Termites attack Texas Alamo
There is a new battle cry in Texas: Remember the bug spray when you remember the Alamo. The 250-year-old structure, where a small band of Texas volunteers battled to the death against the army of Mexican General Santa Anna in 1836, is under siege again, this time by termites. They …
Fading water spouts
The famous wells of Savanur in Haveri district, Karnataka are slowly disappearing. Savanur, once ruled by the Nawabs, boasts of many landmarks including wells built more than a century ago. There are four important wells worth mentioning in Savanur-- Vishnuteertha bavi, Ramateertha bavi, Sadhyamritha bavi and Mahabooba Alikhan giranibavi. Besides …
US green groups sue US govt over forest plan
The U.S. government held secret meetings with the timber industry to boost sales and weaken habitat protection in Pacific Northwest national forests, several environmental groups charged in a lawsuit. Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund filed the lawsuit in federal court in Seattle to obtain records showing the U.S. Justice Department met …
Books from bagasse
For a country that is abundant in sugarcane production, books made out of bagasse makes immense business sense. Besides, they save trees. Navneet Publications (India) Ltd has taken a step in this direction. Its 'Eco-buddy' note books use paper made from bagasse and not trees. According to Navneet, every 100 …
Fire rages in Western Ghats, near Mekkarai dam
A fire broke out in the Western Ghats, barely a km away from the newly built Adavi Nainar dam at Mekkarai near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, endangering fauna and flora. Though the cause is yet to be ascertained, forest department sources said the shepherds or the hunters could have triggered …
What, how & when of water
How to combat floods in cities, or stop them from sinking by replenishing aquifers eroded in urbanisation? What are the latest trends in distribution and management of drinking water? How to prevent water borne ailments or harvest rainwater? The 3rd World Water Forum, to be held in Japan between March …
Opposition stages walkout in Assembly
Members of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), Janata Dal (U), and Janata Dal (S) staged a walkout in the Legislative Assembly on Monday when the Karnataka Government refused to give assurance on stopping the ongoing eviction of encroachers on forest lands.
BMC takes society to task for hacking trees
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has complained to the Oshiwara police against the Pataliputra cooperative housing society, whose members include senior IAS officers. Municipal commissioner Karun Srivastava said that he has been instructed by the Lok Ayukta to file a complaint after it was prima facie found that a large …
Govt. non-committal on rehabilitation
The combined opposition in the Legislative Assembly today failed to get an assurance from the Forest Minister that the Karnataka Government would not evict encroachers of forest land and also rehabilitate the evicted families.
Training on joint forest management held
The Assam Forest Department and the Regional Centre National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB) organised a four days training at Assam Forest School, Jalukbari from January 26 to March 1 on joint forest management. During the training 33 trainers were given exposure to concepts like joint forest management, stake holders, …
Buddha weeps: Mahabodhi is dying
From the time it sheltered Siddhartha and saw him emerge as the Buddha, the Tree of Enlightenment has always had people journeying from distant lands with their prayers, hopes and offerings. But the Mahabodhi, the centrepiece of the UNESCO world heritage site in Bodhgaya, is now gasping for breath, done …
Trees drying and dying in Punjab
Even as the authorities concerned have been trying to find the reasons for the death and dryness of a large number of kikar (Acacianilotica) and tahli (Dalvergia sisoo) trees in Punjab over the past more than two years, the high mortality rate in the neem (azadirachata), maharukh (ailanthus) and Cassia …
Mrashtra to release water to Krishna river from March 3
Water from the Dhudhaganga river is likely to be released from Maharashtra's Kalamvadi reservoir into Krishna river from March 3. According to official sources, Maharashtra is expected to release 2.141 tmc feet of water to Karnataka as per existing agreement between the two states on the Dudhganga project. Senior officers …
Mufti for viable forest policy
Describing the timber extraction as an indispensable process for the growth of forests, the chief minister of Jammu today stressed upon the need to evolve a viable forest extraction policy to check the menace of timber smuggling and illegal felling of trees.
NE states have 25.78% share of forest cover
The seven north-eastern states contribute 25.78% of the country's forest cover while their share in the country's geographical area is only about 7%. The forest cover in the north-eastern states range from 5&% of the geographical area in Tripura to 86.99% in Mizoram which is much higher than the country's …
Bottled water: `action taken against erring units`
The Government said in the Rajya Sabha that it had withdrawn the Indian Standard Institute(ISI) licence from erring units of eight mineral and bottle water manufacturers for non-compliance of current norms. Replying to a question on the issue, the Minister for Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Sharad Yadav, clarified …
Fierce blaze threatens mount Kenya ecology
A raging fire - suspected to have been started by arsonists - has now burned over 4,000 hectares (15 square miles) of Mount Kenya forest and is threatening the Mount Kenya ecology and some 882 rare plant species, unique to the area, government officials here say. Today the fire was …
Anti-encroachment drive in forests demanded
Educational, Environmental, Social Sports and Cultural Society Bhalessa expressed concern over the damage caused due to heavy snowfall in various forest compartments of Bhalessa range of Bhaderwah forest division.
