The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
after several failed attempts to put into water burning Italian ship Jolly Rubino that had run aground, South African authorities have now decided to pump oil out of its fuel tanks. The vessel wrecked recently near the country's northeast coasts. The crew abandoned the ship after it caught fire, 46 …
A group of scientists studying salinity levels in the aquifers of Haryana stumbled across a bigger problem. The team from the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (cssri) found arsenic in the groundwater of Gohana block in Sonepat district of Haryana. Worse still, the levels of the contaminant were well above …
The World Bank (wb) has cleared the construction of a 1,045-kilometre oil pipeline from Chad in central Africa to Cameroon's Atlantic coast. The move flies in the face of environmental concerns raised by experts. The us $3.7 billion project includes the development of 300 oil wells in the Doba Basin …
The Thai-Malaysian natural gas pipeline project is embroiled in a fierce controversy. While environmental activists object to the route of the project, the Thai government insists on going ahead with the us $710.7-million scheme by re-routing it. Experts warn that the programme could threaten the breeding cycle of 200,000 Javanese …
What would you say of an industry that takes common salt and turns it into one of the most environmentally deadly substances we know of today, namely chlorine? And what if in its production process it uses yet another deadly substance, mercury? We are talking about India's caustic-chlorine industry. Centre …
See Score Card Raw material sourcing phase To rate the companies on the raw material sourcing phase, grp used the following indicators: the quality of input salt, transportation of salt, self-sourcing of water (water harvesting) and the use of renewable and clean fuels. The Indian caustic-chlorine industry has performed poorly …
Pondicherry-based Chemfab Alkalis Ltd (cal) has been rated as the greenest caustic-chlorine company in India. With an overall score of 46.7 per cent, it has been given the Three Leaves Award. Set up in 1985 by Krishnamurthy Rao, a technical expert, cal set the trend by going in for membrane …
Although there has been a belated shift from the polluting mercury cell technology to the membrane cells, mercury pollution in India is still very high. India does not produce mercury and relies completely on imports. Between 1998-2001, the annual mercury imports stood at 170-190 tonnes, which is 10 per cent …
It’s a Catch-22 situation. How does one rate an industry where the pollution is minimal at the production plant and peaks the moment the product leaves the factory gates? How does one rate an industry that is the mother of all chemical industries? How does one rate an industry that …
recently, us researchers have proved for the first time that the water vapour exhaust trails or contrails that are left by cruising jet planes have an insulating effect on daily temperatures. Andrew Carleton from us-based Pennsylvania State University and colleagues measured the effect of contrails during the three-day grounding of …
If sea levels continue to rise at the present rate due to global warming, coastal areas such as Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa would be flooded or even submerged in the near future. Preliminary research on climate change suggests that heavily populated coastal areas, especially cities like Mumbai, will be most …
oil spills could mean far worse for the environment than they have been blamed for till date, shows a recent study conducted in the Galapagos Islands located off the coast of Ecuador. In January 2001 the tanker Jessica, belonging to Petrocomercial, an arm of the Ecuadorian state oil company, had …
the Finnish parliament's go-ahead to the country's fifth nuclear plant has begun to take its toll, with environment minister Satu Hassi's putting in her papers. The decision to build Finland's fifth nuclear reactor comes after a two-decade break. The first four plants were established in the 1970s. The proposal for …
organic farming method uses land far more efficiently and with less environmental impact than conventional farming methods, shows a 21-year study. Unlike conventional farming, organic farming uses no synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. Because of this, organic crop yield is little less. The study conducted by scientists from Switzerland-based Research Institute …
At last, after years of resistance, the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas has relented. On March 20 this year, Union minister Ram Naik announced in Parliament that toxic oxygenates
the Union Ministry of Shipping has asked the Nagpur-based National Engineering Environment Research Institute (neeri) to conduct a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (eia) of the Sethusamudran ship canal project in Tamil Nadu. The eia would be done at a cost of Rs 1 crore and is to be conducted within …
summers are round the corner and so is the scorching heat. Most dread the thought of it. But Mahesh, a 15-year-old white tiger of the Ahmedabad-based Kamala Nehru Zoological Garden, is all set to face the wrath of the Sun in grandeur. In 2000, his dwelling was ameliorated with the …
