There is a direct link between unabated mining and the floods which devastated the North Karnataka region in 2009, said environmentalist and High Court Lok Adalat member Y N Yellappa Reddy.

Speaking with mediapersons here on Friday, he said mining activities in the Western Ghats region - the main source of rivers and lakes - has led to the deterioration of environment. Constant mining activities had led to the destruction of grassland.

‘Secrets of Wild India', a three-part series highlighting the diversity of Indian wildlife, recently won the ‘Best Television Series' award at the International Wildlife Film Festival held at Montana in the U.S.A.

The series had to compete with films from across the globe at the prestigious festival. ‘Secrets of Wild India' was commissioned by National Geographic and is currently being shown in India.

SHILLONG: Endorsing the State government official team’s clean chit to four giant cement factories operating in Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Bindo Lanong attributed unscientific coal mining as a major cause of pollution of streams and rivers in Khleihriat sub division.

It is an irrefutable fact that unscientific “rat hole’ mining has contaminated the water sources and bodies within the periphery of the rich coal deposited sites of Khliehriat sub division. Adding more woes was the scientific declaration that waste from cement plants was the cause of death of aquatic lives in Lukha river.

A committee appointed by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to study the case visited the site and said the dam would harm the grassland ecosystem, and the Bengal bustard and wild water buffaloe — both highly endangered species — that live in it, as well as fragmenting the habitat of the Gangetic dolphin downstream, and submerging a nearby conservation area of medicinal plants.

However, the State government officials insist that neither the grasslands nor conservation area would be submerged, adding that there are no reports of sighting the Gangetic dolphin near the proposed dam site.

Ahmedabad: The pastoralist communities of Banni, through their respective gram panchayats, have opposed the move of the state forest department to ban pastoral rights of the community staying in the areas.

At least 15 of the 19 gram panchayats have passed a resolution against the state government and have sent the same to the senior officials in the state government.