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Time of India
19 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Char Dham road plan ‘spells disaster': Experts say Dharali flash flood validates warnings; press for slope-stable design
DEHRADUN: Two members of a SC-appointed committee have warned that the Char Dham all-weather road widening project in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone (BESZ), if built as currently planned, will cause disaster in the fragile Himalayan terrain. Their caution, sent in a letter on Tuesday to the Union ministry of road transport and highways, came days after the Aug 5 flood in Dharali village brought down massive debris from glacier-fed streams, washing away homes. Senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani, both members of the scrutiny committee for the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone's zonal master plan, had submitted a detailed report about it in Oct 2023 as sought by MoRTH. Flash flood played out almost exactly as experts had predicted The survey mapped the upper Bhagirathi valley's most unstable slopes and proposed an alternate design that they said could keep the road functional without undermining slope stability. Juyal, a former senior scientist at Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, has since resigned from the high-powered committee overseeing the Char Dham project; Dhyani remains on it. The Aug 5 flood played out almost exactly as they had predicted. At Dharali, one cirque stream burst through, dragging tons of rock and soil into the valley. In Bhatwari, a highway stretch almost sunk - in a zone they had documented as sinking 12mm to 22mm annually. In their latest note, the experts urged adoption of alternate DPR design as given in Oct 2023 report and full enforcement of the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone notification. They also backed extending eco-sensitive protections across the higher Himalayan valleys. The Char Dham road widening project in its current form in BESZ will spell disaster otherwise," Dhyani said. Pankaj Singh, head of the ministry's Dehradun office, said work was under way in line with SC directions and the Oct 2023 report. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
a day ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Char Dham project in current form could spell disaster: Experts
DEHRADUN: Two members of an SC-appointed committee have warned the Char Dham all-weather road widening project in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, if built as currently planned, will cause disaster in the fragile Himalayan terrain. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Their caution, sent in a letter on Tuesday to Union ministry of road transport and highways, came days after the Aug 5 flood in Dharali brought down massive debris from glacier-fed streams, washing away homes. Senior geologist Navin Juyal and environmentalist Hemant Dhyani, both members of the scrutiny committee for the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone's zonal master plan, had submitted a detailed report in Oct 2023 as sought by MoRTH. That survey mapped the upper Bhagirathi valley's most unstable slopes and proposed an alternate design that they said could keep the road functional without undermining slope stability. Juyal, a former senior scientist at Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, has since resigned from the high-powered committee overseeing the Char Dham project; Dhyani remains on it. The Aug 5 flood played out almost exactly as they had predicted. At Dharali, one cirque stream burst through, dragging tons of rock and soil into the valley. In Bhatwari, a highway stretch almost sunk - in a zone they had documented as sinking 12mm to 22mm annually. In their latest note, the experts urged adoption of alternate DPR design as given in Oct 2023 report and full enforcement of the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone notification. They also backed extending eco-sensitive protections across the higher Himalayan valleys. "The Char Dham road widening project in its current form in BESZ will spell disaster otherwise," Dhyani said. Pankaj Singh, head of the ministry's Dehradun office, said work was under way in line with SC directions and the Oct 2023 report.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Science
- Hans India
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai a visionary space scientist, laid foundation for Indian Space Programme: ISRO
New Delhi: While India today is among global space-faring nations, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai was the visionary space scientist who laid the foundation for Indian Space Programme, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), celebrating his 106th birth anniversary on Tuesday. Born in Ahmedabad in 1919, Dr Sarabhai came to be known as the father of the Indian space programme. India today is among the global space-faring nations, but without Dr Sarabhai, the country wouldn't have its own space programme. 'ISRO affectionately commemorates the birthday of visionary space scientist, Dr. Vikram A Sarabhai. His remarkable contributions laid the foundation for the Indian Space Programme. His legacy lives on as ISRO upholds his vision and mission,' ISRO shared in a post on the social media platform X. After returning from Cambridge to an independent India in 1947, as a 28-year-old, he persuaded charitable trusts controlled by his family and friends to endow a research institution near home in Ahmedabad, laying the foundation for the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad on November 11, 1947. He was the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and also established the ISRO. He successfully convinced the government of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India after the Russian Sputnik launch. "We must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society," Sarabhai had stated. Together with Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, widely regarded as the father of India's nuclear science programme, he set up the first rocket launching station in India. Dr. Sarabhai also started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian Satellite, enabling the first Indian satellite -- Aryabhata -- to be put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian Cosmodrome. 'Remembering the 106th birth anniversary of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai -- the visionary who built institutions in space, atomic energy, management, textiles, and arts. A true nation builder whose contributions continue to inspire us. Though I never met him, his legacy shaped our journey at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre since the 80s,' Dr. S Somanath, former ISRO chairman, shared on X.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Dust devils on Mars may spark lightning — possibly threatening NASA's Perseverance rover
