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.

MUMBAI: Residents of housing societies in Worli expressed concern after noticing that part of the Arabian Sea near the Haji Ali dargah turned black. The civic body, however, claimed there was nothing to be worried about and it was only the outcome of desilting process upstream. The residents alleged that a stormwater pumping station was draining pollutants unchecked into the sea. Raghu Sawhney (65), resident of Shiv Tirth, said, "On Monday, I noticed the water turning black; the filthy water seemed to be coming from the BMC pumping station across the road.

The State government was resorting to “jugglery of words” when speaking about the Netravati diversion project and the Yettinahole project, member of the Western Ghats Task Force B.M. Kumaraswamy said here on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Hindu here on the sidelines of a programme organised by the task force and the Department of Forests, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the government was denying that there was any attempt to divert the Netravati, and instead it was saying that it would supply drinking water to Kolar, Chickballapur, Chitradurga and Bangalore Rural districts from the Yettinahole, a tributary of the Netravati, he said.

Mumbai: Mired in a controversy over the construction of a Shivaji statue in the Arabian Sea, the state government is taking no chances with its other future projects. The government is gearing up to start the land acquisition within the next six months for a dolphin and water theme park along the Arabian Sea coastline in Sindhudurg.

Those displaced by the Seabird naval project are fighting a legal battle for 30 years

Poor land owners in the taluk, who parted with their land for Asia’s biggest naval base, ‘INS Kadamba’ (Seabird), have been waging a protracted legal battle for over three decades for fair compensation.

The entire Western Ghats must be considered as ecologically sensitive, especially to ensure the sustainability of the rivers of the Indian Peninsula, the Madhav Gadgil Committee report has said. Peninsular rivers such as the Krishna, Godavari and Cauvery that drain the Deccan Plateau and flow eastwards originate in the Western Ghats.

This November, everyone wondered what happened to the winters. So far, the season has been rather lukewarm and promises to be so for the next month or so. With December already halfway through, are we headed for a shorter, warmer winter this time?