Environment

Ahmedabad, May 20 (PTI) As many as 53 people have lost their lives in incidents related to cyclone Tauktae in different parts of Gujarat, officials said on Thursday.

Most of the casualties were due to incidents of wall collapse due to the cyclone, which made a landfall on Monday night near Una town in Gir-Somnath and wreaked havoc for around 28 hours before it weakened into a depression, an official from the State Emergency Operations Centre said.

New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) After severe cyclonic storm Tauktae in the west coast, another cyclone -- Yass -- is likely to hit the east coast on May 26-27, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.

A low pressure area is very likely to form over north Andaman Sea and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal around May 22, it said.

Mumbai, May 20 (PTI) With 38 people on board a barge that sank in the Arabian Sea four days ago still missing, Indian Navy ships worked through the night, using searchlights to trace any movement in the pitch dark waters, as hopes of finding more survivors began to recede on Thursday.

The Navy on Thursday morning launched a fresh aerial search and rescue mission, deploying helicopters to scour the waters off Mumbai coast, where the accommodation barge P305 went adrift in Cyclone Tauktae fury before it sank Monday.

Mumbai, May 17 (PTI) Cyclonic storm Tauktae over the Arabian Sea led to very strong winds blowing at a speed of 114 kmph in Mumbai on Monday afternoon, civic officials said.

This was the highest wind speed recorded so far during the day, they said.

Washington, May 15 (PTI) The United States has partnered with India on climate change so as to help it meet its commitment to deploy 450 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, the Biden administration's climate change envoy has told US lawmakers.

"Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has made a commitment to deploy 450 GW of renewable energy. We have created a partnership with India because of that commitment because they don't have the finance and technology completely," US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry said.

Mumbai, May 13 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Thursday said considering the prevailing COVID-19 situation and the increase in number of deaths, civic authorities should look for modern techniques while disposing of the bodies in crematoriums to reduce pollution.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Pune resident Vikrant Latkar, raising concerns over air pollution in the areas near crematoriums.

PTI, 5 May 2021: (Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

30 Apr 2021; MEMO: Tonnes of dead fish have washed up on the banks of a lake on Lebanon's Litani river, engulfing a nearby village in a pungent smell, in a disaster blamed on polluted waters, Reuters reported.

Volunteers collected rotting fish carcasses near the Qaraoun lake on Lebanon's longest river, the Litani, where activists have warned for years of water pollution caused by sewage and waste.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Sunday that the 2nd filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) would be conducted in July and August, Anadolu Agency reported.

Bhopal, Apr 14 (PTI) The apparent spike in deaths caused due to COVID-19 has resulted in crematoriums and burial grounds in Bhopal struggling to dispose of bodies as these facilities have started facing several issues, including that of space crunch.

The number of bodies being brought to the crematoriums or burial grounds has been witnessing a surge over the last few days, say the operators of these establishments.