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Dust devils on Mars could be crackling with electric currents, according to a new study — and scientists are a little concerned about this because a buildup of such charge could harm rovers rolling along the surface of Mars. "Electrified dust will adhere to conducting surfaces such as wheels, solar panels and antennas. This may diminish the availability of solar energy, harm communications and complicate the motion of rovers and robots," Yoav Yair, a professor at Reichman University in Israel who studies planetary lightning and was not part of the new study, told The study, led by Varun Sheel, head of the Planetary Science Division at the Physical Research Laboratory in India, uses computer models to show how charges could be distributed inside a Martian dust devil. But before getting to how charge buildup works within Red Planet dust devils, it is key to understand how dust devils form on Mars to begin with. As the sun heats the Martian surface, air near the surface gets heated. Hot air is lighter than cool air, and so it tends to rise. Pockets of hot air therefore rise through cold air, rapidly forming an upward current. The sudden uprush causes air to speed horizontally inward to the center of a newly forming vortex. If the conditions are right, the vortex completes formation and starts spinning. As the air continues to rise, the vortex gets stretched vertically — sort of like a noodle — making the vortex spin even more quickly. As the vortex picks up speed, the wind swirls and kicks up dust. This creates a dust devil. In short, dust devils are like little gusts of dust high on adrenaline. Dust devils are frequent on the dry and dusty Martian surface. Mars has lower gravity and a thinner atmosphere compared to Earth. This allows the wind there to kick up dust higher than wind on Earth can. As a result, Martian dust devils can be thrice as large as their terrestrial analogues. NASA's Viking was the first spacecraft to report dust devils on Mars. Later, Mars rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance captured dust devils zooming across the desolate Martian landscape. In general, such whirlwinds can pose a threat to landers and rovers — however, some rovers have actually benefited from dust devils. In 2005, a benevolent dust devil blew dust off the Spirit rover's solar panels, increasing its power levels. Dust devils on Mars, indeed, are a fascinating and curious phenomenon. And deepening the intrigue, the new study suggests lightning could be zapping inside these dust devils on Mars. The most common form of lightning on Earth is the one seen during a thunderstorm. As water and ice churn violently inside a thundercloud, they generate electrical charges due to friction. Once that happens, the atmosphere around the clouds doesn't let these charges flow through easily. This means the charges have nowhere to go and keep building up. At some point, the charges can't hold anymore — and they snap. The charges crack through the atmosphere in the form of an electrically conductive conduit, which we see as lightning. Interestingly, the new study's team explains, a similar kind of churning happens inside dust devils on both Earth and Mars. In the case of dust devils rather than clouds, however, it's the dust particles that are getting churned instead of ice and water droplets. Again, friction builds up charges, and when the charges can't hold any more, the charges release in the form of lightning. To be clear, the formation of a strong electric field precedes lightning and no direct observations of electric fields within dust devils on Mars have been found thus far. Instead, the study uses computer models to estimate the possible electric field strength and distribution within a Martian dust devil. This is, in fact, the first study to consider the size distribution of dust particles. Sheel and his team found that when the atmosphere of Mars is laden with dust, the atmosphere becomes less conductive, prohibiting the flow of charges. This could cause a massive charge buildup in a dust-filled vortex, triggering lightning, he explains. "The possibility that one day we can discover lightning [in these dust devils] is the most exciting aspect of the results," Sheel told In terms of distribution, the study found that larger, positively-charged particles would settle at the bottom of the dust devil while lighter, negatively-charged ones would rise upward. The team also found that larger dust particles would increase the possibility of lightning. "[The paper] adds an original level of complexity by discussing size distributions," Yair said. "This is an important addition to the existing literature, with practical implications." However, regarding the possibility of dust devils generating lightning, Yair says, "I am surprised that the authors discuss the probability of lightning inside the dust devil while neglecting the fact that highly charged dust may discharge at much lower electric fields … negating the possibility of lightning." "In the end, predictions about lightning are very difficult because we don't fully understand how particles charge each other, not even really on Earth. … Ultimately, I think the question will be settled only [by] direct observations on Mars," Steven Desch, a professor of astrophysics at Arizona State University, who was also not involved in the study, told RELATED STORIES — NASA's Curiosity rover takes a closer look at 'spiderwebs' on Mars | Space photo of the day for July 1, 2025 — NASA budget cuts threaten Europe's already troubled flagship Mars rover — Turning the Red Planet green? It's time to take terraforming Mars seriously, scientists say Some progress may have happened on that front, too. A recent study — shared by a group led by Baptiste Chide of the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, France at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna in May — may have recorded the thunder from an electrical discharge. "Electrical discharges such as lightning are among the most energetic and remarkable phenomena in planetary atmospheres," write the authors in their paper. They studied sounds recorded by the SuperCam microphone onboard the NASA Perseverance rover on Mars. The recordings showed signs of coming from an electric discharge in a dust devil. This is the first such direct detection on Mars, setting the stage for newer discoveries by upcoming Mars missions such as the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover. The study was published in the journal Physics of Plasmas in March. Solve the daily Crossword
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
A'bad scientist loses 2L to online investment fraud
Ahmedabad: A 49-year-old woman from the Bopal area of Ahmedabad, who works with the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), filed a police complaint on Monday after losing Rs 2 lakh to an online investment fraud between May 5 and 22. According to the complaint, she was browsing Facebook when she saw a post about an investment opportunity. She contacted a number mentioned in the online post, which led to further discussions on WhatsApp. She was asked to fill out a form and later received messages from a person who introduced herself as Aradhya Mishra. The complainant was told to download a mobile application for investment purposes. She was then asked to begin investing money. Following the instructions, she made two online transfers of Rs 50,000 each on May 7 and 8. She was shown that her investments had registered a profit. On May 20, she transferred Rs 1.21 lakh and on May 21, Rs 2 lakh more to different accounts through an online payment method for investment purposes. The next day, she was asked to deposit an additional Rs 2.5 lakh to claim ownership of a share in an initial public offering (IPO). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cuối cùng, chơi miễn phí game chiến thuật hay nhất 2025! Sea of Conquest Phát ngay Undo At this point, she suspected fraud and decided not to make any more payments, the FIR states. She called the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and received an acknowledgement. She then filed a complaint with Satellite police. The woman alleged that the accused gained her trust through false promises and cheated her by not returning the money. Satellite police registered an FIR of cheating and breach of trust under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with charges of the Information Technology Act and began an investigation.
