate, located about 10 km from Madgaon town in Goa, are beginning to feel the heat. On September 11, 2006, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (gspcb) issued closure notices to three units. Less than a month later, on October 6, it issued closure …
From an activity that was primarily confined to Asia, aquaculture is developing, expanding and intensifying worldwide, except in sub-Saharan Africa. This is evident as nearly half the fish consumed as food worldwide are raised on fish farms rather than caught in the wild, says a new report by UN's Food …
scientists claim to have solved the mystery of links between El Nino and monsoons in India, a development that can lead to more accurate weather forecasts. This was published online in Science's portal on September 7, 2006. El Nino, which means
food and environmental safety in the country has been stoked with the centre's decision to ease the quarantine norms for 5.5 million tonnes of imported wheat. The first tender for this was released on February 20 this year; the latest on September 5. Three union ministries have bent rules to …
