Latest news with #GSI
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
11 years of Malin: 23 villages under threat of landslide, rehabilitation of six completed
Every year on July 29, Budhaji Damse, founder of the Shashwat Trust visits the erstwhile Malin village in Ambegaon taluka to pay respects to the over 100 people who had died in the landslide that had erased the village 11 years ago. However, Damse has other worries —just 4 km from Malin is the hamlet of Pasarwad, whose residents literally live under the Sword of Damocles. 'Post Malin, Pasarwadi was one of the 23 villages that was meant to be rehabilitated due to the possibility of landslides in the area. While the land for rehabilitation has been identified, Pasarwadi is yet to be rehabilitated. I have relatives living there as well as workers of our Trust,' he said. Pasarwadi is not alone after Malin the Geological Survey of India (GSI) had surveyed the district to identify landslide prone villages in the district. Twenty three villages spread across Ambegaon, Khed, Velhe, Maval, Bhor and Junnar taluka were identified as landslide prone with the GSI suggesting their rehabilitation. Damse — whose trust has been working with tribal farmers across Ambegaon, Junnar and Khed taluka — said only the village of Megholi in the taluka has been rehabilitated at a different place 'For Parawadi, the land has been identified but the physical rehabilitation is yet to happen. This year the rainfall has been within range so far, so there has been no problem for these villages,' he said. Located across the ranges of the Western Ghats, all the 23 villages are located at an elevation. Given the typography of these areas, the villages have been identified as landslide prone. District Collector Jitendra Dudi told The Indian Express that of the rehabilitations of 23 villages, six have been completed. 'Five of these villages are located in Ambegaon taluka of Pune district,' he said. Dudi said the district had received Rs 3.65 crore for rehabilitation. 'Another survey was done when it was revealed that two of the villages identified were not in the landslide prone area so they were taken off the list,' he said. The other villages, he said, have demanded for permanent rehabilitation, but work is yet to be completed. 'Work on preparing the plan for the rehabilitation is in its final stages,' he said. Malin was wiped out from the face of the earth on June 29, 2014, when a portion of the hill overlooking the small tribal village slid over it. Over 100 people had died, which included women and children, many of whom were either sleeping or preparing to get ready. The District Collectorate had rehabilitated survivors at a separate area and the rehabilitation was termed ideal. Damse said many of the survivors have now taken up non-farming activities as their livelihood. 'Over all things, the process has been good. People have no complaints so far,' he said.
The Diplomat
a day ago
- Business
- The Diplomat
India's Northeast Identified as Promising Area for Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals
The Geological Survey of India says that Arunachal Pradesh and Assam are promising zones for graphite, vanadium and REEs. India's border region of the Northeast has been identified as an area with 'promising' deposits of rare earth elements and critical minerals essential for digital and defense manufacturing, and clean energy transition. After years of research and exploration, the state-owned Geological Survey of India (GSI) has concluded that 'the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have emerged as promising zones for graphite, vanadium, REEs, base metals, gold, coal and limestone, while Meghalaya and Nagaland hold extensive resources of limestone, coal, and minor strategic metals.' The 63-page report by GSI added that the country's growing demand for such resources underlines 'the need to identify and develop domestic sources, particularly in geologically promising regions such as the northeast.' The rare earth elements (REE) are a set of 17 metallic elements grouped into light and heavy categories. They are necessary for the production of more than 200 consumer products, such as cellular telephones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and televisions. Defense applications include guidance systems, lasers, electronic displays, and radar and sonar systems. India's northeastern states, especially the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, have been known for their hydrocarbon reserves since the colonial era. Rich deposits of uranium have also been discovered in Meghalaya, but extraction of these deposits has been opposed by local organizations. The GSI report identified Lodoso village in Arunachal Pradesh's Papum Pare district as having 2.15 million tons of REE-bearing ferruginous phyllite, a type of metamorphic rock. In Assam, the concentrations of REE ranged from 1,000 to 5,000 parts per million, while it was between 3,646 and 5,100 parts in Meghalaya. The GSI's estimate of REE deposits in the Northeast is part of the total of 482.6 metric tons of various cut-off grades in 34 exploration projects in the country. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) has identified around 7.23 million tons across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The discovery of REEs in the Northeast assumes importance given India's heavy dependence on importing finished products while exporting raw REE ore. India's REE imports are primarily sourced from China, which comprised 81 percent of imports in 2022. China is the world's leading exporter of rare earth magnets and has imposed export restrictions on REE and finished magnets. As part of its strategy to diversify the sourcing of rare earths, the Indian government established the Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) in 2019 as a joint venture between the National Aluminum Company Ltd., Hindustan Copper Ltd., and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Ltd. Its goal is to secure access to mineral resources abroad. India signed agreements for the supply of lithium with several countries, including one with Argentina in 2024. Early this year, the government approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) to be implemented over seven years till 2031 to boost domestic manufacturing of rare earth magnets. India's overseas endeavor began last year when it joined the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), a U.S.-led initiative of 14 countries, which is aimed at securing supply chains for critical minerals. India's engagement with Japan and Australia under the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) is also aimed at reducing dependence on China. In July, a joint statement was released in Washington during the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting, announcing the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, through which the four-nation grouping plans to secure a steady supply of critical minerals and reduce dependence on China. The GSI has already handed over 38 blocks for exploration across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland in the Northeast, of which seven have already been auctioned. These blocks cover a range of mineral commodities, including graphite, vanadium, REE, limestone, iron ore, glass sand, copper, nickel, chromium, and cobalt. The GSI believes that India's northeastern region could be central to the 'national strategy for mineral security.' Due to topographical challenges, complex geology, remoteness, and political instability, the resources of the Northeast had remained largely unexplored. This could change now as India surges on the path of self-reliance in critical and industrial minerals.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Himachal govt urges central team for revised disaster relief norms in state
