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[ad_1] Hyperlocal warning systems, vulnerability mapping of cities, and climate-resilient housing policies are some of the measures recommended by a “model heat action plan” commissioned by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Researchers recently submitted the model plan which aims to guide states and cities in formulating local action plans in the face of rising extreme heat.Such heat action plans (HAPs) have proliferated in recent years, however assessments have…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: India is likely to see above-normal monsoon, with cumulative rainfall estimated at 106 per cent of long-period average of 87 cm, India Meteorological Department said on Monday.The IMD defines average or normal rainfall as ranging between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the four-month season.“IMD predicts 2024 southwest monsoon season (June to September) rainfall over the country as a…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for ongoing rainfall spell with moderate thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail over various regions in the country, including Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan on April 14.“Ongoing rainfall spell with moderate thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds & hail over Northwest India likely to continue during next 48 hours and abate thereafter”, IMD said…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: A senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Dr Naresh Kumar, predicted that temperatures may start falling owing to thunderstorms and rainfall activity in North interior Karnataka, with one or two weather stations recording heat wave conditions.“If you talk about the last five-six days, there were heatwave conditions that were prevalent in South Peninsular India, specifically, the areas were North interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department on Saturday has issued a warning stating that certain regions in peninsular and eastern India are likely to experience “heatwave conditions for the next two days”. The areas expected to be impacted include Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Vidarbha, North Interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalaseema, and Telangana. The weather department on X said, “Heat wave conditions are likely to persist…

[ad_1] BENGALURU: In a breakthrough, a multi-institutional team of Indian scientists has unveiled critical insights into the evolution and origins of the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) strains fueling the outbreak.“In May 2022, cattle across India began dying of a mysterious illness. Since then, about 1 lakh cattle heads have been lost to a devastating outbreak of what scientists have identified as LSDV.The outbreak has severely affected India’s agricultural…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Close to 50,000 additional deaths globally are estimated between 2020 and 2030 due to pandemic-related disruptions to immunisation, new research published in The Lancet Global Health journal has found. The study assessed the impact of Covid-19 on the coverage of measles, rubella, humanpapillomavirus (HPV), Hepatitis B, Meningitis A, and yellow fever vaccinations. Of these additional deaths, more than 30,000 are predicted from Africa and around 13,000…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: The IMD on Monday warned that India will suffer extreme heat from April to June, with the central and western peninsular regions anticipated to be worst affected. “For the month of April 2024, above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country,” IMD said in a press release.Union minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju urged stakeholders to take precautionary measures in advance due to…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said parameters used to measure progress are detrimental to climate and suggested developing the concept of a green gross domestic product. In an interaction with philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, he also said that climate action has gained momentum since the G20 Summit in India last September. When Gates asked if the green approach could be made more affordable…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Isro has unveiled a new introductory-level online training programme called ‘Space Science and Technology Awareness Training (START)’ which is aimed to attract youngsters to the field of space science and technology. It is particularly targeted at postgraduate and final-year undergraduate students who are pursuing physical sciences and technology.The space agency will conduct the START 2024 programme during April and May.In this connection, the space agency solicits…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Globally, 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated (including inedible parts) in 2022 which was almost one-fifth of all food available to consumers, and each person, on average, wasted 79 kg of food annually in households in the world compared to 55 kg per capita per year in India, said the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Food Waste Index Report 2024 released on Wednesday. The report…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: In “another milestone” for Isro, the fourth stage of the PSLV-C58 rocket, which doubled up as an experimental platform in space after the launch of primary satellite X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) on January 1 this year, has finally returned to Earth after performing its duties, leaving no junk in space. The PSLV-C58 mission left “practically zero debris in orbit,” Isro said.After launching primary satellite XPoSat, the…

[ad_1] BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Monday said it accomplished another significant milestone on March 21, when the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) successfully re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in a controlled manner, leaving minimal orbital debris.The POEM-3 was part of the PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission launched on Jan 1, 2024. After deploying satellites into their intended orbits, the spent rocket stage was transformed into a stabilised platform for conducting experiments.“The…

[ad_1] BENGALURU: The launch readiness date of the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) satellite, an Earth-observing mission, will be determined at the end of April, Nasa has said in its latest update about the mission. A key component of the satellite is being returned to the US for additional work.The TOI had reported last week that the launch, initially pegged to happen by the end of March, would be…

[ad_1] Centre is offering incentives for individuals, firms to contribute towards environmental goals; first up is a scheme for afforestation of degraded plots.If the environment is the gainer when more trees are planted there is an incentive for individuals and various entities and businesses, too, for greening barren patches of land in India. The Green Credit Programme (GCP) launched by the Centre in October last year provides tradable credits…

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: India was ranked the third most polluted country and New Delhi the most polluted capital by the 2023 World Air Quality report by Swiss technology company, IQAir. The latest report by the company that provides live information on major air pollutants globally, also found Begusarai in Bihar as the most polluted city globally last year. The report, released Tuesday, showed Bangladesh and Pakistan were the top…

[ad_1] COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cabinet has approved a proposal to reform the parliamentary election system in the island nation ahead of the presidential election likely to be held later this year. A note from the cabinet meeting held Monday released here on Tuesday said that a cabinet sub-committee has been appointed to formulate a hybrid system for parliament representation – 160 members to be appointed by first past the…