PANJIM: Claiming that inclusion of Goa region of Western Ghat in the World Heritage Site of UNESCO will put the place on par with other unique sites across the World, the State Government has given its green signal to the proposal to include State’s 755 sq kms protected area on the heritage list.

The proposal has been forwarded to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), which is the nodal agency appointed by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to coordinate with UNESCO on the proposal of including the Western Ghats as a natural heritage site.

Severe drought conditions have led to drying up of the river

The Bharathapuzha is a trickle. Severe drought conditions and drying up of the river have virtually brought it under the control of the sand-mining lobby. Hundreds of truckloads of sand are collected from the river bed in blatant violation of rules. The authorities have so far failed to initiate any action to stop the indiscriminate mining of sand. A few officials who had sought to take action against the ‘sand mafia’ had been physically attacked. The government took no action to provide protection to them.

NEW DELHI: Beijing's air pollution made international news over the weekend when fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the city air rose to an 'out-of-index' level of 755 mg/cu m. Pictures showed Beijing residents wearing masks amid advisories that they should stay indoors. Meanwhile, it was business as usual in Delhi on Monday when despite a clear windy day, the PM2.5 levels ranged from 130 to 565 mg/cu m.

According to World Health Organization, the safe level of PM2.5 is 20 mg/cu m. The Indian standard for this pollutant — that can cause respiratory illnesses and worsen heart ailments — is 60 mg/cu m.

In November 2012, when the city was in the throes of its worst smog spell in recent years, PM2.5 levels were consistently over 500 mg/cu m over several places.

“Beijing undertook several measures to control its air pollution levels during the Beijing Olympics in 2008 but the city is still prone to smog. More recently, it has decided to implement a lottery system for private cars which it hopes will keep a check on the rising number of vehicles,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, associate director at the Centre for Science and Environment.

The four-member National Green Tribunal headed by Justice VR Kingaonkar barred the Environment and Forests Ministry from granting any environment clearance to Goa's iron ore mines without its approval, even as it ordered stoppage of all mining at mines whose initial clearance of five years had expired.

But the Tribunal's order has no immediate effect as all mining operations in Goa are already stayed by the Supreme Court since October on a petition filed by Goa Foundation.

For the first time in its modern history, river activists are trying to utilise the occasion of Kumbh for what it was originally meant for a ‘manthan’ to differentiate the good from the evil, ‘devtas’ from ‘asuras’, the ‘amrit’ from the ‘vish’.

The plan is to use the occasion of Maha Kumbh, the biggest religious congregation on earth which begins in Allahabad on the occasion of Makar Sakranti next week, to help people differentiate between well wishers of rivers and their enemies and spread awareness about India’s gasping lifelines.

PANJIM: In a decision that has set the alarm bells ringing, the Department of Mines and Geology has issued an NOC to a trading company, Prime Minerals, effectively owned by Timblo–run Fomento group to transport and export ore through Goa, officials said, opening up a debate on whether this circumvents the total ban orders on transport and export issued by the Supreme Court and whether it effectively amounts to contempt of court.

The decision has raised a furor among activists and members of civil society, who termed the decision as contempt of court and questioned the hurry in not waiting for the Apex court decision. They also expressed fears that the mining illegalities and pollution would come to haunt Goa, as the State would return to square one.

Census is carried out in tiger reserves and sanctuaries twice a year

Nearly 1,000 persons including forest personnel, nature enthusiasts, environmentalists and members of Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) continued with the wildlife census in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) for the second day on Friday. The five-day census to enumerate the wildlife population in the 958 sq km area of ATR spread over six ranges of Pollachi, Ulandy, Manomboly, Valparai, Udumalpet and Amaravathy began with a training on Wednesday. The field level census commenced on Thursday.

PANJIM: In a fresh salvo fired at the government by the green lobby, environmentalist Ramesh Gawas has charged that the government’s process of revalidating licences of ore traders is illegal and should be scrapped since the giving of trading licences itself by State government is ultra virus.

The Mines Department, meanwhile, has maintained that trading of ore was completely legal and that the State government was empowered to make rules under Section 23C of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).

Nearly 100 people to be involved in the exercise

The five-day census to enumerate the wildlife population is all set to begin in the 958 sq km area spread over six ranges of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) from Wednesday. Talking to The Hindu , Field Director of ATR Rajiv K. Srivasatava said that nearly 100 people including Forest Department staff, NGO volunteers, nature enthusiasts and environmentalists will be involved in the exercise. The staff and other volunteers will be divided into teams of three or four and will be involved in carrying out the census in Amaravathy, Udumalpet, Pollachi, Valparai, Manomboly and Valparai ranges.