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh's unique geography means disaster recovery and rehabilitation norms need updating. K K Pant, the additional chief secretary (revenue), told a five-member central team — led by Colonel K P Singh (retd) from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) — that agencies like the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Geological Survey of India (GSI) should do detailed studies on natural disasters while working in the state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Pant highlighted the importance of assessing disaster-prone areas and focusing on early forecasting of such events. Emphasis should be laid on pre-disaster planning rather than post-disaster response in order to minimise loss of life and property. There is a need for the installation of advanced sensors to improve data collection across the state, he added. Pant further emphasised the need to set up a flood forecasting unit in the state with the support of the CWC, to enhance hydrological monitoring and study glacial lakes. The central team urged the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) to provide data related to high-altitude regions and asked the GSI to focus more on the issues of sudden floods and landslides, which were the two major natural disasters occurring in Himachal Pradesh. 148 cloudbursts, 294 flash floods In his presentation, special secretary (revenue-disaster management) D C Rana pointed out that since 2018, Himachal has witnessed 148 cloudbursts, 294 flash floods, and over 5,000 landslides. He added that districts such as Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, and Mandi are extremely vulnerable to such events. During 2023 alone, the estimated loss due to natural disasters in the state was nearly Rs 10,000 crore. Besides this, the hill state incurs a loss of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 crore annually due to such events. Climate change is a major factor behind the increase in cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides, added Rana. MSID:: 122880978 413 |
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Parliament Watch: India finds 7.23 MT rare earth reserves; NH build pace slows, key infra updates shared in Parliament
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The rare earth element resources estimated by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is around 7.23 million tonnes in-situ Rare Earth Elements oxide (REO) contained in 13.15 million tonnes monazite, a mineral of Thorium and Rare Earths occurring in the coastal beach, red sand and inland alluvium in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra, minister Jitendra Singh informed the lower house. Around 1.29 million tonnes in-situ REO resource in hard rocks in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Additionally, Geological Survey of India (GSI) has augmented 482.6 Mt resources of REE ore at various cut-off grades in 34 exploration projects. Coal India Ltd has received 186 consumer grievances, other than that of the Comptroller and Auditor General, related to coal quality issues since July 2023, minister G Kishan Reddy said. Out of them, 171 grievances have been resolved, he informed the Lok Sabha. Resolution of these grievances is a continuous process and is as per established procedure, he Dehradun-Delhi access controlled highway with a total capital cost of `11,868.6 crore is targeted for completion by October 2025, road transport and highway minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday in response to a question in Rajya ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) is working on India Skills Accelerator initiative to close skilling gaps through inclusive upskilling and reskilling, mobilizing investment in lifelong learning, and fostering government industry collaboration, Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state (independent charge), MSDE said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha on government has constructed 10,660 km of length of national highways (NHs) during 2024-25 or 29 km per day, road transport and highway minister Nitin Gadkari said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. This is the second lowest pace of construction in the last five years, lowest being 28 km per day in 2022-23.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
Two houses partially collapse in Bhandup mudslide; no injuries
Amid heavy rainfall in the city over the past few days, a mudslide occurred at a residential pocket situated along the hilly terrain in Bhandup late Tuesday, leading to the partial collapse of two vacated houses. No injuries were reported, officials said. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) S ward office, the incident was reported at 7.32 pm near the Sai Niketan CHS in Bhandup West's Khindipada area. According to officials, the partially collapses houses situated along the hilly terrain were vacated and no injuries were reported. In a bid to prevent any untoward incident, the civic body vacated at least 3 – 4 nearby houses in the locality. Bhandup is among several pockets such as Ghatkopar and Vikhroli, which have been identified as landslide-sensitive areas, as per surveys conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The slopes of these hills have informal settlements inhabited by Lower Income Groups (LIG) and members from marginalised communities. On May 22 this year, the BMC had appealed to slum dwellers in these areas to relocate to safer locations. Directing residents to exercise precaution, civic officials also issued notices to vacate their homes along the slopes and migrate to safer pockets. This is the second house collapse incident in the city between Tuesday and Wednesday morning. According to the BMC, at least 11 incidents of tree collapses were also reported in 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Wednesday, of which the maximum cases (8) have been recorded in the western suburbs. Seven incidents of short circuit were also reported.
