AHMEDABAD: Between January and April last year, there were close to 550 malaria cases in the city. This year during the same period there are more than 1,600 malaria cases - a number that is alarming considering the fact that these cases have surfaced way ahead before the onset of monsoons. The state health department and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation ( AMC) have now sought help from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Delhi and National Institute of Malaria Research in Nadiad to tackle the problem.

AHMEDABAD: Forests and other departments in Gujarat have been very proactive in carrying out biodiversity conservation measures, significant among them being those related to whale shark, sea turtle, restoration of mangroves etc., Dr. A P Singh, member secretary, Gujarat Biodiversity Board, said.

Gujarat Biodiversity Board too has launched several measures for the conservation and development of biological diversity, including marine, he said, adding that Government of India had enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 for the conservation, development and regulation of biodiversity. The main objective of the Act is conservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilization of biological resources.

Ahmedabad: These tiny creatures love heavy metal. It’s not music we mean, but toxic metals like cadmium, mercury, chromium, lead and zinc: stuff that not only cause cancer but also trigger impairments in humans after they seep into our soil and groundwater. A five-year research at the Central University of Gujarat (CUG) has zeroed in on a special group of microbes — mainly bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes — that not only munch on these deadly wastes but also turn the land useful by a process of bio-cleansing.

Ahmedabad Tops The List With Maximum Notices

Ahmedabad: Following repeated violations of pollution norms in chemical hotspots, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has issued the highest number of show-cause and closure notices in recent times to several clusters of industries. Ahmedabad topped the list with most notices, according to the GPCB’s data. In just two financial years, the GPCB issued 1,680 closure notices to errant factories and nearly 2,118 show-cause notices, for violation of air, water and environment protection Acts respectively.

AHMEDABAD: While Madhya Pradesh is pitching Palpur Kuno as second home for the Asiatic lions, attempts to settle lions in the forest near this sanctuary had failed miserably in the past.

The Scindias of Gwalior advocated for the forests of Vindhya Pradesh where they had tried to introduce African lions. Sudipta Mitra describes the episode in his book 'Gir Forest and the Saga of the Asiatic Lion'. He writes, "Lord Curzon, while visiting Gwalior to shoot tigers in 1904, encouraged the Maharaja to rear African lions in his territory and as a good gesture, Curzon wrote a reference letter, which helped him a lot in getting the cubs."

AHMEDABAD: The woes for CNG car and rickshaw users refuse to die down. Adani Gas Ltd (AGL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd, has announced Rs 2.80 per kg hike in CNG prices. The announcement comes in less than two months after AGL revised CNG prices by more than Rs 4 per kg on March 31.

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Ecology Commission (GEC) in association with the World Around You (WAY) launched a new initiative called 'Study to identify good environment-friendly practices in Gujarat'- to identify, acknowledge and document practices that have proven capacity and have made significant contribution towards saving environment.

A K Verma, member secretary of GEC said, "Nowadays, we see that people care about environment. We intend to bring forward efforts that have made significant contribution towards saving environment. It will also inspire other people and organizations to join hands and adapt such practices".

GANDHINAGAR: A high-level committee of Government of India's (GoI's) finance ministry has cleared a proposal that would enable the Gujarat government to receive nearly 90 per cent of all funds over the new five-year plan, 2012-17, for completing the unfinished task of building canal network of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said, the proposal, made on the basis of a plea from Gujarat, would mean all desert zones of India would be treated as drought prone.

AHMEDABAD: The fight to save Gujarat's USP, the Asiatic Lion, has begun in earnest. The Supreme Court's order staying the reintroduction of cheetah in Kuno Palpur has not only dealt a blow to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), but has got the Gujarat forest department officers on their toes to save its USP.

The apex court had recently stayed the Rs 300 crore cheetah reintroduction project and sought to know if saving cheetah or lion was its priority.

AHMEDABAD: A lioness staring into the lens with a stately gaze. This one photograph on the Madhya Pradesh (MP) Tourism department's website to sell the Kuno Palpur Sanctuary has upset government officials in Gujarat - the only home of the Asiatic lion in the world at present.

MP Tourism has started selling the Kuno Palpur as an alternative site for the wild cats even as the two neighbouring states fight a legal battle in the Supreme Court over shifting some lions from the Gir sanctuary.