Geography

Farm equipment which can root out this practice not universally accessible despite govt. subsidy Between September 27 and October 14, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) imposed Rs. 8,92,500 as fines — or “environmental compensation cess” as it is officially called — on farmers burning paddy stubble. However, they collected …

The head of the ministry’s child rehabilitation programme, Nahar, told Efe news that the number of missing children were calculated from reports lodged by families. At least 70 children were still reported missing after a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island last month, authorities said on …

The delicate blossoms of the cherry tree might be synonymous with the onset of spring in Japan — except this year they’re also blooming in autumn, a weather forecasting company said on Wednesday. Experts told local media that the rare late blooms could be the result of this year’s unusual …

An upper air cyclonic circulation triggered thunderstorm activity across the city on Wednesday. Light rain may continue at a few places across the State till the weekend. Monsoon-like conditions returned to Chennai, which was experiencing a dry spell, on Wednesday afternoon. The weather station at Nungambakkam recorded 2 cm of …

Punjab’s agriculturists are burning crop residue as even subsidised mulchers and choppers remain out of reach, and diesel is too costly As autumn sets in, farmers in Punjab have begun harvesting the kharif paddy crop and preparing the fields for the winter crop. And as has been the practice, despite …

Rising rivers prompt fresh evacuation in Odisha; in A.P., around 100 houses collapse, power supply cut off Cyclone ‘Titli’ that left a trail of destruction in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Thursday was not as intense as Phailin and Hud-Hud that wreaked havoc in 2013 and 2014. However, high-speed winds …

Cyclone ‘Titli’ that left a trail of destruction in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Thursday was not as intense as Phailin and Hud-Hud that wreaked havoc in 2013 and 2014. However, high-speed winds and rain severely damaged the road network in both States. Around 100 houses collapsed in Bhamini, Jalumuru, …

1.5 degree C rise in temperatures will be catastrophic for coastal nations and agricultural economies like India Coastal nations and agricultural economies like India would be the worst affected. Decline in crop yields, unprecedented climate extremes and increased susceptibility could push poverty by several million by 2050, said the ‘Special …

IPCC panel study prescribes ‘large-scale changes’ to keep the rise in global temperature below 1.5°C If the average global temperature rises by more than one degree Celsius from the present, India could “annually” expect conditions like the 2015 heat wave that killed at least 2,000, according to the ‘Special Report …

Over 130 injured in north-west coast A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the northwest coast of Haiti late on Saturday, killing at least 11 people, injuring more than 130 others and damaging homes in the Caribbean nation, authorities said. The epicenter of the quake was located about 19 km northwest of …

IMD asks fishermen to return to the shore immediately With the possibility of formation of a low pressure over South East Arabian Sea by Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not only said that there will be heavy rain over Coastal and South Interior Karnataka in the next five …

The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami that decimated parts of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi jumped to more than 1,200 on Tuesday, as disaster officials began reaching coastal areas that were cut off by blocked roads and downed communications lines. Officials said hundreds were severely injured, and …

Geological Survey chooses sites in Maharashtra, Karnataka In a first, an ancient circular lake created by a meteorite strike in Maharashtra and a hexagonal mosaic of basaltic rocks in an island off Udupi are poised to become global geoparks, under a Geological Survey of India (GSI) plan. Lonar Lake in …

It provides access to police to comb Maoist strongholds The CPI (Maoist) on Tuesday organised a meeting in the cut-off area (near Sileru) on the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) to protest against the construction of the Gurupriya bridge in the Naxal-affected Malkangiri district of Odisha. As per reports from the intelligence …

Authorities attribute deaths to infighting, infection As many as 21 lions have died in Gujarat’s Gir forest since September 12, sending shockwaves through the only abode of Asiatic lions in the world. Government authorities have attributed the deaths to infighting and viral infection, prompting the State to bring in experts …