News Bulletin : October 2021 – Issue 2
1. Blue economy policy to minimise conflict areas : COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Government has committed to create a governance framework that strengthens linkages and minimises conflict between fisheries, transport, environment, mining, tourism and logistics since they all operate in the same coastal area. The desired outcome is for the country to implement a blue economy governance and management system that sustainably maximises economic benefits from marine resources and ensures equitable marine wealth distribution to all Namibians.
This is according to Ueritjiua Kauaria, Deputy Executive Director in the fisheries ministry, who spoke on Friday during a consultative workshop in Windhoek for the development of a sustainable blue economy.
Source: New Era Live
2. Thousands of properties at risk of flooding or erosion due to sea level rises : COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Parts of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula are likely to become unhabitable as the city council figures out how to adapt to sea level rise.
From Friday, residents will be able to see how their individual properties could be affected by rising sea levels using a new online tool launched by the Christchurch City Council. The tool, which uses the latest data from a Coastal Hazard Assessment report by environmental and engineering consultancy Tonkin and Taylor, allows residents to select different scenarios to see how coastal flooding, erosion and groundwater levels could affect their properties from now until 2150.
Source: Stuff.co.nz
3. Warehousing: Modern times : BUSINESS PARKS/ ECONOMIC ZONES
The sector offering big business today and slated to get even bigger, warehousing may bring in the moolah, but what it requires are large tracts of land and in a geographically strategic location. Land acquisition and construction approvals are the most challenging and time-consuming parts of real estate development in India. The ideal situation is to minimize the time involved in these activities and focus on the development works.
Rajesh Jaggi, vice-chairman, real estate, Everstone Group, says, “Acquiring suitable land for distribution centres, warehouses, etc., coupled with robust infrastructure, is a cumbersome process encountered by many. It involves dealing with multiple stakeholders and local bodies to get final approvals on the land acquisition.
Source: Construction Week Online
4. Cabinet approves Rs 4,445-cr PM MITRA Yojana to set up 7 mega textile parks : BUSINESS PARKS/ ECONOMIC ZONES
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting up of 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel parks with a total outlay of Rs 4,445 crore for five years to position India strongly on the global textiles map.
Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) parks were announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22. The parks will be set up at greenfield/brownfield sites located in different willing states.
Proposals of state governments having ready availability of contiguous and encumbrance-free land parcels of 1,000 plus acres along with other textiles related facilities ecosystem are welcome, said an official release.
Source: Business Standard
5. Are floating cities our future? : FLOATING STRUCTURES
Settlements that float on water have been touted as a potential solution to Earth\’s rising sea levels and increasing extreme weather events.
There was a faint drizzle in the afternoon air as I stepped onto the wide, white jetty that marks the boundary of Waterbuurt, Amsterdam\’s floating neighbourhood.
Despite the threat of rain, residents, who live in compact, three-storey houses bobbing on a small lake on the Dutch capital\’s eastern edge, were busy enjoying the afternoon. A mother and daughter dangled fishing rods from their kitchen window while two young boys splashed in the water, taking turns on a swing strung from a bridge. Benches, bikes and barbecues lined the jetty\’s railings, interspersed every 10m or so by a bright orange life ring.
Source: BBC
6. Floating wind – unlocking the Scottish energy transition: Tom Glover comment : FLOATING STRUCTURES
Scotland is committed to the ambitious target of becoming net zero by 2045. This is going to require a fundamental shift in society, with the transition of the Scottish economy to a low-carbon model and with the decarbonisation of the electricity system critical to its success.
RWE is one of the world’s leading renewables companies, one of the UK’s largest generators and already has 27 sites across Scotland across hydro, onshore wind, offshore wind and biomass technologies. We are a driver of the energy transition, with a target of becoming climate neutral by 2040 and are committed to helping enable Scotland to meet, and even exceed, its ambitions.
Source: Scotsman
7. Jal Marg Project: How NWAI can usher in a new era of transportation in India : INLAND WATERWAYS
If financial literacy is low, logistics literacy is even lower in India. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee launched the Golden Quadrilateral project in 1999, many saw ‘jumla’ in it. Naturally, few appreciated the Narendra Modi government’s thrust on inland water transport (IWT), over and above road, rail, sea and air.
However, IWT has started opening doors to cheaper and efficient multi-modal logistics boosting economic growth. The opportunities will only get bigger as India completes Kolkata-Varanasi (National Waterway-1) Jal Marg project in March 2023. It will ensure all-weather navigability, with a minimum draft of three metres. A similar project is underway between Kolkata and Guwahati, through Bangladesh.
Source: Swarajyamag
8. Gadkari places emphasis on reducing logistics costs below 10% to make retail competitive : LOGISTICS
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday emphasised for reduction of logistic costs below 10 per cent for making the retail market more competitive and boosting economic growth. Gadkari said the government is focusing on integrated infrastructure development through the announcement of the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and Gati-Shakti programmes.
The road transport and highways minister said it has been planned to construct 25,000 km of national highways within the next two years.
Source: Business World
9. Indigenously made Metro coaches being exported’ : METRO
With a strong emphasis on Make in India policy, the indigenously made Metro coaches are being exported to Canada and Australia, said Durga Shankar Mishra, secretary, urban and housing affairs, Government of India, at a seminar in the ‘New Urban India Conclave, 2021’ in Lucknow .
