THE nuclear disaster in the aftermath of the Japan tsunami shows how safety issues around nuclear power affect people living continents away from nuclear reactors. Yet the public is either not informed or misinformed about scientific intricacies of nuclear power. The blog, All Things Nuclear, demystifies the nuclear world. Run …
Lavasa is a destination for the well-heeled, upwardly mobile, aspiring for quality life. The streets bear names like Thicket and Celosia (an ornamental plant); the village that the town replaces—Dasve—has become the Dasve boulevard. The town centre boasts a town hall that does not resemble any municipal office but a …
Lavasa is called a hill station but does not offer the cool comfort of one. In May and June temperatures touch nearly 40°C— not an ideal summer getaway. In nearby Mahabaleshwar, temperatures rarely cross 35°C. Then what prompted the city’s developer, Lavasa Corporation Limited (LCL), to promote it as a …
THE slow-moving disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan that is spreading a cloud of anxiety across the world has forced most nations to either suspend or review their nuclear power programmes—but not India. In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the huge Daiichi power complex …
INDIA is constructing six nuclear power plants—two each at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, Kakrapar in Gujarat, and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan. Together, they will generate 4,800 MWe of power, states the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board’s website. This is a big leap towards enhancing the country’s nuclear stature. But is the country …
THE Central Potato Research Institute conducted field trial for genetically modified potato at its Jalandhar research station between October 2010 and February 2011. But the Punjab government failed to monitor it. As per the Environment Protection Act (EPA) of 1986, it is the responsibility of the State Biotechnology Coordination Committees …
BIHAR and Kerala have come out strongly against the Seeds Bill 2010 to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha, saying states should get more powers to regulate seed trade. They say the bill in its present form would lead to unrestricted commercialisation of seeds now in public domain. After Andhra …
THE 14th report of the parliamentary standing committee on social justice and empowerment has recommended the planning commission make conditional the annual budgetary allocations of funds to states. It should depend, suggests the committee, on the amount spent on tribal development. Tabled in both Houses of Parliament on March 9, …
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has asked states to treat bamboo as a minor forest produce (MFP). Environment minister Jairam Ramesh directed the states to ask their forest departments to follow this categorisation in a letter dated March 21. He also asked the states to respect the rights …
PUBLIC health programmes in India are focused on infectious diseases like cholera and malaria. But non-communicable diseases (NCDS) like cancer and heart ailments are known to kill more people. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad acknowledged rising incidence of NCDS at a two-day World Health Organization (WHO) meeting which concluded …
IT IS a budget with concern for the environment. The Delhi government has made diesel cars costlier and bicycles cheaper. It has proposed an additional tax of 25 per cent in the current automobile tax structure at the time of registration of diesel vehicles. Diesel cars defeat clean air initiatives …
The Supreme Court has ordered a new environmental study of the site where detergent company Nirma is setting up a cement plant. The site in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, is believed to be on wetlands. The March 18 decision came after Nirma moved an appeal in the Gujarat High Court against a …
Two major events happening at two ends of the world—Japan’s natural disaster and nuclear fallout and unrest in Libya and other countries of the region—have one thing in common. Energy. The fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, hit by earthquake and then the tsunami, has not yet been contained. …
Regions affected In Europe, there has been a fall in bee colonies since 1965. Unusual weakening and mortality was reported in 1998. France, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Spain and Italy were worst affected. In the US, loss of bee colonies has aggravated since 2004. During 2006-2007, 29 per cent beekeepers …
The Renewable Energy Policy intends to provide the necessary direction for the promotion and development of Renewable Energy that not only contribute in meeting the current requirements but also shape future energy security options for Bhutan. This RE Policy is aimed to contribute for the sustainable development and conservation of …
In the Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 28 February 2011, the science, technology and environment sector was allocated Rs 16,186 crores, an increase of more than 18% over last year’s allocation of Rs 13,677 crores (http://india-budget.nic.in/ub2011-12/bag/bag41.pdf). The budget which has been largely touted …
Poor access to appropriate technologies due to difficult topographies and tough mountain conditions is one of the major causes of poverty, drudgery and natural resources degradation not only in the Indian Central Himalaya, but also in other parts of the Hindu-Kush Himalaya. Of late, deve- lopment planners have realized the …
In the present study, we surveyed the primate species in the Highwavy Mountains of Tamil Nadu, India. Five primate species, including Nilgiri langur, Hanuman langur, bonnet macaque, lion-tailed macaque and slender loris were recorded in the region. Coffee and cardamom plantations in the hill system still hold the population of …
Japan's centuries-old experience in dealing with natural disasters proves inadequate to help it handle the man-made nuclear crisis. THE magnitude 9.0 earthquake of March 11, the 10-metre-high waves of tsunami that followed, and the aftershocks have left Japan devastated, with thousands dead and radiation from damaged nuclear power plants threatening …
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Comprehensive Mission Document of the National Water Mission. The objective of National Water Mission is "conservation of water, minimising wastage and ensuring its equitable distribution both across and within states through integrated water resources development and management
