In an effort to make environment science an interesting subject and change the wide perception that it is a mere formality, Maharashtra’s environment ministry has introduced Environment Service Scheme (ESS) for high school students. The new scheme, through excursions and trips, is expected to make the subject interesting. It will provide an opportunity for students to visit various…
In an aim to guide forest staff to deal with a broad scenario related to man-animal conflict, the forest department has organized a training programme of forest officials from across Vidarbha in Nagpur division of Maharashtra. The seven-day training programme, being conducted by non-government organizations, is underway at the Central Forest Rangers College (CFRC). ‘While…
NGOs and local communities working for the conservation of Manas National Park welcomed the removal of the sanctuary’s name from the ‘danger’ list of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee . ‘We are very happy with the removal of the ‘danger’ tag from Manas. Finally, our efforts in conservation of the park have borne fruit,’ Soumey Dey,…
In an effort to prevent flowing contaminated water from tanneries to the river Ganga, Jairam Ramesh, union minister of state for environment and forests, formally launched lyophilization-based equipment at a common effluent treatment plant in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Lyophilization is a technique that allows saltless preservation of hides. The technique has been patented by the…
Although the environment ministry failed to implement its mandate of having air and water monitoring systems in place for the 11th five-year plan, it will study the impact of the environment on the health of the population. As per the plan, India was to have at least 1,000 air monitoring stations covering 500 cities and 2,000…
The rate of extinction of rare species of animals and plants is being exaggerated to as high as 160 per cent, claimed two scientists in a report published in the journal Nature. According to the scientists, the rate at which species of animals and plants are getting extinct is much less that what so-called wildlife conservationists…
People from across Delhi filled up their tumblers with water and marched on Rajpath – from India Gate to Vijay Chowk – as part of ‘Walk for Water 2011’ on March 19. The march was a gesture to spread awareness about water conservation ahead of World Water Day on March 22.Participants comprising all age groups…
Looking at the growing population and demand for infrastructural development, the target of getting 33 per cent of the country’s land under green cover is not realistic, Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said on March 19 in Hyderabad. ‘In a country like India where the population is 1.2 billion and set to become…
‘Businesses are using the word “low-carbon” quite often, which is a great development – it is not considered a taboo anymore… Climate change may also be looked at as a business opportunity… India will surely surpass the set target of emissions reduction (20%-25%) by 2020… The country has potential to be the world leader in…
The system of granting environmental clearances to industrial and other projects has come under sharp criticism from the Supreme Court (SC). According to the court, the environment ministry had been letting private companies pay ‘a packet’ to their favourite experts to assess the environmental impacts of their projects and obtain approvals on their basis. The…