“No one In India believed that Metro services would be such a big success . Our history of the Metro is only 25-years-old but today, under the ‘Make in India policy, our indigenously made Metro coaches are being exported to Canada and Australia,” said Durga Shankar Mishra, secretary, urban and housing affairs, Government of India.
Source: Hindustan Times
10. Metro is the best example to tackle traffic issue: PM Modi : METRO
Emphasizing on tackling the city India traffic challenge, prime minister Narendra Modi lauded the position of metro train services.
Speaking at New city India- reworking city panorama expo, Modi mentioned, “Metro is a great example of the holistic approach with which work is being done on both the problem of traffic and the challenge of pollution.”
“Today metro service is expanding rapidly across the country. In 2014 less than 250 km of metro train was operational for public, whereas today more than 750 km of metro is operational all over India. Apart from this metro is being constructed on more than 1,050 Kms and in Uttar Pradesh it is being constructed in six cities,” he said.
Source: Pehal News
11. Indian Railways’ DFC Project: A game changer for economic development : RAILWAYS
Dedicated Freight Corridor Project: Better freight transportation in coming days! Indian Railways’ ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Project is all set to become a game changer in economic development of the country. The DFC Project involves two freight corridors- 1506 Route km long Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) and 1875 Route km long Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).
Currently, the national transporter is conducting trial runs of trains with trucks between New Rewari station in the state of Haryana and the DFC New Palanpur station in Gujarat. Watch video of the aerial view of the Dedicated Freight Corridor’s New Rewari station in Haryana, shared by the Railway Ministry:
Source: Financial Express
12. Maharashtra’s new renewable energy policy to implement power projects by 2025; details : RENEWABLE ENERGY
These projects include 12,930 MW of solar power projects, 1,350 MW of co-generation projects, 2,500 MW of wind energy projects, 380 MW of small hydro projects as well as 200 MW of urban solid waste-based projects.
New Renewable Energy Policy in Maharashtra: Recently, the state government of Maharashtra has come up with a new Renewable Energy Policy, which aims at implementing 17,360 MW of transmission system connected power projects by the year 2025.
On Thursday, Dinesh Waghmare, Principal Secretary (Energy) at the Fourth Edition of ‘CII Renew India 2021’ organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Maharashtra said these projects include 12,930 MW of solar power projects, 1,350 MW of co-generation projects, 2,500 MW of wind energy projects, 380 MW of small hydro projects as well as 200 MW of urban solid waste-based projects.
Source: Financial Express
13. How to bring more clean energy into our homes : RESOURCES AND UTILITIES
What if you could help combat climate change from your home without lifting a finger?
Imagine if you could ask your utility, with the click of a button, to supply your home with 100 percent carbon-free energy. Imagine if the appliances in your home could automatically reduce the emissions from the electricity that powered them, without you even noticing. Imagine if you could safely ride out extreme weather in your home without extreme energy use. And finally, imagine if you could do all this affordably and easily. Source: BizTechMagazine
14. Centre to constitute National Road Safety Board for making roads, vehicles more safe : ROADS & HIGHWAYS
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has notified constitution of National Road Safety Board. The Board will be responsible for promoting road safety, innovation and adoption of new technology, and for regulating traffic and motor vehicles.
The notification was issued on 3 September 2021. The rules specify provisions regarding its composition, eligibility for Chairman and Members of the Board, selection process, term of office, procedure for resignation and removal, powers and functions of the Board, meetings of the Board etc.
Source: Zeebiz
15. Why Asia’s longest tunnel through Zoji La could be a game changer for J&K’s economy : ROADS & HIGHWAYS
It takes over three hours to traverse the 62 km from Sonmarg in Jammu and Kashmir to Drass town in the Union territory of Ladakh. Two years from now, the journey is expected to take just 15 minutes. The Zoji La tunnel, now being bored through the solid Himalayan rock, will ensure year-round connectivity between Srinagar and Leh. During winters, heavy snowfall cuts off connectivity for as many as six months of the year.
Source: India Today
16. How this company aims to change the face of public transport in India with its E-bus : ROADS & HIGHWAYS
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has repeatedly stressed the need for \’green projects\’. From building green express highways to electric vehicles (EVs), Gadkari, the Road Transport and Highways Minister, is encouraging the use of environment-friendly technologies for development.
Taking a cue from the Centre\’s push for sustainable development via green projects, Navrattan Group has taken up several projects ensuring minimum depletion of natural resources with an aim to preserve for the coming generations.
Source: India TV News
17. UN India\’s \’we the change\’ campaign showcase climate solutions pioneered by young Indians : WATER & ENVIRONMENT
The United Nations (UN) in India has launched a new climate campaign called We The Change.
It is a climate movement that brings together young climate change activists to begin a dialogue with decision-makers. From around the country and different social strata, these leaders will amplify solutions, inspire collective action and work with the government to ensure that India’s future is green, sustainable and just.
Source: First Post
18. How synthetic fertilisers are creating ‘dead zones’ : WATER & ENVIRONMENT
Did you know that water bodies across the planet are slowly turning into ‘dead zones’? The chemically synthesized nitrogen that is used in fertilisers is choking oceans, rivers and lakes, rendering them ‘dead’. Dead zones are regions in water bodies where aquatic life cannot survive.
The growth of dead zones is associated largely with the production of fertilisers. When fertilisers used in farms and agricultural lands drain into water bodies, they catalyse the growth of algae. The algae deplete the water of oxygen before decomposing, suffocating species that live in the area.
Source: The Hindu
