Environment India

In recent years, India has witnessed a rapid surge in economic growth and urban development, resulting in a distressing deterioration of environmental conditions. This trend is especially prevalent in densely populated urban areas like Delhi, where the adverse effects of this expansion are manifested through heightened pollution levels, water contamination, and the alarming loss of natural habitats and biodiversity. Amidst these pressing environmental challenges, urban green spaces (UGSs) have emerged as crucial assets for mitigating these issues and enhancing the overall quality of life within cities. UGSs, encompassing parks, gardens, and other green areas nestled in urban landscapes, offer a diverse range of benefits known as ecosystem services. A  recent study  by Anand & Prodyut Bhattacharya (2023) conducted in Delhi aimed to explore the perceptions and interactions of residents with the ecosystem services provided by UGSs. This study had multiple key objectives. Firs...

  Chennai airport turning into hub for star tortoise smuggling Chennai international airport seems to be turning into south India's hub for the smuggling of star tortoises, and two back-to-back seizures from there of the animals have sent the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) on high alert. Air intelligence at Chennai airport had, in the past couple of months, seized several star tortoises that were bound for South Eastern countries and Gulf countries. Air intelligence sources told that in a seizure that was executed in the first week of April following a tip-off, 3,600 live star tortoises were recovered. 👉 Daijiworld Forest area surrounding Tirupati engulfed in flames As summer has started and the temperature is soaring, the Seshachalam forest area, which surrounds the hill shrine of Tirumala Tirupati, was engulfed in flames on Tuesday evening. Representative pic Fires spread rapidly in the forest area near Elephant Arch on the First Ghat Road ...

  Vultures in Assam die by pesticide poisoning targeting stray dogs On March 17, carcasses of 100 Himalayan griffon vultures and one steppe eagle were found in Assam’s Chaygaon. Pesticide poisoning is suspected to be the cause of death. The intended target for the poisoning was not the raptors but the stray dogs which have been attacking village livestock. The incident at Chaygaon is not an isolated incident of vultures dying after consuming contaminated carrion. A fortnight before the Chaygaon incident, 30 vultures died after feeding on a poisoned carcass in Dibrugarh and earlier in January this year, 23 vultures died under similar circumstances. Even three years ago, 19 and 39 vultures had died in two separate incidents in Sivasagar district. However with increasing awareness about the role of vultures in the ecosystem and the impact of pesticides along with the forest department’s efforts in vulture conservation, there seems to be hope in protecting the birds an...

SALINITY, RECHARGE ISSUES AND EXTRACTION HAVE SPELT DOOM In Gothra and Khanpur Khurd: HARYANA Gothra village is located in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana’s newest district on the state’s border with Rajasthan. It looks like any other dusty village in north India. Except that it is suffering extreme water shortages which, if not controlled, will soon make the village a desert. The village has fallen prey to excessive salinity in its groundwater, caused by lack of recharge due to decreasing rainfall and consequent extreme groundwater extraction. All this has led to the village being caught in a vicious cycle which is now so bad that it neither has potable drinking water nor water for its crops .Gothra is in the ‘over-exploited’ category as far as groundwater is concerned, according to the Central Ground Water Authority. This means that more groundwater is being drained out than necessary. The groundwater in Gothra continues to fall, according to the Haryana Water Resources (conservation, regulat...

  Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridges Find A Spot In Unesco’s Tentative List Known for its extensive cave system and its unique living root bridges, Meghalaya is a traveller’s paradise. The state has once again been put on a global map with the inclusion of the living roots in the tentative list of Unesco’s World Heritage Sites. The announcement was made by Meghalaya’s Chief Minister — Conrad K Sangma — on Twitter. “The living root bridges not only stand out for their exemplary human-environment symbiotic relationship but also focus on their pioneering use for connectivity and resilience, and the need to adopt sustainable measures to balance economy and ecology,” he said. Often used as a path across a stream or a river, the bridges famous in Meghalaya are found in many villages — currently about 100 bridges spread across nearly 70 villages. These bridges are built by the local tribal communities and take a few years before they are fully strengthened and ready for use. ...

Reduce air pollution to avoid land conflicts due to solar projects, recommends study Due to high air pollution, India is witnessing an estimated loss of US$ 245-835 million every year. Improvement in air quality will in turn improve the performance of the solar power projects, says a study. Soiling Effect According to the researchers who conducted the study, cleaner air and better performance of solar power projects would also mean that India could save a crucial resource like land by which conflicts with communities and the environment could also be avoided. According to the study, aerosols in the atmosphere attenuate incoming solar radiation through scattering and absorption and this is known as the “atmospheric attenuation effect.” In addition, aerosols often get deposited over panel surfaces and affect their PV performances. High air pollution translates into low efficiency of solar power projects which leads to higher auxiliary power consumption (use of robots for cle...

  Mahananda river survey records 190 dolphins, warns of fishing threats to Red List species A November 2021 survey of the Ganges river dolphin in the Mahananda river may help close the existing information gap in the IUCN Red List Assessment for the dolphin species. The recent November 2021 survey covered a 250 km stretch over 10 days, states the  report  published recently.  Dolphin mortality due to entanglement in nets and oil-baited hook lines continues to remain a challenge in the river. Unregulated sand mining, pollution, solid waste dumping and construction of embankments for flood control have negatively impacted Mahananda ecology and the survival of dolphins and other riverine species. Despite anthropogenic pressure and intensive fisheries, the researchers are still hopeful about dolphin conservation through active community participation. 👉 Mongabay India Assam tea gardens experiment with solar for reliable power supply and cutt...

  Deforestation, rubber plantations rise leads to primate habitat changes, conflicts with humans in TRIPURA : STUDY Massive deforestation and increase in rubber plantations in Tripura have emerged as the major causes of change in the habitat of non-human primates as well as cases of monkey-human conflict in certain parts of Tripura, according to a study. The research titled, "Public opinion regarding Human-Monkey conflict and conservation of non-human primate in Sepahijala District of Tripura" found that 75% of the respondents involved in the study and living in villages located in the vicinity of reserve forest with dense rubber plantation opined that rapid rise in deforestation in the reserve forest was resulting in shrinkage of habitats of primates who are now forced to stray out. As many as 26.66% of respondents from the areas that have fewer rubber plantations have expressed the same opinion. The majority (56.66%) of respondents have said that the expansion...

New centre for carbon capture, utilisation at IIT Bombay The Department of Science & Technology (DST) under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology has established the National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (NCOE-CCU) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. This Centre of Excellence explores and unlocks the potential of Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies to set India on the path to achieving its climate goals and commitments. The Centre’s primary focus of research will involve understanding the role of CO2 in the global climate and mitigation strategies of the CO2 emitted from the industrial and energy sector, ranging from advances in capture technologies to subsequent utilization of captured CO2. The NCOE-CCU, as per an IIT Bombay statement, is the country’s first such centrally funded by the DST. It was formally sanctioned in December 2021. Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is a crucial climate change mitigation so...