logo
Breaking News Live July 20: Telangana to witness heavy rainfall for three days, predicts IMD

Breaking News Live July 20: Telangana to witness heavy rainfall for three days, predicts IMD

Time of India2 days ago
00:06 (IST) Jul 20
A total of 221 bird species were recorded across the national capital's wetlands, ridge forests, urban villages and high-rise colonies in the first year of the Delhi Bird Atlas.
According to an official statement, a citizen-led initiative that brought together more than 200 volunteers and created 1,150 bird checklists.
The Atlas completed its first year this week with an event held at the World Wide Fund (WWF) Auditorium, Lodhi Road, it said.
It was led by the Delhi Bird Atlas team with support from the Forest Department and other conservation groups, the project uses a seasonal, grid-based method to map birds and shares the data through the global eBird platform, the statement added.
"The Delhi Bird Atlas has been doing a lot of good work and they have our full support," Chief Wildlife Warden Shyam Sunder Kandpal said.
"This data is a testament to the enthusiasm of Delhi's birdwatching community and will be very important in the coming days," he added.
The Atlas has covered all mapping grids in its first year. Jabestin A, IFS, Conservator of Forests, Delhi, said the effort stood out for achieving 100 percent coverage so early, adding that the commitment of the birding community was clearly visible in the results. (PTI)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Flyover project to diminish Hubballi's green cover as 99 trees face axe
Flyover project to diminish Hubballi's green cover as 99 trees face axe

Deccan Herald

time15 hours ago

  • Deccan Herald

Flyover project to diminish Hubballi's green cover as 99 trees face axe

As many as 99 well grown trees will be axed to make way for 3.9 km flyover in Hubballi, further diminishing the City's green cover. However, the project executing agency, Public Works Department (National Highways Division), is yet to identify locations to plant saplings to compensate for the loss of flyover, from the starting point near Bannigida stop on Gokul Road, passes through Hosur Circle, Basava Vana, Lakshmi Way Bridge, and Kittur Chennamma Circle, Court Circle on Vijayapura Road, Desai Cross Circle, and Lammington Road. The total length of the overpass is 3.9 km. A total of 9,222 square metres of land along the route will also be acquired for the construction of the new Jandu Construction, has worked in collaboration with the Forest Department to conduct a survey of the trees that need to be removed. Identification marks have been placed on the affected trees, and work is underway to remove far, more than 10 trees near Basava Vana and Idgah Maidan have already been cut down. The areas along Lammington Road house over 70 trees, which are also expected to be cut down by September. Environmentalists have raised concerns, alleging that the PWD (NH Division) has violated forest laws by failing to determine alternative locations for planting new trees before the felling concernsEnvironmentalist Shankar Kumbi said as per regulations, it is mandatory to obtain approval from the Forest Department before cutting any tree. When such approval is granted, the authorities require that 10 saplings be planted for every tree cut. The cost of this exercise is also borne by the concerned parties. However, for the flyover project, the Forest Department has only given approval for tree cutting, without any decision yet on where to plant further stated that hundreds of trees have already been destroyed due to previous projects like the HD-BRTS, road widening, and other works in the twin cities. For the flyover work, in the tender document, it was mentioned as tree cutting, but they ended up uprooting the entire tree. It is essential that trees are only cut when absolutely necessary for the obtainedPWD (NH Division) Superintendent Engineer Pradeep T clarified that they have obtained permission from the Forest Department to cut the trees for this project. As for as the requirement of planting 10 saplings for each tree cut, some people have obtained a stay order from the green tribunal. Until the matter is resolved in court, they cannot proceed with planting new saplings. They will abide by whatever decision the court hands further added, 'We have provided a letter of consent for the project. As per the court's order, sapling planting will be done accordingly.'Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu GRJ confirmed that 1% of the total project cost has been allocated for afforestation, and the saplings will be planted in compliance with the court's ruling.

