RESIDENTS of areas hit by natural disasters such as cyclones and storms could face carbon tax bills for the greenhouse emissions arising from rubbish created by the disaster, a Senate estimates hearing was told yesterday.

The revelation came as the government released a list of 104 local councils it believes may have to pay the tax because of the carbon emissions from rubbish dumps, 46 of which are in NSW and 21 in Victoria.

Coastal towns of Machilipatnam, Surya Lanka, Kavali and Gudur in Andhra Pradesh are sensitive regions with high return levels of sea surge in case of cyclones or tidal waves in the Bay of Bengal. Sea scientists from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, conducted studies to estimate the return periods of extreme sea level events along the East coast of India for as many as 26 coastal cities and towns. The research concentrated on five-year and 50-year return levels, which will help design marine structures for the protection of coastal areas.

Is the Asia-Pacific region set to bear the onerous title of having become the disaster centre of the globe? So it would seem if one went by UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Development Report “One Planet to Share — Sustaining Human Progress in a Changing Climate”.

Climate-related disasters are on the rise and during the last two decades, 45 per cent of the world’s natural disasters, whether it be floods in Pakistan in 2010 or Cyclone Nargis which hit Burma in 2008, have occurred here, resulting in numerous deaths, massive human dislocations and severe economic losses.

DIGBOI: The people of West Mamorani village under Digboi police Station in Tinsukia District has created a blockade of the the NH-38 here at Bengali Balijan near Anandabag Tea Estate this morning, lambasting the indifferent attitude of the District administration towards the plight of the cyclone- hit people of the area recently.

Expressing grief over the Government’s lackadaisical attitude, the irate mob today brought the National Highway to a still for two long hours. Speaking to The Sentinel,

A farmer was killed and 175 injured in Tripura when a tornado, accompanied by rain and hailstorm, hit the state, destroying more than 1,000 houses, uprooting trees and disrupting communication, officials said on Tuesday.

Authorities have stepped up efforts to provide relief to those affected by the tornado that struck late on Monday. The injured comprise children, women and elderly people.

Those tracking kharif paddy, among other scenes, can get a clear picture of it this year, thanks to RISAT-1, the all-weather satellite.

The nation's second radar imaging satellite will be put into orbit at dawn on Thursday.

Its specialty is the SAR or synthetic aperture radar which can see through clouds.

Development and other agencies that track objects, people movements, natural features and disasters on ground using satellite images can now get a round-the-year, all-terrain view of these areas.

Things are getting set for the launch of India's Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) from the spaceport at Sriharikota at 5.45 a.m. on Thursday. The four stages of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL) have been stacked up at the first launch-pad built on the beachside on the Sriharikota island and the satellite is married up with the vehicle. The 71-hour countdown for the lift-off will begin at 6.45 a.m. on Monday. The RISAT-1 is essentially a remote-sensing satellite.

Climate change has been posing serious threat to fisheries and livestock resources in the coastal belt of the country.
These areas are highly vulnerable for their direct dependence on climate parameters such as increased temperature, enhanced anomalies in the rainfall pattern and deforestation.
Parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock revealed it in a report on this issue on Tuesday after carrying out a mass hearing in coastal areas of Cox's Bazar and Kutubdia from April 9 to April 11 last.