Ominous Autumn
Fed by a growing worldwide demand for eco-friendly, bio-degradable plates and bowls tribals across Orissa are descending on the forests to collect leaves of the sal tree. The broad leaves being pliable do not tear when being fashioned into such items. The khalis, as the finished products are locally called, …
Water supply project
The Haryana Sanitary Board, on Saturday approved an allocation of Rs 55 crores for rural and urban water supply and sewerage schemes. A central assistance worth Rs 104 crore was likely to be provided for various schemes during the current financial year as against Rs 45 crores in the last …
Students revive dying lake in Jaipur
The students of Jaipur have shown their elders that they can do a lot towards cleaning the environment. What the students of different schools did was considered an "unthinkable task" until they made it happen-they revived a 250-year-old historical lake, which was turned to a sewer and garbage dump by …
Paani, Paani Re!
Delhi awaits its capital punishment: Fifty per cent of its citizens will go without water in the near future, and by 2014, the city will be a dry concrete jungle without a drop of water for any use. The culprit: Senseless exploitation of water without giving any thought to recharging …
Forests Minister irked at officials' attitude
That the political establishment has begun realising its strength and superiority over the bureaucracy--a section of which has been flouting orders from the Ministers--was evident from the Uttaranchal threat by the Forests and Environment Minister, Mr Matwar Singh Kandari, of disciplinary action if earlier orders by the Chief Minister Mr …
Curb illegal movement of timber
In a move aimed at restricting the movement of illegal timber from the North-east, the Supreme Court today ordered all the State governments, the Union government and the Railways to take steps for curbing smuggling of forest products.
Krishna for CMs' meet on Forest Act
The Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, today said he had asked the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, to convene a meeting of Chief Ministers to discuss the problems arising out of the implementation of the Forest Conservation Act.
NHPC tries to revive Koel Karo
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd (NHPC) says it is still hopeful for a go-ahead to the 710 MW Koel Karo projeect in Jharkhand, stalled for more than a decade owing to determined opposition from local residents.
New green drive ignores past record
Despite the low survival rate of its plantations, the Delhi governmeent has decided to go ahead with the next phase of greening drive. This time, the government has set aside Rs 3 crore to plant over 4.75 lakh trees across the city.
Managing the rainforests
"Sustainable management" could help to save the Amazonian rainforest without harming economic development. The deforestation mostly in the past 30 years, of 14% of Brazilian part of Amazonia has been as much an economic as an environmental disaster.
Judge cuts down a ban on logging
A US judge in Idaho has blocked a new government regulation protecting parts of national forests from logging and road construction, less than a week after the Bush Administration reluctantly agreed to go along with the rule drafted during the Clinton years.
Judge bars new forest rule, citing potential local harm
A federal judge in Idaho blocked the Clinton administration's forest-protection plan today, saying that if the rules went into effect as scheduled on Saturday, they could cause "irreparable long-term harm" to local communities.
Environmentalists, tribes seek duties on Canada lumber
The already contentious U.S.-Canada softwood lumber dispute became more inflamed yesterday, when U.S. environmentalists joined forces with indigenous tribes in Canada in seeking punitive duties against Canada's softwood lumber exports to the United States.
Forestry fosters harmony
The social forestry scheme launched in Mulbagal taluk has not only saved greenery but has also brought people together.In India 58 lakh hectares are covered by forests. "In Karnataka 12,800 hectares would be covered under the joint forest scheme", says Range Forest Officer C Srinivas.
Judge blocks Bush plan for US forest roads
A federal judge yesterday blocked the Bush administration from carrying out a ban on building roads in federal forests, and called a White House plan to modify the rule a "Band Aid approach."
Sukh Ram proposes forestry scheme
Mr Sukh Ram, chairman of the committee for employment and resource generation, yesterday proposed an innovatice forestry scheme to bring 2 lakh hectares under tree cover which would help provide employment to 1.10 lakh families and generate an additional revenue of Rs 10,000 crore for the fund-starved government.
Star eats planet
Astronomers now have evidence that some sun-like stars outside our solar system swallow the planets that orbit them1. The discovery may help to explain some of the mysterious characteristics of these recently-discovered 'extrasolar' planetary systems.
2,000 illegally built huts demolished
More than 2,000 huts built illegally on various forest areas, have been demolished, forest officials in Taulihawa, Nepal said. The squatters had encroached low growth forest areas for the last couple of months.
Himachal to raise jobs through forestry
Mr. Sukh Ram, former Union Telecommunication Minister, who is noww the chairman of Employment Generation Committee in Himachal Pradesh, has launched a new scheme for employment generation through forest activities. Specking at a one-day workshop of forestry experts and related technocrats, NGOs and farmers, he said all the earlier schemes …
Acute water crisis in Shimla
People are making a beeline around tankers to fetch drinking water as the town has plunged into a water crisis with taps going dry in many areas because of the sudden fall in the water level of the two main reservoirs at The Ridge and Sanjauli.