Despite measures, forest fires still a big concern in Maharashtra: Official
Despite measures, forest fires still a big concern in Maharashtra: Official

News18

time16 hours ago

  • News18

Despite measures, forest fires still a big concern in Maharashtra: Official

Mumbai, Jul 20 (PTI) Forest fires continue to threaten Maharashtra's ecosystems, particularly in the eastern parts of the state, despite several measures and technological interventions, a senior forest department official said on Sunday. Forest Minister Ganesh Naik had earlier informed the legislature that between January 1 and April 15 this year, 204 forest fire incidents were reported from various forest areas across several districts. Naik had said that most of these fires were caused by human negligence or natural factors. 'Although no wildlife deaths have been reported during these incidents, the recurrence of fires remains a concern," he had said. The official said that the Forest Department has taken multiple steps, including issuing fire prevention guidelines, training personnel, and deploying firefighting equipment, the official said. 'In January 2024 alone, eight fire incidents were recorded," the official said, adding that illegal burning of forest areas is being tackled under provisions of the Indian Forest Act. In several regions in the state, including Konkan, Vidarbha and the northern parts, people start forest fires to keep wild animals at bay. Fires are also used to clear forested patches and stake claims to the land, as many areas lack clearly demarcated forest boundaries, the official said. Efforts to prevent fires include the marking of forest boundaries, creation of fire lines, and increased patrolling in vulnerable areas. 'We have trained staff in fire management and are using modern equipment to enhance response time," the official said. Despite these measures, a large number of fires continue to erupt, he said. According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, released in December last year, Maharashtra ranked fifth in the country with 16,008 forest fire incidents between November 2023 and June 2024. Of these, Gadchiroli alone accounted for 7,042 cases, the highest number for any district in India. 'The department is using advanced tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing to identify high-risk zones. Forest fire control centres have been established, fire-blower machines are used to remove dry leaf litter, and observation towers have been installed in sensitive areas," the official said. Meanwhile, the state has also recorded a sharp increase in human-wildlife conflicts. According to official records, such incidents, including human deaths, injuries, crop damage and livestock loss, rose from 44,692 in 2020-21 to 2,37,841 in 2023-24. To address compensation and related concerns, the state government allocated Rs 80 crore each in 2020-21 and 2021-22, Rs 127.1 crore in 2022-23, Rs 145 crore in 2023-24, and Rs 220.86 crore in 2024-25. 'The Forest Department has submitted a proposal to the Finance Department for additional financial provision based on the increasing number of conflict cases. The proposal, based on data from December 2023, is currently under review," the official added. PTI ND NR view comments First Published: July 20, 2025, 21:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Devotees visiting Maruthamalai temple told to avoid single-use plastic products
Devotees visiting Maruthamalai temple told to avoid single-use plastic products

The Hindu

time18 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Devotees visiting Maruthamalai temple told to avoid single-use plastic products

The Forest Department, in association with the Coimbatore Wildlife Conservation Trust and Rotaract Club of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, organised a mass drive on Sunday to educate devotees visiting Maruthamalai Subramaniaswamy temple on the need to avoid single-use plastic products. The awareness-cum-cleaning drive coincided with Aadi Krithigai festival, for which the hill temple had heavy footfall of devotees. Forest Department officials said that devotees, who climb the steps to the temple and those going along the ghat road, were made to discard plastic carry bags at two checkpoints and were given newspapers to carry their offerings such as flowers, garlands and coconuts, to the temple. Volunteers educated them on the need to avoid plastic bags and keep the hill temple, which is situated inside a reserve forest, free from pollution caused by discarding single-use plastic products. Devotees who came with cloth bags were appreciated and were allowed to carry offerings in them. P. Shanmugasundaram of the Coimbatore Wildlife Conservation Trust said the volunteers also carried out a mass cleaning drive on the 800-odd steps to the temple and along the ghat road of about 2.5 km, from where more than 200 kgs of discarded plastic products were collected.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store